Book Recommended: World War Z

IDonT

Senior Member
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World War Z is a novel by Max Brooks which chronicles the fictional event "World War Z" or "Zombie World War".

Don't get mislead by its premise, even if you are not a Zombie fan, you will love it.

Read how "traditional" military tactics were no use against Zombie hordes that lead to a massive defeat of US military at the Battle of Yonkers.

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Total War is the name for the phase of the war when humanity began to actively fight back against the undead, both to reclaim territory and to rekindle morale. This period is named after the military concept of Total War. The term is not used to refer to humanity's strategy against the undead, but rather the situation that humanity was up against. It is impossible for any human nation to engage in a "total war" in which 100% of the population is devoted to the war effort, 24 hours a day. However, zombies devote every second of every day to hunting down and consuming humans. They never sleep and require no logistical support. Each one is a self-contained fighting unit that can function for years without resupply, relief, or reinforcement.

The use of pre-modern warfare infantry squares becomes a predominant tactic against the living dead. Battles consist of the unit forming lines of fire and luring the zombies with noise (in America's case, music by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden). They are fired on as they cross a series of range markers, eventually forming a wall of dead zombies that the others have to climb over. Eventually the United States manages to recapture its entire territory. After this is done, the US military helps the Canadian and Mexican forces retake their countries. Europeans manage to retake their countries. Russia reconquers its territory, but suffers a vastly higher casualty rate than the US and Europe due to woefully inadequate supplies and equipment. When China is cleared of zombies, VC Day is declared: the official end of the Zombie War
 

DarkEminence

New Member
Did you read the prequel "The Zombie Survival Guide?"

Although they are good reads, there are a lot of discrepancies between the novels. The first novel emphasized a Level 4 world, where people were trained in Guerrilla tactics. This novel was a major sidestep from the original, planning a "worldwide" rebellion.

IMHO, if you are fighting Zombies, you would want guerrilla tactics. You need people everywhere, not massed formations. Massed formations work, but if you get a zombie behind your lines...massed formations are like herds of bulls. They have horns, but even a mere toreador can tire them out (imagine what the neverending undead could do)
 

IDonT

Senior Member
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Did you read the prequel "The Zombie Survival Guide?"

Although they are good reads, there are a lot of discrepancies between the novels. The first novel emphasized a Level 4 world, where people were trained in Guerrilla tactics. This novel was a major sidestep from the original, planning a "worldwide" rebellion.

IMHO, if you are fighting Zombies, you would want guerrilla tactics. You need people everywhere, not massed formations. Massed formations work, but if you get a zombie behind your lines...massed formations are like herds of bulls. They have horns, but even a mere toreador can tire them out (imagine what the neverending undead could do)

Did not read that one, yet.

Max Brook thought of everything. In the US, a defensive line was held in the Rocky Mountains. Anything West is safe, East is abandoned. US military retooled for this new type of enemy with the Resource to Kill Ratio. This means that Fighters, Bombers, etc became cut. Most amount of Zombie killed for less amount of resources expended.

The US military was transformed into a human intensive "light infantry" marching in formation ala Civil War days. They got rid of automatic weapons and relied on semi-automatic aimed long range head shots using volley fire. A flat ground is the best terrain, with the infantry forming a square and range markers set out to aid in accuracy. Then lound sounds were blasted to attract the walking dead. When they attack, just take your time and aim for the head. Helo's air drop reloads.
 

Gollevainen

Colonel
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man you read weird books:confused: :rofl:

but atleast you read, and thats the important part! A good book is always better all-level entertainer than films or TV...
 

IDonT

Senior Member
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man you read weird books:confused: :rofl:

but atleast you read, and thats the important part! A good book is always better all-level entertainer than films or TV...

Thanks Golly I think:confused:

This book is really good. Max Brooks thought of everything. Such as why cluster munitions are not as effective against Zombie swarms. Why thermobaric bombs have minimal effect.

