Review: The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury – Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; Reprint edition (June 4, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250028884
ISBN-13: 978-1250028884
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Characters:

Josh Lee Hamilton – Former Executive Chef, Survivor of Zombie Apocalypse
Lilly Caul – Apocalypse survivor and friend to Josh Hamilton
Phillip Blake – Governor and ruler of the community of Woodbury.

Synopsis:

A small group of people are ostracized from the community of Apocalypse survivors that they’ve been living in. They find themselves on the run, and trying to survive from hordes of Zombies roaming the countryside. When they find the small community of Woodbury, the thinking their nightmare is over, but it may just be beginning.

Review

I’m a huge fan of all things Walking Dead. I’ve read some of the comics. Read the first novel in this series, and watch the TV show every week. I loved the first book in this series, and I wanted to love this one. I ended up merely liking it. It was good, it was a nice horror story, and there were parts that were very suspenseful. However, it often felt disjointed and I think that may have been because of two writers. There were parts that were very great at building the suspense, and then there were others where the suspense was ruined by too specific text. One example was “he failed to notice the smells of rotting flesh getting closer.” That was much less suspenseful then times where the attacks weren’t telegraphed.

Overall it wasn’t a terrible story. The characters were likeable and many were straight out of the comics. The character of The Governor though, while you get to see his viciousness, you don’t get into his head as often as in the previous book. For a great Halloween story though, you can’t beat it for just good old zombie action. I’d rate it as being for older teens and adults due to a lot of carnage, death, and destruction. But grab a copy for your Halloween festivities, curl up, and don’t worry about that scratching at the door, it’s probably just the cat. Be sure to drop by and let us know what you thought of The Road to Woodbury.

About the Author

Robert Kirkman is best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics and SKYBOUND.

He is one of the five partners of Image Comics and is an executive producer and writer on AMC’s critically acclaimed television series The Walking Dead.

 

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE says, “Jay Bonansinga has quickly and firmly established himself as one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers. His twisting narratives, with their in-your-face glimpses of violence, are set in an unstable, almost psychotic universe that makes the work of many of his contemporaries look rather tame.”

His novels — which include THE WALKING DEAD: THE ROAD TO WOODBURY (2012, co-author, with Robert Kirkman), THE WALKING DEAD: RISE OF THE GOVERNOR (2011, co-author, with Robert Kirkman), PINKERTON’S WAR (2011), PERFECT VICTIM (2008), SHATTERED (2007), TWISTED (2006), and FROZEN (2005) — have been translated into 9 different languages. His 2004 non-fiction debut THE SINKING OF THE EASTLAND was a Chicago Reader “Critics Choice Book” as well as the recipient of a Superior Achievement Award from the Illinois State Historical Society. His debut novel THE BLACK MARIAH was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award, and his numerous short tales and articles have been published in such magazines as THE WRITER, AMAZING STORIES, GRUE, FLESH & BLOOD, OUTRE and CEMETERY DANCE, as well as a number of anthologies.

Jay also proudly wears the hat of indie filmmaker: his music videos have been seen on The Nashville Network and Public Television, and his short film CITY OF MEN was awarded the prestigious silver plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2008, his feature-film debut, STASH (based on his short story of the same title collected in CANDY IN THE DUMPSTER), won the Gold Remi at the Houston International Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Iowa City and Queens International film festivals. STASH was shot in Chicago and stars Tim Kazurinsky (POLICE ACADEMY) and the late Marilyn Chambers (INSATIABLE), and has appeared on On-Demand nationwide in 50 million households. Jay has also worked as a screenwriter with horror legend George Romero, Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, and Dennis Haysbert (THE UNIT).

The holder of a master’s degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, Jay currently resides in Evanston, Illinois. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program, as well as the Graduate Writing Program at DePaul University. He can be reached at jaybona@aol.com.

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