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)

amazing

loved the book and a deeper look in to the zombie after world, amazing voice actor

World Cultures face a common crises

What did you love best about World War Z?

Cultures of the world face down a crises to humanity of epic proportions in their own ways

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

The talented voice actors enliven each character credibly and engage the listener.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I just did not want to stop hearing the story!!

A lot of fun, and a nice change of pace

I'm not usually into anything that has zombies, but I read a lot of the reviews and thought this might be a good change of pace from my normal listening habits. I was not disappointed. The production was top notch, and I was very happy about the overall writing of the book. It had a lot of good moments, with very few parts that I felt were predictable.

If you have an open mind, and want to change up what you would normally listen to, this book was a lot of fun and well worth the listen.

here's a review<br />

why is it that even after reviewing a goddamn book, I'm constantly asked review it again?

Decent, but too short

I liked the concept of this book, and it's the only one I have read where the living fully triumph over the dead, but I think it was too short. There wasn't enough details on many aspects. I did enjoy the style of narration, where there were several readers for each different person "being interviewed".

A zombie fan must have.

I loved this book the first time I read it. It's even better being able to listen to on a road trip. It was wrote as a historical piece and comes alive the more you read. Amazing cast for the audio as well. This is not the movie that came out with Brad Pitt, this is so much better. If the movie had been able to capture even the most miniscule idea behind this book it would have been hundred times better.

Thankfully not a soap opera with zombies

Would you consider the audio edition of World War Z to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but the ensemble performances are literal the best audio book I have heard -- and I have heard hundreds.

Any additional comments?

Most people who didn't like this book should realize that if they want an overlong, melodramatic soap opera with zombies, they should just watch the walking dead. Contrary to several reviews I read, this book does have a main story and good character development. The characters, events and ideas are rich, varied and vivd and will remain in my memory. I was skeptical when I saw this book was on 6 hours long when I am used to 20-30 hours per book, but Brooks did a fantastic job of making this great story exactly how long it should be.

Great Book!

World War Z is an excellent read even for people who aren't very into Zombies. The style and skill with which it is written makes it both engaging and entertaining. The performances are phenomenal.

A little upset

It's too wayfaring from the original for my liking. Some of the new stories are good but not all. If you're a fan of the first one prepare to be a little disappointed because they took out quite a few stories from the original.

amazing

This is the best audio book I have ever listened to. listen to this book over and over again. highly recommend it!