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)

Amazing performance by a full cast

Immersive and well constructed world building with some of the best voice acting I've heard in an audiobook 6/5 stars.

Fantastic story that hits home in a fractured world

I first came across this story in 2008, after first reading the “Survival Guide” and finding its advice to be interesting. This book paints a clear and stark image of what could happen in such a scenario, and I can’t help but apply the subtext to the real world. From disaster prevention to simple human bonding, the stories reveal to us readers that we should reflect on our state of preparedness as well as how we treat our fellow people, no matter their social status.

Likes/Dislikes: Overall, I enjoyed the book in its entirety, especially the multiple voices casted for the characters. Hearing Mark Hamill, Henry Rollins, Nathan Fillion, and Alan Alda speak for some of the people in this story was, at first, surprising (never heard Hamill curse before this book) but also very sensible (I can easily see Alda as the head of DeStRes in a film), and everyone else gained an instant fan as I listened to them.

My only dislike for the audiobook was that it had cut out some segments from the text. These segments weren’t precisely vital to the story, but I could clearly remember reading parts that weren’t given voice and it threw me off for a little while, until I pulled down my physical copy to make sure I hadn’t made up what I remembered.
Recommend to: While I would normally say who should/should not read the book due to their sensitivities or possible trauma triggers, I’d highly recommend everyone, and especially those with the education and knowledge for critical thinking, to read this book.

There are parts that could trigger some. I personally find the K9 Unit segment from Darnell Hackworth (voiced by Common, a phenomenal choice for this character) to be extremely discomforting as I didn’t like knowing what could happen to our dogs or other pets through neglect and abandonment, but I felt that it was important to listen to. It’s a reminder that everyone within your household, including your animals, was your responsibility to care for and plan for. While painful to hear, it does provide a strong lesson.

(The segment concerning Xolelwa Azania/Paul Redeker voiced by Eamonn Walker was extremely surprising, even though I had previously read it, showing that a story’s impact doesn’t always hit unless it’s given a voice.)

Rating Choice: I’ve given this book five stars across the board. Max Brooks is a terrific writer, and his interpretation of zombies is actually intensely terrifying to consider. While the film made them runners, I always imagined the slow, persistent shuffle of the books’ zombies to be the worst (meaning the best) type of zombie to face. You can slow down a runner, but zombie that doesn’t notice an attack and keeps coming? Terrifying.

I don’t know if Brooks wrote this story to be metaphorical or to give a stronger meaning in the subtext, that we should work together to make our world safer and better for the next generation, but such points hit deeply for me, and I’d wish everyone could read this and take the same lessons to heart.

a must listen

this book was worth every second I spent listening to it. One of my favorite post-apocalyptic stories end performed art

So good

One of the best books I've ever read and the audio book is just as good if not better. The world building and the characters are so well thought out, it was funny and sad and you can believe that the people and country's are the real ways that it would happen

Might be the best audiobook out there

Loved the ensemble cast and riveting setting of listening to first-hand accounts of the horror of World War Z.

Wish the movie was this good

I enjoyed reading this when it first came out and greatly enjoyed the audible. Pity the movie did not follow the book

All star cast, what the movie wishes it could have been

Before anything else, it must be said that this audiobook is a feast for the ears. A star-studded cast, all giving amazing well done and diverse performances. On more than one occasion I found myself sitting outside my destination (I prefer to listen while driving), waiting for a particular segment to end to go in, simply because it was that enthralling.

As solid as the audio is, it is not at all let down by the actual story. It tells a tale of a world gone mad, and the believable route some people took through it. It is especially poignant after the events of the early 2020s, simply becaus the author painted a better world reaction to a crisis (of the undead) than we actually had to a pandemic.

Highly recommended, I have ended up listening to this book multiple times, and without doubt will listen to it again.

Way better than the movie.

Honestly have no idea how the movie really lined up with this book full of interviews. I guess it goes through a few of the countries and shows how their affected in a sense. The book just has much more depth and interests.

Probably one of the best and most creative books I have listened to so far.

In my opinion this audiobook is a complete masterpiece 100% worth the credit, I would totally pay 2-3 credits for this 9 hour work of art.

This is THE way to read this book.

Loved it! in my opinion this is the only way anyone should experience this book. After watching and loving the movie, I tried to read the book and couldn't do it but a friend mentioned this version and once I started it, I couldn't stop. It's a completely different story than the movie and showcases the experiences of the characters within.