World War Z

Good old fashioned gory fun

Max Brooks has attempted something really ambitious with World War Z - a zombie story told on a global scale.



He's really given a lot of thought to how a zombie plague would affect every aspect of life on Earth, political, social, military, environmental etc.



The story is told via a series of anecdotes from survivors of the War, the narration is for the most part pretty good, some is excellent, the American voices are more convincing than those that use accents.



There are some pretty clunky national stereotypes and some far-fetched scenarios, (as if a zombie plague wasn't far-fetched enough) and possibly a little too much gore in places. Having said that this is a very entertaining listen and a brilliant achievement on the part of the writer.

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

Great book however....

Ok so I have heard the abridged version that was done a while ago and this new version but I have to admit that the voice acting is 10x better in the old version than this one. I mean the japanese, german, or even american accents sound shocking!!!



I have no idea what has happened in the making of this audiobook but please redo the foreign bits (outside UK) with actors that don't make jap voices sound almost german????

My opinion is stick with the original 2007 version it has more of what this book deserves rather than this one.

47 of 55 people found this review helpful

Intresting, Original and Exciting!

World War Z By Max Brooks. (May contain mild spoilers)



This book was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. The story has an intresting take on the Zombie apocaplyse and is told through a series of interviews, each chapter followng different character and a different set of experiences. The interview style of World War Z is part of the charm of this audiobook, i did not find myself listening to the same narrator for very long, this helped keep the excitement and momentum going as well as the my focus.



This story also bring some instresting ideas (how humanity deals with Zombie invasion) that i have not seen before... although i am releatively new to the genre!! however here lies my only criticism some of the ideas Max Brooks brings into this story i feel are rather far fetched and possibly unrealistic... but then this is a zombie, fantasy book.



Anyway thoroughly enjoyable book, i highly recommed!

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Simply Brilliant

This book is simply the most clever and thought out zombie book ever written. The research into the social economics and politics of each country mentioned within is simply sublime. It throws a whole new spin on the zombie apocalypse and is written with brilliance and consideration.



You feel and empathise with each of the characters interviewed and you are genuinely sad when the book comes to an end. Best zombie read ever

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Even for a Z fan ..

.. this is a wonderful experience. The audio book must be the best way to access this fascinating story - stories, in fact, as the account of the "real" war Zombies vs the Earth is told through post-war interview, with those who survived. The harrowing accounts are well-told and all-involving, from old and young, all over the world. Be prepared (a Zombie fan's mantra) to learn about survivalism, military tactics, despair, desperation, determination and human resilience. It's all in there.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Why didn't I listen to this sooner?

I've had the book of World War Z on my shelf for ages! I was determined to read it before I sat down to watch the film but just never have the time! Sound familiar?

I tried the version of the audiobook which I already had and I was hooked instantly! When I tried to locate my position in the physical book, I realised I had an abridged audiobook. I thought to myself, I need to hear every last word of this - so I signed up with Audible and grabbed the unabridged version.

I was completely surprised as I had preconceptions that the book (regardless of the film) was somehow a comedy?! I can't believe how detailed and thought out the story is. It takes the form of a series of retrospective interviews with survivors of a war that almost wiped out humanity and I have to say I was completely sold. It's almost as if Brooks knows something that I don't!

I've read mixed reviews of it on the site, but I would definitely recommend it to people who want an intriguing listen! It's a gripping, tense and sometimes humorous (not very often though) story. All the different voice actors also give a brilliant depth and add to the feeling of realism. My only very minor criticism would be the voicing of the Englishman midway through the story - we don't all talk like that!

Really enjoyed the listen and think it might inspire me to listen to more zombie fiction - and I never thought I would say that!

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Buyer beware

Any additional comments?

This is not the new movie tie-in edition which supplements the previously abridged full cast recording with new material from previously unrecorded chapters by the talents of Simon Pegg, Frank Darabont, Martin Scorcese etc. I felt really tricked when I paid for this. Hang on for the full edition with people who give actual performances, rather than the droning automatons who ENUN-CI-ATE every damn syllable in this version. A soulless cash-in.

Buyer beware

24 of 29 people found this review helpful

Different

Once you get used to the documentry style of this book its not a bad listen. Some accounts are more interesting than others but overall I found it enjoyable.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Different.

I will be honest, I didn't finish this one, probably got about 70% into it. I did enjoy it and I did think it was really well suited to Audio Format with the way it is told. I will probably go back and complete it at some point, it just didn't really have any main character I think was why I got a bit easily distracted from this one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Totally absorbing story...

... which bears no resemblance to the (pretty mediocre) film.

I've never read zombie fiction before, so wasn't sure what to expect. This book kept me totally engaged in the story all the way through. It almost felt real in the way the individuals' stories were presented, and I found myself reacting out loud at key points - thank goodness I was in the car and not in public!

I took a star off for the narration. Although it was still very good indeed, some of the characterisations were less absorbing than others, and as others have said elsewhere, the non-English speaker accents didn't always hit the mark. I'd love to now find the alternative recording, which although abridged, seems to get better ratings on the performance side unsurprisingly with some of the stellar cast.

But the story is the real star here, and I really enjoyed being made to think about what would happen from so many different perspectives, and how much the world changed. It was so absorbing that when I finally finished it, I actually hit replay to start listening all over again.

Suspend belief, and strap yourself in for a really entertaining listen. Highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful