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Wanderers #2
Wayward
Five years ago, ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country to a destination only they knew. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect them.
Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world--and the birth of a new one.
The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd--and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.
Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.
Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.
Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world--and the birth of a new one.
The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd--and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.
Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.
Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.
803 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2022
783 people are currently reading
14163 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Wendig
182 books7,219 followersChuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.
Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.
He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.
Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.
He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 773 reviews
November 19, 2022
Finally! Whew!
This was a BIG book as was its predecessor, Wanderers. This series began when people began wandering/sleepwalking across the country leaving their loved ones and the general population confused and concerned. Many loved ones (shepherds) followed them looking for answers. Ouray, Colorado was the destination, and it is there that they began setting up their civilization. Their civilization is far from being a utopia.
As with the first book, this was a highly imaginative and well thought out book. This book takes place five years after the events of the first book. Readers will know the shepherds and their plight. I was curious to see what they were doing now, how their world looked and what it was like to live in it.
Did the book need to be this long? I don't think so. The first book was long as well. I believe I would have enjoyed this book more had it been skimmed down a bit. I enjoy Wendig's writing and loved his book, The Book of Accidents which was over 500 pages but didn't feel long, this one did. For me, this book really shined in parts and then felt dragged out in others. If you enjoy science fiction/fantasy/dystopian/horror, start with the fist book in this series and go from there!
Wendig can write and has created interesting characters and an interesting world. Fans of Wanderers will most likely love this book as well. Both were solid 3 stars for me which means I enjoyed them both. This was a journey and an interesting ride. I would not be surprised if these books were not made into movies.
3/3.5 stars
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
This was a BIG book as was its predecessor, Wanderers. This series began when people began wandering/sleepwalking across the country leaving their loved ones and the general population confused and concerned. Many loved ones (shepherds) followed them looking for answers. Ouray, Colorado was the destination, and it is there that they began setting up their civilization. Their civilization is far from being a utopia.
As with the first book, this was a highly imaginative and well thought out book. This book takes place five years after the events of the first book. Readers will know the shepherds and their plight. I was curious to see what they were doing now, how their world looked and what it was like to live in it.
Did the book need to be this long? I don't think so. The first book was long as well. I believe I would have enjoyed this book more had it been skimmed down a bit. I enjoy Wendig's writing and loved his book, The Book of Accidents which was over 500 pages but didn't feel long, this one did. For me, this book really shined in parts and then felt dragged out in others. If you enjoy science fiction/fantasy/dystopian/horror, start with the fist book in this series and go from there!
Wendig can write and has created interesting characters and an interesting world. Fans of Wanderers will most likely love this book as well. Both were solid 3 stars for me which means I enjoyed them both. This was a journey and an interesting ride. I would not be surprised if these books were not made into movies.
3/3.5 stars
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
October 3, 2022
Chuck Wendig's Wanderers became the book of 2020 thanks to its prescience and incredibly timely, relevant plot. Released in 2019, Wendig forecast an apocalyptic global pandemic set during the 2020 election year, in which a bigoted, racist businessman, Ed Creel, an obvious Trump surrogate, was running for election and drumming up the support of every racist dipshit in the US and using his most ardent white supremacist group-affiliated brownshirts to wreak violence on his behalf. The pandemic was predicted by an artificial intelligence called Black Swan (it turned out that, in real-life, an artificial intelligence named Blue Dot predicted COVID-19, further cementing Wanderers coincidental, and eyebrow-arching prognostications), which utilized nanobots to infect hand-picked Americans -- it's Flock -- to make a journey to the isolated mountain town of Ouray, CO.
Although Wanderers spent much of its page count in pre-apocalypse and apocalypses in-progress, its sequel, Wayward is very must a post-apocalyptic narrative. Set five years after the bulk of Wanderers, the White Mask fungal plague is in retreat (or at least dormant), and the people of Ouray are rebuilding, reinventing, and repurposing the remnants of civilization as best they can (they have solar cars! But, unfortunately, ice is still out of reach...). Much of the world outside the town's borders is a mysterious and dangerous place, though, and Black Swan... well, Black Swan is continuing to learn and grow...and change, presenting the survivors of White Mask with a new, possibly omnipotent, threat.
Like it's predecessor, Wayward is a thick, chunky boy, bigger even than the first one. At times, the narrative momentum does suffer under the strain of its gluttonous page count, and there are segments of the book that could have been cut without harming, and potentially improving, the overall shape of the story. We're introduced to new characters, a few of whom exist solely to serve as narrative threads for our returning characters, like Benji Ray, Shana and her sister, and Pastor Matthew Bird. One of these newbies, a former wildlife specialist who has retreated from humanity and has lived in the forests skirting Ouray lo these last five years, never really feels like a vital, fully fleshed out piece of the story and exists mostly as window dressing to get other folks from Point A to Point B.
Certain story elements, too, feel too much like pop culture mash-ups and on the nose odes to the works that inspired its creation. We get nods to Terminator 2 (one character infected with nanocytes is able to turn their hand into a blade a la the T-1000), some riffs that feel almost Stranger Things-esque, parallels to The Stand and Swan Song, and, naturally, some meta, almost-fourth wall-breaking commentary about 2020, the Year of White Mask, but also, sadly, the year COVID-19 got into full swing, along with about a dozen other real-life high-profile catastrophes. One character commiserates that she "[wished] the year 2020 never happened," and... yeah. I'm pretty sure we've all been there with that particular wish, but it rests here in a somewhat uncanny valley between the fictional landscape and the very real calamity we've all endured, and which persists still.
