World War Z
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| Author | Max Brooks |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Zombies |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Crown |
| Released | September 12, 2006 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 0307346609 |
World War Z is a novel by Max Brooks which chronicles the so-called "World War Z" or "Zombie World War". It is a follow-up to his previous book, The Zombie Survival Guide.
[edit] Information
The book consists of a series of personal accounts of those who survived the zombie war. Each chapter details a major period during the war, and contains five or six personal accounts that give insight into events from that time.
The book was released on September 12, 2006 and has already been optioned by Paramount Pictures to be made into a major motion picture. In June 2006, Brad Pitt's Plan B announced that they will be making a film of the book, in conjunction with Paramount. [1]
[edit] Major epochs of World War Z
World War Z breaks down the unfolding of the zombie war into distinct time periods which are characterized by significant events that were turning points in the war. Occasionally, a time period would be defined by a single event in one location, more often however many nations or regions would take similar actions, either independently or mimicking one another. The main events that Brooks characterizes as major events in the Zombie War include the following.
[edit] Pre-War
Brooks uses the term pre-war to refer to the time before the first infection of the Class Four outbreak which is the main narrative force of the book. The pre-war world largely reflects the modern real world. Some events that Brooks refers to in the pre-war take place in the near future. There is no mention in World War Z of any encounters with Zombies before the initial outbreak, however in The Zombie Survival Guide the author includes a number of references to minor and moderate sized outbreaks which occurred during this time period. Brooks has not stated if these two timelines are identical, but The Zombie Survival Guide is a real book in the World War Z timeline as it is referred to indirectly.
[edit] The Beginning
Based on the events referred to by Brooks as taking place pre-war and during the beginning, the reader is led to believe that the outbreak began sometime between 2008 and 2010 (evidenced by mention of a completed Three Gorges Dam). The beginning of the war was characterized by isolated outbreaks originating in China (and evidence of their existence suppressed by the Chinese government), then moving further west. As the outbreak grew through Africa, Solanum, the virus which causes humans to become zombies, was first referred to as "African Rabies." This time period was characterized by a combination of denial and profiteering. One large medical corporation was selling "Phalanx", a rabies vaccination that was marketed as being effective in the prevention of "African Rabies" - and while it was in fact a rabies vaccine it was 100% ineffective in the prevention of the transmission of Solanum. (The Zombie Survival Guide states categorically that there is no known vaccine or treatment for Solanum infection because the virus can only be partially inactivated and therefore all attempts to make a vaccine either produce no effect or end in infection for the patient.) Many government military and intelligence organizations were beginning to identify the threat, but world leaders largely dismissed the possibility of a large scale outbreak - or indeed even the possibility of a virus that would reanimate the dead. The only notable exception to this rule was the voluntary quarantine of Israel. This quarantine also contributed to the next major event in World War Z.
[edit] The Great Panic
The Great Panic is the name given by Brooks to the time period that was characterized by mass hysteria surrounding humanity's realization of the reality facing them. The Panic largely began when the infection started to overrun the population in mainland China. Refugees escaping from the blight in China helped to speed up the rate of infection in other nations. At the same time, the undead were beginning to outnumber the living in Africa and India. Many in North America attempted to migrate to northern Canada, and North American and European cities also began to be overrun. The peak of the Great Panic was the battle of Yonkers, where the U.S. military suffered a tremendous defeat in a battle against some 100,000 zombies in Yonkers, a suburb of New York, as well as the millions of zombies reaching all the way back to New York City. The defeat caused not only a tremendous loss of life, as well as the expenditure of vast amounts of ammunition, but had a devastating effect on morale and contributed to the zombie count.
[edit] Homefront USA
During this time immediately following the Great Panic, the focus is on the restructuring of the United States government, military, and civilian population. Many of the changing tactics of the military and new tools of war and industry are discovered and implemented by the US government.
[edit] Above and Around the World
This portion of the book deals with the after effects of the Great Panic and how people and nations around the world are now dealing with the undead menace. Important points in this part of the book include the role of Cuba in helping to stablize and eventually serve as a base for countries of North and South American as well as Europe to begin to plan to retake their overrun homelands. Another important point is the development of an Oceanic society made up of refugees from around the world who have banded together to survive. During this section of the book the destruction of the Three Gorges Dam and the Chinese Civil War is referenced. Finally, a plan is put into action by the UN to begin to retake lost territory from the undead for the purpose of restoring humanity's confidence and spirit that was lost during the Great Panic.
