I taught I was going to be entertained by this book. It felt like I was reading a textbook instead of a novel. I know I should have expected it due to the title, but still.

husband says its not as tongue & cheek as he'd like, but its somewhat amusing, NOT laugh out loud funny or anything

I'm writing this review as a parent, in case there are any other parents who have heard of the book or seen it and are considering buying it for a kid. My son is middle-school aged and found the book in the bookstore and immediately started reading it. When he showed it to me I read the back cover (and laughed at a few of the Top 10 lessons) and spent a few minutes flipping through it. Info on terrain types, home defense, and equipment seemed exactly like the sort of thing my son would like, being a typical boy interested in the outdoors, survival issues, equipment, etc.

Once home he proceeded to absorb the book, but later told me that it kind of "freaked" him out. So I spent some more time flipping through it. The detailed, somewhat gruesome accounts of the physiology of zombies is probably what he meant. I then found the weapons chapter and pondered my wisdom in buying this book for my son. It's probably his favorite chapter, but be informed that it contains discussions of such things as which blunt instrument is best ("Can it crush a skull in one blow? If not, can it decapitate in said blow?") and the relative merits of weapons like Molotov cocktails.

Just be aware that its packaging is a bit different than its content and use caution when buying for a child or teenager.

I've read many survival books and this one is a must. We've all seen them everywhere you look. Now you have the tools to know for sure and what to do about it. Max Brooks brings it all together so you have a chance of surviving the time when the undead walk the earth and your friend will go from being called Chuck to chuck roast for a zombie. Get a bite of it before a zombie gets a bite of you!

The Zombie survival guide: Complete protection from the Living Dead is a must for any person who is worried about zombie survival. Giving chapters and break downs of outbreaks, how to fortify your environment, and how to better protect yourself from the invading horde, this very essential book is a must for your bug out bag. Don't find yourself in an invasion without it!

The actual review:

I really enjoyed this book. Zombies had always fascinated me, so to find a book that treated them like a real and true voice in the world just made me giggle. I read the book on a long car ride from Florida, and it kept me amused basically the whole time. It's set up like a real survival book, so the humor may be lost on a few. It's definitely a fun one to include on your book shelf or to keep in your car. Great conversation piece. Max Brooks has really out done himself with writing a detailed guide about how to stay away from an oncoming horde of the undead. Great book to have!

Max Brooks has some absolutely genius ideas about horror, comedy, sociology, and pop culture. He's just not, unfortunately, a very good writer. The Zombie Survival Guide is more successful than his should-have-been-brilliant novel World War Z, due largely to it's being written in the style of a manual where Max's stiff style works more to his favor.

Actually this is not really much of a scary book, and as others have said, and even the book says, is more humor based. It is a fun little read, with some great tongue-in-cheek passages. It starts out very strong, but lags in the middle. The end has some great stuff though.

I think somebody else mentioned it best as the type of book to thumb through here and there when you have time to kill. For zombie enthusiasts this is easily a 4 or even 5 star book, for everyone else, it is certainly worth a look or two, and is very original in its style. Check it out, I think most of you will be pleasantly surprised.

After seeing such movies as `Night of the Living Dead', `I Am Legend', `28 Days Later', and a host of other post-Apocalyptic disaster tales, I've had reason to ponder what I would do if I were holed up in a secluded cabin surrounded by hundreds of zombies. How long would I last? What should I have with me? How should I prepare my house? I even bought a high-end sniper rifle and a crate of ammo! I seriously thought I was a complete weirdo for even giving it any attention, but I've found to my relief that I have lots of friends out there.

I picked this up in the `humor' section of my local bookstore, which is not where it should be. I would classify this book as science fiction, or perhaps fantasy. It reads like an Army survival manual and can be quite dry in spots, but it was nonetheless extremely engrossing. I would liken this to a technical manual for diehard Trekkies that goes into all the performance and engineering specs of some ficticious space battle cruiser. It even has a large section on zombie outbreaks throughout history (and there have been a lot) and it makes a valiant attempt to explain why there's no historical record of them.

