In the world created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead refers not just to the zombies but also some of the still-human survivors. One of the worst villains of the series is Phillip Blake, aka "The Governor," an amoral sociopath who feeds prisoners to zombies for sport, cuts off the hand of protagonist Rick Grimes and violently beats and rapes the heroine, Michonne, in one of the most disturbing story arcs in Kirkman's ongoing series of graphic novels. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor provides the backstory, explaining how Blake became capable of such deeds.
This tie-in novel by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga (The Black Mariah, Twisted, Perfect Victim) works from the storyline established by the graphic novels--as opposed to AMC's television adaptation--to tell the tale of Phillip and Brian Blake, two brothers who survive the zombie apocalypse along with Phillip's daughter, Penny, and Nick, Phillip's best friend. They search for shelter and safety, only to be attacked or forced away from the rare peaceful moments they can find, all of which leads to horrifying losses and physical and mental breakdowns.
Told in the present tense, mainly from Brian and Phillip's perspective, Rise of the Governor rockets along at a breakneck pace, stopping a few times along the way. When the plot slows, characters are given the space they need to breathe and live as real, understandable characters. No one is blameless, and all are coping as best they can in an incredibly brutal world. As the small group of survivors moves from place to place, steadily losing their own humanity, readers find out more and more about how Phillip becomes the face of evil as seen in Kirkman's comics. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor