Better than the last installment-interesting new direction and new threat at the end. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop with Negan. I'm actually surprised no one has sneaked into the jail and put a bullet in his head. And we still don't know what passed between Carl and him when he had Carl hostage. I thought there was more than met the eye there. Maybe I'm wrong. Why does Carl visit him?
I'm not always thrilled with Rick in this installment. The new look, for one thing. May they never do up Andrew Lincoln like that in the show. And the beat down he gave the guy who wasn't vigilant on his watch. Not loving that new aspect of Rick's character at all.
It was a slow ominous build in this book; the next one should be a page-turner. Just when they think they can take a breath, some new threat emerges-this one looks to be a doozy. ( )

Well hot damn, this one does a big jump ahead in time. It's a gamble, but it's a good one. Very interested to see what changes are brought to the table in upcoming trades. ( )

Okay so there was actually a legitimately great plot point here that I did not see coming and I totally love. That is enough to keep me pushing on. ( )

In my review of the last volume I wrote about how much I enjoy The Walking Dead as a writing exercise. While the meat of the story remains the same, survival in a world where everyone will eventually become a zombie, the ways in which this theme are interpreted constantly vary. There is always the human threat - territorial people seeking to protect what little land and safety they've gained - as well as the questions of who rules in the face of disaster. Can we truly trust a leader who wishes to be a leader? The Walking Dead explores these themes, and more, and this volume was a massive surprise after the two parter of All Out War. In fact, this volume catapulted us quite a few years into the future.

The meat of this book was essentially showing us how the communities have rebuilt themselves after the war. New technologies are being added to the communities, and a new way of life is slowly growing. There are patrols for easy access between settlements, people are taking on apprentices and teaching their trades. They're learning, growing, and now taking in some new settlers who... well... we've been down this path before.

This volume promises more interesting threads in the future, and was a breath of fresh air after the old conflicts that came to a head in the last book. This series continues to delight me, and without sharing any spoilers I was rather happy at the twist ending. It was a natural conclusion after the first few volumes and seeing how you could safely travel before the institution of five mile patrols. ( )

A whole new level. ( )