Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
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
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

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

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    177
  • 4 Stars
    73
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    196
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    157
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

nope.

female narrater was so over acting. 15 minutes in I'd had enough. Turned it off.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So good that I restarted as soon as I finished.

I'll preface by saying that I'm a Max Brooks fan, but this was the first audio version of one of his books I have absorbed. Not only have a started Devolution again straight after finishing for the first time, but I think I may purchase the World War Z audio book as well to accompany my trusty paperback. The multi character and interview style lends itself perfectly for an audio book, other reviews regarding this not being a true 'full cast performance' is silly and short sighted. The majority of the content is taken from the main character's diary so it goes without saying that it should be read by the main character (played by Judy Greer).

The remaining cast in interview format and the researcher narration (read by Max Brooks) weave in and out of the linear narrative of the diary perfectly making for a gripping experience, where you always kind of know what's going to eventually happen but theres plenty of ways you are surprised along the way. A close to perfect audio book. If anything, my only criticism (if it can be called that) is that I didn't want it to end and I would have happily absorbed another 9 hours of content.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

This is not read by a full cast AT ALL. 99.999% of it is ready by Judy Greer with a few voices from other scattered here and there. It is so slow and painful to get into the story and then it seems like something a high school student wrote. Barely a character I cared about.
Interesting premise but just god awful execution.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous audio book, could not stop listening!

I was pretty worried listening to this after Max's World War Z, as I was sure quality would have to drop.

This is definitely of the same pedigree, it was great from start to finish.

Treat your self get this audio book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I wanted this book to be better

The premise of the story was okay but the voice of the narrator was very irritating and at times the editing and jumping to other characters was disjointed and felt like it had been inserted afterwards. Disappointing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Jay
  • 27-07-2020

Haunting

This book got better the more I listened to it, with the tension escalating all along. The style is reminiscent of Brook's earlier World War Z works, told from the point of view of a mystery horror related through the entries in a diary. The protagonist starts off as naive, self-absorbed. Positively annoying. But as her story unfolds, the audience witnesses her cast her doubts aside as she is thrown into a deadly struggle to survive. By the time the inevitable conclusion came along, I really felt for her. Definitely worth the listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

slow to start ..then off like a bat out of hell .

a bit slow to start and had to get used to the woman's voice at first but then the story took of like a rocket , an enjoyable adventure .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointed

I was very excited for a bit of fun with this book, but it wasn't at all.
All the characters are cliché, one-dimensional carboard cut outs. I didn't care what happened to any of them. The whole group of people living at Greenloop were just silly.
The book is very predictable.
The main character (Katie) is a dribble of a human who 'grows' at an unbelievable rate. But she is stupid, naïve, judgemental, and a painful. I'm certain the narrator makes her sounds even more vapid than the author intended. It was downright painful to listen to. I shouldn't have tormented myself by pushing myself to listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Do NOT torture yourself with this drivel!

The guy can't write. This is even worse than the excremental World War Z. It's just embarrassing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.