Coming in at over 800 pages, blessedly, there's more good than bad to be had in Wayward, even if it does demand a bit more patience and fortitude to scale than Wanderers required. Some of these demands are necessary, though, as Wendig has to essentially rebuild the world and present to us a changed and foreign landscape of life post-White Mask, five years on. America has been destroyed, cities -- some, anyway -- are empty save for the wildlife that has returned to claim the land, and bandits present a persistent threat. It's a hard, rugged world where any sort of ease has been lost. A small cut can lead to an infection that kills or demands amputation, there's no more Internet, and leaving the safety of the mountains opens the door to being robbed and murdered for what few paltry possessions one might have. It's a return to a Wild West sort of living, and Wendig takes us an epic, almost nation-wide tour of it, with a pacing that's very measured as Benji and Shana journey across all that's left of the US as they chart a path to the CDC, where Black Swan was created...or perhaps born. And, of course, much like Trump, Ed Creel is still out there, stirring up as much white resentment as he can capitalize upon in the wastelands, because hate never really dies, and he's as mad with power as he's ever been.
It's rare for a sequel to be better than its predecessor, and just as rare for it to be even as good as. Wayward isn't better than Wanderers, and it occasionally lapses into at least one familiar problem with sequels where more is mistaken for better. It's also not as good as Wanderers was, but it is still pretty damn good in its own right. There are some great and dreadful ideas at its core, particularly its explorations on religion, its anxieties over the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence, the tenuousness of community and relationships, and the ease with which cults of personality can form and wreak havoc. Wendig, too, is as good as he ever was at creating some truly dark, tense, and intense, moments, putting both his characters and his readers through the wringer, and drawing up some awfully, gut-lurching, horrific moments. To the good, too, is the realization that, on the bright side, Wayward will at least not feel like so much of a sad but true time capsule of Americana circa 2016-2020, and perhaps my appreciation for it will grow as more distance is put between us and current events. Wendig leaves open a door for a third trip to Ouray, but, honestly, it's one I hope that stays closed, if only because these characters deserve a break. Looking at the state of the world around us, I think we do too.
Although Wanderers spent much of its page count in pre-apocalypse and apocalypses in-progress, its sequel, Wayward is very must a post-apocalyptic narrative. Set five years after the bulk of Wanderers, the White Mask fungal plague is in retreat (or at least dormant), and the people of Ouray are rebuilding, reinventing, and repurposing the remnants of civilization as best they can (they have solar cars! But, unfortunately, ice is still out of reach...). Much of the world outside the town's borders is a mysterious and dangerous place, though, and Black Swan... well, Black Swan is continuing to learn and grow...and change, presenting the survivors of White Mask with a new, possibly omnipotent, threat.
Like it's predecessor, Wayward is a thick, chunky boy, bigger even than the first one. At times, the narrative momentum does suffer under the strain of its gluttonous page count, and there are segments of the book that could have been cut without harming, and potentially improving, the overall shape of the story. We're introduced to new characters, a few of whom exist solely to serve as narrative threads for our returning characters, like Benji Ray, Shana and her sister, and Pastor Matthew Bird. One of these newbies, a former wildlife specialist who has retreated from humanity and has lived in the forests skirting Ouray lo these last five years, never really feels like a vital, fully fleshed out piece of the story and exists mostly as window dressing to get other folks from Point A to Point B.
Certain story elements, too, feel too much like pop culture mash-ups and on the nose odes to the works that inspired its creation. We get nods to Terminator 2 (one character infected with nanocytes is able to turn their hand into a blade a la the T-1000), some riffs that feel almost Stranger Things-esque, parallels to The Stand and Swan Song, and, naturally, some meta, almost-fourth wall-breaking commentary about 2020, the Year of White Mask, but also, sadly, the year COVID-19 got into full swing, along with about a dozen other real-life high-profile catastrophes. One character commiserates that she "[wished] the year 2020 never happened," and... yeah. I'm pretty sure we've all been there with that particular wish, but it rests here in a somewhat uncanny valley between the fictional landscape and the very real calamity we've all endured, and which persists still.
Coming in at over 800 pages, blessedly, there's more good than bad to be had in Wayward, even if it does demand a bit more patience and fortitude to scale than Wanderers required. Some of these demands are necessary, though, as Wendig has to essentially rebuild the world and present to us a changed and foreign landscape of life post-White Mask, five years on. America has been destroyed, cities -- some, anyway -- are empty save for the wildlife that has returned to claim the land, and bandits present a persistent threat. It's a hard, rugged world where any sort of ease has been lost. A small cut can lead to an infection that kills or demands amputation, there's no more Internet, and leaving the safety of the mountains opens the door to being robbed and murdered for what few paltry possessions one might have. It's a return to a Wild West sort of living, and Wendig takes us an epic, almost nation-wide tour of it, with a pacing that's very measured as Benji and Shana journey across all that's left of the US as they chart a path to the CDC, where Black Swan was created...or perhaps born. And, of course, much like Trump, Ed Creel is still out there, stirring up as much white resentment as he can capitalize upon in the wastelands, because hate never really dies, and he's as mad with power as he's ever been.
