Book excerpt: The Walking Dead Compendium is here! Since 2003, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead has been redefining the survival horror genre with its unique and vivid account of life after the end of the world. Although the cast is diverse and often changing (including, of course, a great number of zombies), at the heart of every tale is Rick Grimes: former police officer, husband, father, and de facto leader of a ragtag band of survivors looking to make a future for themselves in a world that no longer has one. To call The Walking Dead a zombie tale is accurate to a point, but it touches on only one facet of a story that asks timeless questions about what it means to live. It also asks whether or not this is possible in a world full of the dead. This is a great opportunity to experience this gripping read for the first time or catch up on the tale with the first four years worth of material, collected in one volume for the first time. The first eight volumes of this fan-favorite series collected into one massive collection. This volume collects THE WALKING DEAD #1-48.