The era of zombies has come back around for another run, and we are here for it. World War Z was a zombie blockbuster that premiered in 2013, starring Brad Pitt. This film quickly became known for its portrayal of fast zombies, not to mention the terrifying scale of their threat. However, fewer fans may realize that World War Z was originally based on a novel. Naturally, there’s a lot to be said about the adaptation process for any novel, but World War Z has some of the most pronounced changes from novel to movie. Due to this, some of our favorite scenes from the book never stood a chance at getting into the film.
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Written by Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War ultimately is a very different beast from the film. The movie is an action-adventure following one character’s journey (Gerry Lane) to track the source of the zombie infection in hopes of finding a cure. Alternatively, the novel reads as more of a collection of individual accounts from survivors. It took readers across the globe, highlighting different struggles, endeavors, and solutions to the zombie threat. Fun fact: the novel also ties heavily into Max Brooks’ other novel, The Zombie Survival Guide.
1) Keeping the Satellites Running
Right from the beginning, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War strived to make it clear how dangerous the zombie threat was. This was done in many ways with different perspectives throughout the novel, but the one that really hits home is the description from space.
In the novel, a group of astronauts volunteers to stay aboard the International Space Station. They’re not doing this for their safety; if humanity falls, they’re dooming themselves to a slow death. However, these heroes understood that those on the ground needed real-time updates for as long as possible, and thus they stayed.
This perspective truly highlights the mega swarms of zombies that World War Z became famous for. You think the swath of zombies that scaled the wall was terrifying? Imagine a herd that could be easily tracked from a space station. Now that is the stuff of nightmares.
2) The Battle of Yonkers (AKA ”The Meat Grinder”)
Unsurprisingly, there are many notable battles that take place during World War Z, as humanity desperately fights for its very survival. One standout scene is called the Battle of Yonkers, the United States’ first coordinated large-scale attack during the Zombie War. Based in Yonkers, New York, the battle was a total and complete catastrophe.
This battle was meant to inspire hope in Americans, but instead it very nearly signaled the beginning of the end. Todd Wainio, a soldier from the U.S. Army, narrates this harrowing scene. If you really want it to hit hard, listen to the audiobook version, as Todd is voiced by Mark Hamill (yes, really).
It all began with the intentional corralling of zombies, hoping to make for a big target and an even bigger strike. However, they just kept coming and coming, becoming a zombie swarm millions strong. The planned weapons weren’t making a dent in the numbers, so they pulled out one of the strongest weapons they could muster, a thermobaric weapon.
3) The Floating Cities
World War Z, the film, barely scratched the surface of what people did to survive. Sure, we saw one massive ship overly full of people, but that’s nothing compared to what happened in the book. People took to the sea en masse, jumping on whatever was conceivably buoyant enough to carry weight. Decommissioned ships relegated to museum use were dragged out to sea and turned into tent cities.
Admiral Xu Zhicai’s scene digs into the desperation they saw on the sea, and the museum ships were just the beginning. Floating dry docks with no navigational methods were just floating out on the sea, becoming islands of hope (at best).
Admiral Xu Zhicai goes on to describe how Captain Chen commandeered (read: stole) a Chinese submarine and effectively turned it into a lifeboat. The crew and their family fled, only to later be tracked down by a submarine led by Chen’s own son. The crew did what they had to do to survive, breaking Captain Chen’s heart in the process. Captain Chen’s story stands out not just because of what he did for his crew and their families, but because he was determined to see the world through the Zombie War. His actions also put a stop to the Chinese Civil War (one of many events that kicked off because of the zombie threat).
World War Z is available to rent from several platforms, including Amazon Prime Video. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and The Zombie Survival Guide are available through most bookstores.
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