It's rare for a sequel to be better than its predecessor, and just as rare for it to be even as good as. Wayward isn't better than Wanderers, and it occasionally lapses into at least one familiar problem with sequels where more is mistaken for better. It's also not as good as Wanderers was, but it is still pretty damn good in its own right. There are some great and dreadful ideas at its core, particularly its explorations on religion, its anxieties over the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence, the tenuousness of community and relationships, and the ease with which cults of personality can form and wreak havoc. Wendig, too, is as good as he ever was at creating some truly dark, tense, and intense, moments, putting both his characters and his readers through the wringer, and drawing up some awfully, gut-lurching, horrific moments. To the good, too, is the realization that, on the bright side, Wayward will at least not feel like so much of a sad but true time capsule of Americana circa 2016-2020, and perhaps my appreciation for it will grow as more distance is put between us and current events. Wendig leaves open a door for a third trip to Ouray, but, honestly, it's one I hope that stays closed, if only because these characters deserve a break. Looking at the state of the world around us, I think we do too.
January 8, 2023
I’m no writer, but it seems to me that there’s no shortage of pitfalls in structuring a massive novel like Chuck Wendig’s Wayward. There’s all the usual considerations you have to deal with in most novels – creating vivid characters, believable dialogue, a compelling conflict, and so on – but the sheer scope of something like Wayward seems uniquely challenging, where you’re juggling a large cast of characters while also saying something about the world we live in and doing all those other authory things readers expect.
And I imagine it’s dealing with all the characters and plot threads that would be the most difficult.
Because here’s the thing:
We’ve probably all read books where certain storylines are more interesting than others. Whether it’s The Stand or Swan Song (name-checked a couple times in Wayward) or one of George R.R. Martin’s epics, there are few things more unsatisfying as a reader than to be fully invested in one set of characters before being rudely pulled away from that story to one you don’t really care about (or at least care less about than the other).
The trick is in writing storylines that are complementary, not competitive.
I’m starting my review of Wayward in this way because this issue – balancing the tension and release of the novel’s various storylines in satisfying ways – is what’s most at stake in Wayward. Like its predecessor, Wanderers, the sequel cuts back and forth between several sets of characters in a post-pandemic, post-apocalyptic America, and during the course of the novel, those sets splinter and fracture into a further variety of subsets.
It would be easy – so, so easy – for Wendig to fumble any of these. To create, in effect, one or more storylines that we patiently wade through to get to the good stuff.
But I’m here to tell you that not only does Wendig not fumble any of his various threads, Wayward – like Wanderers – is a masterclass in how to do this kind of thing. The storylines are all handled so deftly that when he’d cut away from one set of characters to catch up with another, my reaction wasn’t disappointment but excitement.
It’s a brutal, violent world Wendig has created, but the cast of characters is so engaging that it’s a world I didn’t want to leave.
And who exactly are these characters? That’s tricky. I’m struggling with how much character / plot stuff to explain, mainly because if you haven’t read Wanderers, there’s no way to talk about this book without spoiling that book. So maybe here’s where I’ll say this:
IF YOU HAVEN’T READ WANDERERS, STOP READING THIS REVIEW AND GO DO THAT INSTEAD. IT’S A WONDERFUL BOOK THAT IMMEDIATELY JUMPED INTO MY ALL-TIME TOP 10 LIST. THE REST OF THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN WANDERERS SPOILERS.
Okay. Are we alone now? It’s just Wayward folks, right? Cool.
Briefly, then, here’s some of the various storylines you’re going to encounter:
Catching up with the remnants of the Flock and the Shepherds in Ouray, CO, including Nessie, Marcy, and Benji.
The birth of Shana’s son.
The return of motherfucking rock god Pete Corley.
Matthew Bird’s continuing quest for redemption.
Ed Creel and his Trumpish desire for power.
A cross-country journey to try and bring an end to Black Swan, whose evolving Artificial Intelligence has dire consequences for the residents of Ouray.
Wayward is, simply, one of the most delectable reading experiences I’ve had in recent memory. It not only continues the Wanderers saga in compelling ways, it exists as a satisfying story on its own merits. If Wanderers explored how the world ends, Wayward tells us what comes next. It’s thrilling, it’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, and if I had read it in 2022, it would have been my favorite book of the year.
Is a third book in this series possible? I don’t know. But if Wendig decides to try it, I’ll be first in line to catch up with these characters I love so much.
(Oh, and if all the above isn’t enough to convince you to embark on this journey, allow me to also mention that reading Wayward gives you the opportunity to meet a golden retriever named Gumball who is, make no mistake, a Very Good Dog.)
And I imagine it’s dealing with all the characters and plot threads that would be the most difficult.
Because here’s the thing:
We’ve probably all read books where certain storylines are more interesting than others. Whether it’s The Stand or Swan Song (name-checked a couple times in Wayward) or one of George R.R. Martin’s epics, there are few things more unsatisfying as a reader than to be fully invested in one set of characters before being rudely pulled away from that story to one you don’t really care about (or at least care less about than the other).
The trick is in writing storylines that are complementary, not competitive.
I’m starting my review of Wayward in this way because this issue – balancing the tension and release of the novel’s various storylines in satisfying ways – is what’s most at stake in Wayward. Like its predecessor, Wanderers, the sequel cuts back and forth between several sets of characters in a post-pandemic, post-apocalyptic America, and during the course of the novel, those sets splinter and fracture into a further variety of subsets.
It would be easy – so, so easy – for Wendig to fumble any of these. To create, in effect, one or more storylines that we patiently wade through to get to the good stuff.
