Max Brooks's Blog, page 4
December 4, 2013
Frank Darabont’s Mob City
Frank Darabont, who created ‘The Walking Dead’ TV show now has a new L.A. Noir show called ‘Mob City‘. I saw the pilot and its nothing short of amazing. Check it out tonight at 9:00 PM /8:00 PM central on TNT.
November 19, 2013
The Watch List
Back in the summer of 2007, I shot a tv pilot for Comedy Central with my friend Dean Obeidallah. It was called “The Watch List” a comedy variety show starring American comedians of Middle Eastern descent. Although the show never got picked up, Dean has now set up a channel on YouTube for the bits that have reverted back to our control. Check it out.
October 29, 2013
THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS
Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, or, as many called it “The War To End All Wars.” While America entered the war to “make the world safe for democracy,” democracy wasn’t yet safe for all Americans. In 1917, as millions of American men trained, armed, and prepared to serve, one particular unit was purposely set up to fail by their own government. Because these soldiers were African American, the U.S. Army feared their success might inspire and empower others in their community. These soldiers were humiliated, sabotaged, and ultimately forbidden from fighting alongside other American troops. As a result they were passed off to the French Army and despite continued meddling from Washington, ended up returning as some of the most decorated heroes in the entire war. This is the subject of my soon to be released graphic novel, THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS.
Working with artist Canaan White, I have written a fictionalized account of these heroic Americans. It will be available on April 24th from Broadway Books and Avatar Comics and is now available for pre-order (see retailers below).
October 16, 2013
THE EXTINCTION PARADE GOES DIGITAL
THE EXTINCTION PARADE is now available in digital format from Comixology. Issues 1 and 2 can be downloaded here. Issue 3 will be up soon!
October 15, 2013
FALL 2013 SPEAKING EVENTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013, 7:30 PM (EDT)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
EMPAC Concert Hall
110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180
*Tickets are FREE at the EMPAC box office and the Student Activities Office in the Union.
Click here for more information
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013, 7 PM (EDT)
University of New Hampshire
Granite State Room (GSR)
40 Gables Way, Durham, NH 03824
*This is a free event
Click here for more information
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2013, 7:30 PM (EDT)
Virginia Tech
Squires Haymarket Theater
327 Squires Student Center, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060
*Tickets on sale online and at the Squires Ticket Office: $10 Students, $15 Faculty, $20 Public
Click here for more information
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013, 7:00 PM (UTC)
University of Kansas
Kansas Union, Ballroom
1301 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045
*The event is free for students and $5 for the general public.
Click here for more information
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013, 7:00 PM (EDT)
Bainbridge College
Charles H. Kirbo Regional Center
2500 E. Shotwell Street
Bainbridge, GA 39819
*Free and Open to the public; 7:00 p.m. speech, 8:00 p.m. book signing
Click here for more information.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013, 8:00 PM (EDT)
University of Florida
ReitzUnion Rion Ballroom
655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
*This is a free event
Click here for more information
October 7, 2013
NEW YORK COMIC CON APPEARANCES
MAX WILL BE SIGNING AT THE AVATAR BOOTH THROUGHOUT NYCC
STOP BY BOOTH # 1920 FOR MORE INFORMATION
SHADOW WALK SIGNING WITH
MAX BROOKS AND SHANE DAVIS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11TH • 2:30 -3:30 P.M.
NYCC AUTOGRAPH AREA, TABLE 5
PANEL: MAX BROOKS EXTINCTION PARADE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11TH • 4:15 – 5:15 P.M.
ROOM 1A23
PANEL: AVATAR UNCUT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12TH • 12:30-1:30 P.M.
ROOM 1A23
October 2, 2013
Tom Clancy
Today, on the way to work, my wife called to tell me that Tom Clancy passed away.
He was my inspiration.
He wrote the first book I ever voluntarily read without being assigned by a teacher.
That book was “The Hunt for Red October.”
That book, and many of his other works, were nothing short of a revelation for me, and a revolution in the world of military fiction.
Clancy never served in the military or the intelligence community. He had never been to war or worked for the U.S. government. He was simply an insurance salesman from Maryland with a passion for writing and an insane eye for detail.
He kept his political rhetoric to a minimum. He avoided sensationalist machismo.
He grounded his stories in honest research and made his readers feel smarter by the time they finished the last page.
He was my hero; the kind of writer I always wanted to be.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Clancy.
May 25, 2013
World War Z Audiobook Issues and Fixes
Recently it’s come to my attention that there are some issues with the new WWZ extended cast audiobook. For starters, I’ve read that the digital edition of the audiobook initially was offered as ‘unabridged’ by a few retailers. This has caused some confusion because, although newer recorded chapters are almost word for word, the earlier readings were slightly edited. I sincerely apologize for the confusion. Initially I thought this newer version was going to be unabridged, but then found out that it was simply impossible to recall all the original voice actors and re-record their voices. That is why the audiobook is listed as ‘complete’ but still ‘abridged.’
The second, more serious issue is that several minutes of Dr. Kwang Jingshu’s story on Disc #1 were omitted from the new version. Random House Audio assures me that the digital master has been fixed and the new version is available. The majority of you have downloaded from Audible. They have dropped the new version of WWZ into your library. To access this updated file, you simply re-download it from your library. Audible will be sending you an email alerting you of this update. If you’ve used another digital retailer you should contact their customer service. All defective audio CDs have been pulled from circulation, and reformatted audiobooks containing the missing minutes are on their way to stores now. If anyone has already purchased the audiobook in disc format, you can contact Random House directly at: 1-800-733-3000 or via customerservice@randomhouse.com and they will mail you a new Disc #1.
May 9, 2013
THE EXTINCTION PARADE COMIC BOOK SERIES
Several years ago, I wrote a short story called The Extinction Parade. It’s the story of a zombie plague told through the eyes of vampires. The experience left me wanting to go deeper into the details of a vampire/zombie conflict. I wanted to explore the notion of what happens when a super race (vampires) is confronted with a threat it has never anticipated. I wanted to explore the dangers of privilege and how strength can sometimes be weakness in disguise. That is why I’ve adapted my short story into a limited comic book series. The Extinction Parade Issue#1 will be on shelves this June, published by Avatar Comics and illustrated by Raulo Caceras.
April 19, 2013
Your ‘Ask Max’ Questions Answered
Dear Readers,
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. I’m sorry if your question doesn’t appear below, but given my own time constraints, I had to focus on the ones specifically related to the audiobook. Also, given that several questions dealt with the same topic, I decided to combine them into one. Again, thank you for writing to me and I hope you enjoy the complete audiobook of “World War Z”.
Thank you,
Max Brooks
Click here to see Max’s answers to your questions about the making of the new extended audiobook of World War Z.
