Characters in World War Z

Max Brooks' novel World War Z has an unusual format of storytelling. Most of the narrative is taken from a series of InterViews with survivors, who played various roles during the war and its aftermath. Some of these characters are:

Original Characters

Kwang Jingshu, an elderly Chinese physician and former army medic, discovers the reanimated boy who is later deemed Patient Zero of the epidemic within his village. Jingshu's narration conveys a BLEND of dedication and impatience en route to the village; the mystery of the seven abandoned invalids; and the frightful conundrum of the lifeless yet hostile boy.

Fernando Oliveira, a Brazilian doctor, tells how organ transplants spread the virus by recounting his experience with a patient infected via a donated heart. Oliveira also mentions the role of corrupt police officials in Providing organs of domestic origin and suppressing information AbOUT the zombie-related deaths.

Jurgen Warmbrunn, an Israeli intelligence officer, tells how he came to discover the crisis that was erupting in China. He co-authors an international report detailing the spread of the plague, which sparks the Israeli government's decision to establish a "voluntary quarantine."

Saladin Kader, a former Palestinian militant, tells about his how his family was repatriated to Israel (as part of their offer of asylum to all overseas Israelis, Jews, and Palestinian refugees, from Kuwait), and gives a first hand account of the Israeli quarantine, including the use of dogs to detect infected people.

Breckinridge Scott, an executive in a pharmaceutical firm, tells how he exploited the misnaming of disease by marketing Phalanx. This rabies vaccine was merely a placebo against the disease. Scott's narration gloats about the help he had from ignorant bureaucrats and politicians, and the profit-hungry medical community. During the Great Panic, he goes to Antarctica and leases the Vostok base as his permanent home. He's wanted by a large segment of the world for his part in the epidemic; various parties are working to apprehend him by pressuring the Russians into not renewing his lease.

Jessika Hendricks an American volunteer in Canadian wilderness, where many people fled during the Great Panic, including her family when she was a young girl. Her story changes from her families roadtrip up to Canada and the initial community spirit of the refugee area, which descended into violence, anarchy and eventually cannabalism.

Mary Jo Miller, mayor of a zombie-proof community in Montana, describes how the war began for her family when she was a homemaker in San Diego. Her discussion of prewar family life indicates that she had a typical middle-class American household with its share of hobbies and personal problems. She describes how and why she ignored news of the plague until zombies invaded her home and attacked family members.

Maria Zhuganova, a Russian soldier, becomes a participant in harsh reforms, including decimation, as the plague spreads. Her narration shows how well-meaning troops can become party to atrocities. At the time of interview she is in confinement, serving as a spokesperson for the Russian government's methods of repopulating and protecting the nation, namely by functioning as little more than a broodmare. She also gives an in-depth account about the decimation, saying that not only was 1 in 10 soldiers killed, but the rest of the squad was made to choose who it was and forced to kill them.

David Allen Forbes, an English historian and expert on European castles. His interview demonstrates how medieval fortifications had provided safety to hundreds from the zombie infections which spread across the continent. He details how he was stationed at Windsor Castle, which became a well-defended and well-supplied command point for the British armies during the period of infection. He also notes that the reigning monarch was present (although not named, she is heavily implied to be Queen Elizabeth II), and that her decision to remain at Windsor Castle provided great morale for the British public - showing how in a time of crisis, the old European traditions of crumbling castles and largely neglected royals became relevant once more.

Todd Wainio, a U.S. Army infantryman, provides an American soldier's perspective on the Battle of Yonkers and the ensuing changes in combat techniques as the war progresses. He discusses the development of anti-zombie weaponry before going on to describe the military's first major victory. Later he describes various hazards such as wild beasts, feral humans, mental stresses and breakdowns which he and his fellow soldiers faced. Portrayed by Mark Hamill in the audiobook version.

Xolelwa Azania describes South Africa's strategy -- the "Redeker Plan" -- which is heartless but so effective that other surviving nations adopt similar plans. In fact, Azania is actually Paul Redeker himself, having been driven insane by the terrible plan that he created that doomed so many people. During his personal account, it is also implied that Redeker's plan was authorized by former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who is referred to in the novel only as "the man whose birth name was Rohlilahla".