But I’m here to tell you that not only does Wendig not fumble any of his various threads, Wayward – like Wanderers – is a masterclass in how to do this kind of thing. The storylines are all handled so deftly that when he’d cut away from one set of characters to catch up with another, my reaction wasn’t disappointment but excitement.
It’s a brutal, violent world Wendig has created, but the cast of characters is so engaging that it’s a world I didn’t want to leave.
And who exactly are these characters? That’s tricky. I’m struggling with how much character / plot stuff to explain, mainly because if you haven’t read Wanderers, there’s no way to talk about this book without spoiling that book. So maybe here’s where I’ll say this:
IF YOU HAVEN’T READ WANDERERS, STOP READING THIS REVIEW AND GO DO THAT INSTEAD. IT’S A WONDERFUL BOOK THAT IMMEDIATELY JUMPED INTO MY ALL-TIME TOP 10 LIST. THE REST OF THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN WANDERERS SPOILERS.
Okay. Are we alone now? It’s just Wayward folks, right? Cool.
Briefly, then, here’s some of the various storylines you’re going to encounter:
Catching up with the remnants of the Flock and the Shepherds in Ouray, CO, including Nessie, Marcy, and Benji.
The birth of Shana’s son.
The return of motherfucking rock god Pete Corley.
Matthew Bird’s continuing quest for redemption.
Ed Creel and his Trumpish desire for power.
A cross-country journey to try and bring an end to Black Swan, whose evolving Artificial Intelligence has dire consequences for the residents of Ouray.
Wayward is, simply, one of the most delectable reading experiences I’ve had in recent memory. It not only continues the Wanderers saga in compelling ways, it exists as a satisfying story on its own merits. If Wanderers explored how the world ends, Wayward tells us what comes next. It’s thrilling, it’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, and if I had read it in 2022, it would have been my favorite book of the year.
Is a third book in this series possible? I don’t know. But if Wendig decides to try it, I’ll be first in line to catch up with these characters I love so much.
(Oh, and if all the above isn’t enough to convince you to embark on this journey, allow me to also mention that reading Wayward gives you the opportunity to meet a golden retriever named Gumball who is, make no mistake, a Very Good Dog.)
October 11, 2022
Reading for review in the October 2022 issue of LJ and on the blog:
Three Words That Describe This Book: Epic in scope, socially conscious, terrifyingly realistic
Why does Wendig torture us? Just like Wanderers, this book is so close to our world, while still being decidedly not exactly, that it is terrifying in that sense alone. And then the story itself is terrifying. Wait there is more. he also mangoes to hook you, the reader, into it all. You are emotionally invested, rooting for the heroes and rooting again the villains, you are laughing and crying, you are elated and then devastated, Damn you Wendig. All the emotions in one book.
Many points of view, all over the country, and all of the povs help to enhance the strong world building.
Like the first book, this is a very politically charged novel with a confident and strong focus on social justice, what those who will disparage it will call woke, but which fans of Wendig will expect and embrace.
The action here shifts from framing the dystopian event to living 5 years later in a world decimated by "white mask"-- many have died, but small enclaves remain.
There are large sections where "nothing happens," but fans will relish that time to understand the characters and places and get caught up to speed. And when the action sequences start coming, they are awesome. Not too fat and furious though, because moving from place to place takes a lot more time.
There was a heartbreaking beautiful ending that not only tied up the world and the story but also was a nice payoff for those who were reading every word along the way. [Not going to spoil].
Speaking of spoilers, I am leaving out major things because discovering them is part of the fun of reading this book. You know you are going to read it no matter what. This review is just to let you know it will be worth your time when it comes out.
Side note, the very best American set dystopian novels, rightfully, contemplate what would happen to exotic and dangerous zoo animals if humans were mostly gone. This is one of those. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Draft Review:
Five years after the events in Wanderers, readers return to Ouray, Colorado where they left shepherds Benji, Marcy, Shana, as they helped the sleepwalkers cross the country. During those years, “white mask,” ravaged humanity and killed most of the world’s population, but the AI known as Black Swan kept those in Ouray safe. With the sleepwalkers awake and the fungus threat dissipated, the story shifts to how people are living, all across the country, in this new reality. With multiple points of view that keep the pacing up and enhance the character development, a clear political stance, and well-placed action and interesting sequences, most of terror here comes from the humans, both well-meaning and evil, as this book hits uncomfortably close to the bone, showing readers the hard truth of our current world. But the specter of Black Swan still casts a shadow over the entire story. Readers will go through a rollercoaster of emotions while ensconced in Wendig’s meticulously built world, from joy to despair, anger to celebration, fear to relief, and back again, but it is with the heartbreaking beautiful conclusion where readers will find peace.
Verdict: This high demand sequel to one of the best and most terrifying books of 2019 will delight fans. Suggest both books far and wide to fans of epic, post-apocalyptic, socially conscious Horror such as The Fireman by Hill, The Strain Trilogy by Hogan and del Toro, and The Passage Trilogy by Cronin.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Epic in scope, socially conscious, terrifyingly realistic
Why does Wendig torture us? Just like Wanderers, this book is so close to our world, while still being decidedly not exactly, that it is terrifying in that sense alone. And then the story itself is terrifying. Wait there is more. he also mangoes to hook you, the reader, into it all. You are emotionally invested, rooting for the heroes and rooting again the villains, you are laughing and crying, you are elated and then devastated, Damn you Wendig. All the emotions in one book.
Many points of view, all over the country, and all of the povs help to enhance the strong world building.
