World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

 World War Z by Max Brooks, 342 pages. Audiobook narrated by a full cast.

I am not usually one for zombie books or audiobooks, but this one is so phenomenal in both cases that I make an exception. This was actually a "re-read" for me, but it was my first time listening to the audiobook, which is fully cast with many serious voice actors (including Mark Hamill!) and engaging enough to keep me focused. It also definitely helps that the framing of this book as an "oral history" makes the transition completely natural. 

The frame for this novel is that Max Brooks (who is both the author and a character) conducted a series of interviews after the titular World War Z with people around the world who touched the conflict in any way, all as part of a report to the UN. This novel is the parts that were deemed, for whatever reason, inappropriate for the formal report. 

My favorite thing about this book is how thorough it is. The accounts aren't just from soldiers, refugees, or the people masterminding strategy. An apocalyptic event touches everyone, and this book covers a whole lot of them. The other remarkable thing about this book, and the thing that I think makes it the most disturbing, is how hauntingly plausible it is. Brooks is very good at acknowledging that people are not inherently good or bad, but are ultimately inherently just people. Some of the people we interview did terrible, selfish things that cost a lot of lives. Others are completely self-sacrificing, and plenty are more complex than either option. This is an extremely thorough book that is both too interesting and too slow to be true horror. But it is just so cool, and is a great treat to read.