saluki's review against another edition
3.0
This abridged audiobook runs at over twelve hours so I think only a few interviews were omitted from the book and I don't think that loss would have any different impact on my view if they'd been included.
WWZ consists of many interviews of survivor experience, covering various nationalities and wide perspectives concerning occupations during the war, especially military and medical, as well as political, social and cultural experiences. Max Brooks has thought out every angle of the Zombie war and it's probably the more common person perspective I enjoyed most. I felt a bit detached for the first third of the book as it felt like I was reading a military history book with zombies and just when I felt invested in a character his or her interview ends. Then somewhere along the way all the different viewpoints started to gel in my mind as the big picture unfolded. The military dog handler's interview really moved me as war dogs, or occupational dogs in general for that matter, don't get as much coverage as they deserve both in literature and in real life media so Brook's comments on their ability, loyalty, and bravery without sweeping under the carpet the unsavoury aspects of animal use, or abuse when used as collateral damage, in war time was very emotional for this reader.
The last Goodbye chapter reintroduces some interviewees and sums up their feelings about their personal experience and provides an explanation to how they live a decade later. WWZ has affected these people in differing psychological degrees and it gives a little more closure to their interviews that are abruptly cut-off earlier in the book.
The voice cast is amazing. Lots of well known actors that made this audiobook a far better experience in my opinion. Yet I didn't love it like I thought I would. Lots of thought has gone into this book for sure, all major aspects of a zombie war are checked and ticked, so it feels very realistic. Still, I think I prefer my zombie reads to be an adrenalin laced survival rush with a few point of view characters rather than the many views and interview format here. Just my preference.
A good and intelligent zombie war read but I didn't love it... now to watch the movie, finally.
ktxx22's review against another edition
5.0
This book is FIRE it's sooo good. 5/5 from me. Start to finish this book was organized, well thought out for every aspect of the zombie outbreak. I enjoyed all the characters and how each story played a role in moving the book along through the timeline of the outbreak. It was interesting, fun, and exciting! I highly recommend this book to anyone. Great story.
lexesmikasa's review against another edition
5.0
I believe what made this book such a great read and much scarier was the fact Max Brooks hit ALL the topics. From the start, middle, and end. I'm used to books, usually diving right into the action and base it on survival mode (and maybe trying to learn what happened or caused it). But Brooks highlighted the fact of it happening based on several factors whether it ranged from denial to believing it could be easily contained. I love everything about this book and how it was delivered
melsbookshelves03's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read but not engaging enough to produce more than three stars of enjoyment from me. I think the setup of the novel is cool and the way that the author chose to write the story by giving accounts of people all across the world very interesting but honestly I didn't really care about the individual stories too much because of how little time we spent with each character. Some chapters were more engaging than others and I enjoyed the progression of the novel from confusion to war to clean up. Still, there weren't enough super interesting characters to keep me one hundred percent engaged the entire time. I am glad I read this as it has become a staple in horror reading but it's not one I will most likely revisit.
aprilmp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
ravixforlorn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
tamarahala's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I felt like the story was true because the character's stories were so intense.
k_lupin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
maricat82's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. Super fun read and the "oral history" angle is an interesting way to frame the story. The entire book consists of 2-5 page snippets of interviews from people who survived the world war with the Zombies. It took me a few "chapters" to fall into the rhythm of the storytelling, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
superiorweasel's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this story on audioCD and I recommend it be read that way. The voice acting was incredible. Felt like I was listening to an interview and their perspective of what happened during the war.