 World War Z is a follow @-@ up to Brooks ' " survival manual " The Zombie Survival Guide ( 2003 ) , but its tone is much more serious . It was inspired by The Good War : An Oral History of World War Two ( 1984 ) by Studs Terkel , and by the zombie films of George A. Romero . Brooks used World War Z to comment on government <unk> and American <unk> , while also examining <unk> and uncertainty . The novel was a commercial hit and was praised by most critics . 
