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Zoo

(Zoo #1)

James Patterson (Goodreads Author),

Michael Ledwidge

3.51 · Rating details · 42,659 ratings · 5,156 reviews

A CBS-TV SERIES LAUNCHING JUNE 30, 2015!

Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book 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 cit ...more

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Hardcover, 395 pages

Published September 3rd 2012 by Century

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· 42,659 ratings · 5,156 reviews

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Sep 10, 2012 Brittany rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: No one whatsoever

Shelves: anthrozoology, sciencefiction

I picked this book up, not because I had even the smallest expectation of enjoying it, but because I kept seeing copies of it at the airport when I was on my way to the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, and I was curious. I was shy a book to read on the plane, and the first 24 or so chapters were free on my Kindle. (This isn't quite as impressive as it sounds, given that the chapters run about 1,000 words each.)

Plus, I reasoned, even if it was awful, it'd be interesting to se I picked this book up, not because I had even the smallest expectation of enjoying it, but because I kept seeing copies of it at the airport when I was on my way to the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, and I was curious. I was shy a book to read on the plane, and the first 24 or so chapters were free on my Kindle. (This isn't quite as impressive as it sounds, given that the chapters run about 1,000 words each.)

Plus, I reasoned, even if it was awful, it'd be interesting to see how Patterson deals with anthrozoological issues. I figured it'd be interesting on at least a anthropological or sociological level. I looked forward to analyzing its fears and arguing with it. (Notice all the excuses I'm offering. That's because I deeply regret the poor decisions I made that resulted in me reading this book.)

Instead of an academic interest, though, as soon as I began reading a sickening sense of horror crept over. This book is worse than The Da Vinci Code. This book is worse than Twilight. This is, in fact, the worst book I've ever read.

I'm not sure which is the worst facet of this festering heap of detestableness, but I could break it down into a few headings of horrible:

1. The writing style. It's just awful. The chapters average about three or four pages. The sentences are all short and choppy and written in such an action-adventure cliche style that it comes off as a parody of itself. In fact, Dave Barry writing a parody of a Dan Brown novel has better prose than this. He actually used the phrase "rosy-fingered dawn," which I thought was illegal. He also threw in all sorts of things meant to be cute such as, when a grizzly is attacking his SUV in DC, "I assumed he wasn't from AAA." Ha ha. Very clever. At this point, I was rooting for the bear.

2. The stupidity of all the characters, without exception. The gist of the story is that the protagonist Jackson Oz is a "scientist" (more on this later) who believes that animals are going nuts and attacking humans. And yet he thinks nothing of keeping a chimpanzee in his apartment. Chimps are dangerous even if you're not confidently expecting the animal world to run amok.

3. The sexism. The first (and actually only) sex scene in the whole book is so flagrantly written to play up Oz's rampant masculinity and dominance that it was unintentionally hilarious. Later, when Oz meets his obligatory Sexy Science Babe, every single time she's mentioned he reminds us how gorgeous she is, how very pretty and delicate and small, how totally unlike every other scientist woman he's ever met. Blargh. Not only that, but her whole role is to admire, cheer-lead, support, fall in love, and need comforting and defending.

4. The "science." Patterson read, at maximum, two Wikipedia pages as research, and that was it. I would be surprised if he even got all the way through both of them. He may be able to spell hydrocarbon and grasp some extremely basic (third-grade-level) concepts of pollution, but clearly not chemical dissipation, bio-accumulation, or any other chemical, biological, or ecological process. He's just throwing around the words to sound important. And don't get me started on the acronyms. Also, no, Oz is not a "scientist." He got an undergrad in science. That's not the same thing. He's a hack.

5. The fact that, at a critical point in the plot, Patterson skips five years for no apparent reason except that he apparently got bored.

6. The totally unnecessary violence and sickening detail on animal deaths. I'm not even going to go into this. Seldom has a book given me the actual physical urge to regurgitate.

