Customer Reviews

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War [Mp3] [Unabridged] [Audiobook]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, it should be noted that this is not "unabridged". Amazon is either incorrect or referring to the MP3 format being a direct copy of the original audio CD. But be forewarned that the original audio CD was abridged.

Anyway, World War Z embodies the culmination of the zombie renaissance that has widespread exposure as far back as the early '00's Dawn of the Dead remake. But Max Brooks proves that you can take a vintage concept and improve upon it, rennovate it, evolve it into something that transcends its silly roots and becomes satirical, terrifying and sophisticated. WWZ makes The Zombie Survival Guide--a work of humorous "nonfiction" that in its own right seemed like a high-water mark--look like nothing more than the foundation stones. WWZ has the feeling of what Max Brooks was possibly aiming at all along, the final phase in his glorious plan to give the world something beautifully absurd and expertly devised. Max Brooks is, for lack of a better term, a mad genius.

In nothing else I've ever read (save maybe Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire") have I seen one author so well accomplish his goals across the board. There is hardly a misstep, hardly a low point or boring portion of any chapter or track on this CD. Each story resonates in its own way, whether that be transmitting terror, anxiety, rage, indignation, humor, sentimentality, sympathy, compassion, nostalgia, intrigue, patriotism, gung ho badassery, sarcasm, satire or just plain fun at reveling in a shlocky genre. His protean talent as a writer, technical researcher, dramatist, satirist and overall creative entity is uncanny.

But for a detailed review of the novel itself, check out its Amazon page. This review focuses on the audio presentation.

In short, it's great, but not perfect. The cast is a parade of talent, from Carl Reiner and Henry Rollins to Alan Alda and noted accomplished voice actor Mark Hamill. And there's where it, for me, took a turn for the ironic. I'm familiar with Mark Hamill's voice work and it's usually a joy, but his rendition of Todd, the US Army veteran, seemed off kilter. I attribute this to it being different than the version I had of Todd when reading WWZ before the audio CD came out. Sometimes the version others invision is better than the ones in our minds. Sometimes it's not. This was one of those times. There's nothing wrong with Mark Hamill's performance, per se, I just liked mine more. I suspect others share this sentiment about various other portions of WWZ. In another bout of irony, perhaps the consistently best performance is from none other than Brooks himself. He's definitely inherited his father's acting talent (in truth, I'm kind of scared of this guy; unsure if there's anything he sucks at).

Here are some personal highlights:

Henry Rollins' role as the mercenary is outstanding. Audibly, Rollins wears the skin of a hired gun well, exuding aggression. His visual style definitely supplements the merc aesthetic.

The story of the downed pilot fighting for survival alone with only her radio has, for some reason, always seemed like the backbone of the novel to me. It emotionally resonates; it moves me. I don't know why. Perhaps because it encapsulates so much of what WWZ as a whole strives to accomplish; a real microcosm of the entire novel (pain, heroism, terror, loneliness, action, etc).

All of Todd's stories are fun, but especially the later versions, once the US military rennovates itself. There is so much retro innovation that you can't help but marvel at the ingenuity of the writing and research involved.

The girl whose family drives up to Canada is a touching moment of quiet tenderness amidst the horrors of what transpired that--again--it's hard not to marvel at the voice talent. It represented a strangely serene respite to most of the more action-oriented pieces that zip past while remaining chilling.

Anything to do with the US President is interesting because it puts on display a great icon of leadership and the ideals that are required to step up in crises.

The story involving the Queen of England remains one of the most poignant of the lot, aided by a stereotypical British accent, but one that is rich and textured and full. The visual imagery of the story is real nerd fodder too: castles, claymores, royalty. I confess that it appealed to me.

The low points:

Some of the shorter stories lack resonance to the point that I can't recall enough about them to review. But they're there. They won't make you cringe, but they're not as salient as the rest.

