The Zombie War Battle for Britain

By: Tom Holroyd

Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Zombie War was the longest and most costly conflict that Britain has ever waged. No one knows the true figure of those who lost their lives in the long years of the war and tragically too many have lost their lives in the years of peace that have followed. Life expectancy is a shadow of what it was and many diseases and ailments that science thought it had eradicated have returned. Many of those who survived the war have since died, taking with them the stories and memories of the most devastating and important struggle that mankind has ever waged. This book is the record of those stories, an attempt to remember the actions of those who lived through this devastating conflict. From the first stages of the outbreak, to the chaos of the mass panic and finally to the death of the last infected, it is a homage to those who saved our nation.

©2017 Tom Oakley (P)2019 Tom Oakley

Enjoyable Zombie Read.

I didn't know what to expect going into this but I ended up absolutely loving it!!

The book is told from multiple point of views, a few years after the Zombie outbreak. It's told in an almost interview way. A reporter decides that he needs to make an archive of what happened and interviews people from all walks of life to get their stories, so you get a book that's rich in detail and multifaceted.

I loved the way the book was told and enjoyed every single story. We see first responders, military, cctv operator and normal people. We see the outbreak from when it happened and how each person handled it. I felt like the way it was told was so much better than having it told as normal. It felt like watching mini episodes in my head.

What made the book better for me as well was the narrator, Aubrey Parsons. He was amazing!! His array of voices was astonishing and I felt like I was listening to a full cast reading it. This is the second book I've listened that he has narrated and I'm seriously impressed. He is one to watch!!

I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

Not Garbage!

I was tempted to rate story at 4, but then I considered how much absolute trash I’ve stumbled upon in my years long zombie literature obsession. When I considered that, I had to give it 5. It’s not the greatest story but it IS very good. It works as a very nice addition to the World War Z universe in my opinion. I’m very happy to have found this.

A Hidden Gem!

For those of you who love World War Z this book is tailor-made for you. The book is written largely in the same universe and same style as Z, and even references (as much as possible without a lawsuit) events in the original novel. Focusing entirely on what happened to Great Britain and parts of the commonwealth, this book does a fantastic job of exploring a zombie apocalypse from new perspectives. I adore this writing style and the narrator did quite a good job of bringing life to the characters.

I stumbled across this book by accident and it's really a shame it took me so long to find it. Give it a listen, it's worth your time!

not a bad book

the book wasn't bad but it wasn't great either, very forgettable but performance kept me interested enough to see it through.

Worthy Companion Piece to World War Z

Although not at all connected to World War Z in any official capacity, and making no claim of even an unofficial connection, it’s hard to not think of this as being part of the same world. And I mean that in a good way.
While WWZ spanned the globe, this book is focused solely on Britain. Like WWZ, it is a series of interviews conducted in the aftermath of a zombie uprising and eventual defeat. If you’ve read or listened to WWZ, this might seem potentially like a retread, just on a smaller playing field. But I would venture to say that this book stands well enough on its own, despite the similarities. One of the more impressive aspects has to be Aubrey Parsons’ reading - providing a nearly endless series of different voices for each of the interview subjects. Other than the fact that the various characters are talking about zombies, it really feels like the words and voices of regular people who survived a difficult war. Kudos to both the author and the narrator for an enjoyable tale.
(I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.)

Been there, read that

First off, Aubrey Parsons did a phenomenal job with the narration. He did make an effort to distinguish different speakers from different backgrounds and I'm impressed with his abilities. However, regarding the novel, I have a few concerns.

The book is clearly inspired by World War Z and even seems to take place in the same universe. While big things which occurred in that novel are only referenced vaguely here, the similar terms and actions taken by other groups/states in that novel do find their way here. For example, the PIE round the Americans use is mentioned, the Great Panic is simply referred to as a 'Panic', North Korea disappearing into hidden underground tunnels, zombies referred as 'Gs' due to their greying skin, the pharmaceutical companies flooding the market prior to the war with anti-rabies medications etc etc...

