Dear Thursday: THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS by Max Brooks [Book 12 of 2010]

Long post title, but the book is fairly short since it’s a graphic novel. So w/o further ado, here are my thoughts on THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS by Max Brooks.

Why I Decided To Read It: See this is why I plan to personally walk down to my local library and ask for prominent placement in their “New Arrivals” section. I was walking into the library, saw this book, picked it up, and was intrigued enough to check it out.

What It’s About: From what I can tell, Max Brooks had written another graphic novel called WORLD WAR Z, about a zombie war that nearly takes out humanity. This graphic novel is a sort of prequel.

What Makes It Different: It literally is an illustrated listing of recorded zombie attacks.

What I Loved: The recorded attacks take place on every continent save Antarctica, and it was a fantastic way to revisit many different eras in history. Wonderful artwork by Ibraim Roberson.

What I Didn’t Like: The political stuff is a bit simple. Also the listiness didn’t exactly make this graphic novel a fevered read. I’ve been checking and re-checking this book out since January, and the only reason I went ahead and finished it, is because it’s due back tomorrow, and I doubt the library will let me recheck it out a kajillionth time. Also, no illustration credit given on the front cover for Ibraim Roberson. Are you kidding me??? Not cool…

Writing Lessons Learned:

Everything’s more interesting with zombies. A lot of this felt like history we already knew … but WITH ZOMBIES. Think a TransAtlantic crossing was bad for regular slaves — try doing it with ZOMBIE SLAVES. Think kung fu masters are badass? Try Kung Fu Masters who have overcome all fear including that of ZOMBIES. Rome conquered some ish, but how about when they were faced WITH ZOMBIES! Seriously though, if you need to perk up a cliche or by-the-numbers scene, find your ZOMBIE — basically that thing that will make it instantly more interesting to your readers.

If you’re going to prelude, make it epic. I’m not a big fan of preludes myself, but I especially don’t see a reason to include them if big ish isn’t popping off. If somebody doesn’t die or something doesn’t explode in your prelude, consider a stronger opening and make your prelude into a flashback.

A Precise Title. I love a title that tells you everything you need to know about a book. This is one of those titles.

To Whom Would I Recommend This Book: History Buffs, Zombie Lovers, People Who Don’t Want Their Horror To Give Them Nightmares, Accountants.

Click on the cover pic to buy the book.