Notes from the Library #1: So You Think You Can Survive a Zombie Attack?

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

One day at work I was talking with a couple of friends about movies and then about zombie movies when one stated that she had her bag ready in case zombies did start walking the Earth. The other friend agreed and I was astounded by this declaration and wondered where they had come up with this idea from.

A short discussion followed with both citing The Zombie Survival Guide. This was one of a handful of books suggested by one of them over the past couple of months. About a month ago, I was wasting time before seeing a film and decided to stop by a local bookshop where I finally decided to break down and purchase it. I read the beginning over dinner before the movie and got hooked. A few days later I had read it through.

The Zombie Survival Guide assumes not only that zombies are real, but that they are very specific and not at all like the zombies in most movies. Not only are they real, but they have been documented in the past which has led to most of the information in this book.

According to the book the origins of zombies are unknown, but what is known is that they are formed when a human is bitten by a zombie or a zombie’s fluids are introduced into the human body in another way. Other animals are not immune to zombies, they just die before being turned and therefore avoid them like the plague they are.

Zombies come into being by the virus Solanum being introduced to the fluids of human from a zombie. Once introduced, the virus spreads through the system shutting most of them down. The brain mutates to a state that leaves the host thirsting for flesh (preferring human to any other) however, it needs nothing to survive. Even the flesh eaten is just stored in their body until it either dies or the intestines/stomach explodes since the body stops digesting its food.

Zombies have one goal and one goal only, to eat. Their mind reverts to a completely primitive state where only extremely limited thought remains. If shut in a room, the zombie will bang into the door, walls, and windows until either one breaks or the zombie dies. The door could be unlocked and the window merely shut or too high to allow the zombie to walk or fall out and it would still not be able to escape.

So, with such debilitating intelligence, how do they survive and feed? Well, they take advantage of their new abilities to move in darkness just as well as light, ignore pain, cause fear with their moan, and overrun with numbers that their moan draws.

So, how do humans survive such beasts? This depends on the person or group, but mainly by using their advanced thought process to take advantage of any circumstances that favor them and by preparedness to deal with the menace. This is what a majority of the book deals with.

The book breaks down a multitude ballistic weapons along with blunt and edged weapons, points out the advantages and weaknesses of each, and suggests the best weapons for a given situation.

It also deals with modes of transportation in the same manner. Although roads would be clogged and blocked in an outbreak of any size, it still shows which means of travel are the best and worst.

Another large section of the book deals with how to prepare including fitness, knowledge to obtain, your kit, and your initial and fallback positions. This goes into what sort of training would be beneficial to have before an outbreak occurs, how to be prepared before one occurs, and what to do in the early stages.

This was a fun book that takes the fantastical premise of this very specific idea of zombies actually existing. The author does as he must and never breaks you from the reality of zombie existing and constantly reinforcing that you must be prepared if you want to survive.

There is no real story to be found here as it is meant as a guidebook for the situation which leaves you wanting more information on the supposedly recorded outbreaks. You get a piece of this at the end of the book with supposedly factual accounts of zombie attacks from the past, but this is what you really want more of when the book is done. Luckily Mr. Brooks was aware of that and I will discuss his follow-up book in my second review.