RooJay
11-30-2004, 01:52 AM
Here's a great, fun little book that I can't recommend enough to fans of zombie flicks and just about anybody else! The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max Brooks (apparently Mel's son and a staff writer on SNL) is, as the title indicates, a survival guide to surviving a siege of the undead! While I came across the book in the humor section it's actually written in quite a serious tone. Brooks never once in the book drops the assumption that the living dead are a real and serious threat to our society and that an outbreak could actually occur at any moment. Even the introduction, which before reading, I had expected would explain how the author is a huge fan of zombie movies and just thought it'd be fun says nothing of the sort! His introduction ends, "On the last page of this book, ask yourself one question: What will you do-end your existence in passive acceptance, or stand up and shout, "I will not be their victim! I will survive!" The choice is yours. The only sentence on the "About the Author" page: "Max Brooks lives in New York City but is ready to move to a more remote and defensible location at a moment's notice." Classic stuff! This book deserves to be on the top of the best sellers list and I will do everything I can to help it get there!
The first section of the book, The Undead: Myths and Realities", explains in great detail exactly what a zombie is, what causes one to become a zombie - the Solanum virus, how one catches it, what zombies are and aren't capable of, and exactly what to do to destroy them. Every detail used to explain the phenomenon is treated as though it is real and the explainations go a long way to actually making it seem so. As the book explains, zombies are humans that have been infected by the Solanum virus - as their bodies begin to shut down, the frontal lobe of the brain begins to mutate into a new type of organ completely independent of oxygen. Brooks explains that, in spite of what we may have been told by the Hollywood, zombies possess no supernatural powers and possess only the physical characteristics the host would've had in life coupled with the effects of natural decomposition (which apparently is slowed a bit by the virus - seems most micro-organisms involved in decomposition have a distaste for Solanum infected flesh!) The section on zombie digestion is particularly enlightening (although no effort is made to explain why it is that zombies might be driven to feed - apparently science has yet to figure that one out!) It seems that the zombie's digestive system is completely nonfunctional and flesh that is devoured "lies in it's original, undigested state at all sections of the tract" "partially chewed, slowly rotting" continuing to accumulate "as the zombie devours more victims, until it is forced through the anus, or literally bursts through the stomach or intestinal lining." EWWW! :eek: Also of note, the section on zombie reproduction (the book explains that it's not at all possible, thank God!). As mentioned earlier under the section regarding transference of the virus, "No information has surfaced regarding the results of sexual relations with an undead specimen" and that "Warning against such an act would be useless, as the only people deranged enough to try would be unconcerned for their own safety." Keep in mind that this is all written deadly serious in tone!
Other sections of the book cover each of the different types of outbreak (all the way up to a Class 4 - "Living in an Undead World"!) different types of weapons to use against the undead and their varying degrees of effectiveness (stay away from the latest "supercommando" weapons!), the proper clothing to wear and equipment you will need during a siege of ghouls, how to prepare and defend your home or other dwelling and the advantages and disadvantages of each in either class of attack, what to do when you need to abandon your fortress, tactics to use and what kinds of things to avoid, using different vehicles and their strengths and weaknesses, there are even sections covering the different types of terrain you will encounter when fleeing from the undead and how exactly you should react to and travel through each without being eaten! There is also an entire chapter on recorded zombie attacks throughout history! Apparently it's happened before and could well happen again. ;) AT the very end of the book there is a section for you to keep a journal of any outbreak you may find yourself in!
This book is exhaustive, amazing, hilarious, engrossing, and an absolute must have for fans of the genre! Plus, when there's no more room in Hell...I will be completely prepared for the zombie apocalypse! :D Don't get caught with your pants down when the zombies come - get your copy now!
The first section of the book, The Undead: Myths and Realities", explains in great detail exactly what a zombie is, what causes one to become a zombie - the Solanum virus, how one catches it, what zombies are and aren't capable of, and exactly what to do to destroy them. Every detail used to explain the phenomenon is treated as though it is real and the explainations go a long way to actually making it seem so. As the book explains, zombies are humans that have been infected by the Solanum virus - as their bodies begin to shut down, the frontal lobe of the brain begins to mutate into a new type of organ completely independent of oxygen. Brooks explains that, in spite of what we may have been told by the Hollywood, zombies possess no supernatural powers and possess only the physical characteristics the host would've had in life coupled with the effects of natural decomposition (which apparently is slowed a bit by the virus - seems most micro-organisms involved in decomposition have a distaste for Solanum infected flesh!) The section on zombie digestion is particularly enlightening (although no effort is made to explain why it is that zombies might be driven to feed - apparently science has yet to figure that one out!) It seems that the zombie's digestive system is completely nonfunctional and flesh that is devoured "lies in it's original, undigested state at all sections of the tract" "partially chewed, slowly rotting" continuing to accumulate "as the zombie devours more victims, until it is forced through the anus, or literally bursts through the stomach or intestinal lining." EWWW! :eek: Also of note, the section on zombie reproduction (the book explains that it's not at all possible, thank God!). As mentioned earlier under the section regarding transference of the virus, "No information has surfaced regarding the results of sexual relations with an undead specimen" and that "Warning against such an act would be useless, as the only people deranged enough to try would be unconcerned for their own safety." Keep in mind that this is all written deadly serious in tone!
Other sections of the book cover each of the different types of outbreak (all the way up to a Class 4 - "Living in an Undead World"!) different types of weapons to use against the undead and their varying degrees of effectiveness (stay away from the latest "supercommando" weapons!), the proper clothing to wear and equipment you will need during a siege of ghouls, how to prepare and defend your home or other dwelling and the advantages and disadvantages of each in either class of attack, what to do when you need to abandon your fortress, tactics to use and what kinds of things to avoid, using different vehicles and their strengths and weaknesses, there are even sections covering the different types of terrain you will encounter when fleeing from the undead and how exactly you should react to and travel through each without being eaten! There is also an entire chapter on recorded zombie attacks throughout history! Apparently it's happened before and could well happen again. ;) AT the very end of the book there is a section for you to keep a journal of any outbreak you may find yourself in!
This book is exhaustive, amazing, hilarious, engrossing, and an absolute must have for fans of the genre! Plus, when there's no more room in Hell...I will be completely prepared for the zombie apocalypse! :D Don't get caught with your pants down when the zombies come - get your copy now!