World War Z

An Oral History of the Zombie War

By: Max Brooks

Narrated by: Various

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Prepare to be entranced by this addictively readable oral history of the great war between humans and zombies.”—Entertainment Weekly

We survived the zombie apocalypse, but how many of us are still haunted by that terrible time? We have (temporarily?) defeated the living dead, but at what cost? Told in the haunting and riveting voices of the men and women who witnessed the horror firsthand, World War Z is the only record of the pandemic.

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, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty 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.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

“Will spook you for real.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Possesses more creativity and zip than entire crates of other new fiction titles. Think Mad Max meets The Hot Zone. . . . It’s Apocalypse Now, pandemic-style. Creepy but fascinating.”—USA Today

“Will grab you as tightly as a dead man’s fist. A.”—Entertainment Weekly, EW Pick

“Probably the most topical and literate scare since Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio broadcast . . . This is action-packed social-political satire with a global view.”—Dallas Morning News©2006 Max Brooks; (P)2006 Random House, Inc.

Amazing Book, Amazing Audiobook

This is by far the best audio recreation of a novel I've ever heard. A star-studded cast, including known stars like Alan Alda, Mark Hamil and John Turturro (though you'll be hard pressed to hear where he comes in because his accent is so good!), along with some excellent "unknown" voice actors, create one of the finest audiobooks I've heard!

The nature of the "oral history" documentary of World War Z lends itself well to the audiobook format, and the acting is so real and believable that you can actually imagine you're hearing first-hand accounts in a real documentary.

As for the book itself, masterfully done. I expected gore, zombies and suspense, but was treated to something altogether different and more interesting. Though you will find some of the carnage and excitement you might expect with any zombie-related book, Max Brooks focuses more on the socioeconomic events that occurred as a result of the Zombie War. It is because he chooses to treat it more as a true-to-life documentary, wherein you hear many different stories from all different parts of the globe and walks of life, that the story is absolutely believable. You can share in the real tragedies and victories, despairs and hopes of an entire world population which must come to grips with a nightmare-come-true!

And in the end, World War Z has a very satisfying basic moral theme: when it comes down to it, humans are humans--no matter your race or skin color--and if you've got a heartbeat, you're one of us.

World War Z is a must-read (or -hear)!

A Fictious "nonfiction"

The book, obviously, is fiction but it is read and presented as if it was non-fiction, and this is done very well. If one didn't know better (i.e. one was from off-planet), it would seem as though these events really did happen, which makes it pretty interesting.

The reading is very well done - engaging and lively. I didn't realize the story was abridged (never heard of it before seeing it here on Audible) but I can see how whole sections might have been cut out as each "interview" stands alone so there's no way to know what was left out. I don't think the abridgment is bad though because I don't feel like I missed something, and as it was, parts of the story were a bit slow (some of the individual's stories were much more interesting than others). If someone hadn't told me it was abridged, I don't think I'd have known.

It is definitely worth a credit. I'd have given it 5 stars except, as I said, there a a couple parts (mainly the politicians I guess) where the "interviews" weren't as interesting as some others. The concept (fiction presented as reality) is different and enjoyable.

Should not be missed!

A few words sum this book up. Engaging, scary, fun, thought provoking. While some of the voice acting is questionable, the overall sum/story makes this a great read. I am a true believer in the unabridged, and I really wanted to keep hearing more. I have listened to this 4 times!

Maybe I should have read this instead of listening

Yeah I was really excited to finally read this book knowing it’s a must read if you’re a zombie/apocalyptic fan. But it was a little slow and boring. It defiantly had some really good parts but with all the narrators some just didn’t work to this audio’s advantage. I know they are supposed to nail the accent of different countries but you can still do that and have them be understandable. I couldn’t understand like two or three of them and it made me wish audible had subtitles with its books. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read the book.

Sci Fi with a twist

I saw the Movie Commercial and it peaked my interest. The audio book was enjoyable, but slightly dated, I would assume the book must have been written in the mid 90s. The twist to this was that the entire book consists of a series of retrospective interviews of war participants from around the globe. The performance was outstanding, the only issue I had was it was anticlimactic since from the beginning the story is of about the results of a war that happened in the past. I was kind of hoping for a suspense element, still all things considered it was an enjoyable listen. I see that Audible has added another version of this very book that has 5-6 more hours and has some kind of tie in to the movie - might be a better choice.