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Zoo
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Zoo
Unavailable
Zoo
Audiobook8 hours

Zoo

Written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Narrated by Jay Snyder

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best work ever.

Total

For 36 years, James Patterson has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. ZOO is the thriller he was born to write.

World

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.

Destruction

With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide. With wildly inventive imagination and white-knuckle suspense that rivals Stephen King at his very best, James Patterson's ZOO is an epic, non-stop thrill-ride from "One of the best of the best." (TIME)
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 3, 2012
ISBN9781619691421
Unavailable
Zoo
Author

James Patterson

James Patterson is the CEO of J. Walter Thompson, an advertising agency in New York. He has written several successful fiction and nonfiction books, including The New York Times best seller The Day America Told the Truth.

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Reviews for Zoo

Rating: 3.641509433962264 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

53 ratings62 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What would you do if all of a sudden every animal turned on mankind? That's exactly what this book explores. It's a quick, gripping read about humans on the edge of destruction because of animals. James Patterson definitely pulls you right in with this book. I had a hard time putting it down, in fact I read it in 2 days. Suspense, terror, and edge of your seat moments this book has it all.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've never read a book by James Patterson yet. I happened to pick up Zoo while browsing around the book section of a store and thought it looked pretty interesting. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. It had some very strong and interesting moments, but it did have some weak points.I found the premise of the story very interesting and I definitely thought that it could become something amazing. Something is causing the amount of animal attacks on humans to ride to unseen levels. Previously docile pets begin to turn on their owners and the world is thrown into chaos. I was a little disappointed in how it all played out. My first impressions after the first chapter or so wasn't all that great. I didn't find the protagonist, Jackson, all that interesting. I felt that he was a bit flat and it just really didn't appeal to me. The beginning is a bit of a rough spot for the book. It's slow, tedious, and frankly, boring. I just pushed through it though, since it did seem something good might be coming later on in the book.After the beginning, the book picked up a little. Jackson was a biologist who supports HAC (Human-Animal Conflict Theory), where the natural order of the world is thrown off balance and animals begin attacking humans. This is brought into complete focus after the beginning and acts as scientific support for this thriller. Things start to get crazy in the world and the book turns into a apocalyptic vision of a world turned against man. It's faced paced and thrilling and improved my impressions of the book.But I found the ending underwhelming. It didn't bring the ending to conclusion as much as leave an open-ended question. I can see what Patterson was trying to do with the ending, but it didn't feel right. It was missing a satisfying resolution to such a good idea. Zoo isn't the best book, but it isn't the worst either. The beginning and end let it down, but the middle was pretty good. Patterson had a good idea to play with, but couldn't execute it 100% of the time. It did, however, provided a very interesting look at the consequences of human damage to the environment. Still, he has become an author I may try and read again in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would have totally given this book 5 stars had it not been for the chapter format. It got so bad, I assumed he was making new chapters for the fun of it. There was no logical, literary purpose for some of the chapter breaks. Had I been physically reading this, it would have bothered me less. The audiobook edition, however, paused a solid 10 seconds for EVERY CHAPTER BREAK. I was in the height of a grueling, awesome animal attack and WHAM. 10 second pause, enough to minimize the drama and frustrate the heck out of me.That aside, I liked Oz. He was funny, realistic, impulsive, and believable enough that I thought he truly could save the world. Chloe was not nearly talked about enough, and once the 5 year gap happened and she became a mother, it was kind of... bleh. Eli was alright, for a 3 year old. At the end, I REALLY wanted the president to die. Like, a grueling Attila death, or even a poodle wrenching out her windpipe. They had solved the problem and she ruined it because bureaucracy. Oz was a bit of an idealist here, but he had every right to be when he gave them the solution and watched them avoid it because "We're better than middle-America". The end was interesting, and I am intrigued to see where Zoo 2 picks up and takes off. I also enjoyed the animal POVs, as it helped solidify the insect theory and give reasoning behind why they were doing what they were doing. It was one thing to hear about insect behavior, another entirely to see it from the point of view of lions, chimps, and other animals we never typically see in America.4 stars simply because there was a HIGHLY unnecessary amount of chapter breaks for no logical reason, not even to create tension as it typically ruined any tension/suspense/anxiety/curiosity I was feeling and replaced it with confusion/frustration.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This is easily the worst book I have read for a long time. I am amazed that I persevered with it to the end. It has no redeeming features. Undoubtedly this will be my first and last James Patterson novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Overall enjoyed it, some parts could have been eliminated because they seemed to make the story drag on. Didn't care for the ending, or the lack thereof. Looking forward to the tv series, especially since rumored to be better than the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good story