7. The ending. Or lack thereof. In a better, braver, deeper book, Patterson's choice for an ending might be brave or bittersweet or thought-provoking. Here it's an admission of defeat. If you're going to come up with some big thorny problem, you owe it to Science Fiction to at least try to come up with a solution or at least a message. "I dunno, we're screwed" doesn't cut it. (view spoiler)

This is a book that had to be downed quickly, much like a very unpleasant shot of hard liquor you're drinking for some unimaginable reason. I saw someone had it shelved as "burn so as not to inflict upon other library patrons." I thought she was exaggerating, but now I whole-heartedly back that decision up. This book has absolutely no redeeming qualities.

Deep down (Very deep down. Thousands of miles.) this book has two good points:

1. Humans are more distanced from animals than at any other time in history or pre-history and this is not a good thing.

2. We're affecting the environment in unknowable and dangerous ways.

But that's it. This is an execrable excuse for a book. It shouldn't even get a star. No one at all should read it, even as an example of everything you shouldn't do as a writer. Or an editor. Or a publisher. Or a human.

...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Jocelyn rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-new

Oh dear sweet baby Jesus. The next time I think it's a good idea to read anything written by an author that writes an average of five novels a year, will someone please remind me of this literary travesty and that I have better things to spend my time reading?

This is one of the worst novels I've read in a long, Long, LONG time. And the only, I repeat, the only reason I bothered finishing it is because the idea behind it could have come out as a truly amazing work of fiction in the hands of almos ...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Karen rated it really liked it

WOW. I wonder, as I read reviews of this book, what the heck are people expecting from books nowadays? Did this book make my heart race? YES. Did this book keep my interest? YES. Did this book keep me up at night? YES. Did this book make me look behind me for animals? YES. Did this book make me think - is this so far off in the future? YES. So really, I have to wonder what are people interested in? This book gets a 4-1/2 from me only because it lost some of it's momentum 3/4 the way in... but th ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Kylie D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: annual-challenges, thriller-suspense, seasonal-challenges

An absorbing thriller, I found Zoo to be entertaining and thought provoking. We have much maligned young biologist Jackson Oz trying to convince the world of his theory of the changes in animal behaviour. And it's not for the best. Laughed at and not taken seriously, Oz watches in horror as his predictions start to come to fruition, and the world's animal population runs out of control, all with one purpose...to kill the humans.

As things escalate Oz and a small group of scientists try to figure ...more

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Dec 09, 2012 EsEfEm rated it did not like it

Shelves: set-it-on-fire

I had never read a James Patterson book before Zoo. I will never read a James Patterson book after Zoo.
I saw a description of this book on NPR that made me think it would be Animal Farm-ish. Haha. No.

I couldn't get over the writing style. Is James Patterson a famous author because he writes in such a sophomoric, simplistic way, it makes stupid people feel smart? Sorry if that offends, but that's how I felt the entire time I was reading Zoo - James Patterson writes for idiots.

One of my favorite p ...more

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May 12, 2016 Julia Ash rated it liked it

Shelves: plagues-vampires-zombies-werewolves, horror

If the book had retained the tension of the scene in Africa (which was quite awesome), it would have been a winner. But the story weakened and started to take on that Sharknado vibe.

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Oct 25, 2012 Bev rated it did not like it

Shelves: kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The only reason I didn't throw in the towel and quit reading the horrible piece of crap that is James Patterson's latest novel, "Zoo," is that I felt if I continued on, it would make good fodder for a journal entry.

I read most books on my Kindle, which tells me how much of the book I have read. I watched the numbers creep from 25% to 50% but by the time I reached 75% my tolerance level had reached its peak and I decided to give it up.

James Patterson used to be good. He used to be quite good, but ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Nel rated it it was amazing

"Zoo" is not a typical James Patterson novel. And yet, I loved the premise of the story which is basically that humans are so distant from "nature" that we're causing our own demise.

