Recommended reading suggestions for zombie knowledge

[Jake]

Does anyone have any recommendations for zombie knowledge/preparation? My friend suggested reading The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks but I wondered if there's any other essential reading out there? Ta.

[Doctor G]

I'm enjoying 'The Walking Dead' series of comics/graphic novels at the moment...

Also WWZ is worth a read. Max Brooks does some things well, and WWZ had some very good ideas - but I find him to be slightly limited in his repertoire. Also, he suffers from the typical American insularity and lack of knowledge about the rest of the world, falling too easily into cliche and patronising sterotype...

[aguineapig]

Read the Zombie survival guide, then disregard it.

It's in the comedy section for a reason. The M16 is not a terrible weapon and the AK-47 is DEFINITELY not the best weapon.

I would read this: http://ozort.org/zombie-handbook/index.php

There is some decent info on that page, even though it's not a book.

[Doctor G]

Firearms are all of limited use against the undead. Automatic weapons (like the M16 or AK47) in particular.

General downsides of firearms:
- noisy, will attract more Zeds
- require ammo, you will need a supply or they will be useless
- require skill, accurate head shots are the only good ones, anything else is a waste of time and ammo and will only bring more attackers.
- require maintenace, you need to know how to look after your weapon (at least the AK47 is rugged and durable in this regard - no wonder it is the weapon of choice for child soldiers the world over...).

As for specific guns, perhaps availability (of the weapon and its ammo) and your own familiarity will be the determining factor? E.g. if you live in the US and own an M16 then you're much more likely to find use in one (it will require more tender care than an AK47 though). If you live elsewhere, the AK47 may be more available and therefore 'better'.

However, neither weapon is much use against the undead in the long term.

aguineapig said:

Read the Zombie survival guide, then disregard it.

It's in the comedy section for a reason. The M16 is not a terrible weapon and the AK-47 is DEFINITELY not the best weapon.

I would read this: http://ozort.org/zombie-handbook/index.php

There is some decent info on that page, even though it's not a book.

[Jacqueline]

Here is somehting you don't even have to read...download "infected" the podcast on itunes. its free and awesome

[xhozt]

This is why i have my own home built "Gauss gun" its silent , easy to make bb ammo and will take out a z in true one shot one kill fashion ... im actualy working on a "run and gun" recharging system that will charge the capacitors i use in it by a pumping action just like a standard bb gun .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coilgun

Doctor G said:

Firearms are all of limited use against the undead. Automatic weapons (like the M16 or AK47) in particular.

General downsides of firearms:
- noisy, will attract more Zeds
- require ammo, you will need a supply or they will be useless
- require skill, accurate head shots are the only good ones, anything else is a waste of time and ammo and will only bring more attackers.
- require maintenace, you need to know how to look after your weapon (at least the AK47 is rugged and durable in this regard - no wonder it is the weapon of choice for child soldiers the world over...).

As for specific guns, perhaps availability (of the weapon and its ammo) and your own familiarity will be the determining factor? E.g. if you live in the US and own an M16 then you're much more likely to find use in one (it will require more tender care than an AK47 though). If you live elsewhere, the AK47 may be more available and therefore 'better'.

However, neither weapon is much use against the undead in the long term.

aguineapig said:

Read the Zombie survival guide, then disregard it.

It's in the comedy section for a reason. The M16 is not a terrible weapon and the AK-47 is DEFINITELY not the best weapon.

I would read this: http://ozort.org/zombie-handbook/index.php

There is some decent info on that page, even though it's not a book.

[Wayward Judge]

Unfortunately, there is very little that I've seen related to zombie preparedness other than Max Brooks' books. For example, Max Wellington's "Monster (enter landmass here)" series is entertaining, but quite fantastical and not very useful. Max's World War Z is a sort of conglomeration of interviews with fictional survivors of a hypothetical Zombie War. It's an entertaining read, and also opens one's mind to the possibility of a world-wide outbreak, along with the results. Of course, it cleaves to the slow-zombie theme of his other book, but it's likely he's at least half right about them. As I've said, I haven't seen any other books of the sort in my local libraries, but I will update you when I see one.

[Cole O'Riordon]

American Red Cross First Aid, Where There is No Doctor by David Werner, Where There is No Dentist by Murray Dickson, Emergency War Surgery (NATO handbook) Dr. Martin Fackler, Boston’s Gun Bible by Boston T. Party, Survival Guns by Mel Tappan, Tappan on Survival by Mel Tappan, The Secure Home by Joel Skousen, NATO Small Fire Arms Handbook, boy scout handbook, any book on local floura and fauna, and maybe a little basic psychology piece if you are going to be traveling in a group.

Also, maybe a really good stack of books, or just one you like a lot, because things are going to get hairy fast and anything that gets your mind off of the situation would be good.

[Visogoth]

Several survival guides are now available at book stores, starting with SAS Survival Handbook- John 'Lofty' Wiseman, How to Survive Anything, Anywhere- Chris McNab. Chris McNab also did a good psych book called The SAS Mental Endurance Handbook. I just finished reading a compilation of interesting and useful projects from the editors of Popular Mechanics called The Boy Camper. A similar old book is Crafts of the North American Indians- Rob C. Schneider. These all definitely carry a more mundane appeal, but having a strong foundation is everything. Most people can't even camp anymore, much less survive, let alone deploy for combat.