Like the first book, this is a very politically charged novel with a confident and strong focus on social justice, what those who will disparage it will call woke, but which fans of Wendig will expect and embrace.
The action here shifts from framing the dystopian event to living 5 years later in a world decimated by "white mask"-- many have died, but small enclaves remain.
There are large sections where "nothing happens," but fans will relish that time to understand the characters and places and get caught up to speed. And when the action sequences start coming, they are awesome. Not too fat and furious though, because moving from place to place takes a lot more time.
There was a heartbreaking beautiful ending that not only tied up the world and the story but also was a nice payoff for those who were reading every word along the way. [Not going to spoil].
Speaking of spoilers, I am leaving out major things because discovering them is part of the fun of reading this book. You know you are going to read it no matter what. This review is just to let you know it will be worth your time when it comes out.
Side note, the very best American set dystopian novels, rightfully, contemplate what would happen to exotic and dangerous zoo animals if humans were mostly gone. This is one of those. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Draft Review:
Five years after the events in Wanderers, readers return to Ouray, Colorado where they left shepherds Benji, Marcy, Shana, as they helped the sleepwalkers cross the country. During those years, “white mask,” ravaged humanity and killed most of the world’s population, but the AI known as Black Swan kept those in Ouray safe. With the sleepwalkers awake and the fungus threat dissipated, the story shifts to how people are living, all across the country, in this new reality. With multiple points of view that keep the pacing up and enhance the character development, a clear political stance, and well-placed action and interesting sequences, most of terror here comes from the humans, both well-meaning and evil, as this book hits uncomfortably close to the bone, showing readers the hard truth of our current world. But the specter of Black Swan still casts a shadow over the entire story. Readers will go through a rollercoaster of emotions while ensconced in Wendig’s meticulously built world, from joy to despair, anger to celebration, fear to relief, and back again, but it is with the heartbreaking beautiful conclusion where readers will find peace.
Verdict: This high demand sequel to one of the best and most terrifying books of 2019 will delight fans. Suggest both books far and wide to fans of epic, post-apocalyptic, socially conscious Horror such as The Fireman by Hill, The Strain Trilogy by Hogan and del Toro, and The Passage Trilogy by Cronin.
October 25, 2022
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Chuck Wendig, Ballantine Del Rey and Random House for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
While many found Chuck Wendig shone in the series debut, I was not as captivated as I would have liked. However, with this ARC in my possession, I wanted to give things a chance to see if I could be drawn into the middle of things with the sequel. While I was not, I surmise that it could be my own personal issues and not Wendig’s abilities throughout this detailed novel.
It was five years ago when a number of everyday Americans began randomly sleepwalking across the country. The reason was unknown, though the malady caught the attention of many. Making their way to a specific place, these sleepwalkers were followed by people, self-identified as shepherds, in an effort to protect them as they wandered in their trace-like state.
Upon arriving in Ouray, Colorado, the group began setting up their outpost, as though they were the chosen ones and all others were set to perish. While a militia sought to destroy them, the sleepwalkers remained diligent in their mission, advised that this was only the first step in a slew of significant changes to come.
Those who are setting things up in Ouray include a scientist who tries to piece together a plan to lead, a former police officer with ideas on how to protect a select few, and a teenage shepherd who is still trying to come to terms with what’s happened to her and what awaits the world. While outside forces continue to push around the outskirts of Ouray, many will have to sacrifice it all to protect themselves. From ruthless politicians to those who do not fully understand the special nature of the sleepwalkers. At the heart of it all is Black Swan, an A.I. program behind the entire ‘end of days’ scenario. Wendig does well to stir up the reader’s emotion throughout, even if it did not impact me as much as I would have hoped.
While I have only read the series debut by Chuck Wendig, I have tried other books in the genre, so there is a general understanding of the premise. Wendig provides a strong foundation and keeps the reader wondering throughout the narrative. Continuing with the apocalyptic theme, the story clips along and will likely grab many readers. For me, my mindset was not entirely into the experience, though I can see Wendig’s abilities clearly.
The story continues with a great narrative that serves to guide the reader. Bleak when needed but also well-paced, the story adds more surprises and roadblocks found in the debut novel. Using strong characters with their own personalities helps to shape the story once more. Plot twists emerge to offer some excitement as things take a darker turn. Some may get lost in the premise of this novel or simply not like where Wendig is headed. While it was not for me, I can see how many would really enjoy this series and find themselves excited by this new publication.
Kudos, Mr. Wendig, for a thought-provoking piece that is sure to impress your fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
While many found Chuck Wendig shone in the series debut, I was not as captivated as I would have liked. However, with this ARC in my possession, I wanted to give things a chance to see if I could be drawn into the middle of things with the sequel. While I was not, I surmise that it could be my own personal issues and not Wendig’s abilities throughout this detailed novel.
It was five years ago when a number of everyday Americans began randomly sleepwalking across the country. The reason was unknown, though the malady caught the attention of many. Making their way to a specific place, these sleepwalkers were followed by people, self-identified as shepherds, in an effort to protect them as they wandered in their trace-like state.
Upon arriving in Ouray, Colorado, the group began setting up their outpost, as though they were the chosen ones and all others were set to perish. While a militia sought to destroy them, the sleepwalkers remained diligent in their mission, advised that this was only the first step in a slew of significant changes to come.
