Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor

[BobBretall]

Has anyone else read this novel?

I didn't rush out to grab it when it first came out but picked it up on a whim last week and it's surprisingly good.

Only about 1/3rd of the way through, but the Governor is a decently fleshed out character.   I'm enjoying what will be the descent of his character to what we saw in the comic.

[Deputy]

Didn't really care for this book.  All the rape kind of turned me off.

[BobBretall]

Didn't really care for this book.  All the rape kind of turned me off.

All the rape?  You make it sound like the books was a rape-fest.  There was one scene & it was done about as tastefully as such a thing can be handled.  It showed how far the guy had disassociated from reality AND there were definite (and pretty immediate) repercussions because of the act.

The ending was classic Kirkman, too.   Caught me by surprise, I didn't see it coming.

[Unicorn Master]

I picked this up from my LCS on FCBD and am only about a third through.  The story itself interests me, but I can't say I'm a fan of the author's writing style.  Find it kind of beats a dead horse, particularly Brian's pacifist ways, the constant gore, etc.  Feel the book could have been far thinner and kept the core of why we as fans want to read it.  That said, I haven't finished it yet, so who knows? I may end up loving it in the end.  All I know is, so far, I probably won't be bothering with the next installment.

[lifesend]

I enjoyed it well enough until the end.  The last 20 pages or so alter everything you thought you knew about the Governor and I think the character is worse off for it.  I'd be curious what you guys think when you finish the book.

[Wood]

I didn't read it, but I did read a synopsis of it.

So if I have it right...

Phillip is a total tool bag the entire book, and very reminiscent of The Governor we know from the comics, while his older brother Brian is by most accounts a "normal" guy. Push comes to shove, Phillip dies, and then Brian becomes "Phillip" and eventually turns into the same kind of monster. Do I have that right? If so, I agree it's a really odd choice since seemingly the entire novel would've argued that Brian had no motivation to turn into a sadist but ultimately ends up just as twisted as his now deceased brother.

[aelfinn]

I didn't read it, but I did read a synopsis of it.

So if I have it right...

Phillip is a total tool bag the entire book, and very reminiscent of The Governor we know from the comics, while his older brother Brian is by most accounts a "normal" guy. Push comes to shove, Phillip dies, and then Brian becomes "Phillip" and eventually turns into the same kind of monster. Do I have that right? If so, I agree it's a really odd choice since seemingly the entire novel would've argued that Brian had no motivation to turn into a sadist but ultimately ends up just as twisted as his now deceased brother.

essentially, yeah... when I think back on it in that way, I can see major issues I could have had with it.  But I "read" this thru the Audible audiobook, the voice acting in it was enough to keep it more than entertaining and probably hid some of the writing flaws.  Just as an entertaining TV show with engaging performances can hide plotting and writing flaws.