    I am a big fan of James Patterson. This story was different than what he usually writes. That being said I wasn't expecting much. But it was a really good story and loved the characters especially Oz and Chloe.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Story definitely had potential but characters are not really flushed out and the story ends up just racing along from animal encounter to animal encounter. The ending seems to be setting up a future series.I enjoyed the T.V. version but have to agree with several 2 star reviewers that the book itself, although a good premise, fell flat. Seems like two different writers - one for first half, one for second half.I too did not understand how we skipped 5 years in the middle of the story - made no sense.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Have to say, I read this because I enjoyed the television series. The book was a serious disappointment in comparison.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Rating 3.5/5Synopsis:Animals have gone crazy and are eating all of the humans but the man wants to keep my brotha Oz down!... no really, that's basically it the entire book...Review:While this was a very quick read, and the premise of the book was interesting. I just don't know if it did it for me. I wasn't in love with the protagonist, I thought the story line was alright- though I thought that ending was spot on given the direction the author was taking the story line... I think the epilogue was a bit much though... I probably wouldn't suggest this book to anyone, but I don't regret reading it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I decided to read this because I'd been watching the TV series of Zoo and liked it and figured I'd go ahead and read te book since I've almost always found I usually liked the book better than any films made of them. In this case, although the TV series hasn't ended yet, I can say it's the opposite- the TV series is much better, in my opinion, than the book. I have never been a James Patterson fan to begin with, finding his writing style, at best, marginal. As such, this is the only one of his books I have actually finished from cover to cover, usually tiring of his style after less than 50 pages but I did want to finish this to see how he ended it.since the movie has changed so much from the book I will be interested to see how Hollywood will end the series.I know many love Pattersons books but I have to say, even tho I finished this book it's doubtful I will pick up and read any other of his books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Equal parts good and lame, "Zoo" is a lukewarm entry from James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge covering a devastating, worldwide animal attack on mankind. Efforts to alert the world to the problem by a lightly regarded biologist named Jackson Oz goes unheeded until it's too late. Oz and French ecologist Chloe Tousignant then lead the charge to not only explain the murderous phenomenon, but try and find a way to get the animals back in order.Patterson and Ledwidge do a fair job of keeping the plot moving, but there are too many little sidebars that deflect the reader's attention off the main problem. Dog lovers, in particular, may find this book difficult to digest. Like downing a bowlful of potato chips, most readers will find "Zoo" filling, but hardly satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book had me glued to the pages. It's an eco-pocalypse thriller in which the natural behaviour of animals across the globe starts to shift, including their hunting and feeding habits, and there is a corresponding rise in brutal attacks on humans. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, has been monitoring this for years, but as things escalate it becomes a matter of international importance to finally get the message into the public eye and try to work out what's causing the change. It's been made into a TV series, which I haven't seen yet, and I found the book gripping, infuriating, suitably shocking in places, and oddly plausible.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was a little unnerving because it's not out of the realm of possibility. Animals start acting irrationally, attacking humans, all male packs, excessive aggression, things like that. Oz has been noticing something changing for years but can't get anyone to take him seriously. Finally it's too much to ignore and Oz is called upon to help solve the problem. I'll stop there so I don't give too much away. It was a very fast read and it was pretty enjoyable. I little gross, but really, animal attacks are going to be gross. I haven't read Patterson in a long time because I don't like him cranking out so many books with the help of additional authors. This one though was good and this "helper author" has a good future for himself if he releases his own material. There is a mini-series based on this book that has started airing, I have not started watching it yet, but I do plan to now what I've finished the book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful! Great job in writing! Anymore???
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A predictable monster book without any real surprises - it's an end-of-the world monster tale with the usual comeuppance for human-kind ignoring the environment. The saving grace, really, was the descriptions of the animal attacks. The first attack involving lions and the fleshy underside of the human jaw still sticks in my head. Gruesome and entertaining, a surprise for me as I rarely pick up a James Patterson book these days. Definitely not the worst thing I read this year.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. Patterson must have channeled the ghost of Michael Creighton to write this. Fast-paced, terrifying, and hauntingly possible. You simply cannot put this book down once you start reading it, so be warned.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As always turning a odd situation into something that can grab your attention and make you think about the real world, love JP and Will look forward to number 2
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved every minute of this audiobook. Highly recommend it to my friends.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    So boring. The worst of James Patterson. A real disappointment.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    the story was great but I had to manually change from chapter to chapter
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A warning about the inadvertent dangers of a consumerist and technology driven world? I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't the extremist kook, who turned out to be right. Masterfully crafted with heart-stopping action and questions of nature triumphing over humanity's abuses.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Animal aggression against humans is increasing. Is it just random behavior or is it caused by a change in the environment. Did mankind do something to bring about this change, and if so what? And the biggest question of all, how do we stop it?

