The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor

By: Robert Kirkman, Jay Bonansinga

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Following in the footsteps of the New York Times best-selling 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.

©2011 Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“If the comic book writer Robert Kirkman were a superhero, his name might be the Midas Touch.” ( The New York Times)

great book loved it. buying the next one

loved the book, so descriptive I could smell the zombies I could see what they looked like and I could feel exactly what the characters were feeling I'll b buying the next on no soubt.

Anyone who watches walking dead will like this.

This is a really good back story to the govenor even if you hated his character in the TV show. The narration was pretty good he kept you wanting to hear more. The story was really good.

Great Prequel!

I absolutely loved this story! Amazing twists and surprises, new and familiar settings, and love the characters! I have to say, you can TELL Robert Kirkman is a Comic writer by how detailed and descriptive every scene is written. Well done!

Warning!!! Hardcore fan about to rant...

Ok bare with me here. I am one of those HUGE Walking Dead fans. You know the ones who have each single issue, variant, and limited edition omnibus. The fan who counts down the days until the monthly comes out, just so I can DOWNLOAD it right away to get my “fix,” and later buy the issues when time suffices. Well, needless to say, if you are like me (and you probably are if you’re reading this) or even just a casual fan of the comic of TV show, you probably are going to be looking to check out Rise of the Governor.
First off, if you’re just a TV fan, just stay away period. This is not worth your time, you won’t know how this pertains to TWD, and will get pretty bored with it. There is better stuff out there. Now, being the fan that I am, I have been trying to read my hardcover (signed by Kirkman/Bonasinga at NYCC….sigh) for quite some time, but being a high school teacher with zero free time, I turned to audio-book instead. This book is ULTRA-descriptive, to the point where it is a glaring flaw. Think of THIS review that your fine self is reading, and I just NOW began talking about the book! You’re probably saying “I don’t care about your fan-dom, your profession, or frankly you cyber man….just talk about the book!” Yes, all that stuff was purposefully included to make my point, but you need to know the gravity of the situation. “The zombie was gnashing like a BLANK which was BLANK. The gnashing was so BLANK that it reminded Brian of a BLANK. ……“ It’s difficult to express how much this book suffers from this in words.
Unfortunately, the ending was predictable after the first 25% of the book, which wasn’t all that jarring, yet still the biggest highlight of this book. Not that much happened looking back, just descriptions of EVERYTHING including the word “arterial” maybe 35 times. Yes TWD is a slow burn, but still there’s supposed to be that “OH S***” moment, which sadly, never came. The narrarator’s voices were okay at best, but during heated conversations, they all sounded too similar.
My biggest quam will be yours too if you’re a fan of the comics. Only the last 10% of the book is in Woodbury. So if you were expecting to see crazy “Governor stuff” it totally lacked. They could have added maybe 3 more chapters and made it 100% more satisfying.
Anyhow, what can I say, it was TWD….in book form…so it still gets 3 stars, but apparently a Michonne book is next in the trilogy, I just hope it is a bit more memorable.

Its ok...

Have listened to every book in this genre on audible. No joke. This book is hard to grade. The story is good. The narration is ok. But somethings missing. Its not as good as Day by day or Morningstar. Or the Joe Ledger novels. And I mean nowhere near as good. But its alot better than The Infection, Haters, or The Undead Situation. And I mean alot better.

Just as awesome as the comics and show.

This book was great, gruesome, and frightening when I read it and due to Fred Berman's performance I think it is even more frightening. I love it just as much as I love the following novels. Just hope the next Walking Dead novel tells the story of something other than Woodbury.

Great back story of the Governor! Great twist

Book is a great back story for the Governor with an awesome twist at the end!

Awesome more than awesome

started off a little slow but hold on for a bumpy ride, cant wait to read more

slightly disappointing. ....

I am a big fan of TWD so I was expecting somewhat MORE from this book. I found myself bored at times. ..struggling to keep myself interested. ....until about halfway through the book.

I GOT THIS, I GOT THIS, I GOT THIS!!!

What did you love best about The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor?

How descriptive it is, and if you've not read the graphic novel or even if you have, it gives you the scoop on the Governor :)

What other book might you compare The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor to and why?

Road to Woodbury, as it's the second book in the series, WHEN IS THE 3rd ONE COMING?!?!

Which scene was your favorite?

Philip Bake taking on the highway zombies.... "I GOT THIS!"

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nah, no crying but when they're helping to clear out apartment rooms it had me on edge visualizing the tight quarters, imagining the stenches, and what might lurk on the other side of any given door. Disgusted at the things Philip did towards the end...

Any additional comments?

Outstanding listen, I believe its better than the Road to Woodbury, as it's a much more focused book, though I also gave it 5 stars across the board. Philip Blake's strength, rage, and insanity combined with Brian's transformation makes for a gut wrenchingly addictive listen. I have about a 45 min ride to and from work each day and often found myself sitting in the drive way at the end of the day, even after I'd arrived home, to finish a chapter or get to a stopping point.