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Devolution cover art

Devolution

Written by: Max Brooks
Narrated by: Judy Greer, Max Brooks, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdal, Steven Weber
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Publisher's Summary

The number one New York Times best-selling author of World War Z is back with “the Bigfoot thriller you didn’t know you needed in your life, and one of the greatest horror novels I’ve ever read” (Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and Recursion). 

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined...until now. The journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing - and too earth-shattering in its implications - to be forgotten. In this audiobook, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it. Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and, inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us - and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it - and like none you’ve ever heard before.

Praise for Devolution

“Delightful...[A] tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) 

“The story is told in such a compelling manner that horror fans will want to believe and, perhaps, take the warning to heart.” (Booklist, starred review)
 

The Cast:
Judy Greer as Kate Holland
Nathan Fillion as Frank McCray
Kimberly Guerrero as Josephine Schell 

With
Jeff Daniels as Steve Morgan
Mira Furlan as Mostar
Kate Mulgrew as Hannah Reinhardt-Roth
Steven Weber as Tony Durant
and
Terry Gross and Kai Ryssdal as themselves
and
Max Brooks as the researcher

©2020 Max Brooks (P)2020 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"There’s a bowstring undercurrent running through the whole of Max Brooks’s newest that’s liable to snap a reader in half. Characters so real you could name them from your own life, even as you call for them to run for cover. Max Brooks has written the next great epistolary novel. Devolution is phenomenal.” (Josh Malerman, New York Times best-selling author of Bird Box and Malorie)

“A masterful blend of laugh-out-loud social satire and stuff-your-fist-in-your-mouth horror. One elevates the other, making the book, and its message, all the more relevant.” (David Sedaris, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Calypso)

"I wish we could elevate the national dialogue on public safety to a level of tone and focus that Max Brooks has demonstrated for all of us.” (Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and first secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security)

What listeners say about Devolution

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Brutal

I actually paid money for this book, I can’t believe it. I loved World War z but this book is terrible. It is almost laughable at how this book is set up. Who would write this way in a journal? Does the main character hear the voices of the characters she is writing about in her own head? The characters were so unrealistic and not likeable at all - I was actually cheering for the Sasquatch. It would be interesting to hear the perspective from the Sasquatch point of view. It seems typical to assume that the Sasquatch are evil and humans are good. The ridiculous inferences the main character makes about the Sasquatch is so stupid. It is just a bunch of “filler” so the author can paint a “realistic” picture of how they got into their predicament. The voice acting is not good and the main character is so flawed. The end was silly knowing the possible “scenarios” that were presented. Simply not believable based on the way the main character is portrayed. Don’t buy this book.

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Just awful

This could have been okay....if everything was different. I'm a bit dumber for having listened to it.

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4 people found this helpful

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Very disappointing

I preordered this book and was quite eager to dive into it. A couple of wasted hours into it, it became obvious that I'm probably to old to listen to this book. The female narrator sounds like a whining excited 6 year old over and over and over. Not for me.

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4 people found this helpful

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could've been a lot more fun

This story had a lot of potential to be fun and spooky, and I was really excited to get into it. Unfortunately, I was left bored and unsatisfied. The main character maintains her affinity for shitty jokes throughout the entire book despite all the shit going on. It's just really hard to feel any kind of fear/anxiety when the characrer is making siri jokes in the same entry she is describing seeing her mutilated friend.
I wish the sasquatchs had won

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not great

I had big expectations, because I loved world WarZ, but the story is weak. disappointed.

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another epic hit

another stunning piece of writing from Max Brooks
well developed characters and themes.
great voice acting.

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Amazing

This book was SOOO good! It really kept you in the story. I really enjoyed it! Want to start it over and listen to it again.

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Decent read, but probably not for audiobook

First, positives: the guest cast acting is very good. Mira Furlan was phenomenal in that one short monologue she had read here. The character of Mostar was seemingly written for her to act. The actress herself has personal experience close to Mostar, and it made it even more convincing. If there ever is a movie I hope she plays there as well. Unfortunately, these characters had only been given a voice in flashback style fragments. The main narrator was less convincing.

I feel like this story would be a better read as regular book. I felt like the main actress didn't sell the devolution part, her comments felt pretty normal until the end. The intonation made it feel like she was watching a movie. If I had read it as a normal book, I would have been able to project myself better into the story, but audio format made the main character less likable.

It was also difficult to follow other characters, because of narration coming from one character and she spoke others dialogue. I think she only did great Mostar, but others felt like her own clones.

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Truly gripping

Absolutely cannot stress how great this story is. Judy Greer is phenomenal as the main character, Brooks as always is spectacular at weaving human stories and characters into a supernatural world. Fair warning, there are some very gruesome body horror scenes.

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Wow!

Never thought story about big foot would be so exciting and a little creepy. Love his writing style, perfect for audiobook form. In the fashion of World War Z. Great to listen to.

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