I Love My Kindle! "The Walking Dead"

I haven't read a graphic novel, or comic since I was about eight years old, but "The Walking Dead" series of graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn is brilliant and very addictive. Of course these are the graphic novels that the hugely popular TV series by the same name is derived from, but these are so much better.

The premise is that an epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the worldand the dead rise and feed on the living, zombies basically, but the word 'zombie' is not used by the writers. The story focuses on the survivors, predominantly one eclectic group of people drawn together in the face of adversity.

The novels follow these survivors as they try to come to terms with and make a new life in this crazy and dangerous world they find themselves in. Rick, a policeman, becomes the group's unofficial leader and has to make some pretty tough judgement calls in order to keep the group safe. They face some huge challenges on the way and not everyone survives.

The novels are gritty and exciting and the normal rules and values that guide civilised society are soon eroded. The erosion of these rules and the ethical dilemmas that individuals and the group face bring to mind the whole question of humanity and the need for a new set of rules. This fact doesn't make these choices any easier on the groups members and as a reader I was drawn quickily into these stories and left wondering what choices I would make in a similar situation.

This series really is so beautifully crafted and compelling that you are always left wanting more.
 You may dislike zombies, or post apocalyptic stories, or graphic novels, but you would be hard pressed to dislike this series.