Disclaimer: While the author and I are Twitter acquaintances, I did not receive compensation for reviewing this book, nor did I receive a free copy for review.
This review was first published on my blog. The link to the original review is here.
This book is available from Amazon in both ebook and print formats.
Amazon blurb:
Plan and Prep: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is an introductory guide to emergency and disaster planning and preparation.
This book follows Bill Jones and his family as they navigate their way through a series of emergency and disaster events, culminating in the outbreak of a Zombie Apocalypse.
Plan and Prep: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse walks the reader through basic planning and preparation techniques and attempts to answer most of the more basic questions before they are asked. Areas that are often overlooked by beginners are explored, and some of the more common misconceptions are discussed.
This book does not claim to be a survival handbook, so if you’re looking for a how-to book about how to become Survivorman(TM), you’re reading the wrong book.
Also, note that Plan and Prep: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse isn’t actually about zombies–not the Hollywood kind, anyway. It does include zombies, but not the undead-eat-your-brains version that are currently prevalent in movies and TV.
So if this book isn’t a how-to guide or about zombies (or a how-to guide about zombies), then what is it actually about?
Simply put, it’s about disaster prep. It’s a starter guide for preparing for all sorts of different disasters–from fires to floods to global pandemics. The principles laid out in this guide can really apply to any possible disaster, including inclement weather events like tornadoes, blizzards, and hurricanes. Which, of course, happen every year in different parts of the world.
The book looks at Bill Jones and his family, who have got to be some of the unluckiest people in the world, to illustrate the importance of preparedness. The poor Jones family survive a devastating house fire, a flash flood, a deadly flu pandemic, and a zombie flu pandemic.
Seriously, these guys just can’t get a break.
After the fire that destroys their house and all their possessions, Bill realizes that he has to be prepared, and he has to be prepared for anything. The author then states what Bill does to prepare, and then outlines those steps in more detail for the reader’s benefit.
The zombie flu pandemic scenario wipes out a huge chunk of the human population, so the book does include basic steps in starting a colony/compound/camp/what have you. The basic idea reminds me of the medieval keeps (that were essentially small towns), the ones with fortified walls that surrounded the living and working quarters of the noble family and their retainers.
Of course, in the post apocalypse the new town wouldn’t have a baron, earl, or a duke in charge (unless said new town was in the UK), but the premise is similar. I think it would also be a good idea. Survivors will have to protect what they have, after all.
Overall, I found the book to be informative without being dry. I also kept rooting for the unlucky (or possibly really lucky) Jones family, who survive everything the planet throws at them, thanks to their prepper lifestyle.
While experienced preppers may already know and follow the advice given in the book, I think Plan and Prep: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse belongs in any new prepper’s library.
[Rating:4.5/5]