I was looking at my audiobook list and had heard that WWZ had a full cast of narrators like American Gods. But holy shit, Martin Scorsese ? Simon Pegg ? Nathan Fillion ? Henry Rollins ?! The narration alone is outstanding. But the political commentary has aged like wine. Russia devolving into the “Holy Russian Empire” and marching on Belarus and Ukraine after winning their conflict with the undead was outstanding. I loved that they included points of view you never see in other zombie stories, like the blimp pilot, the feral woman, the scuba diver, and the commander of the International Space Station.
I guess it’s fine that the only part the movie really represented was the Israeli peace with Palestine, but hearing how the other side of the world saw this coming and did everything to warn the rest of the world. Only for very few countries to take it seriously and even less prepare effectively? The Chinese government trying to secretly lock down an infection at the cost of their own people , sound like anything in recent events ? I know it was inspired by SARS but lord did it take on new meaning reading it after 2021. Also the con man who strong armed Phalanx and other methods of taking advantage of fear mongering. While the US government and media too woried about the election cycle to adequately inform the people. How many bogus gimmick solutions did we see in 2020 ? How many assholes got rich from different snake oils ? I know Max Brooks is no fortune teller, and that these examples largely come from max being inspired by the past and history repeating itself. But my God, credit where credit is due.
Not to mention most authors deeply research 1 maybe two worlds to really deep dive into. But the Chinese submarine chapter was practically a book on its own. Each character feels like a person who is well versed in their own expertise. Let’s talk about Mark Hamill as Todd. What a believable vet, narrated by the GOAT. Spectacular decision given that Todd gets 3 important chapters. Every time I hear The Trooper, I think about the bit with the Raj Singh square stacking bodies till they form their own fortification.
Like I said, if you read it in your teens, it’s well worth revisiting in 2023. I dug up my old paper back, I may track him down for a signature.
Anyone know any other books written in this interview style ? I love it, so easy to pick up a chapter and get a satisfying read in if you’re short on time.
by PerpetualConnection
49 Comments
Never understood the title, World War Zed
It’s a great book and the audiobook is spectacular.
There’s an excellent short fanfic chapter based in North Korea that is worth reading. Reads like it was meant to be in the book. Highly recommended.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6115555/1/The-Way-Is-Shut
Try his other book, Devolution. It came out during lockdown and was also weirdly prescient.
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I also love how seamlessly Brooks weaves together the realism of the setting and the books’ overarching themes. He uses this lens of global crisis to offer what feels like a complex, thorough meditation on humanity as a whole.
It lacks the copious cynicism of the “what if humans are the real monsters?” trope, but doesn’t overly indulge in excessive aggrandizement of the species, ala HFY. It has a perfect balance.
It’s my favorite book, period, and I wish more people would read it.
I should read this again. Been about 10 years and I forgot it all but I remember not enjoying it. I think I’m evolved now
It wasn’t a head of its time, it was exactly *of its time*. It’s so topical to the period it was written in it’s almost comical. There’s the war on terror, the construction of the mega dam, the president and vice president while never named can certainly be read as commentary on certain executive figures at the time.
I’m thinking of re-reading this. Read it when it first came out and really disliked it – I quit half way through. I think the structure of the book annoyed me because it didn’t allow for character development or real tension – you knew the interviewer survived. However, I suspect my tastes have changed and think I may give it another go.
If you listen/read closely enough, you can figure out who the politicians (at least the American ones) were. Colin Powell was POTUS who never even asked what happened to his family in Jamaica. His VP, the Wacko, was Bernie Sanders.
“I don’t know if great times make great men. But I know that it can kill them.”
It’s actually a good book for non-fiction lovers, which is weird for a zombie book.
It’s really unlike any other book of the genre.
I feel very old. “Read it as a kid” it came out in 2006….
Great book and the full audiobook is amazing.
I read the book maybe 10 years ago but listened to the audio book on Libby a couple months ago. There are stories I remembered from the book that weren’t in the audio book and it bothered me. Both are really fun though.
I just looked up the audiobook, do you think I should read the original version or the extended complete version?
You make a good suggestion. I put that on my list for my next audiobook. I’ve read it a few years ago, but time to revisit it! Thanks a lot
I remember Phalanx being a big problem for me the first time I read it. I remember thinking that the public wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for a fake vaccine/cure.
And then 2020 happened and people blew off the real vaccine and swearing by quack science and I realized I was wrong. And I didn’t even consider the possibility of how many people would be fervently insisting that zombies aren’t real, or zombism is caused by 5G or it’s all just a deep state psyop or whatever, right up until the moment their face is being chewed off.
One of the most overrated and frankly boring books I’ve ever read. Almost nothing in the book is memorable. It’s just a series of dull short stories that would never be published individually in another series.
I wanted to like it, but it was an absolute struggle to push through.
