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The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor
Did anyone else read this? What did you think?
Here is MY review: http://www.rpsteeves.com/2012/06/wrapped-up-like-book-review-walking.html
Here is MY review: http://www.rpsteeves.com/2012/06/wrapped-up-like-book-review-walking.html
Comments
Looking forward to the next one.
I'm going to spoil away, so if you don't want to be spoiled, keep moving.
The bottom line for me is that I wanted the story of who the Governor was and how he got that way? Didn't get that- unless we're supposed to think that Brian magically embodies everything that Philip was, then we didn't really learn much about the Governor. The Philip character embodied all the qualities we saw in the Governor, from his competence to his sadism to his bugfuck insanity with Penny. To just tell us that Brian went insane and suddenly absorbed Philip's entire personality is just an out of leftfield cheat. Nothing in the book lays the groundwork for it. And aside from that, its out of character with the comic series- which aside from a few veerings to fantasy (ex. Michonne and rick's conversations with dead people/themselves), the book is firmly rooted in reality, but for the single wild twist of it being a world of zombies. So this type of psychotic plot leap just clashes with that.
Pfeh! Man I really hated this. And aside from that, the book really fails to develop any of the other characters. Its just them running from one zombie situation to the next. Sure, its action packed- but utterly hollow otherwise. I never really gave a fuck about any of the main protagonists- even Penny is nothing more than a catatonic sweet at times cypher. The only way we know philip and brian love her with all their hearts is when the book tells us explicitly and on multiple times that they love her with all their hearts. Pfeh.
Just a waste. The worst part is that Kirkman signed off on this book (and perhaps even wrote it? I find it hard to believe given how good the comic is).
The best part about this is that at least I got it for free from the library, so didn't cost me a penny (aside from having to experience penny's death) (which was also poorly done!).
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I did it as an audiobook, and I usually seek out less literary, more plot-driven or genre books when it comes to audiobooks as they tend to fit the split attention I am giving them (as I am always doing something else at the same time).
I thought it was a very mediocre book and well below the writing I usually get from Walking Dead. As he has got more successful, it seems Kirkman is more and more inclined to put his name over the title of other people's writing (see Thief of Thieves) so I can only guess that he did a plot or outline and Bonansinga (the "and" in the credit) perhaps did most of the writing? Or maybe Kirkman did do most of the writing and this book showed me that prose is just not his medium.
9/10ths of the book is typical we've-seen-it-all-before zombie stuff. I actually think that both Walking Dead and 28 Days Later do a skillful thing in skipping the story of the initial outbreak. Because what is that, usually, but a bunch of running and confusion. The more interesting drama, to me, is the after. And after the after. The territory that Walking Dead the comic, especially now that it is about to be 100 issues deep, gets to delve into. All those miles and years that go beyond the initial bit of surviving the monsters in the house.
The final 1/10th of the book is where it finally got more interesting. To me- those moments where the Governor started becoming the Governor is where I think the book had the potential to distinguish itself. To show not only the politics and guile, the sort of Lord of the Flies of it all that makes a leader rise up. But also the loss of humanity that brings that character to be the man we meet in the comic. But virtually all of that story I guess is saved for the next two books.
Also, I was amazed that Penny, as a character, was such a cipher. Hell, she was barely more characterized in the novel then she is as a zombie later. Throughout the story she just seemed a prop. The kid you were waiting for something terrible to happen to. Which is a waste. I just don't believe her as a kid. Maybe these authors don't spend much time around kids her age? I don't know. But kids tend to have a lot more point of view and agency then she showed in this book.
I was neutral on the twist. It was well-executed, I suppose, but didn't go much deeper than trickery.
Also-- am I the only one that thought there was actual paid product integration in this book? Those scenes in which, I think it was a Cadillac Escalade SUV, and later Harley Davidson motorcycles, played to me like absolute paid integration. It is one thing to name brand names in a novel for verisimilitude, nothing wrong with that. But especially with the SUV there was a whole set piece built around the power of that car. We got product details. The brand name, and then loving, glowing description of product values. That smelled like payola to me (and it is not like there aren't integration deals we've already seen in comics and prose, so why not in a novel tied into a very successful TV show that appeals to the male demographic?) Am I just being paranoid?
@ctowner I agree with almost every point you made as well!
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Women seem to have the ability to always be right. ;)