For those that `want' to believe in an impending zombie uprising, this book will grab you from page one and not release you. Otherwise you're part of a vast government conspiracy to cover up zombie outbreaks!

Worth reading.

Many reviewers have already gone into the depths of this book, so I'll keep it simple:

If you a Z-fan--and can take a bit of sarcasm--you absolutely must read this book.

Then leave it on the living room table for guests to see when they come over. You'll keep seeing their eyes drift down to the book, and you know they want to ask. Its like getting two gifts in one: A great little Z-book and all those looks from unsuspecting guests.

The book is presented in a serious fashion; sort of like mocking the other "survival" guides out there (namely the "Worst Case" books). The fact that it is "serious" in nature makes it a hilarious book.

The book is divided into three sections:

1) The first section explains how to survive a zombie attack. It covers everything from securing your home, to working in a good, to clean up procedures, and preparing for the psychological effects of an outbreak. The book follows heavily on common errors made in zombie films and proven method that is common in all films. Personally, I don't think this section is the reason why the book is popular. The second section, in my opinion, makes this book extremely popular and worthwhile to purchase.

2) The second section explains history of outbreaks. The book blames zombie outbreaks on a virus. The history section goes back to the "BCE" era in time until the present day explaining all sort of zombie attacks and method of how people survived. This section is not in a comedy tone - it is in such a serious tone that it's hard to tell if these cases are actually true or just made up. I give extra credit to the author for making such an outstanding history of attacks. Honestly, I think it takes a really creative mind to make up these stories. It's very interesting to read and at the end, you'll feel like you're a zombie expert. I heard the author made a second book, "World War Z," that follows heavily on the second section of this book.

3) The third section is just three pages long, but it's the "breaker" in my opinion. It's just a blank sheet that you can "record" zombie outbreaks or possible outbreaks. This made me laugh hard - something I haven't done in a long time due to a book. There is one sample outbreak file that made me laugh hard. It explains that there is a news story about how people got sick and died, and the person who wrote the report is asking neighbors and preparing for an outbreak. Hilarious. I decided to try this out. I made a copy of the outbreak case, and studied news stories for suspicious deaths and such. I found one, and it made me laugh but at the same time I felt horrible because someone actually died and I'm making up a joke paper at the decease's expense.

Overall, this book is funny. I highly recommend the book just for the second section about the history of zombie outbreaks. It scary and the author sound serious enough to make you think twice about the validity of the stories.

This book goes hand-in-had with World War Z. It is clear Brooks wrote both of these books. The ideas he began formulating for this title were all put into practice in World War Z.

For anyone who loves zombie literature and fiction, this is the book for you. It has definitely influence the way I enjoy zombie based entertainment. I find myself looking at everything though the lens of this book. The best thing about this book is it for the most part makes sense. There are some places where critiques will say he missed this or that point, but I think everyone will agree that the overall quality of this book is high.

A high point for me was the history of zombie outbreaks. It was interesting to see how Brooks postulated one attack, even if squelched, would lead to another and how they connected. Also his interpretation of how media outlets in todays instant news world would report on these incidents.

This is a great book. Both interesting to read and entertaining. A must for the zombie lover.

This is a very funny book! It is so serious you will DIE laughing. Just please let's not come back to munch on the rest of us if you do! ;-)

Oh my goodness, I had no idea zombies were real; I thought they were just the stuff of fantasy and horror movies, but I was wrong. Max Brooks has opened up my eyes to the biggest threat this world has EVER faced, the threat of undead zombies roaming through the world and killing everyone. BEWARE!

But there is hope my fellow humans. You don't have to be a victim of the zombie invasion. You can live, and this book will tell you how. In it you will learn about the deadly virus, Solanum, which attacks the human brain and turns it into a completely different organ altogether (don't worry; the book will explain it better). Although no trace of the Solanum virus has been found in nature, the search continues. As well as learning the basics of the virus you will also learn how to properly flee an infected zone, build adequate defenses, clear an area of zombies, and if need be live for years in a world ruled by the undead. What are the best weapons to use in a zombie invasion? What makes a motorcycle a better means of transportation then a truck? What types of terrain are preferable when on the run? How do you tell the difference between real zombies and voodoo zombies? All these questions and more are answered in this essential manual.

