Zombies

"He seemed like a good man."

She looks up, focusing on the doctor. "Is that even possible any more?"

"Is what possible?"

"Being a good person?"

Fred Berman narrates this Walking Dead audiobook, written by Robert Kirkman (the creator) and Jay Bonansinga. I enjoy his narration very much. Even though there is a bunch of zombie fighting in this book, it's character driven, and Berman adds great touches to each character.

I watch the Walking Dead TV show, and The Governor was introduced just last week. I'm told he's a big part of the graphic novel story, and that this, the second book in a three book series, is a novelization of a storyline from those. My interest comes as a fan of the TV show - I have only limited knowledge of the graphic novels. This book does not follow the same characters that the TV show follows, but the stories take place in the same world.

My interest in the TV show and the audiobooks has not waned because it turns out that a zombie-ridden Earth is a fine place to tell a story that explores how average people cope when civilization disappears. History is riddled with terrible leaders, and this novel explores how a horrible man can end up leading people, and how those people can end up falling in line.

The novel follows several people as they travel and live and die, making their way across the post-apocalyptic landscape. Eventually, the group ends up at Woodbury, the walled community where The Governor rules. The characters are forced then to make a decision. They can follow this man that the alert ones quickly realize is mad, enjoy the safety from the zombies he provides, or they can take off again on their own, the mere thought of which would make anyone weary. The characters have many different answers. In a world where the characters are constantly threatened by the monstrous, some decide they need a monster of their own for protection, some will have no such thing, and some, despite what they've seen, are offended enough to try to change things.

"The Road to Woodbury" focuses on power and relationships. You will see that give and take throughout the book.

And you will see the Governor turn into a complete psychopath.

I couldn't book the down. ( )

Authors Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga continue with the story of the origins of the crazed Governor, a man who has learned how to thrive in the post-apocalyptic world that now exists. While the book will only appeal to fans of the Walking Dead graphic novels and television series, the authors wisely know their audience and deliver plenty of hungry undead and chilling action.

Although the story begins with it’s focus on two new characters, Lily Caul and Josh Hamilton, once they stumble upon the walled town of Woodbury, they come under the protection of the Governor, who just recently overthrew those who were in charge and now has the power to shape Woodbury in his own ruthless manner.

I listened to an audio version of the story as read by Fred Berman who did a credible job with the material he was given. There isn’t much character development or delving into the whys and why-nots of various characters’ actions, this book is all about the horror of being caught between a multitude of zombies or living under the Governor’s thumb. I doubt if I would have enjoyed this story at all if I wasn’t already a fan of the Walking Dead multiverse. ( )

This book was received for free as an advanced reading copy through GoodReads’ FirstReads giveaway.

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury is a horror novel that follows a small band of survivors in Kirkman’s zombie apocalypse as they try to find a safe haven from zombies…and other survivors.

This is a prequel, parallel, or companion novel to the main comic series, depending how you approach it. The main characters have been introduced in the comics as Woodbury residents under The Governor, but have not been deeply explored.

The first thing you notice about the novel is the sheer number of adjectives and adverbs. It’s the hallmark of newer writers and feels clunky. In the first few chapters we are treated to run-on sentences that initially seek to physically describe the characters. Inevitably these end with descriptions of personality. Telling, not showing, is a real issue in this novel. There are some amazing descriptions in there though, like diamonds in the rough, such as zombies crawling out of cars ‘like a malformed fetus being born.' The narration is written in third person present tense, which is a bit awkward.

The characters were hit and miss. Lilly feels a bit like a blank slate with few strong characteristics. Josh feels like a walking stereotype. Scott wasn’t really present enough to matter. Megan I felt was the most flawed, interesting, and realistic character, but unfortunately she was only used as a whore for comparison, to show how virtuous our Lilly is. Bob was also flawed, and evoked some real sympathy from me. What screen time the Governor has was well-used, exploring his sick pathology a bit. (Please note that I have only read the comics, not The Rise of the Governor novel.) At under 300 pages, the novel could have been expanded a bit to flush out the characters more.

The plot was simple but worked well for the novel. The pacing was excellent and the action well-written. The inter-character conflicts were well-presented and realistic, including Lilly’s shame about running away rather than helping Josh during a zombie skirmish. The Governor’s ascension within Woodbury is brusk and effective and pretty much word-for-word from the comic source.

There was one issue that really stuck in my craw. Throughout the novel is this, perhaps inadvertent, theme on slut-shaming. Meagan’s promiscuity is discussed as a great evil time and again. Girls are captured by groups of men and pinned down regularly. Men coerce women into prostitution. There are vague threats of sexual assault. There is violent sex. And yet, and yet the author skirts around the word ‘rape’ very carefully and purposefully, especially considering the narrator is a woman. I felt like this in general was both unrealistic---and yes, even in a zombie apocalypse novel I expect some logical responses from characters---and damaging to women. Women are treated as sex objects, vilified for voluntary sex, and forcible sex is never addressed even when it is threatened at every turn. I found that a bit insulting. Comparing this to the treatment of Andrea or Michonne from the comics heightens the difference.

That all being said, it is still a solid zombie novel and miles beyond other popular works in the genre, such as those by Brian Keene.

Note: Do not read this if you only watch the TV show. There are some reveals in this that I feel are better revealed in the comics or in video.

TL;DR: A decent zombie apocalypse novel mired in flat characters and sexism still manages to edge out other zombie novels. Great read for fans of the series.
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