I found myself stymied by some reviews that decried the graphic violence of scenes where animals attacked humans. Seriously? How could anyone imagine that an animal intent on attacking and ingesting its prey would not be graphically violent? Had the authors glossed over the attacks, or "sanitized" the many scenes of "Zoo" is not a typical James Patterson novel. And yet, I loved the premise of the story which is basically that humans are so distant from "nature" that we're causing our own demise.

I found myself stymied by some reviews that decried the graphic violence of scenes where animals attacked humans. Seriously? How could anyone imagine that an animal intent on attacking and ingesting its prey would not be graphically violent? Had the authors glossed over the attacks, or "sanitized" the many scenes of violence, I would have felt that despite the book's premise, the authors didn't have a clue as to the true violence involved in killing where claws and teeth are the primary weapons. And they could have gone in another direction to portray that violence. Thankfully readers are not subjected to first-person descriptions of being torn to shreds and eaten while still alive.

I've also read criticisms of the manner in which the main character's love interest is described and later relegated to a mommy role. Okay - while I understand the criticism, the reality is that the story isn't about Mrs. Oz. Perhaps the authors tried to balance this by making the fictional U.S. president female, but who knows. Personally, the issue is quite minor. Had some of the critics read other James Patterson books, they would realize the male and female characters in his stories are usually multi-dimensional, and their human appearances, emotions and behaviors are independent of their gender. In Patterson's series about the genetically altered "bird children", the protagonist is an incredible teen female with courage that I can describe only as inspirational. In short, don't allow this minor detail in a single story lead to incorrect assumptions.

I was also annoyed by one criticism written by either a Ph.D. or whatever royal degree they may possess. Her criticism is that the main character, who was able to outwit his academically credentialed co-scientists, basically has "only" an undergrad degree. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. Wake up. A Ph.D. does not grant automatic superiority or expertise. Rather, it represents one has followed a path of traditional studies of theories and accepted truths. It does not equate to being the only source of new and/or emerging knowledge within a particular field of study.

Read the book. Forget what you think you know. And enjoy the story as intended - what if ...? ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 Kristie rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, audible, 2012

I found this book interesting, yet a bit difficult to rate. There were parts that were so realistic, such as government responses and run-around. However, there were also parts that were unrealistic, which I can't explain without spoilers. Also, there were a couple of tidbits that I didn't think really worked. I liked the storyline, for the most part, and the writing was good, of course. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but I suppose it was more realistic, so it's ok. In general, it was a differ ...more

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Jan 01, 2018 C-shaw rated it it was ok

This is a stupid book! I expected more from James Patterson. The book has been on my TBR list for a while because it looked interesting. The writing was okay and there were many exciting scenes, if filled with horrifyingly bloody animal attacks; but the science, the human response, the conclusion, the lack of credentials for the main character, the lack of emotion, were all just stupid. Don't bother reading this unless you want a dumbed-down Jurassic Park knockoff to while away a few mindless ho ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Britany rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, dystopian

Added this book into the mix this year for a challenge- Why aren't there more books that start with a "Z" out there?

Zoo finds Oz Jackson racing to figure out what is happening in the world. He makes his way to Bostwana and discovers that animals, specifically male animals are freaking out and attacking all the humans in the world. He comes home to find his own pet chimp, Attila also having a meltdown and escaping his NYC apartment. He figures out what the issue is and presents his theory to the ...more

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Dec 13, 2018 Carolyn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, animal-stories, thriller

This sounded like an interesting idea for an end-of-the-world thriller - animals turning on humans and killing the hand that feeds them - but unfortunately the execution didn't do it justice. It feels like a trashy novel written in a hurry without care for detail. There is so much wrong with the science that glib explanations and sweeping statements can't compensate for and it doesn't help that the MC is an arrogant ex-biology student with a high opinion of himself and a big chip on his shoulder ...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Clare rated it did not like it

Shelves: science-fiction

Let me preface this review by saying this was the first James Patterson novel I have read. Also, the book was co-authored by Michael Ledwidge. I chose to pick up this book because the storyline looked promising. That's the best thing I can say about this novel.