Don't let yourself become another victim of the zombie menace, arm yourself with knowledge and the know how to defeat these evil creatures. I will be ready when the zombie invasion begins, will you?

Re-read value; VERY high.

This book begins from a very silly premise - what if zombies were real? - and then "plays it straight" by presenting a survival manual which is written as if the author was deadly serious about their existence. As a result, the book is a marvelous example of deadpan humor, and I can recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the horror genre, or in any survival or "how-to" manuals.

The Kindle edition of the book does not suffer from any major problems with its layouting, though there are some minor issues. For one, there is often no true "break" before the headlines of the next sub-chapter - an empty line before the headlines would have improved the text flow a bit. For another, the publisher was somewhat sloppy when converting the black-and-white drawings - the conversion resulted in a step pattern along the lines known as the "alias" effect. This doesn't really make them unrecognizable - fortunately, the drawings were pretty simple to begin with - but it is annoying and would have been entirely avoidable with some care if the publisher had been a bit more careful.

But these are only minor issues and not serious enough to subtract a star from the overall rating.

The greatest of truths are told in a joke!...I like survival horror movies, videogames,...anything that shows, dare I say it, the living human organism fighting to remain in existence. This book was reviewed by many as a laugh out loud comedy and it could be taken as such and in the same breath, this manual has some sound advice all around. When I want to laugh I will look at Day of the Dead and wonder why they did not have a copy of this and if somthing as horrific as corpses walking the earth trying to eat the living ever happens then this book will be the most valuable piece of literature on the planet, hopefully before it is too late. Worth every penny! All horror fans should get this book! I highly recommend it!!

I'd owned a copy of this book, but it was stolen. I needed a new one, because this is pure genius. It has influenced the genre of survival comedy books by being (one of) the first(?) I must-buy for fans of his father's work.

But will you be laughing when there's your undead neighbor chewing on your brain? I didn't think so. Get this book. Read it. Memorize it. Prepare. You never know when there could be some sort of "virus" outbreak. I'd rather be prepared then be the one's without a plan.

I have grown up aware of the living dead, but always thought of them as silly or a joke. This book really opened my eyes to the real plague that is the living dead. It's not a matter of "if," but "when" this plague will actually happen. Brooks goes into great detail cataloging all of the possible weapons, defenses, scenario's, etc. that will help to keep you alive. This book is no joke. It seriously discusses survival tactics for when the dead arise.
Solanum is a mysterious and nefarious virus that must be stopped. Why our government is doing nothing to research and stop the next outbreak is beyond me. Since we can't convince Congress to do anything about this upcoming threat, we must prepare for this Armageddon on our own!
Bar the windows, store plenty of supplies (food, weapons, and ammo-for the love of God!) and get ready for a brain-splattering good time!
Make sure that you have enough room for this survival book when the plague hits because you'll need it!

Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide is a fantastic and fun read, a total blast from beginning to end, but its not for everyone. In fact, its important to understand what this book really is before you buy it. So, lets clear up a few misunderstandings.

1. It is not a laugh out loud comedy. In fact, placing this book under the "comedy" heading is some what of a misnomer. I don't know where else it could possibly go, but I think that categorization is what gives people the wrong impression most often. I mean, honestly, I don't know what some of the numb nuts out there were expecting or why ANYONE would want to buy a book of one note, stupid "zombie" jokes in the first place, but whatever... Bottom line: this isn't a joke book. There's no knock-knock zombie jokes, there's no lame zombies-slipping-on-a-banana-peel sight gags and there are no rehashings of those age old, tired clichés of the "zombies as consumers" type (oh no, I'm sorry, suburban rebel, you really are the first to use that metaphor, really, I mean it and its not obvious and worn out in any way, really, I promise, its very fresh.) The "joke" of the book, if there is one, is to skewer all those asinine home preparedness survival manuals that swept the market in the wake of 9-11. The idea of Joe Average Nobody buying a book that upon reading would fully ready him for a radiological/biological type terrorist attack is as laughably stupid as the average real world person buying a book to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. Get it? Its not a laugh out loud joke, its not even a slight chuckle joke, it's a middle finger to a market built on instilling and perpetuating people's fear and exposes it all for the sham that it is. For some reason though, this confuses the hell out of certain slope fore-headed mouth breathers, like they expect the book to be Jim Carrey versus zombies or something and for some reason, seem to think that this would be a good idea. Let me assure you, this is NOT the case and if this is what you are looking for... GO AWAY!

