Introduction and The Undead: Myths and Realities: Solanum: The Virus Summary

The Zombie Survival Guide is written as if it were a non-fiction guide to identifying and surviving attacks by the living dead. In the mythology of Max Brook's fictional books, zombies are reanimated dead who have been killed and taken over by the Solanum virus. Zombie attacks are often suppressed by the government and the media, and average people must be prepared to fight to survive against these flesh-eating undead.

Zombies are created by a virus called Solanum, first discovered and named by Jan Vanderhaven. Solanum travels through the blood stream to the brain. It replicates itself in the frontal lobe brain cells and destroys them, killing the host. The virus creates a new brain-like organ that controls the body without needing oxygen.

During the...