What made this book such a lackluster read? There were many reasons: cheesy dialogue, simplistic sentences, superfluous crassness, needless references to modern celebrities and popular products (not to mention the details on the many vari ...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Mia Darien rated it liked it

I've never read Patterson before. I thought this premise sounded interesting, and hoped that maybe this book would fill the niche left by my running out of Crichton books I feel like reading/re-reading.

It was all right. It was... remarkably simple in its writing, I thought. I would have expected slightly more elevated prose from a writer of Patterson's experience. It could be said that the First Person sections were written to match the narrative voice, but... even the parts that weren't from Oz I've never read Patterson before. I thought this premise sounded interesting, and hoped that maybe this book would fill the niche left by my running out of Crichton books I feel like reading/re-reading.

It was all right. It was... remarkably simple in its writing, I thought. I would have expected slightly more elevated prose from a writer of Patterson's experience. It could be said that the First Person sections were written to match the narrative voice, but... even the parts that weren't from Oz's Point of View were simple, and Oz was allegedly a "promising" scientist. Thus, not simplistic.

I found Oz remarkably stupid. He knows that there is something making animals go crazy, but he's living with a chimp and thinks nothing of having people take care of him when he's gone. Chimp attacks are terrifying. And they are big and strong. He never even thinks, has the slightest hesitation, about this in light of what he's rattling on about knowing with the HAC stuff.

Being dropped into the middle of the story's HAC time line kind of throws one off, too. Loses some urgency, because you don't get the initial build-up and then when the time jump happens in the middle of the book, any new urgency built falls down. Maybe if the story had been built in three parts, it would have work, but the pacing just felt odd. I realize maybe it was more realistic, but could've been done better.

The "big discovery" in Oz's apartment just prior to the time jump feels entirely gratuitous, since it's never mentioned again. Either that or Oz is a cold bastard.

There seemed to be very little that Chloe did, and I expected more based on the promise of the book jacket.

The scenes cutting to people around the planet later in the book felt unnecessary. None of them progressed elements of the plot. They just showed us more animals going crazy in more places, and once we know that, we don't need to see more of it.

Chapters 85-87 were kind of hard to read, but not because of good writing as much as just happening to hit some "nightmare scenario" things I got going on.

The ending was a bit of a surprise, but in a good way. The book was an easy read and at least moved well, so I can't say I didn't like it -- even if it was kind of depressing -- but I think I'll be selling it to the used book store on my next trip. Don't think I'll be reading any more Patterson either, though his appearances on Castle continue to amuse me. ...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-release, own-read, thriller, mystery

Jackson Oz, biologist and Chloe Tousignant, ecologist have banded together to work on the world wide problem of multiple attacks by animals – big or small, they all seemed to be banding together to kill humans. Oz first met Chloe in Africa when he witnessed a group of male lions rampaging and killing. He was lucky to escape with his life, and also managed to rescue Chloe. The phenomenon of the packs all being male was not lost on Oz and Chloe – but would they be able to make the powers that be u ...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Laura rated it it was ok

I have decided to be slightly more harsh with my ratings of supermarket thriller/horror novels (this genre needs it's own rating category) so I give this only two stars not because I didn't enjoy it but because it's just not that great of a book when compared to all the novels out there. So-so writing and stupid science abound as the animals of the world go haywire and start attacking humans. The first to notice is Jack Oz, who is ridiculed by the serious scientific community until the attacks b ...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Mary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Something is making wild animals and house pets go crazy and turn on humans all over the world. I just finished reading this book and it is totally different then most of James Patterson's books. But the book is so different that it compels you to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. ...more

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Nov 18, 2013 Michael rated it really liked it

In recent weeks I've read a lot of epic books (A Dance with Dragons, A Feast for Crows, The Stand) and I was tired of wrapping my head around keeping up with hundreds of characters, dense plots and not knowing what was going on half the time. This novel was a perfect escape and it knows what it is: a fast-paced, enjoyable thriller designed for that long airplane ride or daily commute to work.

