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)

Beautifully narrated.

A top ten in most any collection. The cast of narrators for this is too notch and you'll be delighted.

Max Brooks is a genius.

An intuitive look at how a global adversary would possibly change humanity. Unflinching and unapologetic.

The most thorough extrapolative fiction ever

The depth of thought Max Brooks put into analyzing every aspect of the zombie war... then binding it to human struggle and experience makes this one of the greatest novels of science fiction in recent memory. If you don't believe me, check out the stellar cast involved. The only way to get this much world-class talent is with something that's equally world class.

Too cool for preschool

A great story gives me chills every time I listen to it.( for all ages )

Great, and could be even better!

The cast is amazing, the story was already great (having read the paperback version years ago), though there are still missing parts that haven't been patched!

Fantastic companion to the book

Quite possibly my favorite book of all time, the Audiobook does not disappoint. Fantastic voice cast and the premise makes the Audiobook seem like a play or maybe a radio drama.

Really captivating way to tell this story

Having already seen the movie, I decided to read the book since I was told it was completely different. I'll be honest, I liked the movie. Sure it had a number of issues, but I felt it told a good story that was different than previous Z movies.
That being said, I so wish they would have done the movie more like the book. It was really gripping way to have this story unfold from different perspectives. I loved all the voice actors. Most of them I could tell who it was, but it just made it even better. Bravo!

The best audio book I have ever listened to!

What did you love best about World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-in Edition)?

Multiple Narrators. This is what audio books should be.

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

Multiple voices allow you to feel the book come alive.

So much more than a zombie story

I did not want this book to end! The different stories are so well told and grab you from the word go. It's a human experience that transplants you to a different place and time and just won't let go. I wish the movie were about these stories. Such a great read/listen!

Riveting!

This audiobook is definitely the most star-studded one that I have ever listened to! From Martin Scorsese to F. Murray Abraham, each voice in this oral history sounds familiar - and in a way, it is a bit distracting - especially while driving and trying to listen and look up online just who’s voice is speaking. But, once the mystery of the identity is solved (some of the voices are instantly recognizable like Carl Reiner and Alan Alda), though it is easy to become absorbed in this history of the zombie apocalypse.

I have been hearing good things about this book for a long time - but though I own a printed copy, I am actually really glad that I listened to it first! It is such a fun experience to listen to this surprisingly global view on the history of the war of the zombies. Brooks offers a surprisingly full story. It’s a moving story in parts (the dog chapter really made me cry!) and is completely riveting. And because of the strength of the performances, this is one audiobook that I imagine that I will listen to again. Zombies may not be my favorite subgenre, but this is one of the better zombie books that I have experienced!