World War Z: The Complete Edition Audiobook By Max Brooks cover art

World War Z: The Complete Edition

An Oral History of the Zombie War

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World War Z: The Complete Edition

By: Max Brooks
Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, Mark Hamill, Alfred Molina, Simon Pegg, Henry Rollins, Martin Scorsese
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Audie Award Winner, Multi-Voiced Performance, 2014

World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-in Edition): An Oral History of the Zombie War is a new version of Max Brooks' episodic zombie novel. The abridged versions of the original stories are now joined with new, unabridged recordings of the episodes that were not included in the original (abridged) version of the audiobook. These additional episodes feature a star-studded cast of narrators to coincide with the upcoming release of the film.

New narrators include Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, Spiderman star Alfred Molina, The Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont, rapper Common, Firefly star Nathan Fillion, Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg, and members of the casts of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes and more! Max Brooks will be reprising his role as The Interviewer.

The original abridged edition, released in 2006, won an Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. Original cast members include Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Carl & Rob Reiner, and John Turturro.

In this new classic of apocalyptic fiction that feels all too real, the Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. The documentary-style oral history records the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time.

Featuring five more hours of previously unrecorded content, this full-cast recording is read by F. Murray Abraham, Alan Alda, René Auberjonois, Becky Ann Baker, Dennis Boutsikaris, Bruce Boxleitner, Max Brooks, Nicki Clyne, Common, Denise Crosby, Frank Darabont, Dean Edwards, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Maz Jobrani, Frank Kamai, Michelle Kholos, John McElroy, Ade M’Cormack, Alfred Molina, Parminder Nagra, Ajay Naidu, Masi Oka, Steve Park, Kal Penn, Simon Pegg, Jürgen Prochnow, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Henry Rollins, Jeri Ryan, Jay O. Sanders, Martin Scorsese, Paul Sorvino, David Ogden Stiers, Brian Tee, John Turturro, Eamonn Walker, Ric Young, and Waleed Zuaiter.

©2006 Max Brooks (P)2012 Random House Adventure Alternate History Fiction Genre Fiction Horror Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense War & Military Scary War Military Zombie Funny
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Critic reviews

"What happens after the end of the world as we know it? Humanity rebuilds, and Kirby Impoinvil (Max Brooks) is there to help survivors make sense of what happened the day the zombies came. Helping author Brooks is a host of family friends, including Alan Alda, Nathan Fillion, Paul Sorvino, Rob Reiner, Carl Reiner, Simon Pegg, John Turturro, and many others. This audio production was released to coincide with the movie of the same name. That it’s a real drama is not surprising given the stellar cast. They don't just read the book, they act it out. And don’t think this is a teen thriller. The zombies serve as a backdrop to the larger story of how humankind reacts to such an unexpected and catastrophic invasion and the inevitable conclusion that millions must be sacrificed to save the rest. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2014. Audies Finalist." (AudioFile magazine)

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I'm not really a fan of the horror genre, although there was a time when "Night of the Living Dead" made Zombie flicks the exception for me. But it's so played out. Add to that the movie version of this (which basically shares the title only) was so awful, I didn't listen to my friends who recommended the audiobook.

My mistake. This audiobook version, with it’s all-star cast, is spectacular.

The premise of the book is unique -- you know from the get-go that it’s a look back from the perspective of those who survived the zombie war, which is now more or less over. Rather than diminishing the story, knowing that every character is telling his/her story in flashback somehow manages to *increase* the intensity. There are sections that are poignant, cynical, gripping and terrifying. The underwater sequences, for example, are nutso intense.

But the thing that truly makes this audiobook one of the best I’ve heard is the cast. The voice actors are spectacular. *Spectacular*.

This review is in some ways pointless, insofar as most people inclined to listen to it already have. However, if you’ve stumbled on this review as someone who stays away from horror in general and zombies in particular, do yourself a favor – it’s the audiobook equivalent of a summer blockbuster that manages to *exceed* the hype. It’s everything audio dramatizations try to achieve.

It's simply that good.

Not really a Zombie fan, but ... simply brilliant!

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Would you listen to World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-in Edition) again? Why?

Yeah, I've listened to the 2006 Abridged version several times now and I'm already on my second listen of this Complete Edition. The book is just fantastic zombie entertainment all over.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrations are all excellent and the story is a creative approach to the zombie apocalypse genre.

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

Sure, if I had 12 hours to spend in a sitting.

Any additional comments?

I'm so glad that Audible and Random House finally listened to the complaints from the fans and fixed the error. The missing audio (especially from the first zombie story) was just obnoxious. It's good to have a real Complete Edition.

Now that it's been fixed, it's awesome.

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What made the experience of listening to World War Z: The Complete Edition (Movie Tie-in Edition) the most enjoyable?

I can now enjoy the book in the car ride to work

What did you like best about this story?

It is a new way of telling a zombie story

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

Yes it was

Any additional comments?

There seems to be a few tracks missing. Most notable the first story with the Chinese doctor between the doctors arrival at the village and him first seeming the young boy.

Great book. It is a must have

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1) I gave this audio book 5 stars so right there you know I think it was very good.
2) this is not the book or the movie. Max brooks plays the reporter interviewing great characters from around the world played by great actors. They scored well with the actors.
3) you do now have to like zombies to like this audio. It is a lot about how society reacts to a crisis, different countries sometimes react the same and sometimes completely different. I liked the character Max Brooks played. He didn’t talk a lot, he let the characters be the stars.
4) you get your moneys worth. It is 12 hours long with a lot of characters, no two the same.
5) after you listen to it and like it as much as I did DO NOT get World War Z the lost files, or you will probably return as I just did. It came out after the Brad Pitt movie in an effort to grab some cash and it is World War Z cut in half. Same characters, same story line, exact same sentences and paragraphs. I listened to about 1/5 of it and couldn’t find one word that was not in World War Z. I’m stunned that anybody got paid off to give it a good review. If you saw Zoolander and remember Will Ferrell’s character saying “doesn’t anyone notice this, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills, it’s the face.” you Get my point.
* again I gave World War Z 5 stars and really liked it.

5 things to know about this great book

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Any additional comments?

Amazing production of one of my favorite books. I feel I should also point out that I haven't had any of the problems that other reviewers have had. Actually now that I think about it, it is one of the best audiobook productions I have listened to.

Amazingly Well Done

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