World War Z
 

So...

Between here and Amazon, there seems to be high praise for Max Brooks' books (say that five times fast!). There's a slight discount at Amazon to get this and the survival guide book, so I think I may pick them both up there. Thanks!

Max Brooks' "Zombie Survival Guide (Complete Protection Against the Undead)" is possibly the greatest zombie book I've ever read. It's really a hilarious read and I suggest it to any fan of the genre.

Really looking forward to World War Z... picked it up in the BUY.COM sale and just waiting for it to show up. So far it seems to be getting just as good reviews as his first work.

What about people like myself who are not necessarily fans of the genre? I've never found Romero's movies too interesting, but I liked 28 Days Later and I absolutely loved Shaun of the Dead. Beyond that, I'm pretty ambivalent towards the zombie genre. But I always find this book intriguing when I see it sitting in the bookstore.

I ask you, DVDTalk: Would I like it?

Nice
 

Hey all,

WWZ is nice because of the way it's chopped up into short segents/memories that all center around the same concept (and roughly the same time period). This is especially good for me since i have an extremely short attention span....

Later,

Matt!

Just read this and enjoyed it quite a bit. Wonder how the movie will work?

Hey --

I think it will make a great flick -- especially if they keep all of the accounts seperate except for the major underlying theme. I hope it's not tongue-in-cheek.....which may be a hard considering the bloodlines the author comes from....


Later,


Matt!

I actually think the storyline would have played out better as a mini-series on TV (more specifically, HBO) rather than a movie. How can you fit a decade-long war with the undead in a two-hour timeframe and still keep the scope of the war along with the individual accounts of personal and national survival. I have high hope for it, though. And I'm with KillerQ on this -- I hope the powers-that-be don't give the movie version a Shaun of the Dead-esque turn.

I was thinking miniseries as well. The book is divided into 8 main chapters. They could do 8 parts.

I just don't see this movie as film-able in 2 hours. Unless they have plans for a trilogy, I just don't see a way. There's just too much material: too many settings, too many characters, too much alternate history...

"There's just too much material: too many settings, too many characters, too much alternate history..."

Yes, that's why this book rocks! It's literally the first book in 15 years (that wasn't required for school) that has kept my interest....

Everytime I think about a possible movie -- I think of the "Patient 0" of the first chapter....his dry wounds... sliced into him from the plastic tie-wrap....awesome! That would make for some creepy scenes!

Later,

Matt

Saw this in Borders -- looks pretty cool, but I'm waiting for the paperback.

I just read it in one day. I loved it. Very engaging.

History Channel has been showing Zombie Files this past week. I think it's on today. Max Brooks is interviewed in it.

Is this book a sequel or stand-alone? I'm not familiar with Brooks and am thinking of picking it up (after reading about it here).

Stand alone. You don't have to read the Zombie Survival Guide. I never have.

It is better if you read the survival guide first as it is referenced in Z and a lot of premises..like zombies in water are more enjoyed having read the survival guide.
Enjoyed Z a lot more myself.

Finished reading this last night. Very, very good book. Hadn't read the Survival Guide though. Should read that next.

I am in the same boat as you concerning the movies, although I have started liking them more in the last year, and I LOVE this book so far. I am about 1/2-3/4 through it and I want him to write a series of books on the damn war itself. And this really needs to be a miniseries and not just a movie.

Hey all,

I have about 50 pages left -- the book is great, I'll read it again right away. Oddly enough, the only parts that slow the book down, and bore me are the political parts.... i mean, I can stand the militaristic strategy parts since it's interesting, but the political view, and debate parts don't do anything for me. Then again, I have never been a politics buff....ever.

Later,

Matt!

Anyone recomend another Zombie book as good as this one? I am picking up the Survival Guide this week.

Glad I'm not the only one who loved these two books. Was thinking of posting the same thing. After finishing this (in a single day), I've got the bug for more zombie fiction as well.

As for the movie, I'm thinking two ways would work. A parody of a History Channel documentary. Travelling narrator, plenty of talking heads, and scratchy file footage of zombie battles, etc. Or an Animatrix style collection of mini-stories. But yeah, my favorite would be as a miniseries. But it would have to be done by Showtime or HBO. One of the cable channels that wouldn't shy away from the necessary gore and violence.

But the real question is, who should direct it? I'd personally nominate Paul Verhoeven. I think he'd manage the right mix of horror, and still work in the comedy angle without it being too obvious.

I say skip the comedy aspect....if possible

Now that I think about it, you're right. I never actually understood how either of his books really qualify as 'comedy'. Unless you want to think of them as some sort of parody of disaster novels/survival guides.

I try not to read zombie books. I write a comic that has zombies and there is always that fear, that on some subconscious level I'll be influenced. I have read both book from Max Brooks and enjoyed them tremendously. My one small complaint, is that World War Z short of lost steam towards the end. (Which I suppose it had too.)

My book.
http://www.bughousecomics.com/lobby/...tcardsmall.jpg

Hey all,

I think that this should be done in a straight-up, traditional style movie (or series). No reality tv shots, no MTV style camera-work -- nothing that tries to sell on trendiness. And NO comedy....Just a nice loooooong epic with lots of gore and atmospheric creepieness. That is, show the interviews, then act out some of the scenes as well -- like mini movies within the movie. That way it's not all interviews...

Also, Nice artowork Dex.

Later,

Matt!