by Max Brooks
First published 2007
The first reports emerged from China as whispers of another outbreak. What authorities dismissed as criminal activity or political unrest quickly transformed into something far more terrifying. The infected weren't protesting or rioting. They were feeding. As the zombie pandemic spread across continents, governments collapsed and humanity faced extinction at the hands of relentless, flesh-hungry hordes. Traditional warfare proved useless against enemies that felt no pain and feared no death. Nations that had been enemies were forced to unite under a single world government. Military strategists had to abandon conventional tactics. Civilians became soldiers overnight. The war lasted ten years, testing every assumption about survival, civilization, and human nature. Through interviews with those who lived through the crisis, the true scope of the global catastrophe emerges. Soldiers describe battles in frozen tundra where zombies remained active in subzero temperatures. Politicians reveal the desperate negotiations that created humanity's unified response. Ordinary people share how they survived when their cities fell and their families scattered.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, horror, thriller, action, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, survival
Setting: China
Period: 21st-century
342 pages · Paperback · Three Rivers Press
Content warnings: violence