[edit] Total War
Total War is the name given by the author to refer to the time period when humanity began to actively fight back against the undead, both to reclaim territory as well as to rekindle morale. This epoch is named after the military concept of Total War. The term total war is not used to refer to humanity's strategy against the undead, but rather the situation that humanity was up against. Technically, it is impossible for any human nation to ever be engaged in a "total war" in which exactly 100% of the population is devoted to the war effort, 24 hours a day. However, the zombies devote every second of every day to hunting down and consuming humans, and they never sleep. Zombies require no logistical support; each one is its own self-contained fighting unit and can function for years with no need of external support whatsoever.
Conventions of warfare going back hundreds of years are thus completely upset. The zombie horde actually gains in number as the number of humans is only decreasing. In the United States alone, at the war's peak the military was facing 200 million zombies in US territory. As each zombie is a self-contained fighting unit and there is no group organization whatsoever, there are no leaders, and thus, no "strategic" targets of any kind (decapitation strikes against the enemy "general" are impossible). Further, advanced technology such as 21st century air combat forces proved incredibly ineffective, with the ratio of resources expended to the actual number of zombies they were killing being woefully low.
Eventually, the tide of the war against the zombies was turned by using a horrific plan which was originated in South Africa by an ex-Apartheid government official, then copied by other nations. The simple fact was that the human governments could not save all of their population; the military forces were stretched too thin and losing ground daily. The best course of action they could take was to concentrate their remaining forces in "Safe Zones"; defensible areas usually defined by natural boundaries like mountain ranges, major rivers, and sometimes offshore islands. The military would focus their remaining forces on clearing the Safe Zone of zombies, and then consolidate, preparing for the eventual push to reclaim territory lost to the zombies. Up to this point, the plan was more or less in keeping with a basic military retreat. The horrific part was the civilian evacuation plan: not all civilians could be saved, some were evacuated and others not. Evacuating some civilians from outside the Safe Zone enabled the Safe Zones to build up a labor pool for wartime production, as well as placating those already in the Safe Zone with the feeling that the government was looking out for them. However, the many civilians who could not be evacuated were intentionally herded into local defensive sanctuaries and makeshift fortresses, for the express purpose of using them as live zombie bait. The plan was that local zombie hordes would focus on the pockets of survivors in these sanctuaries, thus never leaving to link up with other groups of zombies and attack the Safe Zones. As a result, the number of Zombies throwing themselves at the Safe Zones' defenses were drastically reduced. Meanwhile, efforts were actually made to resupply the human bait in the sanctuaries, to keep these lures functioning as long as possible. As a result, the human nations were eventually able to consolidate within their Safe Zones, and then strike back against the zombies. Not every nation expressly planned to use pockets of survivors in geographic regions that had fallen to the zombies as live bait as South Africa had (though most established the Safe Zone plan), but many fell into this paradigm on an ad hoc basis.
[edit] Post-War
Post-War is the time used to describe the age after the end of Total War. Although all of the zombies have not yet been destroyed, all major cities have been retaken, and the vast majority of areas have been cleared of the infestation. Most of the areas still infected are in the north, or in the mountains, where the undead are frozen solid during the winter months, and cleanup must be done during the brief thaw each year. Another major area of infestation is in bodies of water, where millions of undead still exist and occasionally make it to land. These heavily infested areas are known as "White Zones". The most heavily infected area is Iceland.
[edit] Weapons
Brooks introduces a number of weapons which were developed by both the military and civilians to combat the undead threat. Many were modified versions of existing weapons, others were created specifically to combat zombies.
[edit] Lobotomizer
Officially designated as the Standard Infantry Entrenchent Tool, the Lobotomizer or "Lobo" for short is a melee weapon similar to a Shaolin spade, with a wide blade on one end and a point on the other. The spade could be used to decapitate the undead, or to cause severe brain trauma directly. It was originally a concept of the U.S. Marines and was mass produced for the Army as the Total War phase began.
[edit] SIR
The Standard Infantry Rifle was the firearm that was designed specifically for combat against the undead by the US Army. It featured a wooden stock and casing (composite materials were difficult to manufacture during the war) and could operate only in semi-automatic mode. Although heavy, the weapon was favored for its extreme reliability (according to one soldier, during a battle in Hope, NM, over 20,000 zombies were killed without a single weapon jam). The weapon also was fitted with a bayonet that was more of a pointed blade end rather than a typical bayonet design, which allowed it to be used in CQB whenever the Lobo wasn't at the ready. The SIR also came with a conversion kit with spare parts and with different barrels varying from a long range sniper's barrel, to mid-range, right down to a short close-combat carbine barrel. It fired a special incendiary round chambered in 5.56 NATO known as the "Cherry PIE" which would literally burn the brain when it hit the head. Various rumors exist on how the SIR developed, some claim it is a stripped down, and wooden, XM8 others that it is a modified AK-47, and lastly that it was designed during the siege of New York and emailed to Hawaii before the battle of Yonkers.