I greatly enjoyed it, I took it for what it was and didn't think too much about the shortcomings in the ...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Jenn rated it did not like it

So I picked up this book because the premise seemed really interesting and I have heard great things about James Patterson. I have never read any of his books so I thought I would give this one a try. On the cover flap there is a quote from the New York Times: "Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's Best Book Ever." Well if this is the best book ever then the world really has gone downhill and I weep for humanity. This was the worst book I have ever read and So I picked up this book because the premise seemed really interesting and I have heard great things about James Patterson. I have never read any of his books so I thought I would give this one a try. On the cover flap there is a quote from the New York Times: "Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's Best Book Ever." Well if this is the best book ever then the world really has gone downhill and I weep for humanity. This was the worst book I have ever read and I simply kept reading it because I was curious how they would wrap up the ending, which I was severely disappointed with. Beware there are spoilers in the rest of this review.

Ok so the basic plot is that Oz is a scientist (if you can even call him that because he drops out of school, because that is what every scientist does when they come across startling evidence...drop out of school and don't complete your degree, everyone will listen to you then)and he realizes that animals around the world are acting really weird and are attacking people. So he heads off to Botswana to get proof of his crazy theory, while leaving his pet monkey (yes the man who thinks animals are killing humans has a pet monkey) at home for his girlfriend to take care of. In Botswana he is attacked by lions and then conveniently finds a girl and rescues her. What should have been a totally cool scene where they fought for their lives to get back to civilization is completely skipped. Hey I saved the girl, then poof now we are back at the camp. Every time there is some sort of heightened situation it either gets resolved ridiculously quickly, or they simply jump past it. In Botswana they are warned to leave quickly because of what they have filmed, I thought they might have to avoid rabid animals or people trying to stop them, but no the next thing we know they are back in New York City. Where conveniently the old girlfriend has been killed by his pet monkey, something he freaks out about for like five minutes, then simply shrugs off.

The worst thing is that Patterson literally jumps ahead like five years in the middle of the book, randomly for no particular reason. The world has gotten even worse and they have not managed to come up with any solutions. Chloe (the girl Oz rescued in Africa) could have been a very cool character, a scientist (with an actual degree) she was described as tough and smart. But all she does in the book is sit at home with her child and support Oz and wait for him to come defend her.

I finished this book and thought, why, why did I read this. I hope the rest of James Patterson's books are better than this one, because this was truly terrible. ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Dave Schumaker rated it it was ok

Let me start off by saying that the premise of "Zoo" sounds like a very promising story. It's a techno-thriller set in the present day and explores a mystery illness suddenly spreading around the world that is causing all sorts of mammals to inexplicably attack humans on sight (and smell). From domesticated pets to wild animals, we've suddenly become nature's favorite snack.

In reality, this book should probably be named, "50 Shades of Prey." The writing style leaves quite a bit to be desired. Th Let me start off by saying that the premise of "Zoo" sounds like a very promising story. It's a techno-thriller set in the present day and explores a mystery illness suddenly spreading around the world that is causing all sorts of mammals to inexplicably attack humans on sight (and smell). From domesticated pets to wild animals, we've suddenly become nature's favorite snack.

In reality, this book should probably be named, "50 Shades of Prey." The writing style leaves quite a bit to be desired. The story alternates between poorly written third person narratives describing various animals attacking humans and tortuous first-person accounts from a "scientist" named Oz -- an arrogant manic drop-out with ADHD from Colombia University who you would probably find calling into Art Bell's Coast to Coast each week. Oh, he also has an insane chimpanzee for a pet.

Anyway, the story opens with two lions from the LA Zoo attacking their keeper (whom they've been familiar with for years) and escaping into the urban jungle known as Los Angeles and generally wrecking some major havoc.

From there, we meet Oz, a self-proclaimed pioneer of a little-known theory called HAC -- human-animal conflict. For roughly the last 10 or so years, he's been tracking every instance of animal attacks on humans and is the only one who notices a disturbing trend: they've been increasing exponentially!