The book has the goal intended to examine what the UK faced on a more national level by having an unnamed journalist interview several people from the first rumblings of the war, to the day the infestation has been eradicated in the entire country.

On one hand, this book does succeed in a few ways. It does examine, in a bit more depth, the smaller stories that occurred during the 'Panic' which World War Z glossed over. It was fascinating to hear about the Cromwell Hospital outbreak, which really kicked off the 'Panic' in the UK. This book does succeed by examining similar events and painting out a unique picture that can stand on its own. A fascinating one is the chapter where one civilian describes how over 600 thousand refugees were isolated in a temporary safezone before being overrun by the undead.

However, what the book fails is at everything else. There are some quotes which are in many cases, almost identical to the ones found in World War Z. There's a line in World War Z where one former fighter pilot is lamenting how she used to fly the equivalent of an X-Wing before being downgraded to what she described as a 'U-Haul truck with wings'. The author uses this exact analogy and simply changes the vehicles by referring the downgrade one pilot was suffering as the difference between a corvette and an ice-cream truck. The softer side of me would argue that this is simply an homage to a throwaway line in World War Z, but the more serious side of myself remembers that this wasn't the only instance of this occurring. There are whole paragraphs which echo similar though processes voiced by a certain character, generally retreading the exact same ground that was covered in the book. Except now, it tends to frame the conversations around an isolationist/liberal mindset where it feels like UK political discussions are being forced into the novel through certain characters.

Maybe that was me simply reading too much into what certain conversations were discussing. It might've been simply the author attempting to be as realistic as possible by trying to show how real people behave and think of other people. It just came off as strange when two different characters were talking about how prior to the zombie war, there were loads of people who existed solely to abuse unemployment benefits from the government and it took the war to remind people that working hard was the solution to indulgent/lazy lives.

Ultimately, this is the issue I have with the book. It doesn't really try to do something new inside of a familiar world using a narrative technique familiar to readers of World War Z. The book covers the exact same perspectives and ideas examined in that original book but doesn't offer very much else. The author is clearly inspired by Max Brook's own novel and does manage to create a few vignettes that are actually unique and memorable. However, the book struggles to break free from the mold and ultimately you find yourself shaking your head at the narratively similar passages and themes examined.

In other words, if you've read/listened to World War Z, then you've pretty much read this book. Unfortunately, it doesn't do enough on its own to distinguish itself as a separate beast or present new perspectives.

Hidden gem

Very WWZ, which is one of my all time favs. It’s a British perspective of the same ordeal and told in the same fashion. Less variety in narration, but he did a very good job.

Sort of a after the fact world war Z

A post apocalyptic collection of interviews with the survivors of the zombie outbreak in Great Britain. It was a very well written collection. The overall interviews give a great cohesive story from a unique after the fact perspective. Found this highly enjoyable. Sort of a zombie aftermath documentary on the bbc kind of thing.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

So Good!o

As a reporter interviews veterans of the zombie war everyone from civilians to the top politicians who tried to prevent this. He is doing his best to understand the situation is very hard to understand. Aubrey Parsons does such a great job being the reporter and the interviewee this book is so awesome I loved it I almost believe they really add a zombie war. This is such an original plot in the story is exit Q did so brilliantly. I loved it!

World War Z UK

Good story line and really enjoyed the story and the performance. Once I got my head wrapped around it isn't trying to copy some other book but parallels the other story I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.

Binge-listened in a single day

This is really, really good! Good enough that I'll re-read again, and maybe even get the ebook.

I received this Audible book free by bribing the author with the offer of a review, so here it is.