2. Make no mistake, though, this is NOT a novel either. There is no story, with the possible exception of occasional linking threads running through the "History of Outbreaks" section towards the end. There are no characters, there is no climax or resolution. It is a survival guide. That is it and yes, the book does take itself seriously. No, it does not break character and wink at you knowingly, it plays it straight all the way through. The delivery is part of the joke, understand? Deal with it, okay? Now, get ready for the hard part. Okay ready? Here goes: The joke is not the main and only point. Do not expect it to sustain the book for its entirety, that duty belongs to the fact that...

3. Its made for fans of the genre. If you are not a fan of zombies, then don't bother, man. This book is NOT accessible to non-fans, that's just the way it goes and if you expect otherwise then you are a fool. Look, I don't watch Sex & the City and you know what else I also don't do? I don't buy crap related to the show and then go on-line and complain about how much I don't like it. If you don't like zombies and the stuff that goes with it, then this book isn't for you. If you don't have a favorite version of the original Dawn of the Dead, then this book isn't for you. If you have never made a mental plan in your head one long boring day at work as to what you would do if the Zombie Apocalypse caught you out at the job, then this book isn't for you. If you've never found yourself considering how to defend your regular person home from a horde of zombies and how to turn it into an impromptu fortress, then this book IS NOT for you. If you do NOT relate to those type of things, then do NOT buy this book. But on the other hand, if you do relate... well then, my friend, you MUST buy this book and you must do so right now.

The reason a fan needs to have this book is because it is made for you. It is a total analysis of our much loved culture based on our silly zombie apocalypse speculation. It is full of all the things you've thought of and some things that you have not. It is full of all the things you like and all the things you disagree with. It is endless fodder for excited discussion with your fellow zombie heads and it is a fertile field ripe with inspiration for your own projects.

My Recommendation: This is a complete and total good time and as necessary on your shelf as your Romero films. No zombie fan is complete without it.

As a huge fan of the Zombie genre, this book plays so well as a survival guide! No longer will I be at the mercy of the undead. This book is a fun read from start to finish. It's very well-researched, and well-written. I'd suggest a purchase. It's worth it.

ok the concept is ingenious regardless of whether you like the final product or not. the joke in of it self is the fact that the book is a "SERIOUS" zombie survival guide manual. admittedly it probably wears thin and don't fully justify the whole book as humor. but then again i don't think max ever intended to be OBVIOUSLY tongue in cheek. i think he genuinely wanted it to be serious in tone for the most part. people just assumed it would be more blatantly satirical because of max brooks comedic back ground. so in essence this review is more about how well max pulled off the authenticity instead of whether or not he pulled off humor.

be that as it may, the book is still interesting if not completely enjoyable. the books instructions are interesting, but honestly most of them are common sense tactics that should be used in any emergency situation. and in fact should already be known. but common sense is not so common so i'l let max slide on this.

the instructions themselves varies and are very detailed but honestly they're written in such a mundane matter of fact tone that you find yourselves just skimming through them. but he does achieve his goal in making it seem like a real manual...and it shows lol

i did find some of the mythos kinda problematic, and maybe even contradictory.. but nothing too huge. the meat of the manual (at least for me) is actually the "historical accounts" of past zombie outbreaks. unlike some others i found them to be the entertaining part of the book. and i even found some of the accounts to be surprisingly bone chilling.

the book is kinda tedious, but thats part of the gimmick. you either like it or you don't. if your looking for some overt humor then no this isn't for you. in fact the manual is played straight all the way through. as a concept its brilliant despite not being heavy on "replay value". this is a must have for zombie buffs.