[edit] Mkunga Lalem
Mkunga Lalem, "The Eel and the Sword", is the anti-ghoul martial art developed specifically to protect human combatants in close quarters while maximizing zombie casualties. It is Afro-Caribbean in origin, and was first demonstrated on the USS Saratoga, during the "Honolulu Conference". However, the martial art is not described in detail.
[edit] The Outbreak
The outbreak began in China sometime between 2008 and 2010. In an interview with one Chinese doctor, patient zero was believed to be a young boy in a remote village. According to the boy's mother, he was bitten while "Moon Fishing" - salvage diving through former villages covered with water by the construction of Three Gorges Dam - with his father. The boy's father was never seen again. It is uncertain how the virus was contracted by the zombie who bit patient zero, although an old woman sees the outbreak as a curse triggered by the destruction and flooding of Fengdu. Later in the interview, it is discovered that elements of the Chinese government are familiar with Solanum infection when the doctor contacts a fellow doctor who is higher up in the government who informs him that the boy and patients bitten by the boy needed to be isolated and locked up and that those near them should be armed. Chinese intelligence agents arrive and isolate the village immediately afterward, but several villagers, presumably including infected bite victims, have already left the area. It is unknown if this is related to one of the outbreaks described by Brooks in The Zombie Survival Guide. This would be plausible due to Chinese capture of information about Solanum experiments performed by the Japanese in Manchuria during WWII, documented in that work.
[edit] Post-war politics
World War Z significantly altered the geopolitical and economic landscape. In particular, many national governments collapsed, and the political ties between certain nations grew stronger.
[edit] North America
[edit] Aztlan (Mexico)
Mexico was apparently so weakened by the war that its own army was incapable of liberating the country without assistance from the United States. At some point either late in the war or afterwards, the country was renamed "Aztlan."
[edit] Canada
Canada suffered significant environmental damage during the Great Panic and the early years of the war as waves refugees fled to the country's northern provinces in order to escape the zombies. These refugees established shantytowns and campsites, and their use of trees for firewood resulted in massive deforestation. Like Mexico, Canada required military assistance from the United States in order to reclaim the country.
[edit] The United States
Except for a few isolated safe zones, almost all of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains was overwhelmed by zombies during the war. The United States government fled to Hawaii. The West Coast, situated behind the Rocky Mountain "defensive line," became home to the nation's remaining human population and the launching pad for the national reclamation effort.
It is implied that Colin Powell was elected president during the war. Evidence for this includes references to the first black President, who has military experience, and who was forced to abandon his relatives in Jamaica, where Powell's parents originated. [citation needed]
It is also implied that Howard Dean served as Vice President and later as President after the death of Powell following the war. The interview with the Dean character takes place at his home in Vermont, where he states that he was put forward as the Democrat half of the bipartisan administration, thus confirming that Powell ran as a Republican. It is further implied by the Dean character that the Democrat leadership had really wanted someone else to run that year, but refused to have two black men on the same ticket, thus implying that Barack Obama was denied his chance to run. [citation needed]Rudy Giuliani -- or, at least, an unnamed former mayor of New York City with a legal background -- is implied to have been the Attorney General of the United States at an early point in the war. New York City, one of the last major North American cities to be reclaimed from the zombie hordes, is later renamed Hero City. [citation needed]
[edit] South America
[edit] Argentina
Zombies would seem to have completely overrun the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Numerous references are made throughout the book to the "last broadcast" from Buenos Aires, which, according to one source, consisting of a Latin singer singing a Spanish lullaby.
[edit] The Middle East
[edit] Israel
Recognizing the true implication of the zombie threat early on, Israel sealed itself off from the world with a massive wall. They announced their plan at the United Nations, and allowed in all children of Israeli-born parents, non-Israeli Jews, and most surprisingly, all Palestinians and descendants of pre-1948 Palestinians who live abroad, to seek shelter within Israel (after careful screening to weed out the infected). Originally, most of the world openly condemned them for their actions, which are seen as crazy. But this self-imposed quarantine is, the book implies, a life-saving step for the country, and a precursor to the Great Panic in other countries.