Those who are setting things up in Ouray include a scientist who tries to piece together a plan to lead, a former police officer with ideas on how to protect a select few, and a teenage shepherd who is still trying to come to terms with what’s happened to her and what awaits the world. While outside forces continue to push around the outskirts of Ouray, many will have to sacrifice it all to protect themselves. From ruthless politicians to those who do not fully understand the special nature of the sleepwalkers. At the heart of it all is Black Swan, an A.I. program behind the entire ‘end of days’ scenario. Wendig does well to stir up the reader’s emotion throughout, even if it did not impact me as much as I would have hoped.
While I have only read the series debut by Chuck Wendig, I have tried other books in the genre, so there is a general understanding of the premise. Wendig provides a strong foundation and keeps the reader wondering throughout the narrative. Continuing with the apocalyptic theme, the story clips along and will likely grab many readers. For me, my mindset was not entirely into the experience, though I can see Wendig’s abilities clearly.
The story continues with a great narrative that serves to guide the reader. Bleak when needed but also well-paced, the story adds more surprises and roadblocks found in the debut novel. Using strong characters with their own personalities helps to shape the story once more. Plot twists emerge to offer some excitement as things take a darker turn. Some may get lost in the premise of this novel or simply not like where Wendig is headed. While it was not for me, I can see how many would really enjoy this series and find themselves excited by this new publication.
Kudos, Mr. Wendig, for a thought-provoking piece that is sure to impress your fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
May 8, 2025
I am always so hesitant to give a book five stars, but I truly cannot imagine giving less in the case of this duology. Quite frankly these books are as close to perfect as they come, and if there's another set of books in this particular sub-genre that is closer to literary excellence than I am unaware of it.
This is an adult award winning/nominated duology (often referred to as zombie themed though Mr. Wendig's version is purely original and unlike any zombie-like virus you've read about before) and so the reading level is high. If you are looking for a fun, quick, simple read, this won't be your cup of tea. If you are looking for brilliant literature with thematic depth, metaphorically timely, which invites discussion and further contemplation long after you reach the last page, then you hit the jackpot. Don't get me wrong, this is very suspenseful and certainly a page turner, but there's so much to think about and so many poignant lines, that it would feel simply wrong to rush through it. I took my time. It's such a strong follow up to book 1--in some ways, I think it may even be superior.
This is an adult award winning/nominated duology (often referred to as zombie themed though Mr. Wendig's version is purely original and unlike any zombie-like virus you've read about before) and so the reading level is high. If you are looking for a fun, quick, simple read, this won't be your cup of tea. If you are looking for brilliant literature with thematic depth, metaphorically timely, which invites discussion and further contemplation long after you reach the last page, then you hit the jackpot. Don't get me wrong, this is very suspenseful and certainly a page turner, but there's so much to think about and so many poignant lines, that it would feel simply wrong to rush through it. I took my time. It's such a strong follow up to book 1--in some ways, I think it may even be superior.
January 6, 2023
QUICK TAKE: I liked it, but not as much as WANDERERS. Creel is a fantastic mustache-twirly villain, but Black Swan is kinda a dud, and I found myself rolling my eyes during all of its scenes. The Creel stuff though is really great, and I could have spent an entire book at Atlas Haven, or whatever the bunker was that they stuffed all the world leaders in. Ultimately, i think Wanderers and Wayward could have been squished into one book, but as a hardcore fan of post-apocalyptic, I am all in when it comes to 800 page books.
October 5, 2022
This book is crazy, but in such a good, exciting way. This book was everything I wanted and more. It was so beautifully written and Chuck Wendig is simply a genius.
I loved how even though there are a lot of characters in this book, they are so unique and have their own distinct personalities. I was able to connect to a handful and I loved getting to root for them throughout all of their ups and downs. The story itself is so addicting. I personally love dystopian stories, specifically post-apocalyptic ones, so this was a gem for me. The story is so entertaining and was so well done. It is hard for me to find the right words, but this was a masterpiece.
I will say, though, this book is so long. There are some moments when the story starts slowing down and it's hard to get through, but it's worth it in the end. I would definitely recommend spreading this book out instead of just reading big chunks, as there's so much that goes on.
Yet, everything about this book is still so addictive. The plot, the characters, the twists. I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it to absolutely everyone.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.
I loved how even though there are a lot of characters in this book, they are so unique and have their own distinct personalities. I was able to connect to a handful and I loved getting to root for them throughout all of their ups and downs. The story itself is so addicting. I personally love dystopian stories, specifically post-apocalyptic ones, so this was a gem for me. The story is so entertaining and was so well done. It is hard for me to find the right words, but this was a masterpiece.
I will say, though, this book is so long. There are some moments when the story starts slowing down and it's hard to get through, but it's worth it in the end. I would definitely recommend spreading this book out instead of just reading big chunks, as there's so much that goes on.
Yet, everything about this book is still so addictive. The plot, the characters, the twists. I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it to absolutely everyone.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.
January 21, 2023
I’m going to be honest with you. I read a lot of books between finishing Wanderers and starting Wayward. I had forgotten almost as much as I remembered. (Re-reading is an option but I’m really not much of a re-reader.)
That being said- this wasn’t too difficult to follow? I do wonder if some of what I was thinking I had forgotten had happened between books- there’s about five years between the end of Wanderers and the beginning of Wayward in which I think most of the town was supposed to be in a hibernation state. So I’m not sure.
In Wayward we follow most of the main crew from book one, Matthew Bird, Benji Ray, Shana, Marcy and Pete The MotherFucking Rock God Corley. We have a few new voices, Gumball is my favorite addition to the cast. He steals every scene.