It probably doesn't help that his main / preferred companion is a chimp and he is a chronic homebody. (Interestingly enough, he still manages to have a girlfriend or two in the book.) Coupled with his caustic attitude toward other scientists who looked down upon him (and the constant snarky quips and comments he shares throughout the book), I can't think of a single reason why anyone would have a hard time believing him.

Anyway, all of this leads to an interesting thought experiment: What happens when rats, bats, dogs, and dolphins (all lead by a single chimpanzee) take over the world and potentially lead to the fall of human civilization as we know it, while our only savior is a crazy introvert who knew this was going to happen all along?

Let's just say that I really wanted to like this book. The concept had a lot of potential. Sadly, I found myself wanting to get through this book just so I could get done with it and move onto the next thing on my reading list. The parts describing the animal attacks tried to emulate a Stephen King horror novel while the first-person accounts with Oz were just downright torture to read.

Fortunately for me (and probably for you too), it's a relatively mindless and quick read. I struggled with whether to give this two stars or three stars. The entire story started to unravel and grow more ridiculous toward the end (kind of like this review). Ultimately, I decided to give it 2 stars. ...more

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Apr 26, 2015 Monnie rated it liked it

This is a book I've had on my Kindle Fire for at least a year (probably two), but I just never got around to starting it. When I heard that it will be the basis for a new 13-episode TV series beginning June 30 on CBS, though, I decided to give it a go. First, I looked at the book reviews; to my dismay, as of late April there were 1,903 at Amazon, and an astounding 413 reviewers gave it the worst possible rating - one star - and the average is only three. Well, that's TV executives for you, I sai This is a book I've had on my Kindle Fire for at least a year (probably two), but I just never got around to starting it. When I heard that it will be the basis for a new 13-episode TV series beginning June 30 on CBS, though, I decided to give it a go. First, I looked at the book reviews; to my dismay, as of late April there were 1,903 at Amazon, and an astounding 413 reviewers gave it the worst possible rating - one star - and the average is only three. Well, that's TV executives for you, I said to myself - who else would decide to take a book with that many lousy reviews and tout it as a must-watch series?

Nevertheless, I was determined to read for myself, and now that I've finished, I learned two things: First, the book probably wouldn't make my Top 200 List of favorites, but it isn't anywhere near that awful. Second, those TV execs may be onto something after all. Think "Planet of the Apes" meets "Under the Dome;" it's got all the hot buttons including animals of every kind in every country - even domestic pets - inexplicably forming packs and turning on humans, who suddenly find themselves being hunted down in a world in which they once ruled supreme.

Enter Ph.D. dropout Jackson Oz, a young biologist (and conveniently, a chimpanzee owner, which takes on significance as the plot unfolds), who begins to notice a sea change in animal behavior. When a major "event" takes place in Botswana, he travels there from his New York City home to see for himself. He narrowly escapes being killed by what appears to be an unusually coordinated pack of male lions, and he saves a beautiful young woman named Chloe from the same fate. They, together with a few like-minded folks, conclude that this is the start of HAC, or Human-Animal Conflict. If the cause isn't found and soon, it could mean the end of the civilized world.

Needless to say, hardly anyone of any importance buys into the theory until it's almost too late, so the scramble to find the reason(s) behind the behavioral shift extends over years - giving Jackson and Chloe time to marry and have a son. Fast-forward to a later time, when the animal attacks have grown more frequent and more vicious (cue up "Twilight Zone"-style background music for the TV series and close-ups of Texas-sized incisors as noses and other human appendages are savagely removed). There's no shortage of action and more than enough blood-and-guts to make for great TV scenes (if the lions and dogs don't get 'em, the rats will) as the race to save the human race from extinction heats up.

I can't explain more without giving too much away, but the reason behind the animals' behavior and the actions required to reverse it are a bit of a strain on the imagination (not to mention more than a little "preachy"). And given what the scientists discover, the ending makes almost no sense to me at all. I'm guessing that's what prompted the dislikes from other readers; I know it's why, even though the book held my attention just about every page of the way, I gave it three stars instead of four.

