The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor: Part One by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor: Part One
Author: Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga
Publication Date: October 8, 2013

My The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury Review
My The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury Pre-Reading

My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Review
My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Pre-Reading
My The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 Review
Synopsis: The third book in Robert Kirkman's New York Times bestselling series, The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor!

The Walking Dead original novel series, set in the universe of Robert Kirkman's iconic universe, continues with The Fall of the Governor. From co-authors Kirkman, creator of the Eisner Award-winning comic book and executive producer of AMC's blockbuster TV series, and Jay Bonansinga, Stoker Award-finalist and internationally acclaimed author, comes the gripping third novel in this richly woven, page-turning literary saga, which began with The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.

In Rise of the Governor, uber-villain Philip Blake journeyed from his humble beginnings directly into the dark heart of the zombie apocalypse, and became the self-proclaimed leader of a small town called Woodbury. In The Road to Woodbury, an innocent traveler named Lilly Caul wound up in the terrifying thrall of Phillip Blake’s twisted, violent dictatorship within Woodbury’s ever tightening barricades.

And now, in The Fall of the Governor, the Governor’s complex story continues in a tour de force of action and horror. Iconic characters from the comic book, including Rick, Michonne and Glenn, finally make their entrance onto this nightmarish stage, and fans of The Walking Dead will see these characters in a whole new light.

Why?: I love the TV show and I love the comics, and I've enjoyed the other two books in this series, so it only makes sense to continue with The Fall of the Governor! Plus, I'm excited to see more familiar characters in a new form, and I hope that this book will give more information about them. 

Expectations: I'm expecting a story about Phillip Blake's downfall full of zombies and characters that fans of The Walking Dead already know and love. I'm also expecting to learn new things about old characters. 

Judging a book by its cover: I think this might be my favorite cover in the series so far! I like the zombies (or people? I'm not sure, which makes me like it even more) in the background, and Phillip's eye patch in the foreground. I would totally pick up this book if I saw it on a shelf! 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (Governor Trilogy #2) by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (The Governor Series #2)
Author: Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga
Year Published: 2012

My The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury Pre-Reading
My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Review
My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Pre-Reading
My The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 Review

Synopsis: The first book explained how the Governor was created; this thrilling sequel to The New York Times bestseller further reveals his ruthless, inhuman conquest of Woodbury

The zombie plague unleashes its horrors on the suburbs of Atlanta without warning, pitting the living against the dead. Caught in the mass exodus, Lilly Caul struggles to survive in a series of ragtag encampments and improvised shelters. But the Walkers are multiplying. Dogged by their feral hunger for flesh and crippled by fear, Lilly relies on the protection of good Samaritans by seeking refuge in a walled-in town once known as Woodbury, Georgia.

At first, Woodbury seems like a perfect sanctuary. Squatters barter services for food, people have roofs over their heads, and the barricade expands, growing stronger every day. Best of all, a mysterious self-proclaimed leader named Philip Blake keeps the citizens in line. But Lilly begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. . . . Blake, who has recently begun to call himself The Governor, has disturbing ideas about law and order.

Ultimately, Lilly and a band of rebels open up a Pandora’s box of mayhem and destruction when they challenge The Governor’s reign . . . and the road to Woodbury becomes the highway to hell in this riveting follow-up to Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga's New York Times bestselling The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.

----------------------------------------------

Review: I really love everything about The Walking Dead. I love the show, I love the comics, and I was totally blown away by Rise of the Governor. After that ending, I knew I had to read this book and find out what would happen next. 

This book is told from an outsider's perspective, which was definitely interesting. Seeing Lilly navigate through this new life and watching her friends & her find their way to Woodbury really helped expand this universe and show how other people deal with the zombie apocalypse. The only problem with this group of characters was that I hated pretty much all of them (except for Josh). They're all really annoying and shallow and I couldn't stand them. I didn't care what happened to them. 

Aside from that though, this book is really interesting. We still get to see some of the Governor and his particular brand of crazy. There's also more of Martinez and the Doctor, an I enjoyed getting to know them and their pasts a little bit more. Watching outsiders discover Woodbury and its secrets made it feel like I was the one discovering Woodbury for the first time. 

Like The Rise of the Governor, this book has a pretty big comic book feel to it. It's written in 3rd person, and often times describes things that even the characters are unaware of. It really made me feel scared for Josh and Lilly and their friends, and I always felt like something bad was about to happen. But then, like The Walking Dead does, I was lured into a sense of calm and let my guard down and BAD THINGS happen. So yeah. Ugh.