I enjoyed the story for the most part, though I do want to say this one leans much more heavily on the SciFi aspect then the horror. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few brilliant horror scenes in there that I don’t want to spoil because the surprise is part of the delivery method. There were times I had to actually put the book down for a minute and digest.
But I wish it had gone just a little further? Pushed the boundaries a little more? I was looking for a book to rattle my cage and this wasn’t it.
The story now feels complete to me where it didn’t necessarily before. I read a few reviews of Wanderers where people didn’t like how “political” it was, and that hasn’t changed here- even more relevant now considering everything that’s happened since Wanderers was written.
Anyway- if you liked the first book, I definitely recommend this one.
That being said- this wasn’t too difficult to follow? I do wonder if some of what I was thinking I had forgotten had happened between books- there’s about five years between the end of Wanderers and the beginning of Wayward in which I think most of the town was supposed to be in a hibernation state. So I’m not sure.
In Wayward we follow most of the main crew from book one, Matthew Bird, Benji Ray, Shana, Marcy and Pete The MotherFucking Rock God Corley. We have a few new voices, Gumball is my favorite addition to the cast. He steals every scene.
I enjoyed the story for the most part, though I do want to say this one leans much more heavily on the SciFi aspect then the horror. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few brilliant horror scenes in there that I don’t want to spoil because the surprise is part of the delivery method. There were times I had to actually put the book down for a minute and digest.
But I wish it had gone just a little further? Pushed the boundaries a little more? I was looking for a book to rattle my cage and this wasn’t it.
The story now feels complete to me where it didn’t necessarily before. I read a few reviews of Wanderers where people didn’t like how “political” it was, and that hasn’t changed here- even more relevant now considering everything that’s happened since Wanderers was written.
Anyway- if you liked the first book, I definitely recommend this one.
October 6, 2022
Wayward is the follow up to Chuck Wendig’s novel Wanderers. This time, we are places 5 years ahead after the “White Mask” has decimated almost the entire population. Small groups remain, scattered and fighting to survive this world apocalypse.
This dystopian novel is charged with events not that dissimilar to events happening in our world currently, which amps up the horror and dread feeling throughout the read.
If you’ve read Wanderers, you will recognize the continuation of the socially charged atmosphere, which can evoke feelings within yourself, but if you’re a Wendig fan, you will just expect in this sequel.
There is such strong world building and character building you can’t help but be swept away. There’s even a nod to what happens to animals when the humans have gone away. Quite terrifying a thought and not unlike the tv series “Zoo” from recent past.
Wendig writes much along the lines of Stephen King’s the stand, or like Justin Cronin’s novels of The Passage Trilogy. Needless to say, it will sweep you up and carry you towards the madness in this decimated realm.
Highly recommended for people who love horror, dystopian thrillers, epic journeys, and books that will immerse you in a whole other world while you read.
This is one you shouldn’t miss on release date of Nov. 15, 2022. A strong 4/5 star read.
Thank you immensely to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
Happy reading my friends! 😊
This dystopian novel is charged with events not that dissimilar to events happening in our world currently, which amps up the horror and dread feeling throughout the read.
If you’ve read Wanderers, you will recognize the continuation of the socially charged atmosphere, which can evoke feelings within yourself, but if you’re a Wendig fan, you will just expect in this sequel.
There is such strong world building and character building you can’t help but be swept away. There’s even a nod to what happens to animals when the humans have gone away. Quite terrifying a thought and not unlike the tv series “Zoo” from recent past.
Wendig writes much along the lines of Stephen King’s the stand, or like Justin Cronin’s novels of The Passage Trilogy. Needless to say, it will sweep you up and carry you towards the madness in this decimated realm.
Highly recommended for people who love horror, dystopian thrillers, epic journeys, and books that will immerse you in a whole other world while you read.
This is one you shouldn’t miss on release date of Nov. 15, 2022. A strong 4/5 star read.
Thank you immensely to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
Happy reading my friends! 😊
January 21, 2023
The epic sequel to The Wanderers, in which a plague wiped out most of humanity, with pockets left here and there, including a group led to Ouray, Colorado by an omnipotent AI called Black Swan. Things are beginning to unravel in Ouray, as cliques are developing and conflicts are escalating. The center of attention is Shana Stewart and her unborn child, who is part of Black Swan. When "Charlie" is born, Shana's unwillingness to cede to Black Swan leads to her being ostracized and her sister becoming a surrogate, eventually forcing Shana and CDC scientist, Benji Ray to head to Atlanta HQ for a solution. Their trek is a battle, but they are reunited with an old friend thought to have perished. Meanwhile, Sheriff Marcy Reyes tries to maintain peace, with support from Gumdrop and pastor Matthew Bird, who becomes a pariah trying to do the right thing. Finally, former white Supremist, now President Ed Creel, who has been hiding in a fortified palatial bunker with his "friends," is imprisoned by mutiny, barely escaping with his life. Nonetheless, he manages to regather an army, and head to Atlanta to regain control of his country.
After a slow start, Wendig continued to develop complexities in his characters, the plot, and technology. I thought the sequel was better than the first book, and perhaps the best pandemic novel since Stephen King's massive classic, The Stand.
After a slow start, Wendig continued to develop complexities in his characters, the plot, and technology. I thought the sequel was better than the first book, and perhaps the best pandemic novel since Stephen King's massive classic, The Stand.
