Book #24: The Zombie Survival Guide

I'm going to lie and say that The Zombie Survival Guide is a great book. Max Brooks takes your standard Boy Scout handbook and makes an enjoyable tongue-in-cheek guide for, as the subtitle suggests, "complete protection from the living dead."

The zombie menace stems from a mysterious virus known as Solanum, the origin of which is unknown. Besides that, the rest of the zombie lore is firmly rooted in George A. Romero territory, and Brooks goes to great lengths to make his guide feel as real as possible. Although there are a few scattered jokes, everything is aimed to mimic a practical reference guide. Even the illustrations look like the type you woudl find adorning a safety sheet in an airplane.

It's fun, it's lightweight reading, and if you enjoy zombies, you'll probazbly enjoy this. For my money, I would rather go for Brook's second book, World War Z, which throws away the kitsch for something more substantial.