Audiobook Review: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

You think you know this story, but you don't.

Author: Max Brooks

Released: August 2006

Genre: Fiction, Horror

Audiobook Length: 6 hours (approx.)

Awards/Acclaim

Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance (2007)

Review

I absorbed this book in two sittings. First, let me say this is not the story depicted in the movie. Hollywood took the title of Max Brook's novel and created an entirely different zombie story. I don't know why they would do such a thing. World War Z's audiobook/book is brilliant and didn't deserve the disrespect Hollywood gave it.

Plot

It is a fictional story presented as non-fiction. Max Brooks travels the world to get first-hand accounts of the survivors of the zombie plague. He interviews people from all walks of life and throughout many nations.

"The book of war, the one we've been writing since one ape slapped another, was completely useless in this situation." - Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Military, geopolitical, or zombie enthusiasts will love this work. It's genius, horrifying, and, yes, at times very funny.

Did I mention that it has no correlation with the movie? The author had zero artistic control of the film. I've never seen a film depart so far from the book it is supposed to represent.

Here is the trailer for World War Z the movie. A good film in its own right, but NOTHING like the book.

Additional Comments

There are three audiobook versions of World War Z.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (Approx 6 hours)

World War Z: The Complete Edition (Approx 12 hours)

World War Z: The Lost Files: A Companion to the Abridged (Approx 6 hours)

I didn't realize that I was listening to the abridged version of the book until I was doing research for this post. Had I known in advance, I would have listened to The Complete Edition. However, I will add The Lost Files to my future reading list.

It truly is a great and novel zombie story. I look forward to having The Lost Files in my future reading repertoire.

About the Author

Max Brooks has written a number of apocalyptic novels, including Devolution and The Zombie Survival Guide. His strategically and intellectually minded works have led to dual fellowships at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Max Brooks writes about major events of disruption. In World War Z, a plague causes the reanimation of the dead and a breakdown of society. In Devolution, a natural disaster leads to a group of Sasquatch leaving their territory and descending on the unwitting human inhabitants of a neighboring area.

Brooks uses outlandish circumstances to highlight real-world issues pertaining to areas in which our society and military complex are unable to handle or lack the imagination to prepare for. It is because of Brooks' intellect and imagination that he holds fellowships at such prestigious institutions.

You can listen to Brooks talk with Alan Alda about his role at the Modern War Institute, and so much more, in the above podcast.

In addition, Max Brooks has a show of his own that streams on YouTube. It covers foreign policy and geopolitics. Link here.

Content Warnings

• War Themes

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Verdict

Score: 9.5/10

It was a pleasure to the ears with a star-studded cast. I LOVED this audiobook. This was my first work by Max Brooks. It will not be my last.

Yes! Pick it up at your library, local bookstore, or favorite online retailer.

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