Max Brooks's Zombie Survival Guide is not only informative but also well written. There are a few issues that I disagree with him on. Most of those are due to interpretation, and therefore nobody would have the "correct" answers until a true outbreak occurs, but there are some traps that he falls into that many other quasi-fantasy authors do as well. The main one is excessive Japanophilia. The area this shows the most is in his "weapons and combat techniques" chapter.
The first is in his dismissal of an axe as impractical. I actually agree with him on this, as it would be very hard for an untrained person to decapitate a zombie with one, but then he introduces another weapon as a superior alternative, the Shaolin spade (yes, I know, it's Chinese, so I guess I should have said Asiaophilia or something). I literally gawked for a few seconds when I first saw that heading due to the sheer stupidity of the idea. It's an obscure weapon, Google it if you aren't familiar, and I know from first-hand experience that they are quite clumsy to wield. He states that "thrusting forward with either blade will produce instant decapitation." No, no it would not. First of all, it is HARD to decapitate a human, even if the flesh is starting to rot off their neck. In medieval executions, it could take up to three swings with a two-handed executioner's axe to lop a head off (admittedly, for experienced executioners it usually only took one), and that's with their neck resting upon an execution block. In the free air, the neck will move with the swing, cutting its force by at least half (lower acceleration as it takes longer for the blade to come to a halt). That means, that even with a DEDICATED decapitation weapon, it would be quite hard to decapitate a zombie. Now think about thrusting. It would be simply impossible for a human to generate enough thrusting force to get even a third of the power they could with a swing. Ever try chopping wood by holding an axe by the shaft right behind the head and pushing it at the log? It doesn't work. So, that rules out his assertion that it would be easy to decapitate a zombie by thrusting with a Shaolin spade. Then, if you think of how swinging the spade would work, it only has a small sharpened edge on the front of the main blade, running perpendicular to the direction of a swing. This means that only one or two inches of sharpened blade would be showing on the cutting plane, which is why one can see that they were primarily used as a bludgeoning weapon. All in all, a Shaolin spade would be next to useless against zombies.
The second is his love of Katanas. Don't get me wrong, I like Katanas too. Historically, not only were they better crafted than European swords, they were better in next to all situations than European swords, as both were nearly useless against heavily armored foes and Katanas were superior against lightly- or un-armored foes. However, this was because they were very, very good at creating flesh wounds. With their light, curved blade they are easy to handle and cut through flesh easily. The same does not go for bone. Due to their light weight, it would be extremely hard for one to carry enough momentum to sever a human spine, which is far tougher that one would think. Thus, the Katana is nigh useless against zombies. This is one of the only places that a heavy European sword would outshine a Katana. They still wouldn't be extremely effective, but as all combat ready swords are made with similar tempered steel nowadays, the only difference would be the curvature and weight. The curvature would not make too much of a difference, but a heavier blade would decapitate much more easily, although it would still be quite difficult to do so. Therefore, better than either of these would be a machete, preferably as heavy a one as you could get. They are designed to cut through dense foliage, and therefore are more weighty and carry an edge with a less acute angle, meaning they don't have to be sharpened religiously after every use. So don't go on the net looking for a battle-ready Katana or Claymore for $600+, just go to your local hardware store and buy the heaviest, highest quality machete you can get your hands on. Not only will it be 5% the price, it will be more effective. I would recommend the two-handed Panga or Latin machetes from Cold Steel, at $25 from Amazon with available prime/super-savers shipping. The top reviewer on the two-handed Panga machete even lauds its merit as a potential zombie-fighting weapon.
Now, past the love of far-east weapons, there are another couple other misguided suggestions he makes. The first is to own a silencer, as it will allow you to dispatch zombies without attracting more of them. This is based on "movie silencers" (and video game ones as well) that quiet guns down to a whisper. This is extremely inaccurate. In real life, they are more often referred to a "suppressors," and for good reason. They only quiet the shot down a little bit, sometimes enough so that you can shoot without using ear protection. It will still make a loud report, especially if it's an automatic or semi-automatic weapon, and that's before you consider ammunition. Most of a gun's noise is the sonic boom generated by the bullet. Unless you have a massive stash of sub-sonic ammunition, this will be unavoidable in the event of a zombie outbreak. Thus, while suppressors might make shooting a little easier on your ears, it would be cheaper and less of a hassle to just use some ear plugs. (note: there are some pretty quiet silenced weapons. These are either weapons chambered in .22 LR or integrally suppressed weapons, such as the MP5SD, AMP DSR-1 [still loud, uses very large bullets, but much quieter than comparable snipers], and a variety of limited-run assault rifles. However, integrally suppressed weapons are very expensive and very hard to acquire)
The final inaccuracy that is large enough to address is his hate for the M16. Now, I have never been a fan of the M-16 or the related AR-15, M4 and AR-10 (I am more of an FAL guy). They do have certain design flaws, especially in the M-16 and some AR-15 variations, need more regular maintenance than competitors and jam a little more often, but most of these have been addressed in the civilian market and in the military versions for decades. It might not be as nice as an AK-47 for a survival situation, but it's more accurate, easier to shoot and usually around 4 lbs. lighter. Thus, his statement that this weapon family is considered "second-class" can only be attributed to an irrational anti-establishment view. Given my ideal rifle, it would be chambered in 5.56 (plenty to destroy a zombie's brain, the extra kick from a 7.62x39 from an AK would just be detrimental) and be semi-auto capable. As he says, full-auto is just a waste of ammo against zombies, so it's not necessary. My personal ideal would be a IMI TAR-21, as its bullpup configuration makes it about 10 inches shorter than normal rifles with the same barrel length, and a little lighter too. However, any of modern M4 or an M416 would function very well, and would have plenty of spare parts to be found.
Other than these four issues, I found the book an informative and helpful read, with plenty of common sense and every once in a while some legitimate insight.
Side note: He neglects to mention red dot and holographic scopes. These are the best friends of new shooters, and will allow a newbie to shoot two times (disclaimer: results may vary) better than with iron sights. They originated in competition shooting and then special forces started snatching them up like hotcakes when they got reliable, so you would be in good company if you had one. Many have 600 hr battery lives and can use AA's, and the Trijicon RMR with the tritium lamp lasts up to 15 years. So, basically, just keep a little baggie full of batteries and you'll be good, and your life will be much easier if you come across a group of zombies.
edit: I forgot that he called light machine-guns heavy machine-guns. That's just a minor, and common, error though.
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