Wanderers - Review

Title:  Wanderers

Author:  Chuck Wendig

Synopsis: “Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady.  She appears to be sleepwalking.  She cannot talk and cannot be woken up.  And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows.  But Shana and her sister are not alone.  Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey.  And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.

     “For on their journey, they will discover an America convulsed with terror and violence, where this apocalyptic epidemic proves less dangerous than the fear of it.  As the rest of society collapses all around them – and an ultraviolent militia threatens to exterminate them – the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic.  The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart – or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.”

Review:  You all know by now that I love a good apocalypse.  Give me a novel about the end of the world that is heavier than my cat (the small cat, not the 20 lb monster cat) and I’m a happy book worm. 

     Wanderers is an interesting take on the end of the world by plague trope, with interesting characters.  At first I thought that it was going to be a zombie novel.  Around 25% in I realized it’s actually a plague that kills all humanity/end of the world novel.  At 75% in I finally realized it’s actually neither, and yet both, of those.  It is full of characters you love and characters you love to hate.  My only complaint is that there are two main characters that are both female whose names begin with S and I spent the entire first half of the novel confused about which was which.  But that might just be me.    

     It took me five days to read Wanderers, but that’s only because I had to work; and one day I had a migraine headache and wasn’t able to read at all, which was horrible.  Every minute I wasn’t reading I was trying to figure out when my next opportunity to read was going to be so I could get a bit further in the story.  I stayed up way past my bedtime so I could read, and when I finally allowed myself to sleep I had weird dreams that I blame on Wanderers. 

    I highly recommend all of Chuck Wendig’s novels and I think Wanderers is a great choice for a summer read.  But be warned, this novel is an epic, heavy read (I’m not just talking about the physical weight of the book) and once you start reading you won’t be able to stop. 

***I was provided with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Publisher:  Del Rey

If you like this book you may want to read:

Invasive by Chuck Wendig

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J Walker

The Passage - Review

Title:  The Passage

Author:  Justin Cronin

Series:  The Passage #1

Synopsis:  “It happened fast.  Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

     “First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment.  Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered.  All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear – of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

     As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary.  FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty.  Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse.  He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors.  But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey – spanning miles and decades – towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.”

Review:  I loved this novel.  It’s truly epic, spanning a large period of time and multiple characters.  If you’ve read my other reviews then you know that I love zombie novels and apocalypse novels.  I found this to be a unique take on the traditional zombie apocalypse.  The use of vampires instead of zombies is not all that original.  What I found unique is that the majority of the vampires are just mindless feeding creatures, semi controlled by twelve elder vampires; and then there’s Amy.  She is a different sort of creature.  She is not human anymore, but she isn’t like the vampires either. 

     I especially enjoyed the sections of the novel dealing with the human compound struggling to survive 90+ years after the start of the apocalypse.  They have struggled for more than 90 years to keep the lights on and the vampires at bay.  They have created their own government, and their own laws to keep their civilization alive.  The Passage is a vast and complicated novel that sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go.  I was only halfway through when I went to the store and purchased the next two in the series.  Cronin has created a masterpiece.  The world building and the character development are spot on.  Once you start reading The Passage you won’t want to stop.

Publisher: Ballantine Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

Dies the Fire (Emberverse #1) by S.M. Stirling

Feed (Newsflesh #1) by Mira Grant  (read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Twelve (The Passage #1) by Justin Cronin

H2O - Review

Title: H2O

Author:   Virginia Bergin

Series:  The Rain #1

Synopsis:  “They don’t believe it at first.  Crowded in Zach’s kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach’s parents’ frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle.  But then the radio comes on with the warning, “It’s in the rain!  It’s fatal, it’s contagious, and there’s no cure.”

    “Two weeks later, Ruby is alone.  Anyone who’s been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead.  The only drinkable water is quickly running out.  Ruby’s only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father – if he’s even still alive”

Review:  This book was a very different take on the classic apocalypse story.  There have been stories of stuff in the rain before, but not quite like this.  I felt a connection with Ruby; I would be very concerned with trapped and helpless pets as well. I’ve wondered before, when contemplating apocalyptic scenarios, what would happen to people’s pets when so many people die in such a short time frame. 

H2O made me laugh, and it made me cry.  I became very emotionally involved in Ruby’s struggle to find her father.  I’ve read some other reviews that complained about Ruby pushing people away and about her changing moods.  Ummm… She’s a teenager who has just been through an extremely traumatic event.  I would like to see you remain level headed and emotionally stable after losing everyone and everything you loved.  Ignore those reviews; the reviewers clearly aren’t thinking clearly themselves.  I highly recommend H2O for fans of YA dystopian and apocalyptic novels. 

Publisher:   Sourcebooks Fire

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Storm (The Rain #2) by Virginia Bergin

The 5^th Wave (read BookGirlR’s review here) by Rick Yancey

Seveneves - Review

Title:  Seveneves

Author:  Neal Stephenson

Synopsis:  “A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb.  In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

     “But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remains…

     “Five thousand years later, their progeny – seven distinct races now three billion strong – embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown… to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.”

Review:  I loved Seveneves.  I have never read anything else by Neal Stephenson, but now I think I want to!  This book is going on my favorites shelf.  You know; the shelf of books I will frantically attempt to save should there ever be a house fire.  (It’s a lost cause I know.  There are so many books on that shelf it would take multiple trips to save them all.)

     A lot of other reviews have complained about the length of this book.  Yes, Seveneves is long.  It’s 861 pages of awesome story that I could not put down or stop thinking about.  I will admit that around the two thirds mark I was starting to get a little frustrated with how long it was taking to read (It took me a week and a half to get through); but that’s mostly because I’m used to being able to whip through a book in a day or two, three days tops!  Now that I’m finished reading it I’m sad.  I wish there was more. 

     Seveneves is massive, and not just in size.  Readers of Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, and students of human behavior will all find something to love about this novel.  Stephenson does it all!  Rush to your nearest bookstore and buy this book.  You will not regret it!

Publisher:  Harper Collins

If you like this book you may want to read:

Species Imperative Trilogy by Julie E. Czerneda

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Life As We Knew It - Review

Title:   Life As We Knew It   

Author:  Susan Beth Pfeffer

Series:   Last Survivors #1

Synopsis:  “When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer in orbit to the earth, nothing will ever be the same. 

“Worldwide tidal waves.

“Earthquakes.

“Volcanic eruptions.

“And that’s just the beginning.”

Review:  I love apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction almost as much as I love the subject of the impending zombie apocalypse.  Life As We Knew It is intended for young adults.  It is set up as the diary entries of a girl named Miranda.  The dying, the horror and the bloodshed that would be sure to happen during this type of apocalypse are only hinted at.  The main focus of this apocalyptic novel is a teenage girl dealing with being a teenage girl in the midst of a disaster.  Miranda is attempting to deal with her parents being divorced, her father’s new wife having a baby, her brother away at college and whether or not she is going to take skating lessons again.  And, oh yeah, the moon has been knocked into a closer orbit, causing freak weather, erratic tides and electrical storms, meaning Life As We Knew It is over.  Pfeffer’s novel is excellent and I highly recommend it. 

Publisher:   Graphia

ISBN:  978-0152061548

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Dead and the Gone (Last Survivors #2) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (see BookGirlR’s review here)

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling