The Zombie Survival Guide (Book review)

Barlowe

...Alternately titled "Complete protection from the living dead".



Basic premise

This book by Max Brooks is a regular tablet of wisdom for those who wants to not only survive, but in style, the swarms of living undead.

The entire premise of the book is that Zombie Outbreaks™ (Cue ominous music) are not only a regular happening, it's been so since the dawn of time.

Pros and cons

The book is handy, easily stuffed in the back pocket of a pair of jeans, and comes with plenty of good suggestions in such diverse fields as:

• Pre-outbreak preparations
• Post-Outbreak precautions
• Weapons of Choice
• Transportation of choice

While this is all fine and dandy, the book is

a) Sometimes scary in the fact that it never really seems to be a humorous book, and some of the preparations will by "normal standards" of society seem anti-social, bordering on the paranoic.

b) Always clamoring about the reason for the existance(sp?) of zombies. The book uses a reason, and the only exception to that single reason for Zombies is with Voodoo Zombies which it accepts as being real and plausible (but very much different from "regular" zombies).

Wrap-up

In closing, if you have the spare money (it's not really an expensive book, and can be had from Amazon if none of your local bookstores has it), you should get it.

I'd rather not bother saying that you have to like zombies to like this book, since you wouldn't be reading this otherwise :P

I'd say that this carries my Zombie Seal of Approval , and were a Zombie Outbreak to happen in real life, I'd be sure to have that book on me (Or in my party of survivors...But preferably in my own pack).

Feel free to leave comments if you've read the book and think otherwise of the book than I've given expressions for here

-Barlowe

Fvalen

I've already read that book. Its really awesome

AzH

I ordered this and World war Z and I was going to use them as prizes for this site (they are still in the original packaging), but I might open them now and start reading.

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Barlowe

I'm glad to see I'm not the only survivor who got this book!

Oh, and it's definetely worth a read, Alan - I don't know about World War Z, but I thought of getting that as well.

I'm kinda annoyed I couldn't find the cover art shot my version of the Survival Guide has (A red one), but the one I put in the OP will do.

Fryth

hmm looks kool

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Im like walking everday and i see zombies and go like BOOM HEADSHOT BOOM HEADSHOT!!

freebeez

looks alright. Have never heard of it b4 though

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Angel_Eyes

I saw this in the farmers market once
read a little of it
its allright

Reginald Assblaine

We got one of them slack jawed yokels alright, i just knows its one of them. Yessiree bob. Yokels i tells ya.

MasterOfS0lder

I haven't read that book yet.

means i'm screwed in a Zombie Outbreak?

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I got hooked

AzH

I started reading Zombie Survival Guide last night. I have World War Z to read afterwards. But it will probably not get started until after Left 4 Dead has hit.

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CAW

i bought it from amazon for about $4. being a fan of zombie movies and games, i just didn't feel complete until i had this in my hands.

Qwickkiller

its pretty easy how to survive the zombies

#1 Remember how the stupid people die in the movies and dont be stupid
#2 Dont go anywhere alone
#3 find a place with food and stay there till the food expires
#4 head to a island and get off once in a while to find food or plant crops

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L4D Fav Wep = 12-gauge

Reginald Assblaine

I dunno about #4, at the end of the Dawn of the dead remake they headed to an island and didnt really do that well.

Barlowe

My boiled-down Survival Tips™:

1: Don't be dumb. This means no unnecessary risks, no going around with yer iPod in yer ears (and so on).

2: Try to maintain high ground. This way, at least if you run out of bullets, they can't get to you (See the newly-introduced intro movie to L4D) - of course, as long as that high ground is cut off well and nice from below.

3: Food needs to be either easily cooked / prepared, or need no cooking / preparation.

4: Low supply load, so you don't get exhausted just carrying the bare necessities (Until you can mod a sweet ride like in the Dawn of the Dead remake in 2004).

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Most people'll do anything if a cop tells 'em to. If we meet anyone, tell them we're cops. - Francis.

Left4Dead Demo Vid // Steam Group // Forum Rules
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AzH

I finished the Survival Guide and I'm now onto World War Z.

So far so good.

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Focus

Just picked this book up today, it looked interesting and gives me something to do until the full game is out. Looks like the bosses and running zombies have been debunked! but I only got through the first bit.

Btw whats up with the ends historical accounts? does he think they are real or trying to trip me out o_O well back to reading

Barlowe

He's trying to trip you out

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__________________________________________________
Most people'll do anything if a cop tells 'em to. If we meet anyone, tell them we're cops. - Francis.

Left4Dead Demo Vid // Steam Group // Forum Rules
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Cheshire

I have a few key problems with this book. 2 of them being minor and one being inexcusable. I'll start with the problems I can let go because I enjoyed the book. He sounds borderline psychotic, and he gives an unfair description on the M16 series. Don't get me started on the M16, he mentions jamming, it only jambs if you A.) Are carrying 1964-1967 model, or B.) Haven't cleaned the weapon in a week. And by his definition of the zombies, you would have to hit them in the head anyway, in which case the size of the round wont matter that much.

My number one issue with this book, that in the event of a true outbreak would become horrifyingly apparent very quickly, is that the zombies would have a variation of speed. So you may run into a zombie that's been a zombie for 2 weeks, it will hardly be able to shamble. The very next day you could find a once survivor, and he will run at you, full speed. The fact is, this imaginary bacteria/virus "Solanum" goes against several laws of biology. He mentions that the zombies don't digest anything, they simply eat it. If that's the case they would continue to atrophy for about a month and then die. Because no living organism can run on nothing. I don't care if solanum excretes a super potent preserving chemical, you can't run a muscle without applying ATP to the myopic complex, and you can't get ATP without processing organic matter.


That's just my 2 cents on the subject.

Ashy

World War Z is being made into a movie!!

World War Z (2010)

DrunkSnake

Hehe great book.