This book provides the most in depth analysis on how an individual can survive if the undead rise. I found myself laughing hysterically just after the first few pages, but at the same time most of the things Brooks discusses make total sense. What an awesome read for the zombie geek or not. Great book!!!

I loved this book from the moment I saw the cover. I read it cover to cover and laughed the entire time. This past weekend I had a chance to see Max Brooks speak on surviving a Zombie outbreak, and I was expecting nothing but the best. I was not disappointed. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who likes a zombie movie, or has a sense of humor. If the people in all the zombie movies had this book, they would have had NO problems!

...they are the most tenacious creatures that have ever existed. Fear, empathy and intimidation are things that are lost upon the walking dead - and this is why they hold such a dark place in the hearts of humanity.

As Max Brooks has done like no other before him, he has defined the quintessential zombie at its horrific core. Further, the analytical style in which THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE is presented, with a subtle flair for humor at some points, has been mimicked, but never duplicated.

Given this work, I also have high hopes for the WORLD WAR Z movie that is in production, and hope that we one day become privy to a similar type books by Max Brook's on parallel creatures of darkness (perhaps Vampires...?).

Other highly recommended reading:

Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)
Zombie Factory: 27 Tales of Bizarre Comix Madness from Beyond the Tomb
The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead
The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead)

Much less engaging than World War Z. This is modeled on military manuals and is just a series of listings of techniques, equipment, etc, with sometimes quite creative and humorous commentary. However, it is tough to make an audio-taped manual consistently interesting listening on long drives. What made WW-Z compelling was the sequence of vignettes , each a short story in its own right, woven into an overall history of the war. It had momentum that carried you along--That is lacking here. Still, there are some fun parts to this

I've always loved Zombie movies and games. Their te one movie monster that still scares the crap out of me. and I think they always will. But this is not the first time I've bought this book. My first copy was torn apart, I can only assume in the first zombie attack in my house hold. Fear not I survived.

So I bought a second copy and a third for my significant other's children (13 and 16) and over the next couple years, it come to look like it seens a few Zombie attacks, complete wit blood and moister damage. being delicate now and about to fall apart I've decided to frame it with a machete in one of those "IN CASE OF ZOMBIES - Brake Glass!" displays. But I love this book and the boys have destroyed their and well on the way of destorying mine. So I bought another.

Yep, I fully recommend this book to everyone and anyone serious in safeguarding their family from the horrors of the living dead.

Grabbed this just for fun as a break from non-fiction for the holidays. It IS fun and very informative, great info for people who do not ever consider themselves survivalists but one day may appreciate that "blades don't need reloading". You will start to matter of factly think Zombies are real as you go through this book. If you want a even creepier angle to read this from, try imagining your closest slum without food for a month on the march and headed for you. Get a copy for your "out there" friends and your "uptight" friends as well, odds are they will have a fun read also. Not for kids,or the zombies in our living world but worth a try for anyone else.

Whatever Max Brooks was drinking when he dreamed this up, buy me a case of it. Not only did this deadpan masterpiece of satire give me multiple evenings of enjoyment, but it gave me MULTIPLE evenings due to his exhaustive descriptions of the weapons, tactics and supplies necessary to survive every possible scenario of an attack by the undead.

After detailing the proper way to survive everything from a Stage 1 outbreak (5-10 zombies causing trouble at a local stripmall) to a Stage 4 (end of the world, apocalypse-like stuff), Brooks finishes with a chapter detailing zombie outbreaks throughout history. This may prove fertile ground for future novels, should he ever choose to explore it.

A fiction that doesn't read like fiction. The first charpter, explaining in details what zombies are, what is the disease that turn humans into living deads, quickly sets the tone. The last one presents recorded zombies attacks throughout the world. These are the 2 best chapters and are worth buying the book if nothing else. The erst of the stuff is not as entertaining as it's written as a guide (of course), but nonetheless sets a very nice atmosphere.
You'll never watch zombies the same way after reading this book.

