The Walking Dead: Descent

The Walking Dead: Descent is a novel released on October 14, 2014. It features Lilly Caul, an original character from the previous novels.

Synopsis
Written by Jay Bonansinga, based on the original series created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead: Descent follows the events of The Fall of the Governor, and Lilly Caul’s struggles to rebuild Woodbury after The Governor's shocking demise.

Out of the ashes of its dark past, Woodbury, Georgia, becomes an oasis of safety amidst the plague of the walking dead – a town reborn in the wake of its former tyrannical leader, Brian Blake, aka The Governor.

Blake’s legacy of madness haunts every nook and cranny of this little walled community, but Lilly Caul and a small ragtag band of survivors are determined to overcome their traumatic past-despite the fact that a super-herd is closing in on them.

This vast stampede of zombies, driven by inexorable hunger and aimed directly at Woodbury, becomes their first true test. But Lilly and company refuse to succumb, and in a stunning counteroffensive, the beleaguered townspeople save themselves by joining forces with a mysterious religious sect fresh from the wilderness.

Led by an enigmatic preacher named Jeremiah, this rogue church group seems tailor made for Woodbury and Lilly’s dream of a democratic, family-friendly future. The two factions meld into one, the town prospers, and everything seems hopeful for the first time since the plague broke out. But things – especially in the world of the walking dead – are often not what they seem. Jeremiah and his followers harbor a dark secret, the evidence of which very gradually begins to unravel.

Along with a popular TV show also based on Kirkman’s AMC comic books, The Walking Dead franchise is just getting better and better with Bonansinga’s newest novel. In a stunning and horrifying finale, the world for Lilly and her close friends is turned upside down, and it is solely up to Lilly Caul to cleanse the town once and for all of its poisonous fate.

Lake of Fire
"The days of punishment have come, the days of retribution have come; Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, the inspired man is demented. And there is only hostility in the house of God."

- Hosea 9:7-8

The fortified town of Woodbury is among the few safe-places left in the post-apocalyptic Georgia. The leader, Lilly Caul, is telling the Dupree's some of the town's history. About The Governor and the events of The Prison, but reassures them that everything is in the past and the town has a bright future. The Dupree's are reluctant, and after a sudden roamer attack, Meredith decides to leave against her husband's will. Lilly bids them farewell, and tells them that the door will always be open for them.

In private, Meredith and her husband argue about whether or not saying is the best option, with Meredith affirming that the people of Woodbury won't be so welcoming after they find out about her "condition", to which Calvin replies that Woodbury might have the type of medication that she needs.

Elsewhere, Matthew Hennessey and "Speed" Wilkins are walking on foot after their vehicle got stuck in the mud. After walking three miles, they find some gas in a small town, but get separated after being ambushed by a group of roamers. After reuniting, they discover a gigantic herd, numbered in the thousands, in a field nearby, heading directly to Woodbury - The Prison assault created a chain-reaction that attracted all zombies in the area. They immediately rush back to their vehicle to warn the town.

Woodbury, GA

 * Lilly Caul
 * Bob Stookey
 * Gloria Pyne
 * Hap Abernathy
 * Ben Buchholz
 * Wilkins
 * Matthew Hennessey
 * Woodbury residents

Dupree Family

 * Calvin Dupree
 * Meredith Dupree
 * Tommy Dupree
 * Lucas Dupree
 * Bethany Dupree

The Church Group

 * Jeremiah
 * Other unnamed members.

Deaths

 * Calvin Dupree
 * Meredith Dupree
 * Hap Abernathy
 * Matthew Hennessey

Goofs/Errors

 * It's stated early in the book that it has been almost two years since the dead started walking, this contradicts the previous book which states that it has been over two years. In reality, less than a year has passed.