Monday, December 30, 2013

The 5th Wave (2013)

The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. 2013. Penguin. 457 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The 5th Wave is probably one of the best books I've read this year. It is definitely one of the best science fiction novels I've read this year. Alien Invasion. That alone may be enough to draw some readers in, though I know it won't be enough to draw all readers into this oh-so-compelling story of survival.

The 5th Wave is an intense sci-fi thriller. There are multiple narrators, perhaps with Cassie being the 'main' narrator. Each voice adds something to the book. Together the story they tell is quite unforgettable.

If Cassie has learned one thing since it happened, she's learned not to trust another soul, to see every single person--no matter their age or gender--as a threat to her survival. That is because the alien invasion has taken an oh-so-human twist. One can't discern the enemy, for the enemy might just be the boy next door or a former classmate.

But the truth is Cassie needs desperately to trust someone. It is incredibly difficult to take care of yourself, to survive, when you've been injured. So when Cassie wakes up in someone's house--after a big injury (a gunshot wound, I believe) she is almost forced to relax while she's being nursed back to health. The name of her rescuer is Evan Walker. Cassie will have to decide if he is just as he seems or if he has a couple of secrets...

Readers also meet other characters, for example, Cassie's younger brother, and Cassie's former crush. But The 5th Wave is such a difficult book to write about because it is so very good and because the less you know before you pick it up, the better.

The sequel The Infinite Sea is scheduled to be released in September 2014.

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Kailana said...

I have heard a lot of good things about this. I will have to check it out!