If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, I would totally suggest this series to you. Especially if you read the first installment. As far as zombie books go though, I don't think this is a good series to pick up without having at least a working knowledge of the universe that it's set it. It could be confusing and you should at least read the comics before you read these books. I'd give this one a 3/5, but I'll definitely be getting my hands on The Fall of the Governor soon! 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (The Governor Series #2) by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (The Governor Series #2)
Author: Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga
Year Published: 2012

My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Review
My The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Pre-Reading
My The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 Review

Synopsis: The first book explained how the Governor was created; this thrilling sequel to The New York Times bestseller further reveals his ruthless, inhuman conquest of Woodbury

The zombie plague unleashes its horrors on the suburbs of Atlanta without warning, pitting the living against the dead. Caught in the mass exodus, Lilly Caul struggles to survive in a series of ragtag encampments and improvised shelters. But the Walkers are multiplying. Dogged by their feral hunger for flesh and crippled by fear, Lilly relies on the protection of good Samaritans by seeking refuge in a walled-in town once known as Woodbury, Georgia.

At first, Woodbury seems like a perfect sanctuary. Squatters barter services for food, people have roofs over their heads, and the barricade expands, growing stronger every day. Best of all, a mysterious self-proclaimed leader named Philip Blake keeps the citizens in line. But Lilly begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. . . . Blake, who has recently begun to call himself The Governor, has disturbing ideas about law and order.

Ultimately, Lilly and a band of rebels open up a Pandora’s box of mayhem and destruction when they challenge The Governor’s reign . . . and the road to Woodbury becomes the highway to hell in this riveting follow-up to Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga's New York Times bestselling The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.

Why?: I recently finished reading the first book in this series, Rise of the Governor and I have to know what happens next! I'm excited to see Woodbury from an outsider's perspective and learn more about The Governor through that. I really enjoy everything about this series, so I can't wait to learn more about Woodbury and Phillip Blake. 

Expectations: Since I enjoyed the first book so much, I have pretty high expectations for this book.  I do expect less of The Governor and more of Lilly Caul and her bunch, as well as more of the workings of Woodbury. After reading RIse of the Governor, I'm also expecting quite a few twists and turns that change everything I know about this world and the characters. 

Judging a book by its cover: I actually really like this cover. I like that you can't tell if the person is a person or a walker, and that everything is very dark except for "The Walking Dead." I would most likely pick this up if I saw it on a shelf somewhere! 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor (The Governor Series #1)
Author: Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga
Year Published: 2011

My Pre-Reading
My The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 Review

Synopsis: Based on The Walking Dead graphic novels/comic books and the series starring Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, This Life and Love, and Love Actually) and written/produced by Frank Darabont whose previous credits include The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, this is a new trilogy of books written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, author of Perfect Victim and Shattered. 

Set in the world created by Robert Kirkman, this standalone trilogy is fast-paced, action-packed storytelling about the lengths some men will go to survive. With new characters, new storylines and with the same in-depth character-based plotting that has made the television series such an immediate hit, this trilogy of novels is sure to be a hit with those who love zombies and those who have loved the TV series and comic books.

In the Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it’s forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople’s amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted “Villain of the Year” by Wizardmagazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial in the history of the Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of The Walking Dead will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes.

-----------------------------------------

Review: Oh. My. Goodness. This book completely changed everything I thought I knew about The Governor and blew my mind into like a million different pieces. And I absolutely loved every single second and every single twist that was thrown at me. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and every time I thought I had it all figured out I was thrown for another loop. Or three. 

I think one of the most interesting things about this book was seeing The Governor transform into the ruthless leader and monster he is in the comics and the show. He's a huge villain in the series, but looking back we actually know very little about him. I loved seeing him start out a as a man trying to care for Penny and protect his brother and friends, knowing that he ends up being incredibly terrifying. It's hard to put the before and after together, but I think this series will really help with that missing middle section. 

Although we learn quite a bit about Phillip Blake - like what happened to his wife before the zombies and who his friends are and how Penny dies and what happens to him over the course of trying to find safety, I actually preferred reading about Brian Blake, Phillip's brother. Phillip begins as a single father who has had to work two jobs to make ends meet for him and Penny and ends up losing a lot of his humanity over the course of trying to protect her from the biters, but Brian's transformation is so much more subtle and I think more interesting.

Brian is the weaker of the brothers - Phillip is the natural-born leader, whereas Brian is content to sit back and take orders and keep Penny out of danger. He's a failure in pretty much everything, and nobody really expects him to survive very long. Slowly, he actually comes out of his shell and starts succeeding at things and even begins to question Phillip's leadership skills and decisions. I just really enjoyed watching him grow and change and end up as a totally different person by the end of the book.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was how it read like the comics. It's dark and gritty and when I pictured things, I saw them in the black and white that the comics are written in. I definitely would recommend this to any fans of The Walking Dead, whether you enjoy the show or the comics or both. Some parts of this book are kind of slow, but just give it a chance. Read until the end. You won't be disappointed! 5/5. 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor (The Governor Series #1) by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor (The Governor Series #1)
Author: Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga
Year Published: 2011

Synopsis: Based on The Walking Dead graphic novels/comic books and the series starring Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, This Life and Love, and Love Actually) and written/produced by Frank Darabont whose previous credits include The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, this is a new trilogy of books written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, author of Perfect Victim and Shattered. Set in the world created by Robert Kirkman, this standalone trilogy is fast-paced, action-packed storytelling about the lengths some men will go to survive. With new characters, new storylines and with the same in-depth character-based plotting that has made the television series such an immediate hit, this trilogy of novels is sure to be a hit with those who love zombies and those who have loved the TV series and comic books.

