Monday, 14 January 2013

'The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor' Jessie's Review

The other day I was shopping in WHSmith and I wasn't intending to buy anything, in fact I was helping a friend find a book, when I saw what I could only at the time describe as a mirage. When I looked closer it seemed my eyes were not deceiving me, it was a pair of books with the same title as my favourite TV show, The Walking Dead. On closer inspection, it was legit, these were the books to accompany the TV series but the series wasn't based on them (even better, as that means they wouldn't be judged against each other). 
Of course I had to buy the books, no question, and in the end I used a discount voucher which my friend gave me. Even better. 
As soon as I got home I started reading the one that I thought must be the first, 'Rise of the Governor'. 
WARNING SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT. (scroll down for all clear)

We meet the main character, Brian, huddled in a wardrobe looking after his niece while his brother and two friends kill zombies outside. So clearly we have met the character after the start of the apocalypse, but you soon find out that it hasn't been going on for long and so people are still adapting. The characters stay put in this house for a while as it seems to provide them with everything that they need, they erect a wall and they're very comfortable despite the large horde wandering aimlessly across a nearby golf course visible from the house. However this makes a turn for the worse when they horde begin closing in on them and a tragedy within the house means they have to move on. They decide that they want to head into Atlanta but of course as you would in any town they find large amounts of zombies and it looks as if they'll not make it until a woman ushers them into a house and they find a small family of three living there. They seem set with this small family and scavenge around but then the father dies of some sort of smoking related death yet re-animates despite not being bitten. (This is the same in the TV series and I think it adds an exiting and dangerous element which also provides a legit explanation for how the first zombies started). This causes tension with the fat sister and this is worsened by the way that the skinny sister and Brian's brave brother Phillip have chemistry. Then Phillip rapes her by mistake, yeah sounds unlikely but it does happen, now I know no one likes rape but I can't really deal with it so this was the first downfall of the book. Phillip was a likeable character and then he goes and does this and ruins the place where they're staying for his daughter, brother and friend. This means that they get chucked out by the fat sister after she hears what happened and they nearly die many times until the find a method of transport. They find a great house and they move they're limited possessions in there. They find a few weapons but none are guns, there is a model gun but they can't fire it as there are no shells. This looks good for a bit until some hard-men turn up and try to steal their stuff and then BOOM shit goes down, the daughter gets shot and then Phillip and his friend Nick take out everyone. Apart from two people who Phillip keep captive and then we find out that Nick's raping the woman. This is very grim. Book goes downhill from here BUT is still legit just not a nice story. 

ALL CLEAR

If you want to borrow the book it is very good just quite disturbing. I think that it's really accurate to my ideas of a zombie attack though and the whole Walking Dead plethora is awesome. The graphic gore is awesome too. 


Saturday, 5 January 2013

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

...Jessie gave to you,
Twelve packs of seeeeeeeeds,
Eleven stores of preserved food,
Ten Empty Shops
Nine locations of safety
Eight garments of protection
Seven soldiers
Six packs of longlife milk
Five golden bullets,
Four calling devices
Three french rifles,
Two crazy zombie fighters,
And a warning that human kind will soon be through.

Friday, 4 January 2013

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

...Jessie gave to you,
Eleven stores of preserved food,
Ten Empty Shops
Nine locations of safety
Eight garments of protection
Seven soldiers
Six packs of longlife milk
Five golden bullets,
Four calling devices
Three french rifles,
Two crazy zombie fighters,
And a warning that human kind will soon be through.

Thursday, 3 January 2013

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

...Jessie gave to you,
Ten Empty Shops
Nine locations of safety
Eight garments of protection
Seven soldiers
Six packs of longlife milk
Five golden bullets,
Four calling devices
Three french rifles,
Two crazy zombie fighters,
And a warning that human kind will soon be through.

(and another apology for failing to keep up with this)

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...


...Jessie gave to you,
Nine locations of safety
Eight garments of protection
Seven soldiers
Six packs of longlife milk
Five golden bullets,
Four calling devices
Three french rifles,
Two crazy zombie fighters,
And a warning that human kind will soon be through.

(and another apology for failing to keep up with this)