World War Z

[Ivarr]

Any other World War Z fans out there?

If you have not read that book, do yourself a favor and get it.

Its not a great Zombie book... Its just a great book period!

This is the LINK (http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/worldwarz/)

Coments?

[jim102016]

It is a good book, he came up with plenty of variations for his different stories.

[darth los]

Any other World War Z fans out there?

If you have not read that book, do yourself a favor and get it.

Its not a great Zombie book... Its just a great book period!

This is the LINK (http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/worldwarz/)

Coments?

i'm a big fan. i own it and i love it. i love the fact that it places the plauge in the context of plausible scenarios. I think that because the human condition is what it is alot of thing in that book would probably come to pass, especially government cover ups and using it to turn a profit.

[panic]

WWZ was a great read. Brooks did a good job of looking at the Z problem from a fresh perspective. He's also a better than average writer, which helps.

/p

[MissJacksonCA]

I liked it :D

[jdog]

good times. i read mine all the time.

[Ivarr]

I think its funny that when I looked the other day ... Barnes & Noble has it in the Fiction and Literature section.

Maybe the fact that it was on the NY Times best seller list has something to do with it :)

That has to be a first for a Zombie book too.

The film rights were bought by Brad Pitt's production company... But I can not help but think how much better it would be as a made for cable (HBO style) mini series.

At the moment J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) is writing the screenplay.

From IMDB:


After a bidding war between Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio's production companies (Plan B and Appian Way respectively) for the film rights to Max Brooks' unreleased book, Paramount came out the winner and Plan B will be producing the movie.

We could be witness to a new era of the Zombie movie as a mainstream/high production value movie property.

I have hope.

[MissJacksonCA]

to quote one of the best movies ever...

you can hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first :p

i'm suprised Mel Brooks isn't independently financing it

[dracenstein]

Great book, made me read Zombie Survival Guide again.

[MontagMOI]

Agree. Great book. I would love to see it made into a great film although it will probably be turned into a crap one.
Still, you never know...



"If possible sir, only.. if.. possible"

[darth los]

I think its funny that when I looked the other day ... Barnes & Noble has it in the Fiction and Literature section.

Maybe the fact that it was on the NY Times best seller list has something to do with it :)

That has to be a first for a Zombie book too.

The film rights were bought by Brad Pitt's production company... But I can not help but think how much better it would be as a made for cable (HBO style) mini series.

At the moment J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) is writing the screenplay.

From IMDB:



We could be witness to a new era of the Zombie movie as a mainstream/high production value movie property.

I have hope.


If there ever was a viable candidate for a mini series, it's this book. The different chapters are perfect for character development which imo is the main thing that's sorely lacking in most zombie projects.

[sgrosse]

I loved this book. I even have the book on CD, all thought it is an abridged version. Had Alan Alda in it.

[Khardis]

Sorry, gotta go against the grain here. Dreadfully awful book. It was so poorly written that I had to stop reading it a few chapters before the end. The scenarios were well thought out, and the subject matter was cool and close to my heart, but Max Brooks is a hack and a terrible writer. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER was 100% the same. They had the same voice, the same verbage, the same pacing, the same vocabulary. I couldn't tell if I was reading a book about a bunch of different people who were all clones, or 1 guy with a dozen split personalities that all talked the same. I Give this book a 4 out of 10.

[darth los]

Sorry, gotta go against the grain here. Dreadfully awful book. It was so poorly written that I had to stop reading it a few chapters before the end. The scenarios were well thought out, and the subject matter was cool and close to my heart, but Max Brooks is a hack and a terrible writer. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER was 100% the same. They had the same voice, the same verbage, the same pacing, the same vocabulary. I couldn't tell if I was reading a book about a bunch of different people who were all clones, or 1 guy with a dozen split personalities that all talked the same. I Give this book a 4 out of 10.

Very good obsrevation. I obviously am not as in tune to literature styles as you are as i have never noticed this. I guess it's the thought that counts.

[Khardis]

Very good obsrevation. I obviously am not as in tune to literature styles as you are as i have never noticed this. I guess it's the thought that counts.

Its infinitely better if you listen to the E Book, because they changed it around a little bit to fit the accents better.

[CornishCorpse]

I agree with the others about every charecter souding the same. I got the book today and have only read a couple of chapters but they all seem very very similair and the writing style does lack a certain...something but I like it. The whole concept of first person accounts being recorded is what Im intrested in, the diffrent takes on the same situation.

Worth buying for sure. Yay finally got me a copy.

[darth los]

The whole concept of first person accounts being recorded is what Im intrested in, the diffrent takes on the same situation.

