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)

Loved it!

What more can I ask for than zombies pushing the feeble hummies to the brink of destruction.
So I didn't like the voice work of that one narrators, it didn't sway my love of humanity fighting to survive.

Great Book But Wanted Unabridged Version

Where does World War Z rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my first book I read because it was recommended to me by the podcast from Rooster Teeth.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents were really awesome and made the story much better than if I had just read the book alone.

Any additional comments?

I LOVED the book overall and the cast of characters really brought it to life! My only complaint is that I wished the book was the unabridged version instead of the shortened one.

Where is the unabridged version

Would you listen to World War Z again? Why?

I would listen to it again, but I'd rather listen to the whole book. This was far too short.

What did you like best about this story?

Very realistic portrayal of fictional events.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The use of a full cast in the reading of this book really elevated the whole experience. It made each character stand out even more.

Any additional comments?

Bring out the unabridged version and I'll buy it.

Buy now!

Wonderfully delivered and executed. Great cast, great tempo, and the story will grab you from the start till the end.

Wish it wasn't abridged.

An instant classic and by far one of the most well researched works of fiction produced in the last 20 years. Brookes did an incredible job in his working up to produce this epic Tale of survival. The voice actors are spot on and bring it to life. the only reason I won't give 5 stars: it's abridged and my favorite stories got left out.

excellent cast, interesting interviews

I enjoyed the fact that it's a different version of a zombie Apocalypse. One in which the human race survives. the Japanese blind man, pilot and American soldier are my favorite. Alan alda is always fantastic. way better than the movie

OUTSTANDING!

one of my favorite audio books because the performance is one of a kind from the large cast of performers.

excellent book

I really enjoyed it. I listened to it at work and it was great. I had it on while I was doing busy work and it helped keep me focused and told an excellent and we'll thought out story.

Great Group of Narrators

If you could sum up World War Z in three words, what would they be?

I don't think I could have imagined better voices for the stories. When I reread the book, those where the ones I use. I wish it was unabridged though. They missed a lot of good stories.

Any additional comments?

To put it simply, I love this book!

This book will redefine zombies for you.

It's as simple as the title says. Forget all of the movies and other stuff, this book covers the zombie outbreak from start to finish and does it so amazingly well that everything else pales in comparison.