I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig Published by Del Rey on July 2 2019
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 782
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Thought-provoking, violent, and ultimately hopeful, Wanderers thrills and terrifies in equal measure.
It’s been years since I’ve read a book I would consider calling “epic,” and now Wanderers has finally checked that box. This book is epic in every sense of the word. The scope is mind boggling, the heady combination of future tech and a terrifying fungus plague provided hours of entertainment, the cast of characters is huge and diverse, and finally, Wendig’s vision of a possible future-end-of-the-world scenario scared the shit out of me! Add in plenty of violence, a tantalizing mystery, and a chilling look at the future of politics in America, and you have a big, brash, ballsy book that, despite its blockbuster appearance, is well crafted and carefully thought out.
And before I go any further, I have to mention that if you are a reader who reacts negatively to triggers—murder, graphic violence, suicide attempts, rape, torture, racial slurs, etc—then this book is probably not going to be for you. I think Wendig includes every single trigger out there in his story, which worked for me, but it’s not going to work for everyone. You have been warned.
As for the plot, I’ll give you the bare bones version. One day in June, something strange begins to happen. A young girl named Nessie from a small town in Pennsylvania wakes up one morning and walks away from her home, barefoot and in her pajamas. Her sister Shana tries to stop her, but Nessie keeps walking, oblivious to her surroundings, intent on going…somewhere. It’s as if she’s sleepwalking with her eyes open. Terrified and confused, Shana decides to follow her, and by doing so becomes the first of the shepherds. Later, other walkers join Nessie as they inexorably make their way west, and Shana is joined by other shepherds, family and friends of the walkers who simply want to protect them.
At the same time, a deadly fungal infection is starting to spread throughout the United States. Slowly at first, with only one or two cases identified, the CDC is brought in to try and stop it from spreading. The first symptoms of the disease are cold-like: stuffy nose and watery eyes, followed by the appearance of a white, powdery substance around the mouth and nose. Eventually symptoms similar to dementia emerge, and the afflicted person goes crazy. There is no cure, and preliminary calculations by scientists are alarming: the entire human race is at risk.
Benji Ray works with the CDC and is brought on to help with the outbreak. Working with a predictive machine intelligence called Black Swan, Benji and Black Swan’s creator, a whip-smart woman named Sadie Emeka, delve into the mysteries of White Mask, the moniker for the disease. Are the walkers somehow connected to White Mask? And how does Black Swan fit in? As the ranks of walkers keep growing, and White Mask continues to spread, Benji and his team must find some answers fast—before things fall apart for good.
Wanderers is a sprawling, multi-character story that takes its time developing. When the sleepwalkers start walking (and keep walking), you get the sense that this isn’t going to be a fast-paced, action-packed story. And in the beginning, it isn’t. Wendig has lots of moving parts that he not only has to introduce, but eventually connect together, and I thought he did a bang up job of it. The story never felt slow, even though it took some time to introduce all the characters, tell their backstories, and drop hints about what the hell is going on. The mystery of the walkers isn’t revealed until way into the story, but that was OK, because there is so much good stuff that comes before that reveal. And by the time the shit hits the fan—and it does—you’re truly invested in the characters and what’s happening to them. That makes some of the less savory events even worse because you like these people.
Wendig has always been open with his fans when it comes to his opinions about such things as social media, right wing politics, and other touchy subjects, and he definitely takes this opportunity to inject those opinions into his story. One of the characters is a thinly-veiled Trump-like presidential candidate who is trying to unseat a woman president in the upcoming election. Trump fans are not going to like this portrayal of far right values and political beliefs, although it certainly made for a fantastic—and scary!—story element. In the world of Wanderers, the United States (and much later, the rest of the world) is literally falling apart, and while Wendig’s story might seem fantastical and ridiculous, there is an eerie feeling that our society is heading in that direction, and maybe this should be read as a cautionary tale. (And aren’t all dystopians cautionary tales, after all?)
Lots of reviewers are comparing this book to Stephen King’s The Stand, and for me it was the way Wendig wrote and developed his characters that most reminded me of King’s style of storytelling. He’s got nearly 800 pages to work on those characters, and by the end of the story I was practically yelling at the book when bad things started to happen to them. Some of my favorites were Benji, a black man who not only struggles for respect in his field, even after he’s proven himself, but his faith in God is also tested, as things start to go downhill and he sees how truly evil people can be. I also loved Marcy, a tough, ex-cop who suffered a terrible head injury on the job and now has a plate in her head. Marcy has a different reason for being drawn to the walkers and joining the shepherds, and boy she goes through some shit in this story! Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned Pete Corley, an aging gay rock star who nearly steals the show, or Matthew Bird, a mild-mannered pastor who is seduced by fame and fortune and gets caught up with the wrong people.
