Started: August 28
Finished: Sept. 1
Notes: After my latest zombie read left me wanting more, I decided I'd go back to what I consider not only the best zombie book ever written, but one of my personal favorite books. And no, I've not seen the movie. I'll probably get around to it eventually, but apparently it has very little to do with the book other than the title and the fact it's about zombies. I first read World War Z about eight years ago soon after it was first published, and I loved it so much that I've been somewhat afraid of re-reading it since then because I fear I might not enjoy it so much on second read. But that is a chance I'll now take.
Mini review: Still a damn fine book, and still a personal favorite. On a second reading, it's just a touch monotonous, not just because I'd read it before, but because the way the book is structured is much more obvious to me. Maybe I noticed that apparent structure because I'd read the book before, or maybe it's because I'm a more experienced writer now. Either way, this is still a book worth reading by anyone. You don't have to be a zombie or horror fan to appreciate this book, because it is so much more than that, it transcends genre in a lot of ways. Basically, this book is a collection of stories from the survivors of the great "Zombie War." And these aren't gore-filled horror tales. These are personal tellings, fictional accounts not that dissimilar to those of World War II veterans and the like. In the end, this is a book about hope, though the price paid is quite high, and literally everyone on the planet pays that price.
I enjoyed it, but am not a huge fan. I think that is largely because of the structure. It was a very interesting experiment but there was some of the monotony you mentioned. More for me, though, was that the book is written after the "story" is really over. It relays what happened in essentially flashbacks, and that took a lot of tension out for me. Still a worthwhile book to read though because it is unique.
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