Philip Adler, an officer of the German Bundeswehr, describes the gruesome events in zombie- besieged Hamburg, the Horrible battles against the undead, and The Plight of thousands of trapped civilian refugees. Shortly before running out of ammunition, the army high command orders Adler and his garrison to retreat north behind the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal. Despite knowing that this order would mean to abandon the civilians to the living dead, Adler is forced to follow it despite his conscience, after General Lang threatens to prosecute both Adler and his soldiers with Russian efficiency. However, the novel shows that it is General Lang himself who bears the worst guilt for his actions.

Colonel Christina Eliopolis, USAF, a United States Air Force officer and F-22 Raptor pilot, relates her adventure in a zombie-infested Louisiana swamp. She is helped by a local spotter called "Mets Fan" from her radio. Her entry closes with an implication that, after over 48 hours awake and under stress, the "voice" existed only in her mind.

Sensei Tomonaga Ijiro, a Hibakusha martial artist who, despite being blinded by the 1945 attacks on Hiroshima, survives in the abandoned home islands of Japan. He is one of several characters in the book who have major physical weaknesses (blind, paralyzed or sedentary) and use their intelligence to survive the war by marshaling their remaining abilities.

Kondo Tatsumi, a former otaku who remained in his parents' apartment in Kokura learning about the Japanese outbreak as the home islands were being evacuated. He leaves only when the internet connections are cut off. He acquires a World War II-era Japanese officer's sword from a reanimated neighbor, and later encounters Tomonaga Ijiro, becoming his disciple.

Xu Zhicai, a Chinese admiral, witnesses the plague's effects at sea and on the Pacific Continent while commanding a rogue Type 94 ballistic missile submarine. His story details the irony that despite their country in flames, the Chinese deploy two other submarines to recover his rogue submarine. During fighting in mainland china, all other missile bases are compromised. This leaves the lone Type 94 sub as China's only missile platform, and its crew is responsible for toppling the ineffective Communist regime in China that was preventing Chinese military success.

T. Sean Collins, a mercenary hired by a "rich American businessman" to protect his fortress on Long Island. Several celebrities were holed up there, and they willingly broadcasted themselves partying on a live Webcast (similar to a reality show), while watching videos of New York being overrun by zombies. Ironically, the celebrities lack proper foresight, and once people realize where their secure location is on Long Island, hordes of survivors storm the compound looking for a safe haven. Collins, referring to the celebrities with contempt, and relating with the poor survivors trying to find shelter, escapes out to sea on a surfboard. It is implied that he is rescued, and later he settles in the Caribbean.

Roy Elliott, a Hollywood film director before the Zombie War. Elliott, like many in the entertainment industry in California, finds himself lacking in any practical talents during the war. However, he tries to find a way to put his directing talent to good use. Seeing as though so many survivors of the war are succumbing to depression and [...], Elliott attempts to make empowering films about real-life, successful war campaigns during the Zombie War. His first such film is the story of 300 college students in California successfully fighting off a zombie siege with only melee weapons. At first, the military denies him any support, and his films seem to fail. Soon, though, doctors realize that his films are improving survivor morale and reducing ADS (similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and his films are used to improve morale in all the American safe zones. He becomes famous once again, except this time as a man who helped cure the psychologically-crippling effects of the relentless zombie hordes.

Joe Muhammad, a disabled man in a wheelchair who was part of the Neighborhood Security Teams, a civilian anti-zombie patrol group. Joe's prewar occupation is not explicitly stated, but postwar, he owns a bicycle shop and makes metal sculptures. The story focuses on the fact that, although disabled, Joe also has many advantages over the zombies, such as speed and protection (by way of the wheelchair). Joe also makes mention of non-zombie threats, such as 'ferals', children orphaned by the war who grew up alone in the wild, and 'quislings', people whose fight-or-flight instinct is so weak that they become mentally insane and start acting like real zombies. He mentions several ways to tell a zombie apart from a quisling, and the fact that early reports of zombies eating quislings led to a misunderstanding that zombies fought amongst themselves and could be tricked into [...] each other.

The Whacko is a man who is never referred to by his real name, but it is implied that he is Howard Dean. During the war years, the Whacko was the white Vice President of the United States, serving under a black President. The Whacko suggests that The Only Reason he was Vice President was because the American public would rather have a "screaming radical as VP" than for him to be another "one of those people". His story details new laws enacted by the President to deter disorder and crime, mainly the effective use of public humiliation instead of imprisonment. It is also strongly implied that the President is Colin Powell. Such implications are based on the fact that in the novel, the President is black, he was formerly in the military, and that his family originated in Jamaica.

