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The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,876 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Following in the footsteps of the New York Times bestselling graphic novels and the record-breaking new television show, this debut novel in a trilogy of original Walking Dead books chronicles the back story of the comic book series greatest villain, The Governor In The Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it's forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople's amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted "Villain of the Year" by Wizard Magazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial arc in the history of The Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of The Walking Dead will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes.
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"Not as good as the comics and there were a lot of disturbing scenes (but of course I expected this). The ending definitely made it worth getting through the book. Definitely great for walking dead fans who want to know the real governor before he was the governor!"
— Tori (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“An excellent companion to The Walking Dead comic books. The story is enriched by the novel format, and the characterization of the series’ most hated villain is something no fan will want to miss.”
— Examiner -
“Fans of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic book series now know much about the villainous misdeeds of the character known as The Governor. This powerful new novel by Kirkman and horror novelist Jay Bonansinga describes how he became the man and monster he was. A backstory that you don’t want to miss.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review -
“Not for the faint of heart, this book runs on pressure-cooker suspense, graphically described bloodshed, and dark acts of brutality…This riveting character study adds a new dimension to the oeuvre by fleshing out established characters and plot lines.”
— School Library Journal -
“The story makes a great novel. You’ll get sucked in and can easily visualize everything that is happening. It’s simply a great read.”
— Comicvine.com -
“It takes great advantage of the literary medium in a way that most tie-in books would not.”
— TVOverMind.com -
“Fred Berman's narration is smooth and keeps listeners engaged throughout this audio version. He develops solid, authentic-sounding voices for most of the book's characters, particularly the authoritative Phillip and Brian, whose voice is soft with a hint of weakness…As the narrative moves into more pitched moments, Berman chooses pauses and projection with a great deliberateness, adding to the suspense and making the prose all the more impactful
— Publishers Weekly -
There's a lot of grisly uncomfortable stuff here, and I can't imagine another narrator handling it better. I look forward to hearing [Fred Berman] again soon.
— SFFaudio -
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor is the perfect Halloween listen full of zombie action, a touch of gore, and some intriguing characters trying to survive in a changed world
— The Guilded Earlobe
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor Listener Reviews
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" This is a great and quick read for Walking Dead fans. It tells the back story of the Governor and how he got to be the villain that he is. "
— Mo, 2/17/2014 -
" This was a waste of time, and i only got through half of it. Theres no insight to The Governors life before all hell broke loose. Instead its a very dumbed down version of the graphic novels and the amazing show. Scene after scene of getting into different cars and running down zombies, or just killing them, and your not waiting for some twist or surprise bc each chapter read like the last. I found myself just reading to try and get through. Lack of character development and a plot that is closer to a video game than a novel. The diehards will pretend this book matters but it very well could have been written overnight for the hell of it. "
— Jack, 2/13/2014 -
" Enjoyed finding out the origins of the dreaded governor. At times the book seemed a bit repetative but overall a great read. Totally did NOT see the surprise ending coming. Won't give any more away. Looking forward to the next two books. "
— Kathy, 2/12/2014 -
" MUCH better than I thought it would be - thought it would be pulpy trash but it actually read quite well. Sort of tapered towards the end as things wrapped up much more quickly than I would have liked but a good page-turner all-in-all. "
— Papamikey, 2/7/2014 -
" I read this yesterday. I like zombie stuff. "
— Brian, 1/26/2014 -
" Twisted. With a crazy twist ending to boot. I liked this as a fan of the TV series, although, as a standalone book, it's not very good. You can tell that prose is a strange and uncomfortable format for Kirkman. It shows in the language and diction. I definitely feel like he wrote the thing with a thesaurus lying open on the desk... "
— Bev, 1/23/2014 -
" Good read for Walking Dead fans but zombie fans might also enjoy it. Didn't see the twist coming. "
— Angela, 1/16/2014 -
" If your a fan of the Walking Dead it's worth reading, but don't expect to much. "
— Craig, 1/9/2014 -
" Might be easy to see what the end will be within the first chapter its the journey that makes it a decent book. "
— Kris, 12/29/2013 -
" EVERYTHING you know about The Walking Dead is a lie once you finish this book. Have fun getting your mind blown. ;) "
— Morganelizabeth_, 12/20/2013 -
" Total shocker at the end!! The wrong brother ended up being the psycho. If they bring all this into the up coming seasons the show will only get better. "
— Michelle, 10/31/2013 -
" If you like the show, you will love this book. It gives a background of who the governor really is. It's a fast paced, exciting read. One that will not disappoint. "
— Danielle, 7/22/2013 -
" Exquisitely grotesque! Fantastic read. "
— Heather, 3/31/2013 -
" Great backstory to the Governor. I can't wait for the show to introduce him, and also I can't wait for the Road To Woodbury in October. "
— Rich, 3/8/2013 -
" Loved this. Couldn't put it down. Loving the revival of the Zombie genre "
— Gabrielle, 12/28/2012 -
" I expected this to be good, but straightforward, but I was pleasantly surprised that it had quality substance. "
— Andrew, 11/17/2012 -
" Interesting back-story of the notorious Governor. Interesting twist at the end. Otherwise the writing, plot, and characters were pretty ho-hum. Would love to see a Robert Kirkman/Stephen King collaboration...that would be pretty amazing. "
— Chantelle, 11/8/2012 -
" Good story although the ending didn't feel right to me. Seemed like a big leap to make for one of the characters. "
— Sean, 7/8/2012 -
" I won't even address that this was terribly written. No one's expecting a Booker here. But for a book that is meant to be an explanation of evil, the characters are pretty one-dimensional. The twist at the end slightly redeems things. Slightly. "
— Eliza, 2/27/2012 -
" As bad as the comic is good. The writing is like that of an overeager college freshman with a thesaurus. "
— William, 11/2/2011 -
" The book was pretty good. I think it is a set-up to a sequel. The way it ended, or rather didn't. Not real sure. The writing was well done but by the end I didn't really like the main characters. "
— Keely, 11/1/2011 -
" Took me long enough to become obsessed with The Walking Dead. As exciting as the show... "
— Brenton, 11/1/2011 -
" I think this was a great tie in for people who read the comics. It shows how he became so sick and twisted by using big words. Personally its my favorite zombie book. I couldnt put it down. "
— Maxwell, 10/20/2011 -
" I seriously cannot put it down!!! <br/> <br/>Can't wait for the next installments! <br/> "
— Alexis, 10/17/2011
About the Authors
Robert Kirkman is best known for his work on The Walking Dead for Image Comics and Skybound. He is one of five partners of Image Comics and an executive producer and writer for AMC’s critically acclaimed television series adapted from The Walking Dead.
Jay Bonansinga is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of eight novels in The Walking Dead series, and Stan Lee’s The Devil’s Quintet series. He is also the author of several horror novels, many of which were Bram Stoker finalists; several works of nonfiction; and screenplays cowritten for George Romero and Giancarlo Esposito.
About Fred Berman
Fred Berman has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He is an actor of theater, film, and television whose credits include Broadway’s The Lion King, Law & Order, and Directing Eddie, among others. He was featured in Entertainment Weekly for his work on the Walking Dead audiobook series.