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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is consistently engaging, whether focusing on immediate, in-your-face dangers, or the inherent instability of trying to create a functioning society in a world of unstable people. This volume is relatively 'quiet', but there's a whole lot building up around the good ol' themes of what it means to be human and in community, and not get eaten alive, or shot, or stabbed, or poisoned, or...
After a lackluster ending to the All Out War saga, the Walking Dead again plays its card too safe, with the ominous Whisperers turning out to be nothing more than some relatively harmless roaming humans. It seems the story is scared to introduce another methodical mastermind like the Governor or Negan (before even he was dumbed down), and so I'm only left with some subplots that seem to do nothing more than tread water with no big payoff in sight.
Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed...
Sooooooo, here we are. Back to the more soap-opera-ish, plodding plot with a few interesting "twists" (for lack of a better word) thrown in. I was not riveted. Maggie going toe-to-toe with dickhole parents of dickhole kids is a less than inspiring sub-plot. More scheming by disgruntled community members. Eh, we've seen that number before too.
The Whisperers are sorta kinda interesting and new, I suppose, if you look at them with your eyes scrunched and squinting. It makes sense to me that there would be a group like this that would come along eventually. The real surprise is that it's taken this long, and perhaps how many of them there's rumored to be. Thousands? Really? That would be shocking indeed. For now, it's just a rumor and my fingers are crossed that this new "threat" turns out to be more than what they appear to be which is a step above same shit different day.
And Carl? Sweet jebus.
Spoiler
After nearly bashing in the skulls of two douchebag out-of-control violent teenagers, he gets hit on by a strange new girl from the Whisperers group. And she's totally got a kink for Carl's empty eye socket. As in, she's totally into it. So much so she French kisses the damn thing (ewwwww)
Yup, like that. Then she takes his virginity. For the record, Carl doesn't put up a fight. But what should have played out as a nice sweet innocent scene has a twisted underbelly cause you know this young woman has got some serious problems and that she's been abused and raped by her group. Great. Cause the one thing the Walking Dead has been missing is some good 'ol pedophilia.
Sometimes this series feels like an albatross around my neck, a monkey on my back, Sisyphus's Rock. I NEED THIS TO END!!!! I NEED AN ENDING!!!! Do you hear me Kirkman???? For godsake man, take mercy on all of us and please JUST FUCKNG END IT.
A bunch of interesting events took place in this volume, and Rick was barely in it! Carl, Maggie, Sophia, Jesus, and the new girl Lydia are just as interesting as the main character. And “The Whisperers” are such an intriguing group of people employing innovative techniques to survive. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Whispers are a new twist
An epic entry showing the new antagonist - Alpha and the Whisperers (sounds like a band lol).
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Definitely some turns I didn't see coming. Sure there are people being awful and some people being dumb. But also there are moments when people are people and their stories are being told. There was violence but not everyone attacked dies. And the bad guys don't all get to convince the good guys to be stupid. But mostly I'm just really interested in knowing what happens next. And what more could a series want.