Have you ever woken up one morning to find the world as you know it has turned upside down? Suddenly, are all the lights in your house casting a deep blue sepia; Is your house now located next to a spooky cemetery, and more importantly, do the walls in the kitchen seem to be bleeding more than usual? Then you need "How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills." The book, while a survival guide to the world of horror movies, is also a humorous look at all of those cliché's horror movies tend to favor, such as "The 6 Character types in a Horror Movie," "What to do if there are Snakes on your Plane," and the all important "How to Convince the Skeptical Local Sheriff." Mr. Grahame-Smith takes great, and somewhat sarcastic, care to detail every possible situation and the correct response to take when faced with a creature of the undead.

When I first saw this book, I had to admit, I had my doubts. The rules of horror movies have been hammered into our heads again and again since long before "Scream" came out, so what could this book tell me that I don't already know? After reading the first chapter, I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the same old rules that everyone knows, such as "The Cat is a Forbearer of your Doom," Smith takes his tips for dodging your unceremonious death at the hands at killers to a new level, such as the innovative "Switch Genres," and the 5 steps C.R.A.V.E.N. technique. He also encourages you, the young hero of this film, to use the resources around you to your advantage, such as your friendly neighborhood shop teacher. Another thing that impressed me was the great drawings done by Nathan Fox. I had expected the book to be bland as dish-water like most survival guides, but I often found myself turning to a page and busting out laughing. How often do you see a woman mace a masked killer without even looking up?

Whatever you do you should buy this book, because you never know just where and when you will walk into a horror movie.

For more from Seth Grahame-Smith, pick up "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "The Big Book of Porn" Today.

It all started with a little bite, but from there the world soon devolved into chaos. It is through the efforts of Max Brooks that we have, for the first time, an accurate account of the events leading up to Z-day and the impact it has had on our world. World War Z is that account, carefully pieced together from first hand accounts of those who not only survived the plague, but also some of those who ended up being responsible for it’s wide reach. While most of the information in Mr. Brooks’ book was originally taken from unused information for a report created for the United Nations, it has served as a reminder of the 15 year war this world faced against the forces of the undead.

According to Brooks, It was 24 years ago today when the first known case of Zombies (first known as African Rabies) was documented around rural China. It is unknown if this was the true first case, but it is from this point on that the infection spiraled out of control. Many have claimed that the virus was created as some sort of Chinese military experiment, but this has been disproved as the virus has been found in recently exhumed mummies. Whatever the case, the virus still plagues humanity to this very day. The infection, being passed through bodily fluids, spread quickly as those with the virus had the irresistible need to eat the flesh of the living. Through Mr. Brooks’ investigation, it has now been disclosed that the infection was also spread through illegal organ transplants even though china had stopped all official commerce and travel citing internal issues.

As it is now known contrary to reports that came out at the beginning of the war, the virus has no cure. It is 100% fatal to humans and animals, result in permanent death to animals, but reanimation in humans. While there was a ‘vaccine’ available, it did not have the expected results thus leading more people to take risks close to infected area. By the time the public figured out that the vaccine was a fraud, the infection had already spread too far to contain.

The book as a documented history is astounding. Although many of these accounts were spared from the official U.N. Report, it is easy to see that Mr. Brooks took time and consideration to find an accurate time line for the Z-Plague. Even though it has been ten years since the end of the Z-war, the memories of it are still fresh, and this comes through in the first hand accounts Mr. Brooks has amassed. If there is only one critique of this book, it is that Mr. Brooks possibly took a few liberties when he wrote down the accounts from those of different cultures. While they all seem to speak with a similar voice, this could be due to the translators Mr. Brooks had to go through and the subtle differences in languages and cultures. However, this is the only qualm this reviewer has. To this day, the world still has to deal with the zombie plague. Whether it be from the thawing of the ice in spring to the fun day at the beach that soon turns deadly due to a partially decomposed corpse walking up-shore, it will be a long time before the world is free from the virus for good. This book should be read by all World War Z enthusiasts, as it is not only a grim reminder of our past, but a way for us to prepare for our future.

Purchase 'World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War' on Amazon today