The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead Audiobook CD – Audiobook, Unabridged Author: Visit Amazon's Max Brooks Page | Language: English | ISBN:
073934272X | Format: EPUB
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead Audiobook CD – Audiobook, Unabridged Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this outrageous parody of a survival guide, Saturday Night Live staff writer Brooks prepares humanity for its eventual battle with zombies. One would expect the son of Mel Brooks to have a genetic predisposition to humor, and indeed, he does, and he exhibits it relentlessly here: he outlines virtually every possible zombie-human encounter, drafts detailed plans for defense and attack and outlines past recorded attacks dating from 60,000 B.C. to 2002. In planning for that catastrophic day when "the dead rise," Brooks urges readers to get to know themselves, their bodies, their weaponry, their surroundings and, just in case, their escape routes. Some of the book's more amusing aspects are the laughable analyses Brooks proposes on all aspects of zombiehood, and the specificity with which he enumerates the necessary actions for survival-i.e., a member of an anti-zombie team must be sure to have with him at all times two emergency flares, a signaling mirror, daily rations, a personal mess kit and two pairs of socks. Comic, though unnecessarily exhaustive, this is a good bet for Halloween gag gifts and fans of Bored of the Rings-esque humor. 100 line drawings.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Review
'A bloody-minded, strait-laced manual for evading the grasp of the undead' Time Out 'So meticulous and well researched that it's more scary than funny' Esquire 'A tome you start reading for fun and then at page 50 you go out and buy a machete just to be on the safe side' New York Post
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
- Audio CD
- Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (September 12, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 073934272X
- ISBN-13: 978-0739342725
- Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Let's face it: at one time or another we've all faced a zombie scare we aren't prepared for. And yes, the local constabulary usually cleans things up with a minimum of fuss, but what happens when things go wrong and the cavalry doesn't arrive? That, my friends, is the day that Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide" saves your life. With several millennia worth of field experience distilled into a manageable 254 pages, everything you need to know to survive the coming war with the undead can be found in these pages. Your life and the lives of those you love are at stake, act now and be prepared!
OK, so that paragraph was obviously tongue in cheek, but hopefully in conveys some sense of what Brooks' remarkable "The Zombie Survival Guide" is like. While obviously a parody of both the horror genre and civil defense/survivalist manuals, it maintains an "all-business" demeanor, never once cracking the fa?ade to reveal the underlying humoristic intent. The result is a book that is, when taken as a whole, a funny, incredibly thorough work of satire. However, at the same time, page-by-page, it is a rather accomplished addition to zombie horror.
Starting with zombie physiology and then moving on to weapons, tactics, long-term strategy and history Brooks has produced a manual which has a thoroughness that belies the absurdity of its subject. Point by point he discusses the pros and cons of rifles, machetes and flamethrowers, then considers the optimal defensive positions for various types of outbreaks. After an extensive discussion of survival in a zombie doomsday scenario, he lays out zombie outbreaks through history, and what their implications are.
Max Brooks has put together a rather unique book that it's simply impossible to classify. Part field guide, part arcane zombie history book, and part disaster-training manual, it also manages to keep things serious enough to make you wonder if what it's talking about is real. I began to wonder if Brooks actually believed what he was writing, and that's a big plus point in the book's favor.
The book is separated into several portions, ranging from zombie physiology, what zombies can do and can't do, an overview of Solanum, the microorganism that gives life...or "unlife" to the zombie, as well as a pretty fascinating look at what weapons are best matched against your undead opponents and what kind of structures to barricade yourself in should an outbreak occur. At the end of the book is a pretty extensive collection of "historical" zombie outbreaks throughout human history. The whole thing is written so seriously that you'll laugh out loud when you get to the end of the book and see several Zombie Action Checklists for the owner's use to keep track of outbreaks.
Here's what I've learned should an outbreak occur:
-Grab an M1 Garand and lots of ammo
-Machetes and trench spikes are superior to machine guns
-Get a bicycle...zombies can't hear you and you can always carry your bike over rough terrain, and all without reliance on gasoline
-Chainsaws are fun, but will give you a false sense of power (sorry Bruce Campbell!)
-Flame throwers are the ultimate zombie-killing weapon. But carrying 70 lbs. of equipment on foot will make you slow enough for zombies to catch you.
-Off-shore oil drilling rigs are the ultimate hideout!
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