Poor Rick. He's always not trusting the right people and underestimating the truly deadly ones. So, the governor reincarnated is one SOB. About time we have a deranged villain to hate. I was getting bored of all that regular relationship and death drama. And those walkers... They're old news. Now what, Rick? You're going to take on this gang? Seems to me they outnumber you by at least half. I felt like the series was starting to stagnate, but this was a much needed change. I'm interested to see where things go from here. The rest will have spoilers so read at your own risk.The series has been going through a cycle of danger, recovery, and calm (typically in that order). This time the writers decided to cut time between dangers down to almost nothing. Rick ended the last book agreeing to hunt down a gang in exchange for food. It was nice to see him act more aggressively, and realize that one of the best things they had going for them was that they were battle tested, killing machines. After so many volumes of being meek, it was a nice change of pace and you felt like it made sense.Of course it's never as simple as all that. Rick and everyone get attacked on the way back and end up decimating their attackers. Rick then lays out a warning to Negan that he and his gang need to leave the hill top alone or Rick's crew will wreck his world. Negan doesn't listen and ambushes 2 people outside the compound after Rick and the rest get back. Rick's people decimate that group as well.Rick then gets the idea that Negan and his group may be a bigger threat that he initially thought and wants so go back to the hill top to get more info, soldiers, and or weapons (but primarily info). This plan is as stupid as it sounds. They get lost on the way and end up having to spend a night between "cities".This results in their group getting captured by Negan, and him beating one of them to death while the others are unable to fight back. The trip to the Hill top gets them nothing (not even any good information), and they return home only to find that it too has been attacked. The survivors were able to repel the attack, and Negan's guys took even more losses, but it's revealed that they have enough people that Rick's people can't kill all of them.The survivors were able to capture one of the attackers though. The graphic novel ends with Rick calling a meeting and telling everyone that they can't beat Negan and that they need to surrender, and that they need to release the prisoner. Nobody likes it. After giving the speech Rick talks to Jesus and tells him to chase down the prisoner they just released and recapture him so they can interrogate him, implying that the lie was so that nobody else in the "city" would be punished if what he's trying fails.It was a satisfying end to the story, but leaves me wondering how it will all play out. I doubt Negan is the type to care if the city knew about Rick's plans, and that they might still be punished for his actions. I get the feeling that whatever happens will result in Rick having to leave the "city" after it all plays out, either because he lied to the group, or because it gets destroyed by Negan. The series thrives on chaos and danger, and Rick is getting too comfortable in his current place for him to be allowed to stay there much longer without the authors feeling the need to manufacture dangers for him to deal with.With the way the series has gone I have a hard time thinking it ends well.
Do You like book Terrifiant (2013)?
een nieuwe wending in het verhaal en dat maakt het opnieuw erg spannend
—MikeBos27
BAD THINGS HAPPENED. Really bad. NOT HAPPY. In denial.
—Dallas