I agree. I also like the fact that it shows us what's going on all over the world. So many times we're stuck with a set group of people and have no idea what's going on outside their immediate area. This showed us how different countries and cultures were dealing with it.

[MikePizzoff]

Can't wait for the movie to come out... as long as it doesn't have, say, Lindsay Lohan, James Van Der Beek, Jennifer Aniston, The Rock, or anyone along those lines.

[bassman]

Speaking of Max Brooks, he's going to have an hour long panel with Romero at SDCC.

[bassman]

Speaking of Max Brooks, he's going to have an hour long panel with Romero at SDCC.

[CornishCorpse]

Whats SDCC? Something Dunno Comic Convention? and right on darth, great minds think alike!

[darth los]

Speaking of Max Brooks, he's going to have an hour long panel with Romero at SDCC.


Speaking of Max Brooks, he's going to have an hour long panel with Romero at SDCC.


So nice he had to say it twice !! :D

[Ivarr]

Everyone has a right to an opinion...

But only on the internet can you have people go beyond "I liked it, I didn't like it", etc and go into how poorly done something is ... or how "X really screwed up Y.

I'm not saying shut up and keep it to yourself ... But unless your in a possition to show how you can do it "the right way" or in some way demonstrate that fact by publishing a book that outsells said item and or spens equal time on the NY Times best seller list... The "poorly writen" comment just sounds a bit like jelousy.

But like I said, to like or not like something is your right. I just think it goes beyond that to somehow put forth a "in my profesional opinion" type comments, when your not a profesional.

I can think both Fantastic 4 movies blew chunks ... But for me to critisize the cinimatography is both unnecesary and something I am not qualified to do.

I hope i am making a point ... I'm really not trying to bash anyone ... the subject is just a pet pieve of mine.

[darth los]

Everyone has a right to an opinion...

But only on the internet can you have people go beyond "I liked it, I didn't like it", etc and go into how poorly done something is ... or how "X really screwed up Y.

I'm not saying shut up and keep it to yourself ... But unless your in a possition to show how you can do it "the right way" or in some way demonstrate that fact by publishing a book that outsells said item and or spens equal time on the NY Times best seller list... The "poorly writen" comment just sounds a bit like jelousy.

But like I said, to like or not like something is your right. I just think it goes beyond that to somehow put forth a "in my profesional opinion" type comments, when your not a profesional.

I can think both Fantastic 4 movies blew chunks ... But for me to critisize the cinimatography is both unnecesary and something I am not qualified to do.

I hope i am making a point ... I'm really not trying to bash anyone ... the subject is just a pet pieve of mine.


You don't nescesarily need a degree in something in order to know what you are talking about. For instance, I'm a huge basketball fan and can tell you virtually everything about the history of the NBA. What makes a tv commentator more qualified than me to talk about sports? The fact that he's on t.v.? I don't think so. It's the same with movies and books, especially of the zombie variety. We eat and breathe this stuff so i know speaking for myself that i'm more than qualified to say if something is crap or not.

[EvilNed]

Everyone has a right to an opinion...

But only on the internet can you have people go beyond "I liked it, I didn't like it", etc and go into how poorly done something is ... or how "X really screwed up Y.

I'm not saying shut up and keep it to yourself ... But unless your in a possition to show how you can do it "the right way" or in some way demonstrate that fact by publishing a book that outsells said item and or spens equal time on the NY Times best seller list... The "poorly writen" comment just sounds a bit like jelousy.

But like I said, to like or not like something is your right. I just think it goes beyond that to somehow put forth a "in my profesional opinion" type comments, when your not a profesional.

I can think both Fantastic 4 movies blew chunks ... But for me to critisize the cinimatography is both unnecesary and something I am not qualified to do.

I hope i am making a point ... I'm really not trying to bash anyone ... the subject is just a pet pieve of mine.

I disagree. If you didn't like the cinematography in Fantastic 4 for whatever reason (let's say you found it too dark), then it is within perfectly acceptable reason to stand up and say so.

I think Khardis criticism is very valid and he is certainly, as a reader (and this just happens to be aimed at just that demographic!), qualified to state what he thought sucked about it, even he doesn't have a degree in literary scholarship.

You're suggesting something to the likes off:

"I didn't like that film."
"Why not?"
"I'm not qualified to say."

[Khardis]

Absolutely, you don't have to be a master of something to say whether or not you liked it. If that was the case, i am willing to bet everyone has broken the rule constantly, didn't like that meal you just ate? Don't criticize, you aren't a master chef, don't like mustangs? Don't say anything you don't build cars, Don't like the color blue? Don't complain you're not the creator of light.

[AcesandEights]

I think Khardis criticism is very valid and he is certainly, as a reader (and this just happens to be aimed at just that demographic!), qualified to state what he thought sucked about it, even he doesn't have a degree in literary scholarship.



Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly.

I happen to love the book (just loned it to a friend) and while I think some of the similarity in voice can be chalked up to the interviewer leading the discussion, Khardis hits it closer to the head that this is really just a weakness in the writing. I don't think that means the whole thing is poorly written, but I think that Brooks set some high hurdles for himself when he decided on his format. Overall though, I find the book to be engaging, fun and incredibly well thought out.

[darth los]

And Thus The Saying: "i Just Know What I Like !!"

[Ivarr]

Having an opinion about why you liked or did not like something is not the same as saying the writer/director/fingerpainter/whatever did something wrong or poorly.

The difference being ... the need for some to validate (or crave validation) by degrading some bodies efforts.

We all know crap when we see it, but that doesn't really mean everyone will think that way ... nor should they.

Saying you liked or did not like something for whatever reason is not the same as saying somebody did something wrong or poorly or "screwed" something up.

Its not critisism that I find anyoying... its those that point at others work and go on about how badly it was done as if they were a teacher grading a paper. Opinion is one thing ... trying to come accross as the authority on a subject pointing out why something is **** in the tone of one who is enlightend speaking to those who are not wise enough to be able to judge for themselves.

One man or womans drek is anothers art. As it should be.

I think the book is well writen, but others may and in fact do differ...

But in the end ... its good for all of us no matter what opinion you have. (As long as you want more zombie films/fiction available)

Not everyone involved in the creative process of getting a movie from book to film is a fan of the subject... Sometimes its just about showing a proven interest that they feel will translate into $$$ at the box office or at the book store.

If I remember right ... Mr. Romero had a quote that basicly said in the end, not directing Resident Evil did not matter as much as the fact that the movie got made and made money. It would just make it easier for him to get movies made.

But to try to bring this thred back to its topic (and I apologize for dragging it off) Do you hope that the book gets made into a mini-series? I can not see it being as good as a movie. (without cutting way too much out)

[Khardis]

Having an opinion about why you liked or did not like something is not the same as saying the writer/director/fingerpainter/whatever did something wrong or poorly.

The difference being ... the need for some to validate (or crave validation) by degrading some bodies efforts.

We all know crap when we see it, but that doesn't really mean everyone will think that way ... nor should they.

Saying you liked or did not like something for whatever reason is not the same as saying somebody did something wrong or poorly or "screwed" something up.

I understand your concern though. A lot of people will say something sucks, without really giving a valid reason for it.

Its not critisism that I find anyoying... its those that point at others work and go on about how badly it was done as if they were a teacher grading a paper. Opinion is one thing ... trying to come accross as the authority on a subject pointing out why something is **** in the tone of one who is enlightend speaking to those who are not wise enough to be able to judge for themselves.

One man or womans drek is anothers art. As it should be.

I think the book is well writen, but others may and in fact do differ...

But in the end ... its good for all of us no matter what opinion you have. (As long as you want more zombie films/fiction available)

Not everyone involved in the creative process of getting a movie from book to film is a fan of the subject... Sometimes its just about showing a proven interest that they feel will translate into $$$ at the box office or at the book store.

If I remember right ... Mr. Romero had a quote that basicly said in the end, not directing Resident Evil did not matter as much as the fact that the movie got made and made money. It would just make it easier for him to get movies made.

But to try to bring this thred back to its topic (and I apologize for dragging it off) Do you hope that the book gets made into a mini-series? I can not see it being as good as a movie. (without cutting way too much out)

Umm, him doing something poorly is why I criticized it in the 1st place, if he hadn't had weak writing I wouldn't make that claim. I don't have to be a perfume maker to know that farts smell bad, do I?

[Ivarr]

stating an opinion as a fact does not make you correct.

Your entitled to an opinion. Just don't pass it off as fact. they are not the same.

An opinion is just that, neither right nor wrong... A fact is ... a fact.

Perhaps that is what has some confused.

[Khardis]

stating an opinion as a fact does not make you correct.

Your entitled to an opinion. Just don't pass it off as fact. they are not the same.

An opinion is just that, neither right nor wrong... A fact is ... a fact.

Perhaps that is what has some confused.

Agreed, like the fact that he is not a strong writer and he has a lot of improving to do before It can be seen as anything more than just fan based fiction.

[Ivarr]

Agreed, like the fact that he is not a strong writer and he has a lot of improving to do before It can be seen as anything more than just fan based fiction.

I guess a few people missed that "fact". The publisher who both paid the writer for his work, and bankrolled the printing of god knows how many copies. The readers who paid for the hard cover edition... The new readers who will be buying the paperback come september. Two major production companies who got involved in a bidding war over the book.