That’s one that seems to be meant to be in audiobook format.
The only Australian character is ‘the son of an Andamooka opal miner’ and he calls the British “limeys”. I don’t trust the accuracy of the cultural depictions.
Oh I bet this is a great audio book – good shout
As much as I enjoyed the book is as much as I hated the movie.
The movie lost everything that made the book special and outside of a couple small looks around the world mostly followed one story.
I couldn’t believe how badly they had fumbled such a great opportunity to do something original with great original source material.
I have a First Edition Hardcover copy of World War Z and I’ve been combing the internet trying to find a fan mail address for Max Brooks. Nothing would please me more than to have an autograph on my copy. Can anyone help ?
It’s a book so full of over the top cultural cliches that it’s almost comical.
Loved the book which is why when the movie came out, it was a massive wtf for me.
I love the book. I will forever hate Brad Pitt’s guts for just buying the rights to the title and making up his own shitty zombie movie
Always love stories where you get a variety of perspectives on a central issue, in big and small ways and different motivations. Not just some boring “flawed but heart of gold” protagonist that we get saddled with the entire duration.
It was an amazing book. Someone should make a movie that’s actually based on it.
> …read it, **as a kid**
We met Broox and he signed our copy to our unborn daughter, just shortly after the book release. It’s one of our prized possessions. I feel old
I remember thinking that this book was so dated to 2006. And really over done. Surely a real health emergency wouldn’t be like that!
And then 2020 happened.
The audio book on Audible is absolutely incredible. I read it as a kid as well and was enthralled with all the stories.
One of my favorites. I actually drive my wife nuts because I try to put the audiobook on all the time during trips. World War Z and The Martian (the original reading by R.C. Bray) have turned into comfort reads for me. I did also really like Devolution, my wife and I listened to it on our last trip.
If anyone has recommendations of stuff in a similar vein to World War Z I would love to hear it! I really like the documentary style for fiction.
One of my favorite reads honestly. I think I finished within a day as it just kept me hooked. 📚
The Battle of Yonkers is one of the hands-down dumbest things I’ve ever read
Still can’t believe Max is the son of Mel. Legit one of my favorite books that tackled a zombie apocalypse through such a unique lens. I’m still freaked out about the zombies thawing out in the Arctic. The Audiobook was fucking star-studded as well. Alan Alda, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillion, Simon Pegg, Jeri Ryan, so much more. The movie did such a disservice to the beauty of that book.
EDIT: The Battle of Yonkers lives in my mind rent fucking free.
Between The Last of Us, His Dark Materials, and Chernobyl… I kinda wish sometimes HBO would do an adaptation of this. It’s not meant for an action flick deal.
I don’t know if I can read it again though. Between the Sharon chapter and the one mentioning he listened to the puppies screaming and crying as they died in the pet shop… Nope.
I read this in High School (class of 08 represent!) but you had me at Martin Scor- before I went to Audible and got the audio version
Ahead of its time? Lmao
Just finished the audiobook again yesterday. And relistening to parts of it today. So good. Makes me sad what they did to the movie- I found the original script once (I think) and that was so good too.
Loved Devolution. Waiting to get the audiobook from the library again.
Max Brooks is so creative. What a great talent.
The book was great than the movie adaptation in that it presented the whole catastrophe through different viewpoints of different many people, all in a documentary-like narrative, with some gallows humor on the side.
>if you read it as a kid
um… what kind of childhoods do you guys have?
World War Z was acknowledged by Max Brooks as inspired by [Studs Terkel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studs_Terkel) 20th century oral history compilations, recommended if you’re interested in this style.
When we were working on Stubbs the Zombie I consumed all the zombie fiction I could find – Walking Dead comics, Mammoth Book of Zombies, but WWZ was the greatest. I took massive notes from that for ideas for Stubbs 2.
World War Z is one of the very few books I re-read on a consistent basis.
Thought it was pretty mediocre, but maybe I’m in the minority. 🤷♂️
The chapter on the Japanese guy was max cringe
It was completely in sync with its time.
The political actions of Russia or China in the book were not especially wild or noteworthy. *Z* came out on the tail end of a zombie pop wave that captured the doom vibe after 9-11. *Monster Island* was another great one.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right.”
I’ve said this once or twice in real life and it’s spooky then, too.
I have seen (and somewhat felt, was born in Yugoslavia) war firsthand and can confirm that the reality of human psychology described in the first half of the book was – terrifying. Seriously horror inducing reading substance. Max REALLY did the homework on that one.
I have ZERO doubt that, in the case of apocalyptic threat, that is EXACTLY what would happen (as in the first half of the book).
Unfortunately, the second half was Rambo-like narrative, but still fun to read.
EDIT: typo
It would work great as a HBO series. Sorta of like Band of Brothers, with the (fictional, but treated real) interviews interspersed with the main show.
Alright i see henry rollins, i click