Arthur Sinclair, Jr. is Director of a government agency known as DeStRes, the Department Of Strategic Resources. His job is to mobilize the remaining survivors and to ration resources in the most efficient and logistical manner. Sinclair speaks about the various struggles of a lack of skilled tradesmen in America, and how most of the survivors had previously been white collar workers who needed to learn practical skills. He details the the struggles in trying to make people think practically and conservatively, dealing with both the overzealous military and the high-and-mighty former white collars. The story concludes on a positive note, with most Americans happily committed to working together to rebuild.

Sardar Khan was a young lance corporal in the Indian military during the Zombie Wars, given the responsibility of demolishing Himalayan mountain roads to prevent the zombies from advancing after the retreating Indian population. Khan is faced with the conflict of blowing up an overcrowded mountain road and [...] thousands of survivors to save millions, or to take no action and have the zombies advance. Eventually, Indian General Raj Singh shows up and tells Khan that the Indian military will use "Shiva's Wrath", a nuclear bomb, if Khan fails in his mission. However, the remote detonation device is disabled, and in the end, it is General Singh himself who manually detonates the bombs, preventing the further advance of the zombies. Sardar Khan survives the incident, and while sitting on a bus, observing the zombies mindlessly tumbling over the cliff to their death, gets urinated on by a monkey.

Ahmed Farahnakian, formerly a Major in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp Air Force, details his story of how Iran and Pakistan dealt unsuccessfully with the zombie threat. Farahankian is living in Greenland after the war with no place to call home, due to the fact that both Iran and Pakistan attacked each other with nuclear weapons as a result of political misunderstandings. Farahnakian relates the story of how Iran was trying to close its borders to migrating Pakistanis, and how a lack of diplomacy led to nuclear war for the two countries. It is implied that Farahnakian was a practicing Muslim before the war; he states, however, that only one could have prophesied the zombie outbreak did not, and therefore, "I don't believe in him anymore." By not naming him directly, it is implied that Farahnakian has lost faith in Mohammad, prophet of Islam.

Sharon is a young woman living at the Rothman Rehabilitation Home for Feral Children. Although she grew up alone and in the wild, she was old enough during the Zombie War to have retained basic speech function. She very simplistically relates the story of how her family had holed themselves up in a church, but that the zombies overran their defenses. She explains vividly how she was ordered to "Run!" while the mother of her zombified friend at the church sacrificed herself to save her. It is implied in her story that the adults killed all The Other Children as a form of euthanasia.

Ajay Shah was a white-collar office manager before the war, and he recounts his tale of traveling to the Indian port city of Alang in hopes of finding a safe departure from land. Shah relates the story of how Indians horded the beaches, having misunderstood the fact that Alang was actually a "ship breakers" facility, where old ship were retired, and not a city of drydocks where new ships were built. Shah details the chaos of trying to escape by sea, and how many people died while trying to escape on old, broken vessels. He mentions the fact that zombies had infested the waters, posing additional threats to evacuation attempts, but also that many selfless Indian fishermen risked their own lives to carry boatloads of refugees out to larger seafaring vessels.

Gavin Blaire once flew a Fujifilm blimp during the prewar era, but during and after the war, he has become pilot of a D-17 combat dirigible. Blaire relates the story of how, during one of his missions, he witness the chaos of the Great Panic, as civilians crowded the highways in desperate attempts to find safety. He explains how the traffic jams were so dense that the fleeing civilians essentially became sitting ducks to the approaching zombie hordes.

Grover Carlson was a former White House chief of staff in the novel, and during the postwar he works on a farm in Amarillo, Texas, harvesting cow manure for energy. Carlson is a cynical old man, part of the government for much of his life, and so he is rather hostile and unfriendly to journalistic intrusions. He explains that the White House staff had always been overburdened with assessing threats, and that the zombie threat seemed the least plausible. Carlson also explains that they feared a public announcement would cause a STOCK market crash. He explains that large media conglomerates also feared such an economic disaster, and so they also hesitated to report on the growing zombie epidemic.

Trevor D'Ambrosia is Supreme Allied Commander of Europe in the postwar United Nations. He relates the story of how the United States Armed Forces had lost the public's support as a result of previous conflicts. He goes on to describe how this lack of national support prevented a national military mobilization, similar to that of World War II.

Hyungchol Choi is deputy director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, he explains how North Korea was prepared for the zombie invasion and moved underground without knowing what happened to them. He also explains how South Korea nearly fell after its version of Yonkers at Inchon if it weren't the Korea's version of the Redeker Plan.

See also

• World War Z
• The Zombie Survival Guide