Monday, July 29, 2013

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
2003, Broadway Books

Synopsis: The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.

Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack

1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.

Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.


The Good: Max Brooks takes surviving the zombies seriously. He covers all aspects of offense and defense, short and long term in The Zombie Survival Guide. Some advice is common sense, especially to those who spend more than there fair share of time immersed in zombie books, movies and video games. But some information, like traveling by bicycle, destroying staircases when hiding upstairs and hiding out on an oil rig for the duration is nothing short of genius. The recorded attacks section of the book reads like a vague history novel, but brings a little more of a story-telling feel to the book.

The Bad: While obviously well thought out and probably very handy in case of a real zombie attack, The Zombie Survival Guide is so very, very boring. It makes the idea of zombies dry and tasteless. While taking the zombies with complete seriousness, Brooks managed to suck every ounce of fun out of them.

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