I would wish the above mistakes could happen to any writer...

I'm sorry that they didn't happen for you. keep trying.

[EvilNed]

Ivarr, this has nothing to do with opinion. If people were like you, no offense, we'd have to end every single sentence with "but that's just my opinion". Of course it's Khardis' opinion! Whose else would it be, mine?

If Khardis thinks all the characters in the book sound the same, he is entitled to say so and then he can rave about how badly it was implemented as much as he likes. After all, it's his opinion.

[Khardis]

I guess a few people missed that "fact". The publisher who both paid the writer for his work, and bankrolled the printing of god knows how many copies. The readers who paid for the hard cover edition... The new readers who will be buying the paperback come september. Two major production companies who got involved in a bidding war over the book.

I would wish the above mistakes could happen to any writer...

I'm sorry that they didn't happen for you. keep trying.

Oh I havent tried to publish anything, although I assure if I had the characters speech patterns I would use would be distinct per each character and the writing would be much richer.

And Just because something is released to the public and has money put behind it doesn't mean its good, see Resident Evil 2 the movie for a good example.

[coma]

I guess a few people missed that "fact". The publisher who both paid the writer for his work, and bankrolled the printing of god knows how many copies. The readers who paid for the hard cover edition... The new readers who will be buying the paperback come september. Two major production companies who got involved in a bidding war over the book.

I would wish the above mistakes could happen to any writer...

I'm sorry that they didn't happen for you. keep trying.

I direct you strait to
EWE BOLL

He gets Millions upon million and he SUCKS.

Van Gogh made 25 dollars in his lifetime and basically no one cared until after he died. Dos that mean he sucked?
Does large amounts of financial compensation mean de facto that you are superior?
No it does not.
And, of course, the inverse is also true.

Most critics are self appointed anyway. Most? wait a second... ALL.

I am just as qualified as anyone else.
Generally the "it sucks" with no explanation bothers me (though the Ewe Boll comments speaks for itself and has been dissected here ad nauseum) but a comment like "all the characters sound the same" is a valid criticism and you dont have to be a Harvard professor to see that. I don't entirely agree though it is a problem that occurs frequently.

[Ivarr]

Critisizing is ok ... hell, I do it all the time ... and no I do not think you have to end everything with "but thats just my opinion".

I just find it amusing that people make the mistake of thinking that anyone gives a rats ass what they think ... (Me too ... I am guilty)

The comment about the bowl full of wee is an example of the idea that all you have to do is have the right people think your good. In that effort he has been undeniably succesful... as they keep giving him money.

Maybe its just ego from some that puts me off ... with the pronouncment that XYZ sucks... put forth in a mannor of "I know what I'm talking about" that goes above and beyond opinion.

But if I recall, I did say everyone was entilted to an opinion...

I prefer to think of this as a case of my not being clear enough in the point I am trying to make.

For that I apologize.

Enjoy

[EvilNed]

I just find it amusing that people make the mistake of thinking that anyone gives a rats ass what they think ... (Me too ... I am guilty)

That's not a mistake. This is a message board, and this is a topic dedicated to the opinions of World War Z.

[Cody]

I havent read the book.

[Khardis]

Critisizing is ok ... hell, I do it all the time ... and no I do not think you have to end everything with "but thats just my opinion".

I just find it amusing that people make the mistake of thinking that anyone gives a rats ass what they think ... (Me too ... I am guilty)

The comment about the bowl full of wee is an example of the idea that all you have to do is have the right people think your good. In that effort he has been undeniably succesful... as they keep giving him money.

Maybe its just ego from some that puts me off ... with the pronouncment that XYZ sucks... put forth in a mannor of "I know what I'm talking about" that goes above and beyond opinion.

But if I recall, I did say everyone was entilted to an opinion...

I prefer to think of this as a case of my not being clear enough in the point I am trying to make.

For that I apologize.

Enjoy

Yeah thats all well and good, but the fact remains that theres good writing, thats well done and there is poor writing that is rather amateur. You can tell when writing is amateur when you read it and everything sounds the same, the language is stale and it doesn't flow off the page into your eyes.

I understand a persons desire to defend something or someone they love and are interested in, despite the fact that their object of affection is certainly fallible and not perfect. In this case, the book is very interesting subject wise, as such it has drawn a large audience of die hard fans who love it for its content alone. This doesn't mean though that its well written. It's not. Its quite poorly written, but I think Brooks is still looking for his style I say he will put it together in another 5-10 years.

Early Stephen King was similar, although he was still much more talented, he was not an especially great writer, and was prone to using really lame Deus Ex Machina devices to solve his novels problems. He really started hitting his stride though after he got his intervention and his family got him off drugs and booze.