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Zoo  By  cover art

Zoo

By: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
Narrated by: Jay Snyder
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Publisher's summary

Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best work ever.

Total

For 36 years, James Patterson has written unstopable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written an audiobook that surpasses all of them. Zoo is the thriller he was born to write.

World

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.

Destruction

With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. With wildly inventive imagination and white-knuckle suspense that rivals Stephen King at his very best, James Patterson's Zoo is an epic, nonstop thrill ride from "One of the best of the best" (Time).

©2012 James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (P)2012 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about Zoo

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,479
  • 4 Stars
    924
  • 3 Stars
    520
  • 2 Stars
    181
  • 1 Stars
    126
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,650
  • 4 Stars
    758
  • 3 Stars
    336
  • 2 Stars
    72
  • 1 Stars
    54
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,289
  • 4 Stars
    730
  • 3 Stars
    511
  • 2 Stars
    186
  • 1 Stars
    144

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Love Patterson, but this was just SILLY

I love Patterson's books, and I've loved his cooperative endeavors with other authors as well. Still, this book seemed a bit preposterous and silly -- and this is from an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi! The performance was very good, and the book had a decent flow and suspenseful feel. Heck, I didn't even mind the ending. Nevertheless, this seemed to be one of those "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" type of things that I just couldn't quite take seriously enough to enjoy, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be comical. I'll certainly read the NEXT Patterson book, hoping for more.

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

If You Want Total Eco Tripe- This Is your Book!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Not buying it would have come closer. Patterson outsourced the writing of "his" books long ago and I pretty much quit buying after the disaster of the mutant children books. However, I had an extra credit and literally wasted it on this book.

I have enjoyed books with somewhat similar story lines from other authors. The whole animals united against us has been done many times, but it at least had some sense to it and usually just stuck with one species. This was just moronic. We are to believe that because we drive cars and talk on cellphones that all animals will be somehow mutated to such an extent (basically over the course of a long weekend) that they will band together and start hunting humans down in the cities. It would seem pretty unlikely to me that monkeys, lions, dogs, cats, birds, bears (brown and polar), and bats would all be affected the same way at the same time. It would also be difficult to believe that the effects occurred in lightly developed Africa and New York City at the same time. Many parts of Africa do not even have cell service. We also have to believe that only a few humans are going to have the means to fight back and will not generally use mass extermination methods in doing so. We also have to believe that we can turn off the cellphones (but not necessarily the cell towers) and quit driving and the animals will go home over the weekend basically. Then, when that happens, we will then turn everything back on so that the animals will return to their man eating state without being prepared for them to do so. I'm sorry if that is a spoiler, but it actually makes it sound more intelligent than the book manages to do

Has Zoo turned you off from other books in this genre?

Does it have a genre other than that of one of the worst written, least logical, novels of all time? It has consigned the cowritten books of JP to the fiery depths of reader hell for me.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jay Snyder?

The narrator's only major mistake was agreeing to read this book. I didn't have any problem with the performance.

What character would you cut from Zoo?

All of them? The monkey had the right idea when he started eliminating anyone that was introduced.

Any additional comments?

I think I have said enough. If this is ever read, please understand that you should not buy this book. It only encourages the author and his publisher to do more injustice to the reading community.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not a typical James Patterson

What disappointed you about Zoo?

The plot. It was ridiculous. Chimpanzees, dogs, squirrels and rats in a pack hunting humans. Really?

What could James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not much. I love James Patterson but my guess is Micharl Ledwidge must have written most of this book.

What about Jay Snyder’s performance did you like?

Good narration. The narration was probably the only thing that kept me listening.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Zoo?

Not cut but add. The chimpanzee kills the former girlfriend and then all of a sudden it's five years later. I needed to hear a little emotion.

Any additional comments?

I automatically purchase any James Patterson book. From now on I will pay more attention to the co-author.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Michael Crichton - Lite

The book starts off promising with detail,suspense and a likable protagonist. But somewhere in the middle it jumps the shark and skims to an ending. The begining is entertaining in a lite, B-movie kind of way but ultimately falls flat. Since most people listening to the story are not living on the Serengeti, lion and croc attacks do not equal apocalypse. I just could not imagine riots and economic collapse because all of the zoo animals suddenly escaped and started hunting people. But what should have been frightening, family pets suddenly going “rabid”, hoards of rats making coordinated attacks, packs of wolves attacking rural dwellers was not scary either. The cause of the eco-catastrophe is an interesting premise but the book did not deliver the suspense and chills one would expect. And the solution was so contrived and throw together it was laughable. I think if Mr. Patterson would have spent more time developing the story it could have been way better.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Unbeliveable....has Patterson lost his skill ???

Listening to this book became a chore.....I felt obligated to keep listening because there was once "good" writing/reading ....I kept hoping the story line would evolve into a Patterson's past terrific story.......is he writing toooooo much tooooo soon....churning out predictable chapters lacking resources to vast to be believable........
Looking forward to the return of the author James Patterson .........

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really very good

Would you consider the audio edition of Zoo to be better than the print version?

I think that the book in print was better but the audio version was incredibly good too. I loved the inflections in the narration, the plot and how things we as a human race take for granted can change not only how our planet "behaves" but can cause such striking and eventually even long term changes in the animals on this planet. If all animals went "crazy" we would be well and truly in deep trouble.

Who was your favorite character and why?

While I like the main character I loved Abraham. He is much more developed in the series, the book in print does give a little more on his character as does the audio. Merge all of it together and you have a depth of Abraham as well as the other characters that really is amazing.

Have you listened to any of Jay Snyder’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I really wanted to listen to this all in one sitting but couldn't due to work, grandchild, children, etc. However, it seriously improved my workout time by 45 minutes daily to finish listening to this as quickly as possible.

Any additional comments?

No.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Strange.

Where did this one come from. Animals taking over. I don't think so. Patterson puts his name on anything these days.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story is very believable. The fact that it is in the realm of possible makes it scary as hell. Jay Snyder does a great job narrating. Fast paced.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Mediocre at best

I love Patterson, but this was a stretch. The narration was good, and it kept my attention enough to finish it, but this was not a "Winner"

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional narrator

The narrator was outstanding!!! I have a library of audio books and after 2 decades of listening, this narrator goes to the very top of my list!!

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5 people found this helpful