Line #23 Literature/TheWalkingDeadRiseOfTheGovernor


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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-walking-dead-rise-of-the-governor_4404.jpg]]'''''The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor''''' is a novel written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. It is the first of three prequel novels to Kirkman's comic ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead''.
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5	The story focuses on the man that would later become the Governor; in the early days of the ZombieApocalypse, Philip Blake, his brother Brian and daughter Penny struggle to survive not only the undead but their fellow man.
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7	----
8	!!The novel contains examples of the following tropes:
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10	%%* TheAce: Philip is a low-key example of this, admired by his friends as well as family.
11	%%* AbusiveParents: Philip and Brian had them. Oddly, enough, it doesn't really impact any of them.
12	%%* AntiHero: Both Philip and Brian start out as these though in different ways
13	%%* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler: Brian is the future Governor, not Phillip.]]
14	* BigBadWannabe: 'Major' Gavin thinks he's all hot shit because him and his goons can intimidate a bunch of normal townsfolk. [[spoiler: Then Brian riddles him with bullets during his villainous ranting, leads the Woodbury citizens in subduing Gavin's men, and takes charge as... [[TheDreaded The Governor.]]]]
15	%%* BreakTheCutie: Penny slowly loses it in the chaotic environment of the aftermath.
16	** April goes through this too.
17	** It's implied Brian was going through this even ''before'' the zombies showed up.
18	* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: Philip repeatedly tortures, degrades (and in the case of the woman, rapes) the group responsible for his daughter's death.]]
19	* CozyCatastrophe: The book opens with the group securing a nice luxury house to take shelter in that is well stocked with supplies. This being ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' their good fortune only lasts a couple chapters before they are forced to move on to avoid being overrun by the zombies.
20	%%* CrapsackWorld: It's the Walking Dead universe.
21	* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler: Brian becomes Philip at the end of the novel.]]
22	* DecoyBackstory: The book purports to be the origin story/StartOfDarkness of The Governor, the major villain of the series, who is a cruel, depraved KnightTemplar. It tells of two brothers, Philip and Brian Blake, who are trying to survive the ZombieApocalypse and [[HumansAreBastards their fellow man]], and Philip increasingly becomes HeWhoFightsMonsters and the meek, ineffectual Brian is the OnlySaneMan. [[spoiler:While it seems obvious that Philip will become the Governor, he gets killed off, and it turns out that this is actually Brian's StartOfDarkness, as he takes on his brother's identity and becomes The Governor.]]
23	* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler: By the end of the novel, it's clear that Philip was a RedHerring and that this was Brian's story.]]
24	* DoomedByCanon: We know at the very least from the comics that Penny is set to become a zombie.
25	* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Everyone in the main group except Brian dies, Brian completely snaps, [[SplitPersonalityTakeover believing himself to be his brother Philip]], and becomes The Governor, liberating Woodbury from a tyrant only to himself become ''much'' worse.]]
26	%%* DrivenToMadness: [[spoiler: Poor, ''poor'' Brian...]]
27	* DrivenToVillainy: The Governor. [[spoiler: Subverted when you find out Brian Blake, rather than Philip, is the Governor. An identity he adopts purely because he hates his own.]]
28	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Brian goes from being the voice of reason to...well, you know.]] Philip undergoes one of these as we all know he would given he's Penny's father. [[spoiler: He's not the Governor, though.]]
29	%%* ForegoneConclusion: Surprisingly averted given the subject matter.
30	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: The Governor killing Gavin by emptying his revolver into the general direction of the guy's face after Gavin goes on a murderous power trip foreshadows how the Governor himself will later meet his end at the hands of one of his own people under similar circumstances.]]
31	%%* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler: Brian Blake.]]
32	%%* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Philip, among others.
33	%%* HumansAreBastards: The humans do far worse to the survivors than the zombies ever do.
34	* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Philip struggles with this throughout the novel. Simply put, the pressures of being TheAce just drive him to it.
35	%%* KlingonPromotion: [[spoiler:Brian gains control of Woodbury via this.]]
36	* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: A deluxe leatherbound edition with illustrations by series artist Charlie Adlard was also released.
37	* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Nick puts "Sonny and Cher", two members of the gang that killed Penny, out of their misery after Philip tortures them repeatedly over an extended period of time.]]
38	* MolotovCocktail: Brain has the idea to whip some of these up to help the group get past a swarm of zombies in the street.
39	* MoralityChain: Penny is the one thing that keeps Philip from snapping.
40	* MythologyGag: After leaving a zombie-infested community, Brian leaves a sign outside warning newcomers not to enter. In the comics, Rick and his crew come upon the same exact place, but don't notice the warning until it's too late.
41	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Philip after he [[spoiler:rapes April.]]
42	* ObliviouslyEvil: For that matter, at the time, Phillip doesn't even seem to ''realize'' he's [[spoiler: raping April]] and seems to only think [[spoiler: that it's just GladToBeAliveSex]].
43	%%* PapaWolf: Philip to Penny.
44	* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler: Brian at the end replaces his dead brother with... himself.]]
45	%%* RoomFullOfZombies
46	%%* SoleSurvivor: Philip, of course. [[spoiler: But actually Brian.]]
47	%%* StartOfDarkness: For the Governor.
48	* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Brian, at the end. Too bad it only happens after he's completely lost it.]]
49	* TwistEnding: [[spoiler: Think that Philip is destined to be the Governor? Nope, it's his meek, ineffectual brother who takes on Philip's name and legacy.]]
50	%%* UndeadChild: The eventual fate of Penny.
51	%%* VillainProtagonist: The Governor.
52	* WeHardlyKnewYe: Bobby is killed fairly early
53	%%* WellDoneSonGuy: Brian is this to Philip.
54	* WhatHappenedToMommy: After Penny is killed and subsequently turned into a zombie, Philip refuses to have her put down. [[spoiler: After Philip dies, Brian continues to take care of her. The comics show that he regularly feeds her body parts.]]
55	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never see Tara and April again after the former kicks the group out of their apartment.
56	%%* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Philip and [[spoiler: Brian]].

Context Literature / TheWalkingDeadRiseOfTheGovernor