Beating The Drum For: "World War Z," by Max Brooks

I've never been much for science-fiction. It's a dislike that can probably be traced to having shared a room growing up with my older brother, who has been an unabashed sci-fi geek for the better part of 25 years. I've never really had any patience for the smug self-satisfaction of books, movies, and television shows that seemed (to me, at least) to be all about the cleverness of its creators in creating fantastical worlds. As a reader and a viewer, I've always been about the nuances of the current world. I would rather partake of something straightforward and relatable instead of a pained, extended allegory set in an imaginary world.

That's why the science fiction I have been drawn to in the past (most notably, the brilliant movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") have taken a different approach: they've used the modern world as a setting for fantastical - but relatable - stories. Max Brooks's "World War Z" is a book that takes this path. Like the brilliant British movie "Shaun of the Dead," it approaches a science-fiction staple - a zombie attack - from a perspective that is utterly human.

The book follows a simple conceit: it traces a war of humans vs. zombies as an "oral history," told in the words of survivors around the world. Brooks creates a wide variety of characters, all of whom are definitively human and separate - the soldiers speak in the grunted shorthand of soldiers, the artists offer perspectives that are assuredly artistic; cultural touchstones ranging from Adam Sandler to the oddly aristocratic ways that American celebrities have assumed are all present, much as they are in a normal world.

The human aspect is what makes "World War Z" such a compelling read (I devoured it over the course of two lazy weekend days). In the credits, author Brooks offers some hints as to where this unique perspective comes from - he thanks his Dad for "the human factor," and then, touchingly uses the last page to say, simply, "I love you, mom."

In this case, "Dad" is the great Mel Brooks, and the mother whom he pays tribute to is the late, great Anne Bancroft.

With or without such lineage, though, "World War Z" is a tremendously compelling read. I recommend it highly.