That said, I'm glad I read it prior to the start of the TV series, and I plan to watch the series debut and see how it goes. I could be wrong, but my bet at this point is that this will be one of very few instances when the movie really is better than the book.
...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Amber ☾♥ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, favorites

Wow. This book, though.

For a lover of dystopian, I was immediately drawn to this book for multiple reasons. While this is not a dystopian, it had some classic elements that I loved. One, we dun fucked up and there are detrimental consequences to our way of life as we know it. Two, Government officials (and all the way down to "Joe Shmo" level people) don't want to listen to the facts until it's too late, subsequently dooming us all. Three, our planet kicks the ever-loving shit out of us for bein ...more

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Jan 27, 2014 Cameron Mitchell rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

Jesus Christ... James Patterson has sunk to a new low... And he's been to some pretty low points. This book is not only one of the worst James Patterson books I've read, it's one of the worst books I have ever read, period. Here are a few reasons why...

-The main character is afraid that something is making all animals go crazy and become violent, and yet he keeps a pet chimp? And he leaves other people to take care of it? (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 28, 2015 Ashley rated it liked it

I started this story because I was interested in watching the TV series based on this book. I'm not so sure I want to watch it anymore though. I'm usually a huge fan of James Patterson, and for the majority of this book, I was really loving the story line. Then we hit the actual science behind why animals were suddenly attacking humans, and I think I may have literally rolled my eyes. I wonder if Patterson actually did any real research before writing this book. Yes, the book kept me interested. ...more

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Oct 17, 2015 Matthew rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, action-thriller, 2015, library

I was expecting more. Not as suspenseful as I hoped and the story was a little forced and predictable throughout. I did enjoy the ending, but, for me, the road to get there was just okay.

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Oct 03, 2016 Emma♔☯ (Bookishfix) rated it really liked it

“The world was becoming a zoo, without cages.”

End of the world, apocalypse novel, but with animals?! This actually surprised me as i didn't enjoy my last James Patterson read all that much. But this, being a standalone, i enjoyed it immensely. So many reviewed this really low, maybe due to the fact that many animal activists hate animals being seen as dangerous and out of control, even in a novel. I love animals(hello, im living with 4 cats, and a dog atm) and hate seeing any animal
“The world was becoming a zoo, without cages.”

End of the world, apocalypse novel, but with animals?! This actually surprised me as i didn't enjoy my last James Patterson read all that much. But this, being a standalone, i enjoyed it immensely. So many reviewed this really low, maybe due to the fact that many animal activists hate animals being seen as dangerous and out of control, even in a novel. I love animals(hello, im living with 4 cats, and a dog atm) and hate seeing any animal hurt ,harmed or mistreated. This book showed both human and animal deaths quite frequently throughout so its not like the animals are being picked on. I can only imagine this book having had hordes of PETA enthusiasts marching and stating James Patterson is trying to corrupt our minds , or build on our fear of animals. Remember that it is fiction, meaning it's not real, made up from the author's imagination. So calm the fuck down for a second and enjoy the book for what it is, an author's imagination coming to life on paper.
Sometimes i think we as human, take some things far too seriously than we are meant to, while other major issues in life get brushed aside like they are nothing.
Confusing breed we are sometimes.

Jackson Oz is a biologist, studying the unusual spike in abnormal behaviour and aggression displayed in animals over the past years. Having quit from college, due to many thinking of him as loon, he studies and puts all his time and effort into developing a theory known as HAC- Human Animal Conflict. The bases of the theory is that something on an large environmental scale has triggered the animals to change their normal animalistic behaviour and become hyper-aggressive resulting in multiple calculated attacks on humans.
Having to leave his rescue monkey, Attila behind and head to Africa to study and capture evidence of HAC, Oz meets and rescues, ecologist Chloe Tousignant. Together they must disclose to the world what Oz has worked on and been ridiculed for years. Opening the eyes of millions and those in government with the power to act may be harder than they thought, but with the increasing danger the world and the human population is under, what else do they have to lose?

