Friday 8 July 2016

The Readers - #2 The Walking Dead – Rise of the Governor

Another two months have passed and our group of Readers have finally finished the second instalment from our book club. This time, Sarahjane joined myself, Lesley and Nikki for a trip into the apocalyptic landscape of a zombie ravaged Georgia in the form of my novel choice – ‘The Walking Dead – Rise of the Governor’.
 

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a few years now, after I was gifted it in a workplace Secret Santa, so I thought it was about time I gave it a read, especially as I love ‘The Walking Dead’ so much! You can find it on Amazon for various prices, and Waterstones have it in stock for £7.99. Obviously, I didn’t pay a penny as it was a gift, but both Lesley and Nikki managed to get it for just over £4 on the Kindle.
 
Written by horror author Jay Bonansinga and ‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman, the story follows the infamous character of The Governor as he begins his journey after the dead start to rise. Split into three parts, we follow Phillip (aka The Governor) as he tries to protect his family and friends while battling through herds of shambling corpses.
 
The book starts out at quite a slow pace, and I found it very difficult maintain any sort of reading momentum. Perhaps it was the writing style (I don’t often read third person novels) or perhaps it was the initial lack of events in the storyline, the opening of the book just wasn’t what I was used to after watching the TV series or reading the comics. Sarahjane mentioned that the structuring of the chapters was often difficult to follow and read more like an episode of the show rather than a novel – this from someone who’s first encounter with ‘The Walking Dead’ was this book.
 
Despite these initial grumblings, the action soon increases and the group are continually forced to find new ways in which to deal with their predicament. After surrendering a gated suburban community to a sea of zombies (a setting which will be familiar to fans of the comics) the band of survivors head further into the city of Atlanta, looking for help. When it becomes clear that city life is also not feasible, a series of events are set in place which ultimately lead the characters towards the familiar town of Woodbury.
 
Throughout the storyline, the characters develop and adapt as best they can to their new way of life, and the reader is given an insight into how a relatively ordinary man became the ruthless and feared ‘Governor’ of a small band of survivors. Although the author is counting on many of the readers thinking they know at least some of Philip Blake’s backstory, as a fan of the franchise, I did not see the ending coming! This was a welcome surprise and really helped to cement my high opinion of the book in general.
 
While everyone seemed to enjoy this book much better than the last, some are suggesting that it could have been longer. Both Nikki and Lesley argue that, while we do understand The Governor better after reading his backstory, we still have not seen his ‘rise’ as a leader and that the title of the story itself is misleading. I would partially argue against this, but cannot support this claim without giving away too many spoilers. Regardless of this, I would urge anyone to go and read this book. I’m reluctant to rate anything as perfect, but (like last time) I think this deserves 4.5/5! I’ve already started the sequel – The Walking Dead – The Road to Woodbury – and imagine this will be just as good!
 
Our next book is Sarahjane’s choice and takes us on a journey through time – ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’ by Claire North. Join us again in September and find out how we get on with the next one!
 
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24 comments

  1. I never knew The Walking Dead was a book series. Might have a look for these.

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    1. I'm reading the second one now and I'm totally loving it! Definitely give them a go, they are great! :)

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  2. I didn't know the Walking Dead was a book series either, not seen the TV show but I might try the books soon - thanks for sharing x

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    1. I don't tend to like books that started out on TV, but this only adds to the fantastic story portrayed on screen! :)

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  3. I've not seen the tv series and I must admit I'm surprised to learn that they started life as a book series. Not my type of genre, so I will give it a miss, but I know plenty of people who love it, so I shall pass it on as a recommendation given your high score!

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    1. At first, I thought Sarahjane would opt to give this one a miss, but she really enjoyed it despite her not enjoying the zombie genre :)

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  4. I have never watched the Waking Dead and didn't realise it was a series of books too. I'll look out for them.

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    1. They are definitely worth a read if you are a fan of the horror genre, I'm already loving the second novel! :)

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  5. I tend to prefer books to TV and have never seen the series, so I don't know how well I'd keep up with this!
    Jess xo | The Indigo Hours

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    1. Sarahjane had never seen the series either, but I'm hoping to convince her it's worth a watch! :)

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  6. I actually never knew that these were based on books. I couldn't really get into the TV show so I might give the books a go sometime x

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    1. It's not that they were based on books, more that they were written alongside each other. Both are equally good and well worth getting in to! :)

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  7. It's great to connect via a shared interest in books, there should be more book clubs for like minded people. I would love a cookery book one:-)

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    1. Why not start one? I'm sure there are plenty of people interested in trying out cookery books! :)

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  8. I must be rhe only person with no knowledge of the walking dead. Never watched or read it.

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    1. It's well worth getting in to and hugely entertaining! :)

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  9. I love the walking dead! I can't wait for the next season to start!! I'm not sure I'd be able to get into the book either but I'd like to give it a try. It's not my usual kind of genre when it comes to a book but as I've seen the T.V series... Yes I think I'd like to give this a go! :) xx

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    1. It was difficult at first, but I've just finished the second book today and I absolutely loved it! :)

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  10. Not read this book or seen the TV series. But I much prefer to read the books first.

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    1. It was interesting to read these as they were based on the comics and tv show, rather than the other way round. Despite this, it still makes for an excellent read! :)

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  11. I love walking dead. I had never heard it was a book before though...

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    1. I'm already looking for the third one, sooo addictive! :)

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  12. I love the show and the GN's but have as yet to start the books! Think I will give them a go now though. Only 2 months to go! #TWD

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    1. I actually can't wait for the show to start again! I'm up to date with the GN's, so I had to get myself the next two books to keep me going until October! :)

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