World War Z: The Complete Edition

An Oral History of the Zombie War

By: Max Brooks

Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, Mark Hamill, Alfred Molina, Simon Pegg, Henry Rollins, Martin Scorsese

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Multi-Voiced Performance, 2014

World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-in Edition): An Oral History of the Zombie War is a new version of Max Brooks' episodic zombie novel. The abridged versions of the original stories are now joined with new, unabridged recordings of the episodes that were not included in the original (abridged) version of the audiobook. These additional episodes feature a star-studded cast of narrators to coincide with the upcoming release of the film.

New narrators include Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, Spiderman star Alfred Molina, The Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont, rapper Common, Firefly star Nathan Fillion, Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg, and members of the casts of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes and more! Max Brooks will be reprising his role as The Interviewer.

The original abridged edition, released in 2006, won an Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. Original cast members include Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Carl & Rob Reiner, and John Turturro.

In this new classic of apocalyptic fiction that feels all too real, the Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. The documentary-style oral history records 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.

Featuring five more hours of previously unrecorded content, this full-cast recording is read by F. Murray Abraham, Alan Alda, René Auberjonois, Becky Ann Baker, Dennis Boutsikaris, Bruce Boxleitner, Max Brooks, Nicki Clyne, Common, Denise Crosby, Frank Darabont, Dean Edwards, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Maz Jobrani, Frank Kamai, Michelle Kholos, John McElroy, Ade M’Cormack, Alfred Molina, Parminder Nagra, Ajay Naidu, Masi Oka, Steve Park, Kal Penn, Simon Pegg, Jürgen Prochnow, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Henry Rollins, Jeri Ryan, Jay O. Sanders, Martin Scorsese, Paul Sorvino, David Ogden Stiers, Brian Tee, John Turturro, Eamonn Walker, Ric Young, and Waleed Zuaiter.

©2006 Max Brooks (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"What happens after the end of the world as we know it? Humanity rebuilds, and Kirby Impoinvil (Max Brooks) is there to help survivors make sense of what happened the day the zombies came. Helping author Brooks is a host of family friends, including Alan Alda, Nathan Fillion, Paul Sorvino, Rob Reiner, Carl Reiner, Simon Pegg, John Turturro, and many others. This audio production was released to coincide with the movie of the same name. That it’s a real drama is not surprising given the stellar cast. They don't just read the book, they act it out. And don’t think this is a teen thriller. The zombies serve as a backdrop to the larger story of how humankind reacts to such an unexpected and catastrophic invasion and the inevitable conclusion that millions must be sacrificed to save the rest. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2014. Audies Finalist." (AudioFile magazine)

Vivid and Captivating

I have read this book in the past but hearing this audiobook and how wonderfully it was produced, grew my love for this novel even more. I felt like I was listening to a movie. One of my top audiobook recommendations

a robust audio play that delights

the voice acting is amazing, the plot is compelling. very good book to listen to over and over again. best purchase I've made in a long time.

Masterpiece

this was a masterpiece. so easy to visualize the grim reality the world was facing

Love it

The different voice actors was cool and the overall story is amazing. Definitely an original take on zombies and the effect it had on humanity. Max Brooks is a great story teller.

So refreshing

I’m so sick of the bleakness in media these days. Walking dead, the last of us. So depressing and hopeless. “People are all awful and just waiting for an excuse to kill each other” narrative is so overdone. I wouldn’t call this a happy ending but it is so refreshing to have a somewhat hopeful note in a zombie story. My favorite stories were the ones where people helped each other or generally just weren’t giant dickbags because they could be. I love this book. I love the original perspective it offers. If you like zombies but are sick of seeing the same story over and over then get this book!!

Captivating

It plays like a documentary, like it actually happened. It pulls you in as you listen to these people recounting what happened to them. All different but all the same. You’ll hear heartbreaking or terrifying recountings yet you won’t stop listening. Incredible work

A great audio book

I loved the World War Z audio book. This book has a full cast and can be listen over and over again.

The Best Way to Consume the Story

Seeing as the story is literally an oral history of the zombie war, an audio book is the ideal medium to consume the story. The VAs do their job well, and really sell the variety of different perspectives across the globe.

My only complaint is the audio quality. Some words cut out, and there is an ever present scratchiness to the audio. Not enough to be too irritating, but it definitely made me rewind several times to actually understand what was said.

Otherwise, an excellent overall experience that warrants a second listen.

Mostly good

My only real criticism is that I don’t think some of the people who likely don’t have English as their first language would really speak with either complicated or slang words that even an average native speaker wouldn’t use much. Knowing this reality sometimes ruins the immersion. But it’s a great story overall and I’ve listened to this 3 times already and probably will more times.

The best radio show I’ve ever listened to

I recommend this audio book knowing full well you will be spoiled beyond need. The whole radio program as I like to call it has so many characters with so many unique experiences it is hard to pick a favorite. This is my 3rd listening in years and years since nice I did it when it first came out. I’ve had friends tell me it ruined them from one voice books and it shows in their face. Oh well thanks Rhonda