There were a few things in the story that were never explained. Marcy has a special connection to the walkers that no one else seems to have, and I don’t think the reason behind it was ever revealed. There’s also a weird section near the end that had a Matrix-like, alternate reality feel to it. It does give the reader much more explanation about why the walkers are walking and where they’re going, but it almost felt like the story took a weird turn into fantasy at that point. And I was confused by something that happened to Shana at the end as well. (Highlight to view spoiler! So Shana becomes pregnant and later turns into a walker. She ends up in a sort of stasis period for five years, and when she wakes up she’s still pregnant! This really confused me and it was never explained. *End spoiler.) But honestly, these unexplained elements didn’t kill the story for me, obviously. I’m still giving the book five stars and chalking it up to the mysteries of science!
My review has barely scratched the surface of this book. There’s just too much to talk about without this evolving into a Wanderers-length book review. Bottom line: I loved this book, and I’m excited for Chuck’s next one!
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Yay!!!!
Yesssss!!!! I am so pumped to read this! Cannot wait for my library copy to come in.
Hope you enjoy it!
You make me REALLY glad I grabbed this one for such a good price. I can’t wait to meet Benji (love the name) and Pete. This does sound epic and maybe I’ll save it for the week I have off during Thanksgiving so I can give it the attention it deserves.
I needed a solid week to read it, so Thanksgiving is probably the perfect time.
Oh my goodness this book sounds really intense, but definitely something I would be into. Reminds me a little of Cell by Stephen King xo
Oh it’s way better than Cell! But yes, super intense but so good:-)
I have wanted to read this since I first heard about it, and now I want to read it even more!! Great review 🙂
Thanks Burma, hope you enjoy!
Even though my only encounter with Wendig’s writing did not work out (I could not connect with the character) this novel sounds like the perfect opportunity to give this author another chance: the premise is one that always fascinated me since King wrote The Stand, and the fact that you compare favorably these two works encourages me to try.
Thank you so much for sharing this!!! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story Review: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS, by Seanan McGuire
I found quite a few characters that I loved in this book (and a few I hated!). I’m curious which Wendig book you read? I had a lot of backlist books of his I need to get to.
It was Blackbirds: despite the fascinating central theme, I developed a strong disliking for Miriam, the main character, and the book ended in the DNF pile. Still, the praise I keep hearing about Wendig’s work compels me to see if I can try for a fresh start….
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story Review: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS, by Seanan McGuire
GREAT review. I’ve been intrigued by the little I’ve heard about it, but scared off by the length. I think you’ve convinced me that I need to make time to read this!
Don’t be scared! It didn’t feel long at all, he really keeps things moving and you don’t want to put it down:-)
I’m sold! Just ordered myself a copy — can’t wait to start!
I’m so excited you loved this, Tammy! I have the hardcopy and I’m so intimidated by the length! Knowing it’s a great read is all I need to get me to read it! Terrific review!
I was intimidated too, but it’s so readable I had a hard time putting it down:-)
So glad you loved it!! I skim-read this because I’m still working through the last 200 pages, but I’ll come back and compare notes when I’m done. I love how many nods Wendig gives to pop culture. Weird random thought I know.
Oh man, so much happens in those last 200 pages!
I really wish I had a day to just sit down and finish. I feel like I’m getting to be a slower reader in my old age. Lol.
I’m back! Really awesome review! I agree with everything you said. The characters were wonderful – there are some definite hand wavey bits toward the end, but the ending was epic. When I read The Stand earlier this year, this is more what I was hoping for. I do wish we’d learned a little more about Pete’s ending though… and I’m still trying to suss out what that ending actually means…
Oh boy, a part of me is like, “I don’t have time to read an almost-800 page book right now!” and the other part is just flailing and chomping at the bits to try to get it. It sounds SO AWESOME.
It didn’t feel that long, honestly! The story is so good and suspenseful that the pages flew by!
I can’t wait to read this. And I loved your review, Tammy! I’m waiting on my next book budget to grab a copy..
Laura Thomas recently posted…Blitz and Giveaway ~ Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp
Hope you can read it, Laura!