There are musical intros/outtros that punctuate movements in the audio CD, accentuating the breaks in "parts" that the written novel contained. It's a good concept that I think is flawed in this version simply by underdeveloped musical stylings; sort of one-note synth drones. I understand the understated tension that this is supposed to mirror, but the production of it seemed cheap.

Some of the stories that didn't make it into the audio version (for whatever reason) should've been here, the Russian decimation being the most prominent in my mind. I realize that WWZ is by no means a laconic book. There are a slew of unnecessary anecdotes and tales in the manuscript that do little more than add to the flavor of the text--but that's great! This was such a remarkable novel to begin with that in this rare case, more is better. So, for me, dropping anymore than just a couple stories seems like a wasted opportunity for more greatness. I don't think there's hope for a truly "unabridged" version, but it's just more reason to buy the book itself; you'd be short changing yourself otherwise.

However, those complaints aside, WWZ's audio CD is a master stroke of solid writing, technical knowledge, creative skill, idealism, political intrigue, brutal gory violence, social outrage, exorcisms of fears, and unparalleled fun. More than anything, though, that's something you'll notice: Max Brooks and the cast are having a lot of fun with WWZ, and the vibe is infectious.

Whether it be used or new, World War Z is worth your time. Its incremental nature and articulate prose make it engaging and entertaining without being laborious. It bares its fangs while running a gamut of emotions. And the audio CD, though trunctated and occasionally off kilter in voice acting, is a phenomenal example of what can be accomplished when you marry an iconic genre, fresh ideas, sapient knowledge, and a lack of pretention with satire. Check out this high-water mark of the zombie renaissance, a future archetype of a genre going back to its glorious roots; you won't regret it.

This is a great production. The voice acting is solid enough and keeps you in the story. I was really and truley pleased with the production untill I realized that it was missing about half the book. They clearly picked the most stories that coverd the most ground - but calling this "unabridged" is in no was accurate. The stories that were told were, for the most part, left alone but so much of what was cut was refered to in what was left in - I like those stories: the decimations in russia, the K-9 retirment home, the houses on stilts, the reporter on the aircraft carrier at the political summet. So much of the fine detail is missing. I gave it 4 stars because they did not finish their work. what they did was great, but where is the rest.

I'm sure the book is just as good, but since the whole premise is "an oral history", I think it works best as an Radio drama. Can't wait for the movie. Apparently Brad Pitt's production company bought the rights.

Here's a list of just a few of the cast: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, Carl Reiner, Mark Hamill, John Turturro, Rob Reiner. I would have bought this for Alan Alda alone. I was listening to this on a flight, and wasn't expecting to hear all of these people, it made the time fly by. (I hate being on a plane.)

The only down side is that some of the accents are really fake, like video game fake, and the narrator (Max Brooks) ends up being the worst of the voice actors. Every time he interrupts to ask a question I said, "Oh no not him again!". That being said, it is still one of the best Radio-drama/audiobooks I have listened to. Enjoy!

This cd is not un-abridged as amazon states it is. It has skipped 2 chapters and
several parts. I know as I am reading the book and listening to the audio at the
same time.
And the voice actors are awesome. I'm just going by ear, but so far i'm pretty sure
I have heard Jurgen Prochnow, Alan Alda, and Rob Reiner. What a treat.

This is one of my all time favorite novels in my collection. The audiobook, not so much.

I've read the novel version of "World War Z" and found it to be much better than the audiobook version. While the voice acting is good (especially the oratories by Mark Hamill and Rob Reiner) the audio version lacks so much from the book that sometimes leaves the listener/reader stumped. In the interview with character Joe Muhammad, a wheelchair bound man and part of a civil patrol unit, he mentions the drug PHALANX which was a big part of the original African Rabies scare in the early part of the war. Another narrative mentions the death of a heart surgeon, a very important part of the book, and it's missing! Without all the various stories, some more compelling than the ones listed in the audiobook, you miss out on the 'big picture' the 'whole story'.

All in all, WWZ is a good audiobook for the money. However if you want the whole story and don't want to miss out on the far better content not mentioned, get the book. Or in my case, get both!