This book is one of the things I gave my sister for Christmas, and it was very entertaining - as made obvious by the fact it alternately snatched by people aged from 19-53 for a quick read.

This book is very entertaining in a dark and messed up way. I like off color humor and there is plenty of it to be had in this book. Mr. Brooks spells out survival of Armageddon and the walking dead in a really nice, twisted, and direct way. He brings up many things the everyday person doesn't think about, like for instance, should I use a machete or handgun to clear a path to safety? This book is a nice departure from some of the other zombie fiction I've read.

This was part of my nephew's birthday gift, along with a camping head lamp and an Xbox zombie killing game. I didn't know he is actually scared of zombies, and he won't play the video game. Buthe likes this book, and maybe it will help him overcome his fear!

For anyone who is a fan of zombie movies, or who is genuinely convinced that zombies may be threat to our survival, this book should be in your collection. And you'll need a head lamp to keep both hands free for zombie killing. :-)

An excellent way to be funny is to be serious. Mel Brooks knows this and has obviously passed on the knowledge to his son. Zombie Survival Guide is awfully hilarious, and delightfully horrible. People with a warped sense of humor will appreciate every page, particularly the comparison of the "True" zombie, the Voodoo zombie and the Hollywood zombie. It reads like a real survival guide and as such reminds me of Frankie Lane singing the theme song to Blazing Saddles. Presented with such conviction that it won't fail be bring chuckles and at times out right guffaws from readers.

One warning though: Check your serious mind at the front cover and set the rest of your brain for warp factor 10.

You love zombie!
you love book!
You no love zombie!
you no love book!
braiiiiiiiiin!

The world is awash in zombies, as anyone can see by watching reality shows or news reports of political rallies. It's only a matter of time before they march on your innocent community to devour the pre-softened brains of your loved ones. But rest assured that there is better practical advice available than the "put duct tape on your windows" gibberish that you get from government bureaucrats. First, Max Brooks lays out the physiology and psychology of zombies, because understanding your enemy is the key to victory and survival. But don't think that you can just throw Molotov cocktails at any old zombie. You need to have a detailed plan, and Max Brooks provides the knowledge for what could be years of war against zombie terror. I for one was a bit perturbed by how much planning and preparation is required - is Brooks trying to tell me that I need months of weapons training and that I should learn how to grow my own food? Well that's war for you. If you're not prepared for the long fight then you'll hardly be qualified to complain after the zombies have destroyed your country and stolen your freedom. But thanks to Max Brooks and his very detailed and practical survival manual, they'll never take me alive! Or dead... [~doomsdayer520~]

Here's the thing, I wasn't too sure about this book when I picked it up, however I'm glad that I did. Max Brooks style of writing makes this book seem like a non-fiction guide. I could barley put it down. This will also be an excellent guide for the upcoming Palladium Books pen and paper RPG, Dead Reign. After I read about Dead reign, I was able to take my knowledge from the Zombie Survival Guide as a Class 4 outbreak and write an almost entire story for Dead Reign. This book is so much fun, as is World War Z, which I also highly recommend.

I'm going to go ahead and give away the only mildly amusing thing in the 247 unfunny pages of this book. It takes itself seriously. It's an *actual* guide to zombie survival. There you go. Personally, that made me dryly chuckle for the first 5 pages. After that, it got annoying really, really fast. If you liked this novel, don't forget to pick up Max Brooks' other fantastic offerings:

- The Unicorn Husbandry Guide
- Trapping Leprechaun's for fun and profit
- Pixies vs Fairies; which side to take in the coming Global confrontation

This book wasn't just bad, it was violently suckworthy. Whenever I see the name Max Brooks again, I'll be reminded of the old adage that talent skips a generation.

I keep this book in the car for when I am stuck waiting in it, or in an office (it does draw interesting looks). I absolutely love it. It is written with such a dead pan, intensive urgency that I find myself comparing "Zombie combative weapons" and really, really giving thought to which ones I would pack in my arsenal, weighing the fire power vs weight, blunt weapons versatility as tools also, etc. A GREAT momentary escape from reality.

Excellent book, keeps the reader fully entertained the entire way through. Definitely worthy of a second read and highly suggested to anybody interested in Zombies.

great book goes into a lot of detail just what you need incase of a zombie outbreak :)

I loved this book. Makes me want to start preparing haha, and if zombies ever roam the streets you'd definately want to have this book with you.

'The Zombie Survival Guide' by Max Brooks is a very creative and funny idea. It presents what a person needs to know, do , and have if they are unfortunately placed within a zombie attack/crisis.

I would not call myself a zombie fanatic, but I have seen a bunch of movies over the years. Some good and some really bad. This books is laid out like your typical survival guide. It discusses what tools are needed, how to prepare, choosing your safe house, etc. It also goes into great detail what a zombie is, and how to dispatch them.

Unfortunately, this middle section of the book got too repetitive for me. After reading about the zombies in detail. The book describes how to survive an attack, how to escape and attack, and then how to attack. Each of these sections repeats the same basic information.

The book did pick up a bit in the final section. The section presents a breif 'history' on zombie attacks through the ages. It was interesting and entertaining.

While I enjoyed this book at times, I would only recommend it to true zombie fans. You will enjoy it. Sharpen that machette!

Zombies are bearing down on your position. What do you take with you?
Ax or flame thrower?
Truck or bicycle?
Max Brooks has the answers.

This book had me laughing one minute and in awe the next. While reading this, I almost wanted a zombie uprising to occur, just to put to use the detailed instructions Brooks gives.

If you're a fan of zombie fiction, then you will likely enjoy what is on offer here. Just be aware that it isn't really a narrative, but an exhaustive guide on how best to survive myriad zombie situations.

There are two types of people in this world, those who are prepared for the zombie outbreak and those who aren't. This book is full of excellent advice on this incredibly important subject. Some people fail to prepare because they are unaware of the threat zombies are. This book will help those who need it. It is written in the style of 1950's nuclear disaster handbooks. It clearly lays out all possible scenarios and how to prepare and then what to do when the inevitable happens. This is a great read and full of advice to take to heart.

I read this after World War Z, also by Max Brooks, although The Zombie Survival Guide was written first. Gets boring at times but humorously interesting to see that someone other than myself has made such concise and drawn out plans for if the dead were ever to rise and cannabalize the living.

This book is a must-have for any zombie fan's collection. If you are interested in apocalyptic themes, you will also love this book. Also check out World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and Eve of the Dead if you are looking for some excellent zombie fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me in stitches from cover to cover. Great bathroom book. I mean that in a good way. Recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor.

This book is hard to get into. It basically just lists the pros and cons of differant weapons, modes of transportation, hideouts, etc. The book will tell you how to do things like barricade yourself in an apartment building and then it will tell you how to barricade yourself in a church. Pretty much a duplicate chapter changed only slighty. The "historically acurate" listing of documeted zombie encounters is good. But if thats what you want I would recomend Max Brooks' other zombie book, World War Z.

I bought this book based on the reader reviews, however this book fell short of even my lowest expectations. Most of the book is filled with dry content like "Chainsaw- A heavy weapon effective at cutting through attacking zombies, but limited by it's range and weight." Following this would be an entry of another item with the same sort of superficial description. The illustrations are meant to be humorous, and admittedly some are, but most aren't worth paying attention to. There's limited variation in the style of humor employed throughout the book, so punchlines quickly become a chore to get through.

If I wanted to introduce my friends to the zombie genre, this definitely would not be the book. It in no way made the zombie world come alive in any sort of imaginative way. Shame on you Max Brooks.

This book is so much fun. I never get tired of picking it up and reading through it. Reads like a survival manual for your most paranoid fantasies/nightmares. It will amuse your friends whether they're into horror or not, and it makes a great (though small) coffee table book.