Like the United States, Israel is mentioned to have a coalition government during the war. In building the protective wall at its borders, the government decided not to include Jerusalem within the defended interior, as it is seen as too vulnerable a location. Also evacuated is the Nablus-Hebron corridor. Thus, the country's borders shrink nearly to their pre-1967 size, and it is mentioned that celebrations are held by the remaining inhabitants of the West Bank cities, which become (briefly) a defacto Palestinian state. The traumatizing loss of Jerusalem, coupled with the invitation of shelter to all Palestinians, causes a civil war within Israel. The Orthodox Jewish population rises up against the IDF, but are defeated. The country survives the war in decent shape.
[edit] Saudi Arabia
The royal family fired the oil fields during the war for unknown reasons.
[edit] Iran and Pakistan
Both countries were severely damaged in a "minor" nuclear exchange that was a corollary of a minor border skirmish involving the flow of refugees. Indeed the implication Brooks makes is that Iran is irrevocably damaged and no longer fit for habitation.
[edit] Europe
It is unknown what happened to other parts of Europe during World War Z. Countries such as Spain and Belgium are only mentioned in passing.
[edit] Holy Russian Empire (Russia)
In addition to the undead from their own country, as well as hordes from China and the Central Asian countries migrating into their lands, Russia was forced to struggle with an underfunded military with out of date weapons, some as old as WWI-era stock. In addition to these problems, the Russian military faced rebellion, mutiny, and decimation among its ranks.
These problems would eventually lead to the collapse of the existing government, to be replaced by a theocracy. To replace its devastated population fertile women are forced to have up to eight children in specially designed birthing clinics. It is suggested that Vladimir Putin or his successor made himself Czar either during or after the war.
[edit] The United Kingdom
Great Britain and its government appear to have survived relatively intact. British "supreme command" relocated to Scotland after establishing a massive defensive line along the Antonine Wall. The royal family dispersed to Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Queen – almost certainly Elizabeth II – remained upon her own insistence at Windsor Castle, along with a sizeable community of survivors.
South of Scotland, many old castles were used by survivors as safe zones. Most notable among these were Conwy and Beaumaris Castle in North Wales, Caerphilly Castle in South Wales and Windsor Castle in Berkshire County, England. Conwy, a coastal medieval walled town served as a base from which British forces latterly launched the reclamation of the British Isles.
The reclamation effort seems to have started earlier in Great Britain than in other countries. This may be due in part to the establishment of "armored motorways," which presumably facilitated overland travel and communication between safe zones. The Isle of Man was secured very early in the war. London, however, took five years to clear: two during the war effort and three following the war's official end. It was said that, out of all militaries in world, the British Armed Forces fared best.
Both the Pope and various members of the royal family sheltered in Ireland throughout the war, which suggests that the island was considered relatively safe and defensible. Presumably it fared even better than its neighbors.
[edit] The Caribbean
[edit] Cuba
Cuba began a policy of quarantine early on. Combined with the fact that it was an island, and had been well supplied with arms from the former Soviet Union, Cuba found itself as an attractive location from refugees from North and South America. With its new labor pool (refugees were given jobs as manual laborers) and proximity to the Americas, Cuba found itself in a position to act as a safe harbor and supply stock for ships from every major western country.
With the growth of capitalism and the rise of a middle class in Cuba, Fidel Castro turned his government over to a democratically elected congress early in the war. All of this led to Cuba being the world's most powerful economy by the end of the war. Even a decade after World War Z, the Cuban Peso is still the de facto currency for international trade.
[edit] Asia
[edit] United Federation of China (China)
As the world's most populous country before the outbreak, China was naturally one of the hardest hit nations in the world. During the Great Panic, the authorities tried to deny the infection. Knowing they would be unable to hide their sweeps from foreign intelligence agencies, they even went so far as to pretend that they were exterminating political opponents so as to keep knowledge of the living dead a secret from any other nation, as well as their own citizens.
The turning point for the Politburo of the Communist Party of China was when they tried to cover up their inability to prevent the destruction of the Three Gorges Dam. Its destruction eventually sparked a civil war which lead to the abolishment of the previous government, and the establishment of a capitalist democracy.
[edit] Japan
Japan was significantly affected by the zombie outbreak. The country was almost entirely incapable of defending itself due to its practically non-existent military capabilities and negligible natural resources. The Japanese Self-Defense Force ordered an evacuation of the Home Islands, with most of the population fleeing to Kamchatka.