Okay first of all, all the death scenes weather animal or human were really well thought out and detailed. If you don't like this gruesome stuff, this book isn't for you. We have lion attacks, rodent attacks, mauling's , shootings, intestines ripped out, the whole lot. But once again, it is a end of the world, apocalypse novel about animals going wild against humans, as if you weren't expecting this..
The change in animal behaviour is not only shown from beginning to end, it also explains how the animal should normally respond/behave, making it a really interesting read. This had me like:

I liked Jackson Oz as a main character, he is really smart and stands up for what he believes in even when his colleagues and those with a PHD put him down and call him a loon. To stand alone, and try to do your best for humanity even behind closed doors, without much power to change anything but try to get those who can to listen is amazing; his will to fight/save is truly captivating.
I especially loved that he rescued Attila from a testing lab, and made a home for him in his apartment. It was cute how he would interact with Attila as though he were a small child, and you could see that he loved him, even stating that when he grew too big and too hard to look after he would find him a home in a sanctuary so he could receive the care , space and love he would need to live a content life. Plus with lines like this, how could you not love his character? I literally laughed.
“It was like crawling into the asshole of Satan.”

My only real problem was the ending, i needed more from it hence my rating. It just kind of ended out of nowhere. We had a solution to the problem, but nothing had necessarily changed, it went back to being a shit storm and the humans having to try and survive. That was a little bit of a let down, but the rest was awesome! I'm not sure if their will be another book, or an add on or something in a few years times.
I know its been made into a series on Netflix but from reviews I've seen, its very different to the book and alot said it was quite boring and dull.

If you can get passed the gruesome deaths, and not take the animals gone crazy too seriously, then give this book as go. I was surprised by it and so may you.

Recommended for: Sci-Fi/ Apocalyptic / Zoology/Fiction /Mild Romance

...more

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Jul 11, 2017 Suzanne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Pretty good. I did something I never do: I made the mistake of watching the show first so that effected my feelings. This is something I don't normally do for this very reason. But I am glad I finally got around to read this book. I have had it for awhile now. ...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Linda Munro rated it it was amazing

I have to admit that I am like every other James Patterson fan, I see his name as author of a book and I have to read it; but, haven't you wondered how much of these books with co-authors are actually written by him? Since the style of this book is identical to the Michael Bennett books co-authored by Michael Ledwidge, and so dissimilar to the style of other Patterson books, let's finally give credit where credit is due... Ledwidge is brilliant! After all, who else knows how to slip just the ri ...more

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Dec 25, 2019 Amanda NEVER MANDY rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

A man smarter than every person currently living has a scientific discovery that no one will believe.

I can suspend belief for a story that requires it. I cannot suspend belief for a story this awful. The characters were annoying, the writing was terrible and the plot was an absolute train wreck. My biggest gripe had to do with the lead character, Oz. He was so full of himself and his endless prattle about how he had all the answers and if only the world would listen to him was enough to mak ...more

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Mar 18, 2018 Alaina rated it it was ok

Shelves: thriller, fantasy, march-challenge-2018, fiction, horror, mystery, dystopia, sci-fi, contemporary

I've read books by James Patterson before so I was kind of hesitant to read this book after watching the first season of the TV show that is sort of based on this book. Hesitant because I didn't want to end up disliking the book because the show was just meh to me.

After reading it, the book was meh to me. The writing was okay but the characters seemed to annoy the crap out of me. Jackson Oz, the young biologist trying to figure out why animals are attacking humans was just an ass and sometimes ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Readers'...: Zoo #1: Zoo by James Patterson - Starting 25th October	65	147	Feb 11, 2018 03:31PM
Zoo	47	214	Apr 11, 2017 09:51AM
Goodreads Librari...: Put french description please.	3	18	Oct 10, 2016 01:54PM
Book/Movie	6	35	Jul 27, 2015 04:58PM
BOTM,Past to Present	1	10	Jun 29, 2015 02:38PM

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About James Patterson

James Patterson

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James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He has sold over 380 million books wo ...more