I spent the past four days at my mother’s house, with nothing to do but read. So I read “World war Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks. Wow. It’s been quite a long time since I read a book that had this kind of an impact on me.

Not a novel in the traditional sense, Brooks writes “World War Z” as if he was Stephen Ambrose documenting World War II. The story unfolds through interviews with survivors of the zombie war, which in this alternate history, was a George Romero-esque plague that wiped out most of humanity. Each chapter is almost like a monologue or short story, giving readers one more glimpse of the bigger picture. Interviewees include mercenaries, soldiers, naval officers, doctors, Japense otaku, a blind gardener and even former Democratic presidential candidate and current DNC chair Howard Dean, each one adding to the global perspective of the story. Unlike typical zombie films, most notably George Romero’s “Living Dead” series, or “28 Days Later,” we are aware of the big picture, rather than the desperate last days of a handful of human survivors.

The resulting work is nothing short of brilliant. Unlike other zombie stories, which typically describe how even under the most horrific of circustances, human beings are willing to turn on each other, “World War Z” shows human beings at their best. In effect, Brooks takes the zombie genre and subverts it. Within this book are acts of horror, yes, but also acts of great heroism and bravery.

I wish I could put into words just how surprised I was by this book. By its characters, by its politics, by its big ideas and action set pieces a thousand times more interesting than anything Hollywood could produce. Twelve hours after finishing it, I can’t help but be haunted by what I read. The images linger, which is something I can’t say for the last few books I’ve read.

Highly recommended.