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World War Z  By  cover art

World War Z

By: Max Brooks
Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner
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Publisher's summary

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of 30 million souls, to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet.

He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the 12-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.

©2006 Max Brooks (P)2006 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Multi-Voiced Performance
  • Audie Award Finalist, Audiobook of the Year, 2007

"Hard to put down." (Publishers Weekly)

"A literate, ironic, strangely tasty treat." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Horror fans won't be disappointed: like George Romero's Dead trilogy, World War Z is another milestone in the zombie mythos." (Booklist)

What listeners say about World War Z

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,731
  • 4 Stars
    2,538
  • 3 Stars
    1,024
  • 2 Stars
    272
  • 1 Stars
    211
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,261
  • 4 Stars
    1,427
  • 3 Stars
    467
  • 2 Stars
    119
  • 1 Stars
    93
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,222
  • 4 Stars
    1,954
  • 3 Stars
    811
  • 2 Stars
    234
  • 1 Stars
    154

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A Fictious "nonfiction"

The book, obviously, is fiction but it is read and presented as if it was non-fiction, and this is done very well. If one didn't know better (i.e. one was from off-planet), it would seem as though these events really did happen, which makes it pretty interesting.

The reading is very well done - engaging and lively. I didn't realize the story was abridged (never heard of it before seeing it here on Audible) but I can see how whole sections might have been cut out as each "interview" stands alone so there's no way to know what was left out. I don't think the abridgment is bad though because I don't feel like I missed something, and as it was, parts of the story were a bit slow (some of the individual's stories were much more interesting than others). If someone hadn't told me it was abridged, I don't think I'd have known.

It is definitely worth a credit. I'd have given it 5 stars except, as I said, there a a couple parts (mainly the politicians I guess) where the "interviews" weren't as interesting as some others. The concept (fiction presented as reality) is different and enjoyable.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

World War Z consists of a number of interviews with survivors from various countries who related stories from different “phases” of the struggle against the living dead. Some of the stories are actual “short stories”, while most are really just set-pieces or vignettes. Most are quite well-written and make a lot of internal sense. The author has definitely given this a lot of thought and much of the technical military jargon is pretty good.

In particular, I liked the stories by the army grunt who explained why most of the military hardware was inadequate to the task since much of it (like land mines) was built to maim or terrify an enemy rather than to kill them.

But therein lies my issue with the book as a whole: it tends to concentrate on the “big picture” and how the world governments react to the looming disaster. In the “World War Z” universe, the zombies appear in Asia and it spreads from there. This allows the author to tell some interesting stories, like the Israelis withdrawing behind the “security fence”. This is neat stuff, but it’s not in the true “spirit” of Romero’s universe.

In Romero’s vision, the dead simply start rising to consume the living all over the place at once, forcing people to cope with it using what you have on hand in your previously quiet, suburban setting. Giving countries or organizations a few weeks or months to prepare lessens the possibility for the traditional zombie story of ordinary people uprooted and thrust into a nightmare without warning.

Now, Brooks’ universe never purports to be Romero’s and should not be held to the same standards. I would have liked to hear more stories about civilians and less about generals managing supply lines. Those were interesting, but it’s not what I was looking for – less Tom Clancy, more John Steinbeck I suppose.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not so much a story per say...

Any additional comments?

Good:
1 - Totally didn't expect to like a "zombie" book but this author had a great take on that genre.
2 - I appreciated the detail and research that went into presenting this book from many different cultural and diverse locations
3 - Interesting style to present the "story" as a series of interviews - not an easy medium to do well but I liked the way this occured.

Bad:
A few things rung "untrue" for me - like the guy during an exodus carrying a PC desktop monitor. A small nit to be sure but really took me to that place of "unbelievability"

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

This is possibly the best audiobook I have ever listened to (and I have listened to at least 200 of them). I couldn't put it down, and the only thing I didn't like was the fact that it was abridged. It ended too soon! Don't worry about the political bias that might be there. It wasn't too overpowering.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Could have been great!

This was my first download from Audible, and my initial instinct was to instantly turn the book off! I was blown away by the poor quality of the audio which was obviously compressed near to death. The production seemed like it may have been great, uncompressed, the way it was supposed to be heard, but alas, it took me quite a while just to get used to the quality.
I also did not realize that it was abridged until after I downloaded it... HUGELY disappointing. (but can you imagine what it would have cost to have all those fancy pants narrators read the entire book?!) That being said, the narration, with the exception of the author (who was seemingly recorded separate from everyone else, and could not seem to act into or out of the transitions) was great! Dennis Boutsikaris and Alan Alda in particular.
Though the interviews stand alone in the abridgement, there was some sporadic jargon that confused me, and seemed like may have been explained somewhere else that was cut. (NOT A FAN OF ABRIDGED AUDIOBOOKS!)
All in all, an enjoyable listen, despite being far too brief, and poor quality compression.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This is great audio entertainment

Out of the dozens of titles i have downloaded this last year I would have to rate this book as the best. Amazing readings from a great cast. This story is well written and flows very well. It is also a good length for me under 7 hours. I like shorter books. This book is not as much of a 'zombie horror' as a 'fall of civilization' story. I highly recommend it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Not very exciting

While I believe the premise of the book is original, it does compromise the excitement of reading a "thrilling" book. Since the people telling their stories are obviously alive, any suspense is completly removed. The personal account the particular interviewer presents might be exciting, but the ultimate outcome is known....no spoiler alert here, the person telling their story survives.

I also found the naration annoying and over dramatized, as if each 'reader/actor' was going for an award with there particular part.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Maybe I should have read this instead of listening

Yeah I was really excited to finally read this book knowing it’s a must read if you’re a zombie/apocalyptic fan. But it was a little slow and boring. It defiantly had some really good parts but with all the narrators some just didn’t work to this audio’s advantage. I know they are supposed to nail the accent of different countries but you can still do that and have them be understandable. I couldn’t understand like two or three of them and it made me wish audible had subtitles with its books. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read the book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great!

Enjoyed this book quite a bit. The "interviews" and historical document construction were neat, liked how they converted to audiobook.

Agree with others, we should have an Unabridged version.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

I *really* wanted to love it...

...but I didn't.

I kept it on my iPod for weeks, trying several times to get swept up in it. But I invariably got bored and went on to another book. I did eventually finish it, but I don't think I'd recommend it.

The format, which is very clever, is also its biggest failing. The war is told through the experiences of many different people, and presented by a reporter. That was a very good idea on the author's part. But just as I would become really interested in a character's story, it'd be over, and we were on to another. Very cool format for the retelling of a fictional war. But in the end, like all compendiums of short stories and Robert Altman films, it left me wanting.

If that format doesn't bother you, though, you'll probably like the book. It's well-written and narrated.

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3 people found this helpful