Z Hardcover – September 7, 2010

I was very pleased at the condition of the book. My nephew loves this book so far. Can't wait to shop again for cheap and great condition for another book :).

Exciting and a real page-turner. I was immediately hooked from the beginning. No s***. I really liked Z because it’s different from the other zombie books I’ve read before. There’s the usual gore, suspense, action and humor, but it also offers a new perspective about the zombies. Here, they’re actively hunted and killed by humans but the fact that the zombies ARE also humans is emphasized. As opposed to the common belief that zombies are reanimated corpses, in Z they are actually living humans infected with a virus. It’s a very interesting notion and makes a good argument whether the characters are really killing people or they’re just disposing ‘meatbags’, depending on their perspective.I liked the world-building and the pace of the story. I was always looking forward to what will happen next because things were always interesting. There were a few things that were obvious to me as a reader but when I thought of them from Josh’s perspective, I guess they’re understandable why it took him some time to realize these things.Z does not have a happy ending. It doesn’t conclude with an everything’s-alright-in-the-end kind of ending. And it makes me like the book more. It’s kinda tragic but it’s realistic. Things don’t have to be alright in the end, and it’s okay. The important thing is people can hold their ground against the zombies; they’ve done it before and they can do it again. A really good read.

In 2032, the zombie apocalypse is a thing of the past. Zombies haven't been seen in years and life has gotten back to normal. Josh is fascinated with them and plays a virtual zombie killing game with his friend Firecracker every chance he gets. The game is based in reality and features a militia that torches zombies with flamethrowers. Josh is steadily rising in the ranks, but has to hide his gaming because his parents think it's in bad taste. He is approached by the best player in the game to play in real life with a team of teen torchers and cybernetic zombies. Josh is eager to play and doesn't notice that things just don't add up. He's just happy to earn some money and do what he enjoys without thought that the guy who runs the event is into some shady stuff and all isn't what it seems.Z is one of a growing category of books where the zombie apocalypse has already happened and people have moved on. This zombie disease is a flu that attacks the higher brain functions and strengthens the base functions or "lizard brain." Zombies aren't the undead, but people who fail to process pain and are taken over by animalistic instincts. By the time Josh is born, a vaccine has been developed that everyone gets at birth. There are still a lot of dilapidated locations, but most of civilization is back to normal and thriving. This was only mentioned in passing, but biological animals seem to be endangered, but the extent is unclear.Josh is a typical, middle class kid with typical problems and susceptible to peer pressure. He is obsessed with playing the virtual reality torcher game where he is viewed as a rising star. He hides his gaming activity because his mom made her feelings perfectly clear. His own aunt was one of the earliest people to turn into a zombie and his mom takes offense to her horrifying reality being made into a game. Like a typical teen, he doesn't think about others very much. Throughout the novel, he blindly stumbles into dangerous situations with only thoughts of fun. He joins the real life torcher tournament and doesn't believe the danger is real. In fact, he doesn't think to question anything at all. He takes a drug called Z that makes him act bit zombie-ish for a while and doesn't think anything of it when he attacks random strangers on the street or digs into raw meat with furvor. I found him pretty annoying for the most part until the very end.I have a problem with the core concept of this book. Why use flamethrowers to subdue zombies? I get that it prevents the spread of the disease, but it should really be used when the zombie is already down for the count. Flamethrowers are not good melee weapons at all. Zombies do not go down automatically when set on fire. It could take a while for them to die, so it's pretty dangerous for everyone around and whatever building they happen to be in to use flamethrowers. I'm not sure why the game, the history, or the real life game torchers didn't just have regular guns to use in tandem with the flamethrowers. The dangers of fire in enclosed spaces and to other humans is mentioned a few times, but no one ever thinks of simple solutions to the problem.Z is a bit of a disappointment. It's been on my shelf for a while and I had high hopes. The world is interesting and the narrative flows, but Josh is pretty awful and the main concept doesn't make much sense. The ending is a bit abrupt and ends in the middle of a scene, which annoys me. It's wide open for a sequel, but so far there is none. I would give the next book a chance because I enjoy Michael Thomas Ford's writing.

Z would be right up a tween or teen boy's alley, especially those with a thing for human versus zombie stories! It was a little young for my taste, but as an adult I liked the book overall and thought the story was engaging and well-written. It can be read easily in a day. Regarding genre, Z is set in the future but not to the point of dystopian or post-apocalyptic, although it does take place after "the zombie war". There's some great action/suspense, teamwork, humor, and fun zombie violence. It is a fairly mature read for it's target audience.My favorite thing about this book: Family is important to the main character and that was good to see. The main character faces right versus wrong issues and deals with the consequences.My least favorite thing about this book: I got the impression that the target audience is school-aged youth. However, there is some drug use in this book. Although it is a fictional drug, there is some peer pressure involved for the main character to take a manufactured substance that creates an effect and can lead to dependency.Favorite quote: "It's disrespectful...Turning a war into a [video] game minimizes how horrible it was for those who fought in it, lived through it, died in it." Michael Thomas Ford, Z