This sounds just as brilliant as I was hoping it would. I didn’t realize how big the book is so I guess I need to set aside a chunk of reading time for it.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Review: WHEREVER SHE GOES by Kelley Armstrong
It’s definitely long, but I found it pretty quick and I never had the feeling it was overly long.
I definitely want to read this at some point and your review has me very excited to do so – sooner rather than later.
Lynn 😀
I hope you love it too:-)
Yeees. I was waiting for this to see what you think! I’ve seen so many positive reviews already, but it’ll take a while for me to get my hands on it. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. So many things in this has me excited to read it. Definitely sounds like my kind of story, and the whole sleepwalker thing and the way you described it already gives me creepy vibes! Need to get me a copy of this ASAP. Thanks for the review.
Sammie @ The Writerly Way recently posted…The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Hope you get to read it soon, Sammie!
I have yet to read a book by Chuck Wendig, but I do love his blog. This one sounds like an amazing read, glad you enjoyed it so much.
You’ll definitely see the same vibe in his books as you will on his blog, I do love that his personality shines through.
This sounds soooo good! I haven’t tried anything by Wendig except a short story or two and feel like I should give him a try now! What’s the best story written by him that you’ve read so far? Excellent review though, Tammy! 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…My Europe Trip 2019
Honestly, I think this is his best that I’ve read. Although a lot of people love Blackbirds as well.
So… I want to read this really bad (I picked up the audiobook). But it will put me out of blogging action for at least a week. Though your review just makes me want to read it even more!
Ha ha I know what you mean! My book count this month is going to be lower than normal because of reading this, but it’s totally worth it:-)
Trigger warnings notwithstanding you had me at “fungus plague” – this sounds frigging awesome!! Can’t wait to read it. 😀
Yes, fungus plague is definitely a reason to read it! I was actually fascinated by the science:-)
Oh yes! 🙂 I def gotta read this one, but I’m gonna wait for the paperback because no way am I going to sprain my wrist trying to lift a hardback of this tome.
I’m also curious about it being compared to the Stand. I didn’t like the Stand so I wonder if Wendig’s book will work for me.
Ha ha, I actually read it on my Kindle and that was the way to go! No sore muscles;-)
Excellent review. I’m nearly finished with Wanderers myself. 🙂 I’ve really enjoyed this “epic” tale of impending mass extinction and the connections that are made between the characters in the story. I highlighted and read the *SPOILER* but I am not at all surprised it goes down like that. haha I’m “reading” this one via audible and the narration is really well done. I highly recommend this book, though some of the scenes are bound to be triggering for some. Some were for me, but I pushed through and tried to acknowledge the author’s intentions, having a stronger impact on the characters/story, eliciting sympathy among other emotions, etc. I don’t usually comment on book review blogs, but I wanted to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed your review and I will read your others. With all of the comparisons to this one and The Stand (King), I’ve added The Stand to my TBR October 2019 list. 🙂 I’ve never read it, but these are the types of stories that hold my attention!
Thank you Courtney! I’m glad this book is finding more fans. It is tough to read in places (one scene in particular that I didn’t mention in my review) but I love his balance of terror and hope.
Yes…very tough in places for me as well. But I agree, the balance of terror and hope is what keeps me enthralled with this one!
I’m intrigued by the character of the pastor gone wrong! I’m not sure if the hideous disease in this is much worse than the doom that humanity is willfully wreaking on itself in real life!
Hmmmm. This sounds intriguing but so long. I also read the author’s blackbirds and kinda hated the main character while still liking a lot of the book. But I adored the stand back in the day. The real question becomes is the ending any good?
x The Captain
The long wait list at the library for this book indicates to me it is a must-read.
Fantastic review! I loved this book so stupid much!
Wanderers sounds great! Thank you for your review.
Sounds amazing. I am putting it on my TBR list. Thanks for the great review.
Spoiler for why Marcy had a connection to walkers. It was because she had a metal plate in her head, which interacted with the nano tech, from the assault when she was a cop.
It’s been a really long time since I’ve read a post apocalyptic novel. Maybe I’ll give it a try.
Such a great review! I was confused by Marci as well, and also by how the various walkers along the way became “infected”. Re Shana, I think her pregnancy was in a state of stasis along with the rest of her — preserved but not changing.
I think I would love this. I liked The Stand and love infectious disease apocalyptic scenarios. Thanks.