They had this battle called The Battle of Yonkers where the US military made a stand against the Zombie Population of Manhattan (about 3 Million). They were doing good until they ran out of ammo and got overrun.

The Kill zones were MLRS, artillery, direct fire from tanks, and direct small arms fire. Problem was there were not enough ammo. Most of the tanks ammo were Sabot Rounds. The network centric equipment worked against the US. Fear spread at the speed of light as overuned units last moments were broadcast to every other US army units. They broke ranks just ran for their lives. It was route.
 

Gollevainen

Colonel
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does the book have any literatural merits, or, is it good to read for other purposes than taking look of the lates strategies against zombies?
 

IDonT

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does the book have any literatural merits, or, is it good to read for other purposes than taking look of the lates strategies against zombies?

The book is written a weird format. It is not your typical book format. It is written in an oral history sort of way, with the characters interviewed 10 years after the war. The characters tell of their experiences. Example is of one US private involved in the battle and highlights the break down of discipline as they were being overun. Another one is of a Chinese doctor who first reported the new diseased. Another one is of a German battalion commander who were ordered to abandoned Hamburg, along with its thousand refugees for a general retreat accross the Kiel canal, etc. The book is not US centric.
 

Gollevainen

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well starts to sound more intresting....are the charesters made in depth or repeat of common caricatures and clisés? Are they creditable according the interwiev format? Are the main-characters "good" or "evil"?? Is there a plot in the book, or does it just account alternative-history?
 

IDonT

Senior Member
VIP Professional
Here are some descriptions from Wikipedia

Kwang Jingshu, an elderly Chinese physician and former army medic, discovers the reanimated boy who is later deemed Patient Zero of the epidemic. Jingshu's narration conveys a blend of dedication and impatience en route to the village; the mystery of the seven abandoned invalids; and the frightful conundrum of the lifeless yet hostile boy.

Fernando Oliveira, a Brazilian doctor, tells how organ transplants spread the virus by recounting his experience with a patient infected via a donated heart. Reports of improper organ transplants may have inspired this account

Breckinridge Scott, an executive in a pharmaceutical firm, exploited the appearance of Solanum by marketing Phalanx. His narration gloats about the help he had from ignorant bureaucrats and politicians.

Mary Jo Miller, mayor of a zombie-proof community in Montana, describes how the war began for her family when she was a housewife in San Diego. Her discussion of prewar family life indicates that she had a typical middle-class American household with its share of hobbies and personal problems.

Maria Zhuganova, a Russian soldier, becomes a participant of harsh reforms as the plague spreads. Her narration shows how well-meaning troops can become party to atrocities.

Todd Wainio, a U.S. Army infantryman, provides an American soldier's perspective and witnesses changes in combat techniques as the war progresses.

Xolelwa Azania describes South Africa's heartless but effective strategy which allows the world to triumph over the undead masses.

Christina Eliopolis, a U.S. Air Force officer, relates her adventure in a zombie-infested Louisiana swamp. She is helped by a radio guide in an action-oriented scenario which blends elements of two popular movies: Bat-21 and Night of the Living Dead.

Sensei Tomonaga Ijiro, a Hibakusha martial artist who, despite being blinded by the 1945 attacks on Hiroshima, survives in the abandoned home islands of Japan. He is one of several characters in the book who have major physical weaknesses (blind, paralyzed or sedentary) and use their intelligence to survive the war by marshalling their remaining abilities.

Xu Zhicai, a Chinese admiral, witnesses the plague's effects at sea and on the Pacific Continent while commanding a Type 94 ballistic missile submarine. He tells about the advantages and disadvantages of seeking refuge in the oceans; his story is like a combination of The Hunt for Red October and Waterworld.
 

Gollevainen

Colonel
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well what I mented was more of a readers obinion, wheter those charecters actually work and feel "real"....
What I have found fonding in books, even in the more "ligther" literature is the depth of its charecters....you can almoust write anything as long as you do it with creditable personalities...
 
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