To make a zombie war realistic is commendable, and everything that comes with warfare is explored fairly satisfactorily by Brooks. People have varying degrees of survival skills and each handles the situation differently. Some find unexpected strength, some get disheartened, some act like complete asswipes etc.

As the outbreak starts in China and spreads all over the world, we see the success of governments depending on how seriously they take the threat and how well they have estimated their powers to stop it. Unfortunately for me, Brooks spends a lot of time explaining the political background of the war, the different strategies, and the general global effects.

The parts I found most interesting were the struggles of civilians. When the world looks like it's ending, not even rich celebrities are able to save themselves by splurging money on the newest security technology (that chapter was hilarious by the way).

It all boiled down to personal preference regarding the zombie experience. What I missed in World War Z, I've previously found in The Walking Dead (the tv-series) and Night of the Living Dead (1968). It's the individuals that interest me, although Brooks's characters seem to be the same old cliched stereotypes (the Japanese, wtf?), and therefore the whole book is lacking real cultural insight. The lack of tension was the biggest problem, though. The zombies themselves seemed to be mere background elements in order to take a stance on the modern world and its future. The execution of the interview format didn't help, what with all the infodumping and expositions happening in a supposedly oral history.