    This book creeped me out a little and the descriptions of animal attacks were a little creepy. But I like James Patterson. It was a quick read but frankly, I'm sort of glad it's over.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Zoo is not a typical James Patterson novel, and by this I mean that.The story is not broken up.Into chapters which could quite easily have been.Merely a single chapter.But no, two page chapters.Make an otherwise tiny book.Seem normal sized.Thus giving the reader the feeling of having read.A large book, in record time.Making them feel warm & fuzzy about Patterson books.Thus buying more, because they are "easy to read".Anyway, yes. It's not a typical Patterson book, but it still suffers from the punched out quickly limitations of his other books in terms of stunted scenes that chop and change and parts thrown onto the front and back of the book to add "depth". That aside, it's a pretty good read about animals losing their bearings and attacking humans, the plot is reasonably realistic although the ending a bit flat and rather than a good wind up it instead is written as if testing the waters for a follow on series should the book sell well.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Pretty awful - almost no plot or characterization, repetitive writing, and way longer than needed. The TV show, though, is entertaining.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoy James Patterson. I like the way he writes. The words just flow on the pages, like the motion of the water as it makes it way down stream. I saw the previews for this story TV. It's coming out summer 2015 on CBS. I had to read it before I watched it. Great story, well thought out. Now I'm very excited, I can't wait. Five Stars in my book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Animals gone mad. Riveting book. Biologist sees that animals are becoming more aggressive. He calls it HAC. Many scientist laugh at him til it becomes blatant that this is what is happening. They call on him for next steps.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Apocalypse by animal. Mkay.

    The writing style was annoying, the explanation of the why and the how was unsatisfying and I hated the ending...but despite that I loved the story. The story was great!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I bought Zoo at Barnes & Noble for my Nook. I have never read any of James Patterson's work before and the blurb, combined with hearing lots of folks talk about him and seeing him on TV on occasion, I decided to give this book a try. I purchased it it without downloading a sample. That was my first mistake.

    My second mistake was reading 171 pages of this book. Characters, plotting, and pacing... all a complete disaster. It was filled with awkward sentences and then, on page 171, I was met with the sentence, Five years later (told you pacing was a complete disaster). When (IF) I decide to give Patterson another chance, you bet I will download a sample first. Do not recommend.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I always approach Patterson novels with a hint of trepidation when he has co-written them. These joint ventures are either good or simply awful. I also have concerns about how much of the book Patterson actually writes or whether he really is just used as a name to publise a new author. To start with, the premise of this book is just ridiculous. Animals rampaging around the land set on a mission to eliminate humans. I believe the awful writing however greatly affected the fact that I thought the book was ridiculous. The writing was immature and at no time engaging. The introduction of the ape side kick went further to make this book childish and stupid. I have to say after reading the prologue I was optimistic about the book however, this is the only decent part of the book. After this it moves on to a slow childish plot with no character development. I didn't relate or like any of the characters in the book.A very poor effort from Patterson not up to his usual standard.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A pair of lions maul their keeper then escape the LA Zoo, stopping to munch on a golfer at a nearby course for good measure. In Africa, strange, dangerous, deadly animal behavior is being observed. And Oz, a drop-out PhD candidate, has some theories but no cred. Even his rescued test subject chimp, Attila, is affected.Zoo is a story of animals turning on humans, a theme going back at least to Hitchcock's The Birds. Why they are turning (no spoiler here) is due to an imagined contemporary phenomenon. Patterson leaves the door wide open for a sequel -- after a proof of concept shows what humans must do to end this bizarre behavior, the cure seems worse than the disease and we wind up right back where we were...the family pet, Rover, becoming a keen instrument of death. Our intrepid drop-out is still alive, however, so I expect we'll hear more from him some day soon.