In the Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it’s forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople’s amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted “Villain of the Year” by Wizard magazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial in the history of the Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of The Walking Dead will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes.

Why?: I'm a huge Walking Dead fan - I read the comics, I watch the show, and I want to know everything there is about the characters and their world. I'm really excited to learn about why the Governor is the way he is, and how he came to be so ruthless and crazy. Was he always like that? What drove him to madness? I'm hoping this series answers a lot of the questions I have! 

Expectations: I expect this to be a very character driven book. I don't really think the plot will be exceptional - definitely some harrowing experiences and things that change The Governor's life and cause him to become the villain we all know and love to hate. I'm kind of expecting it to feel like a comic book without the pictures.

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is very simple and goes well with the series. I can't tell if the silhouettes are living people or zombies, and I really like the ambiguity of it. I would probably pick it up if I saw it on a shelf somewhere based on the cover alone. 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead: Compendium 1 by Robert Kirkman - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: Compendium 1
Author: Robert Kirkman 
Year Published: 2009

My Pre-Reading

Synopsis: In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living. With The Walking Dead #1-48, this compendium features more than one thousand pages chronicling the start of Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning story of zombie horror, from Rick Grimes waking up alone in a hospital, his band of survivors seeking refuge on an isolated farm and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot, The Governor.

------------------------------------

Review: I really wish I had read these before starting to watch the television show, but I am so glad that the series became popular because of the show. I love the show, and I think I loved the comics even more. 

The comics are darker, grittier, and gorier than I was expecting. I mean, I knew it was going to be all of those things, but somehow a black and white comic portrays more gore than most things in color. And I really loved how everything is black and white - I really think it adds so much to the story. The artwork is fantastic, and I hardly even noticed when the illustrator changes near the beginning (I only know because I read somewhere that it happened). 

I like so many more of the characters so much better in the comics than in the show. Andrea is one of my favorites - she's strong, skilled, unafraid, and willing to do quite a bit to protect Dale, the twins, and her friends. It's like she's a completely different person. A much more likable person. Rich is also less annoying in the comics. He's a better leader, and he understands his limitations much more. And he doesn't take crap from anyone. Carl is more child-like, and doesn't try to shoulder so much responsibility. He also actually listens (for the most part) and doesn't leave the house when someone tells him to get in the house. 

And then there's the Governor. He's much crazier and scarier than anything that would have been able to be shown on television. And most people know he's crazy, they just don't want to get on his bad side. He's a perfect villain, and even though we don't know too much about his background we gt enough of a glimpse to see what fuels him. Most of the scenes with him were incredibly shocking, and not at all what I expected. Compared to the comic book version, the television Governor is tame. 

The story is excellent, and the world building is pretty great too. It's amazing how much of this world we can learn about just through dialogue. I think that's part of the reason I love comic books/graphic novels, and why this one is so good. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who watches the TV show but hasn't read the comics yet. Or to anyone who wants a fantastic zombie story. Or to anyone who enjoys comics/graphic novels. I wouldn't recommend it to a younger audience (I'd probably say it's at least PG-13). I loved this collection, and I can't wait to start the second compendium to find out what's next for everyone! 5/5. 


--Ashley

The Walking Dead (Compendium 1) by Robert Kirkman - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Walking Dead: Compendium 1
Author: Robert Kirkman 
Year Published: 2009

Synopsis: In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living. With The Walking Dead #1-48, this compendium features more than one thousand pages chronicling the start of Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning story of zombie horror, from Rick Grimes waking up alone in a hospital, his band of survivors seeking refuge on an isolated farm and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot, The Governor.

Why?: I've been watching the TV show based on the comics, and it's one of the most well done dramas on television right now. So, I wanted to see where it all started. I know the comics are different from the show, as it is with all shows and movies based on books, but I think both will be excellent in their own way.

Expectations: I expect zombies! And an excellent plot that's similar to the show but also different, with some characters that didn't quite make it to the show. Also, a lot of controversy, mystery, and guns.

Judging a book by its cover: People, who I assume are the main characters, are along the top, while zombie versions of them line the bottom. I would most likely pick this up in a bookstore or a library, because who doesn't love zombies?


--Ashley