I got this handsome softcover at the annual Humane Society for Greater Nashua yard sale. I'm always pleased to find another inexpensive copy of my favorite books to release!

It's set up as a history of a global zombie apocalypse, recounted after the fact via a number of interviews and reports from people around the world, organized roughly chronologically to show the first scattered reports and the differences in response time across the globe. Some characters appear throughout the book, giving their viewpoints on the effects of the war on their areas. The framing device is that this is meant to be a personal look at the war, an accompaniment to an often-referenced official UN report, with some views that contradict the official version of events.

There's plenty of drama in the zombie-uprising incidents alone, but the book adds layers involving the best and worst plans for prevention, cure, defense, propaganda, and suppression proposed by governments and military, with some of the most effective solutions resulting in some pretty grim, totalitarian regimes...

Overall, it's a mix of riveting adventure, stark horror, heart-wrenching tragedy, impressive heroism - and the feel of a real global catastrophe. And the variety of characters is impressive too, from traumatized children to tough combat veterans to scientists to scapegoats. I enjoyed this book very much indeed; recommended!

[A film loosely based on the book has just been released, though as I understand it, it's more of a side story than anything from the book proper; a pity, that! I found an audiobook version with a large cast of narrators performing the many different sections; it's abridged, but not as badly as it might be, and I'm enjoying it very much. Oh, and this TV Tropes page on the book may be of interest, but beware of spoilers!]

I left this book propped up on a lamp post near the entrance of Chunky's Cinema on Coliseum Ave. at around 2:30; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2013 Movie release challenge. ***