I Don't Even LIKE Zombies, But I Loved "World War Z."

I've never like zombies. I haven't ever seen "Night of the Living Dead" or "28 Days Later" or anything where you need to blow something's brains out to kill its undead self. So when friends recommended Max Brooks' novel "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War," I was skeptical. "But I don't like zombies," I protested. "You'll like this." Finally after months of whining, and after seeing the impressive cast of the audio version, I picked it up.

Wow.

"World War Z" is an oral history of a worldwide conflagration, the bloodiest in human history. It includes interviews with survivors who experienced the "Zombie War" in New York, Louisiana, Colorado, Canada, Japan, China, India, South Africa, England, Cuba, and many other locations. Each is just a snapshot, but they progress chronologically from the beginning of the war--the first outbreak of the virus that causes the "zombification" to the final days.

Interspersed between all of that, you get a glimpse of what the world is like after billions of humans have died. A new global economy, where money doesn't mean anything; Cuba transformed into a global powerhouse thanks to it's former isolation; religion, language, culture, all changed over the years of this war into something that sounds less egalitarian and more compassionate than the world we live in now.

The stories range from doctors who treat victims to soldiers who are in the ranks of the first defeated armies to ordinary people on the run from the living dead. Brooks' writing reads like a fascinating alternate version of what a war against these supernatural creatures would really be like--they basically replicate themselves with a bite, and the only sure way to kill them is to destroy their brain. Against that kind of math, we didn't have much of a chance.

Although much of the book glories in the gore that necessarily comes with a Zombie War, the overall message is one of humanity's capacity for hope and survival. Some of the stories that stick with you longest are those where families and individuals had to make hard decisions to survive, but ultimately do. What parts of their life were they willing to give up to continue? One of the best chapters is about a compound full of spoiled celebrities, broadcasting their hedonism to the world; they're safe enough against zombie attack, but don't understand the resentment that ordinary people have against them, and are torn to shreds by Joe American. Loved that chapter.

If you can find the audio book from Random House, pick it up. The voice cast is stellar, including Max Brooks, Alan Alda, Rob Reiner, Carl Reiner, Jurgen Prochnow, Henry Rollins, John Turturro, Eamonn Walker and Mark Hamill. And about ten others who I didn't immediately recognize, but who turn in amazing performances. It runs about six hours across five CDs, and is the best way to experience this book. This event.

If you're put off by the zombies, don't be. I don't generally go for the supernatural zombie/vampire/werewolf stuff either. The quality of this book and these performances completely won me over. There's more connection here to "Band of Brothers" or "Saving Private Ryan" than there is to "Night of the Living Dead." If you're a fan of history or humanity, you'll love "World War Z."