The book follows the post-recovery interview format of World War Z, but limited to Britain only. Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, get mentions, as does the Commonwealth, though the interviewees are GB only. The effect is similar - you get pieces of the history rather than a coordinated narrative - and the stories are by turn visceral and tragic, tinged with black humour, a nostalgia for what was lost, and a kind of desperate optimism for the future. A man recounts losing his wife, and his happiness to be back home, while overseeing the clearing of a river for a boat race. A soldier cracks jokes while telling of the terror of clearing the Underground. A criminal voices his guilt over his possible involvement in bring the SAME to Britain. A woman records her takeover of Sarum Castle, and the difficulties of surviving there even within the security of its walls. An older man waxes pissy over the political philosophy of the fight-back.

Some aspects of the recovery are a leeetle far-fetched, but it's a zombie apocalypse: it's far-fetched from the get-go!

I can't finish without mentioning the virtuoso performance of the voice actor, Aubrey Parsons. This would be a tough job for a team of actors, but Parsons rises to the challenge of producing distinct voices for a couple of dozen individuals, male and female, from a range of backgrounds and regions. One of the Scottish accents was a bit "Donald whair's yer troosers", but others were spot-on.

Colonel Blimp Saves the Ignorant Celts

This appalling drivel is the Anglo centric view of the zombie collapse. Things go wrong so the English move to Scotland and install the monarchy, live there for a few years and then go home without ever speaking to a Scottish person apart from some Jock soldiers and the local gentry.

The Irish fare even worse being reduced to being portrayed as grateful idiots being saved by jock soldiers described as 'orcs' but led by the usual English toff officer.

I have to assume that the Welsh were eaten the first winter because even though the narrator is Welsh they never got a look in as the Scousers took over.

Its all a bit 'Gammon' for my tastes, they even find the time to bomb the French!

Not bad, but it's no World War Z

This has been said by other reviewers, but it is essentially World War Z but focusing mainly on England and Scotland.

The plot is fine, if you've read World War Z then you know what to expect, from the rumours of a disease spreading to the panic, the fall of the country, and then leading up to taking the fight back to the undead - again, it's WWZ.

Even the style is the same, the author is interviewing folks after the end of the war about what they done during the war.
None of this bothered me too much as WWZ is one of my favourite books, but by doing this, it's inevitable that this will be compared to WWZ and that's a high bar to reach.

Unfortunately, it doesn't hit that bar, and one thing in particular which bothered me is the classism. The author seems to have a grudge against those on welfare payments or those of a "lower social class", portraying them all as lazy or stupid.

As an Irish person I was expecting some condescending nonsense when the story shifted to my country, but it was even more ridiculous than I expected - Ireland would never re-join the Commonwealth, no matter the situation, and I would have expected any author to know this.

Ultimately, it's ok, it's basically just more of WWZ, but not at the same quality as Max Brooks of course. I listened to the audiobook and it helped pass the time on my commutes.

World war z?

This book is basically word war z but from a British perspective, but don’t think that this is an insult I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a very interesting listen, the narrator is very skilled and read the book perfectly, a must for any zombie fan

Dull

This is for you if you love the royals and the armed forces. Plus lots of bashing of anyone who needs to use the benefits systems.

Interesting tale with a wonderfully expressive narration

A five star rating because this interview led story was impressive and imaginative. Throw in a diverse narrator with an adept ability to portray numerous British accents and this makes for a great zombie tale!

Awesome!

What can I say, this book was brilliant! I listened to it in just 2 "sittings" - each individual characters tale was so well written, I felt I was sat there with them. The narration was top dollar! I've never listened to any of his work before, but it was so outstanding that I felt like I was listening to a multi-narrator full cast audio book!

Great listen

I really liked the storyline and the narration. The narrator is very skilled and delivers a range of characters very well. The storyline was engaging.

The only aspect I disliked was the music at the beginning of every chapter. It was unnecessary and annoying. As someone who has tinnitus, it made it difficult for me to hear the narrator over the music.

amazing book

The Zombie War was the longest and most costly conflict that Britain has ever waged. No one knows the true figure of those who lost their lives in the long years of the war and tragically too many have lost their lives in the years of peace that have followed
amazing storyline

meh

it was ok until it got all glory to the empire like at the end,