I was recommended this book after I had only seen the movie, and I am astounded how different they are. The movie is sh*t compared to this novel. In the height of the zombie-story craze, media was engrossed in the gore and action of the zombies themselves; human interdynamics came second. Not the case in this book. It's refreshing to read a title where zombies are the background characters.

Writing this in 2024, Brooks essentially called out the societal problems that occurred during the COVID pandemic. The foresight he had speaks to a solid observation and prediction of (a lot of) cultural behaviors. It's weirdly comforting to see that what happened may not have been an anomoly. 

Some chapters dragged or felt semi-disconnected to the overarching flow of the book, but I forgive this considering the riveting ones. Brooks created an array of distinct characters complex enough to drive a novel where their development is not the focus. I highly recommend this book.