[edit] North Korea
During the Great Panic, many in the South Korean government noticed that the population of North Korea was gradually disappearing. This culminated in every last person in North Korea vanishing from the face of the Earth. Many believe that they all went underground, into the labyrinth of tunnels under the country. Whether or not they remained safe from infection is unknown. The question has not been investigated for two reasons: North Korea was guarded by a network of automated defences which could wreak havoc on anyone attempting to visit the country and if the population is underground there is at least a fifty/fifty chance that the infection got in with them. In that case any attempt to enter the underground areas could release 23 million zombies, which would be catastrophic for those neighboring countries that have barely managed to regain stability.
[edit] People's Republic of Tibet
With the fall of the People's Republic of China, Tibet gained independence. It is the most populous nation in the post-war world, and its capital city of Lhasa is the most populous city in the post-war world.
[edit] The Pacific Continent
The so-called "Pacific Continent" consists of a large number of refugee communities which occupy various islands in the Pacific Ocean. During the war the Pacific Continent was also partially comprised of survivors who lived on boats, rafts and in rag tag "fleets." Many ships were infested by zombies during their escape, however, and were probably the source of many of the zombies who ended up at the bottom of the ocean.
Among ships known to be part of the Pacific Continent were the USS Saratoga, which later became headquarters of the new United Nations; the Russian Battleship Aurora; the SSBN submarine Admiral Zheng He, a type 094 or Jin-class sub; and the HMS Victory.
[edit] Death toll
The book does not appear to give a final count for those killed during the war. However in an interview on the World War Z official website, written as if by two real World War Z survivors, the interviewer says the number lost was "600 million people worldwide, although that number is specifically stated to be "too low" and just taking into consideration those who were directly killed by the living dead, it says that those that died from starvation, disease, and inter-human violence to be far higher, suggesting over a billion deaths.".[2] The book does offer hints at an estimated death toll far higher than 600 million, a number surpassed by the combination of the 200 million ghouls said to have infested the United States, and those in China, where, according to an interviewee in the book, "half the population was infected."
[edit] Post war environment
After the war, Earth's ecosystem had been badly damaged. The atmosphere was contaminated from the pollutants and ash released by fires during the war, from burning cities to the refugee camps. It was estimated that the amount of particulates in the atmosphere would be comparable to the aftermath of a nuclear exchange by the United States and Russia. Although unsupported by scientific evidence, Earth was felt by some to be drastically cooled by the war, with the most likely cause being the ash in the air and other pollutants.
Many water sources are polluted and the ocean is still one of the last remaining havens for zombies, with an estimated 25 million zombies, preserved and walking the ocean floor.
Because of the large number of refugees who fled to islands, boats, etc, sea life (fish, whales, etc.) were exploited to such an extent that several species went extinct including many species of whales.
The Canadian Arctic, a refuge for many people fleeing the violence in the U.S. and southern Canada, also suffered from deforestation. As well, many items that people brought with them were later abandoned and now litter the landscape.
During and after the war, a government organisation was established to help the American economy become more independent. White collar workers were recruited and re-trained as farmers, maintence workers, etc..
[edit] Space activity
During the war, the ISS was manned by a small crew who undertook heroic efforts to keep some of the satellite fleet (especially the comm and spy fleets) operational. A Chinese station also existed, but during their civil war its crew started fighting and killed each other. The ISS crew took the Chinese supplies to extend their own mission. Much later, the crew was rescued by SpaceShipThree (an evolution of SpaceShipOne), but they had spent too long in space.
The last crew member is close to death due to bone, muscle, and general body deterioration when the author arrives for an interview. He dies soon after. No mention is made of postwar space flight.
[edit] Film adaptation
The book is set to be adapted for the screen sometime in 2008. There was a bidding war between Brad Pitt's company, Plan B, and Leonardo DiCaprio's company, Appian Way. Pitt's company eventually won the rights to produce the movie.[3]
[edit] Trivia
- Zombie basics (intelligence, speed, endurance, skills, stamina, weak points) from World War Z are directly based from The Zombie Survival Guide; however, the name Solanum (given for the zombie virus in the Guide) is never used in World War Z.
- Max Brooks was offered a chance to write the script for the movie, but he refused it because of his inexperience in Hollywood. It is unclear so far if he will portray himself or be included as a cameo.
- An art contest is available on World War Z's homepage. Fans can submit a graphic image inspired by the events recounted in the book. The editors will choose one winner and the winner's art will be featured on the WorldWarZ.net website. In fall 2007, the art will become part of the paperback edition of World War Z.
- "Zack" and "Gs" (for Zombie and Ghoul) were the undead nicknames used by the military. British survivors used similar slang, such as "Zed heads."
- While numerous, veiled references are made to a "civilian survival guide" dealing with the undead, Max Brooks is never named as its author.
