This Is the Way the World Ends: an Oral History of the Zombie War
February, 2031: The global population now stands at an estimated 400 million, and every survivor bears the scars of humanity's decade-long struggle to defeat an enemy few believed could exist. Some nations have emerged from the war stronger than ever. Others still struggle to survive. Some no longer exist at all.
In the aftermath of the zombie pandemic Keith Taylor, noted pre-war author of apocalyptic fiction, traveled the world to gather the firsthand accounts of survivors from every walk of life, culture and strata of society, ranging from American political leaders to British journalists to Mongolian miners to members of India's homeless underclass.
Together these chilling interviews describe the course of humanity's most brutal war, leading from the initial emergence of the virus in the Siberian wilderness to the visceral, heart-rending Shibuya footage, through the confusion of the US President's impeachment to the unintended and disastrous consequences of the UN's sweeping refugee amendment, and ending with us battered and broken, diminished but not defeated, in the fragile peace we now enjoy. Together these accounts represent the most illuminating and complete commentary to date of humanity's loss.
From these candid interviews emerges an image of early 21st century civilization as it truly was: imperfect, fragmented and wholly unprepared for a disaster on such a scale. This Is the Way the World Ends: an Oral History of the Zombie War takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the world we had and lost; a look at the pain we suffered due to our inability to accept a single, simple truth:
Zombies are real.
Note: Readers who lived through the pandemic may find the interviews contained within this collection distressing. Discretion is advised.
PRAISE FOR THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS
"Keith Taylor is, indeed, another master of the genre." -- Jose Alfredo Vazquez, author of The War Against Them
"I cried, I actually gagged, I swore, I hurt, I cheered. This book crosses all genres and is captivating, soul touching, and frightening more for what it shows us about ourselves as universally human, than for any specific apocalypse cause. I would highly recommend this to anyone with a brain and a heart. It's that good." -- J.S. Coppage
"This is a book I'm sure I'll return to time and again, dipping in and out of random chapters whenever I pick up my Kindle and notice it calling out to me. This thing reached into my brain, and I don't think it will ever let go. Highly recommended." -- BroadHorizons
"I'll put it bluntly: if you are a fan of World War Z (the book), read this." -- J L
"This must rank among the best zombie books of 2017." -- Karl Palmer