The Walking Dead: Book Three/ Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead: Book Three by Robert Kirkman. zombies, survival horror, graphic literature, adventure, thriller 304 pages.

I was warned by a fellow staff member today that if I was going to keep reading the Walking Dead, I would need to prepare myself for some intense content. I assumed that he was talking about incidents of murder, suicide, and graphic violence similar to those featured in the first two volumes. Tonight, I learned exactly how wrong I was...

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVED this book, but HOLY CRAP!!! Things really do get a lot more intense and simple incidents of murder and violence are replaced with brutal mutilation and aggressive rape. It is clear that the zombies that infest Kirkman's world aren't the only monsters anymore...I would have to say, however, that the startling content fits perfectly with the focus of the third book, which splits the survivors into two groups with the majority remaining at the prison to pimp out their fortified sanctuary while a small band (protagonist Rick, the mysterious swordswoman Michonne, and stealthy bumbling pizza boy Glenn) set out to investigate a helicopter that they witnessed crashing into a nearby forest.

This book also introduces us to the colony of Woodbury. I have to applaud Kirkman on doing such an excellent job in creating the perfect anti-survivor camp. While the prison fortress of our heroes looks scary from the outside but is actually quite wholesome on the inside, Woodbury is the opposite, looking like a fortified small town from the outside but holding some deadly and disturbing secrets on the inside. Also, Kirkman totally nails his creation of a real villain with the introduction of the Governor. So far, we've seen minor villains who have caused hiccups for our favorite survivors, but the Governor is the first real scumbag that they have encountered. What makes him an extremely real character, too, is that his backstory makes him seem very similar to Rick in a lot of ways and shows us what Rick could become as a leader if he fails to redeem himself and quench his bloodlust in the name of survival. Although the Governor gets worked over by Michonne near the end of the book, I can't help but feel that I haven't seen the last of him.

As you can tell, this was my favorite of the series thus far, and if Kirkman continues to work his magic in book four, it can only go uphill from here. This just goes to prove that even with a kick ass first installment, a writer's best work still won't come until he really gets immersed in what he is writing and I believe Kirkman really brought himself into his own world in this edition.