The Zombie Survival Guide
Encyclopedia
The Zombie Survival Guide, written by American author Max Brooks
and published in 2003, is a survival manual dealing with the fictional potentiality of a zombie
attack. It contains detailed plans for the average citizen to survive zombie uprisings of varying intensity and reach, and describes "cases" of zombie outbreaks in history, including an interpretation of Roanoke Colony
. The Zombie Survival Guide was also featured on The New York Times Best Seller's list.
In subsequent chapters, the book covers Weapons and combat techniques, places where an individual can find safety and how to survive in a zombie infested world. The guide concludes with a fictional list of documented zombie encounters throughout history. The oldest entry is 60,000 BC, in Katanda, Central Africa, although the author expresses doubt to its validity. Instead, he presents evidence from 60,000 BC near modern-day Kenya as the first verifiable instance of a zombie outbreak. The most recent entry is 2002, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
. Some of these encounters make reference to historical events, such as Roanoke Island
.
published The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, a tie-in
comic written by Brooks. This book illustrates some of the recorded attacks, but not all. It was released on October 6, 2009. Brazilian artist Ibraim Roberson illustrated the book.
have been confirmed to be produced as live-action films. Brad Pitt
, who is to star in World War Z
, also confirmed that the producing studio, Paramount, has also been given rights to The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, and are planning on adapting both of them as movies after World War Z is released and that he is going to portray Max Brooks in all three films. World War Z is due for release in theatres in 2012, The Zombie Survival Guide is set for a 2014 release, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks currently has no release date set.
Max Brooks
Maximillian Michael "Max" Brooks is an American author and screenwriter, with a particular interest in zombies. Brooks is also a television and voice-over actor.- Early life and education :...
and published in 2003, is a survival manual dealing with the fictional potentiality of a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
attack. It contains detailed plans for the average citizen to survive zombie uprisings of varying intensity and reach, and describes "cases" of zombie outbreaks in history, including an interpretation of Roanoke Colony
Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina, United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by...
. The Zombie Survival Guide was also featured on The New York Times Best Seller's list.
Contents
The book is divided into six separate chapters, a list of fictional attacks throughout history and an appendix. The first chapter 'The Undead: Myths and Realities' outlines Solanum, the fictional virus that creates a zombie, along with details on how it is spread (such as through an open wound, when coming in contact with infected blood or saliva), and treatment of the infected (such as suicide or amputation of the bitten/scratched limb, though amputation rarely works). The middle of this chapter explains the abilities and behavioral patterns of the undead and the differences between "voodoo" zombies, movie zombies, and zombies created by Solanum.In subsequent chapters, the book covers Weapons and combat techniques, places where an individual can find safety and how to survive in a zombie infested world. The guide concludes with a fictional list of documented zombie encounters throughout history. The oldest entry is 60,000 BC, in Katanda, Central Africa, although the author expresses doubt to its validity. Instead, he presents evidence from 60,000 BC near modern-day Kenya as the first verifiable instance of a zombie outbreak. The most recent entry is 2002, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
. Some of these encounters make reference to historical events, such as Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
.
Appendix
This is a sample "Outbreak Journal", with the author noting a covered-up zombie outbreak being seen on the local news and the preparation steps he takes in the event that the outbreak worsens. The following pages are blank entries, for the reader to use as a basis for their own notes on surviving zombies.Comic
Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
published The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, a tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
comic written by Brooks. This book illustrates some of the recorded attacks, but not all. It was released on October 6, 2009. Brazilian artist Ibraim Roberson illustrated the book.
Film adaptations
Both The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, as well as World War ZWorld War Z
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. It is a follow-up to his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. Rather than a grand overview or narrative, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdote...
have been confirmed to be produced as live-action films. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, who is to star in World War Z
World War Z (film)
World War Z is an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film based on the novel of the same name by Max Brooks. The film is directed by Marc Forster and stars Brad Pitt, with a script written by J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Michael Carnahan. The film is scheduled to be released on December 21,...
, also confirmed that the producing studio, Paramount, has also been given rights to The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, and are planning on adapting both of them as movies after World War Z is released and that he is going to portray Max Brooks in all three films. World War Z is due for release in theatres in 2012, The Zombie Survival Guide is set for a 2014 release, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks currently has no release date set.
External links
- The Zombie Survival Guide Website
- Washington Post interview with Max Brooks
- Review of ZSG in The Future FireThe Future FireThe Future Fire is a small press, online science fiction magazine , run by a joint British-US team of editors. The magazine was launched in January 2005 and releases issues four times a year, with stories, articles, and reviews in both HTML and PDF formats...
2 - Daniel Robert Epstein of SuicideGirls interviews Max Brooks
- Zombie Survival Guide Inspired