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Devolution cover art

Devolution

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

Brought to you by Penguin.

FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WORLD WAR Z

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.

But 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 these pages, 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 beasts behind it, once thought legendary but now known to be terrifyingly real.

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 read before.

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  

©2019 Max Brooks (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

'Devolution is one of the greatest horror novels I've ever read. The characters soar, the ideas sing, and it's all going to scare the living daylights out of you.' Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and Recursion

'Devolution is spell binding. It is a horror story about how anyone, especially those who think they are above it, can slowly devolve into primal, instinctual behaviour. I was gripped from the first page to the last!' Les Stroud, creator of Survivorman

'Brooks packs his plot with action, information, and atmosphere, and captures both the foibles and the heroism of his characters. This slow-burning page-turner will appeal to Brooks' devoted fans and speculative fiction readers who enjoy tales of monsters.' Publishers Weekly

What listeners say about Devolution

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  • Ben
  • 24-07-2020

Great book

This was an absolutely amazing book. loved it. I just wish max could write his books a bit faster, so we wouldn't have to wait so long between each.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great, But not for feint of heart.

I really enjoyed this , the performances were amazing, Judy Greer being the stand out as the main protagonist.
I enjoyed the style it's written in, being like a diary reading with Interviews intertwined.
It does get fairly descriptive and gruesome when it comes to some of the fights and ensuing deaths, so if you don't like that sort of thing this might not be for you.
Overall I really enjoyed it, though I'm sure my being a fan of Bigfoot tales and such didn't hurt. Although it doesn't paint the mythical beast in a great light.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • THG
  • 18-07-2021

No wonder no one sees bigfoot anymore

Terrifying and grotesque - just what you want in a horror novel. I hesitated at first - bigfoot? - but Max has reimagined the terror of the myth with strong links to real ape behaviour. The first person point of view, diary, interview style works well. The main character is not bad, but Mostar is great. Judy Greer did a great job of Kate.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Cleverly written!

This book was very enjoyable and quite suspenseful with unexpected turns, would recommend the listen

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A gripping well read story

Just like world war z, this is a great audio book, I was initially a little sceptical about it, but it soon has you in its wonderful grip.

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great performances, great storytelling, great ending.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the book, I was worried it would be some crazy Bigfoot story, but it is a really well written and well executed commentary on how we have become so reliant on technology and convenience, and what we have lost in that bargain with technology. Starts off slowly, but once it gets going you will find yourself still listening at 3am, and jumping at that noise outside your window...
Beautifully cast and delivered, my favourite book of the year.

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3 people found this helpful

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Excellent

Very well produced story with reference to actual facts increased the impact.

A small sample of what can happen when the luxury and comfort of the latest technology ceases to be useful. Add to that dealing with a predator that likes to eat humans (and anything else) with a sharper instinct and you are in for a wild ride.


Quite a few different characters but i did find the female lead voice to be quite irritating but i think this was also a smart move because it did capture the whining annoying new age white city chick very well.

Although fictional a clear message was conveyed, it will not be technology that gets humanity to the next level of evolution, it will be our ability to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Meandering and a bit disjoint

It took far too long for the story to unfold and it wasn't clear whether it was a story, an audio play or a mockumentary...
A lot of opportunities were missed in this story and ultimately turned into a killer bigfoot murderfest...
Would make a good B grade horror movie but adds very little to the bigfoot folklore genre...
To many implausible actions by the main characters detracted from the final stages.
Worth it if you're into bigfoot but only just....

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Take that thing out of the freezer!

Volcano eruption leaves a group of people trapped on a mountain and then Bigfoot attacks.... what’s not to love?

When it began, I thought the characters would be insufferable. It’s basically an eco-village full of hippy, new age types.... seriously, the child had a “placeholder name”, Palomino.

But as vapid and ridiculous as these characters seemed at the start, I think they developed quite well as the story went along, and I actually ended up liking almost everyone.

The story kept along at a good pace, and I thought it was really descriptive without being too slow.

My only issue is that with this being a “found diary” book, there is of course the mystery as to what happened after the diary ends.
It wasn’t as satisfying an ending as if everything was tied up in a neat little bow, but also wasn’t as annoying as other “you decide what happened” endings I’ve read in other books.

The narration was good. I had no issue with Judy Greer’s voice, although I think it’s a shame that she didn’t do Mostar’s accent, it was a little distracting having a European character with an American accent.

I haven’t read World War Z, so I can’t compare it to this, but Devolution did remind me quite a lot of Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven, and if you enjoyed that, I’d say you will probably like this.

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  • ash
  • 04-08-2020

Great book in the end

This was a bit of a slow burn for me .. I wasn't real impressed when I first started listening to it, but it got a LOT better as the book went on.

It was a great book that I absolutely loved in the end - I don't know what to listen to next now haha.

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