World War Z

An Oral History of the Zombie War

By: Max Brooks

Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

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)

Reminded me of the old War of the Worlds

What made the experience of listening to World War Z the most enjoyable?

I loved the interview format.

What did you like best about this story?

Although it wasn't the best written piece of sci-fi, it was very thought provoking.

Have you listened to any of the narrators???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you could take any character from World War Z out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Probably one of the soldiers to hear the stories of taking the planet back.

Any additional comments?

Very cool, very fun story. I enjoyed it very much. I wish it was unabridged. Can't wait for the movie.

Buy while on Sale Would pay a credit for Unabridge

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I own the abridged and would still pay an additional credit for an unabridged version. Still worth listening too, great story and performance

Realy makes you think!

Any additional comments?

Realy makes you think about the political and social repercutions of a world epidemic and how each country would handle it. The zombies just add an element of wierd horror. Great narritors, just wish it was unabridged. I read the book first, and its worth having all the chapters.

Great Listen!

Very engrossing, wanted to listen to it all in one sitting. Will listen to it many times.

Good basic zombie book with stellar voice acting

A good relaxing zombie book staying close to the basic idea of what a zombie is.

Fantastic narration

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the style of writing was different than what I usual read combined with the fantastic narration led me to power through this book.

entertaining

a great tongue-in-cheek guide to survival in a zombie apocalypse. The humor is so dry, you almost believe the author is expecting world war Z to happen at any moment.

Zombie's rock

What made the experience of listening to World War Z the most enjoyable?

The multiple narrators were a great boost to the overall book

What did you like best about this story?

It’s an untold look at how we survive a zombie war

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Alan Alda naration of rebuilding and reorigination of the west cost

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The old Chinese doctor’s phone call to his old friend in the Chinese government health department that tells him everything going to be ok

This American Life: Zombie Apocalypse

The way this is acted and recorded gives it the form of a This American Life episode writ large. The accounts of deprivation, survival, slaughter, triumph, and Pyrrhic victory seem fresh even in an over saturated genre. One of the best audiobooks ever. Get it.

Excellent cast of narrators

What made the experience of listening to World War Z the most enjoyable?

The different perspectives made this very interesting. You never heard the same point of view for more than 15 minutes at a time. Im on my second listen and awaiting the movie.

What was one of the most memorable moments of World War Z?

So many but at the moment Im thinking of the (unfortunate) migration up north in the winter told by a young adult woman.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I thought I could pick out John Turturro and other well known voices but they were so deep in character, I couldnt recognize them. Alan Alda was the only obvious voice for me. This is told like a documentary and you are hearing the person accounts told by the people being interviewed and recorded. Awesome.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could, sure

Any additional comments?

Summer 2013 comes the movie