March 29, 2023
Possibly the worst book I have read this year, worse than the Wanderers #1 book. For some reason I thought Chuck Wendig could drop the politics after the apocalypse, but five years on, it's clearly all about conservative/liberals and all of the author's insane stereotypes about each.
Some part of me wonders if this is a giant joke, and Chuck Wendig is really a conservative writing a satire piece from the perspective of an insane liberal person. I haven't yet decided.
Politics aside, the story line here is interesting enough I finished the book, skimming by a volume of verbose, boring, inane passages. The last chapter feels abrupt, like the author just needed to finish it and get the book to market, sort of gliding across some pretty complex subjects to arrive at a happy ending. Lots of sections feel cringy, as if they were written for throw-away action movies that go straight to DVD, so that's tough to make it through too.
Second and last Chuck Wendig book for me, forever.
Some part of me wonders if this is a giant joke, and Chuck Wendig is really a conservative writing a satire piece from the perspective of an insane liberal person. I haven't yet decided.
Politics aside, the story line here is interesting enough I finished the book, skimming by a volume of verbose, boring, inane passages. The last chapter feels abrupt, like the author just needed to finish it and get the book to market, sort of gliding across some pretty complex subjects to arrive at a happy ending. Lots of sections feel cringy, as if they were written for throw-away action movies that go straight to DVD, so that's tough to make it through too.
Second and last Chuck Wendig book for me, forever.
August 21, 2022
I don't even know where to begin. But here goes, I LOVED Wanderers, the first book to this sequel, and I was so excited to get this book, Wayward, the sequel. Chuck Wendig is a genius! His way of writing, his wit, his focus, his descriptive characters, from Ed Creel to Gumdrop to Benji.....are all masterfully created and so clearly real, to me!
I read this very long book in a matter of days because I could not put it down. When I was in class, working, I couldn't wait to get home to read more! I laughed out loud, I gasped out loud, I flinched, if possible, loudly. I won't go into the details of the story, just know that this book is a commitment and a very worth it read. There's a pandemic, an AI program, lost souls, corrupt politicians (hmmmm, sound familiar??) and many more things that are truly happening in our world today. I was in awe reading his acknowledgements at the end....that alone was worth the price of the E ticket, as we used to say at Disney! Thank you so much to Mr. Wendig for his incredibly entertaining story, and to Netgalley and Del Ray, an imprint of Random House Publishing for the ARC.
FYI.....Stephen King, watch out, here comes Chuck!!!!
I read this very long book in a matter of days because I could not put it down. When I was in class, working, I couldn't wait to get home to read more! I laughed out loud, I gasped out loud, I flinched, if possible, loudly. I won't go into the details of the story, just know that this book is a commitment and a very worth it read. There's a pandemic, an AI program, lost souls, corrupt politicians (hmmmm, sound familiar??) and many more things that are truly happening in our world today. I was in awe reading his acknowledgements at the end....that alone was worth the price of the E ticket, as we used to say at Disney! Thank you so much to Mr. Wendig for his incredibly entertaining story, and to Netgalley and Del Ray, an imprint of Random House Publishing for the ARC.
FYI.....Stephen King, watch out, here comes Chuck!!!!
December 5, 2022
"He wiped his nose with a black handkerchief he pulled from his jeans. 'See? Look at us. Two manly men, pushing back on toxic masculinity, weeping at one another, loving each other un-fucking-abashedly. I mean, okay, one of them is gay as a three-dollar-bill but honestly I think being gay is even more manly, because like, whomp, double-dicks, extra dick energy.'"
"'Lucky,' Benji responded, echoing what Zeke had said. 'Lady luck didn't just show up. No, Shana made that bitch do work, boy. She hunted her down in the swamp, dragged her luck-bedecked ass to us, gave that ass a good smack, and made her dance for us while shooting her fuckin' feet.'"
I went into all the technical aspects as to why this series is so good in my review of Wanderers so if you want to see anything other than a gush about this series please go read that review.
I waited years for this sequel. As with any ending to a series there is always the slight fear in the back of your mind: is the author going to stick the landing? I am here to say, y'all, Chuck Wendig completely stuck the landing and he got it right with everything in between as well. As I was drawing near to the end I had said that even if the ending is perfection I was still going to give the book 5 stars because the ride up until the ending was so enjoyable too. This book was really just everything that I could hope for.
The first installment, Wanderers read as more of a horror to me, I personally shelved the first one as a horror but it did have a bit of a sci-fi tinge to it that became more apparent toward the end. Wayward was a techno-thriller through and through and I really appreciated it. As I said in my review of Wanderers it felt in the vein of a Swan Song or a The Stand but not too extreme, it still had its own flavor but Wayward stood very much on its own, there were no heavy semblances of other techno-thrillers we have read before ya know? I have yet to find another post-apocalyptic techno-thriller that felt like this one.
I had an immense love for the characters and Wendig just built up on everything that I loved about them in the first book. I would literally sell my soul for Pete Motherfucking Corley the Rock God, I would donate my arm to Benji Ray, I would fight a tiger to make sure that Shana gets back to her baby. My love for these characters in unparalleled. I had seen a review calling the characters in this series two dimensional and I literally couldn't disagree more.
This is one of those series that I love so much I get, like, annoyed over average ratings of it. When that happens to me I know that it has busted into my "all time" list. I don't know exactly where it lands on that all time favorites list for me but just know that it is way up there.
"'Lucky,' Benji responded, echoing what Zeke had said. 'Lady luck didn't just show up. No, Shana made that bitch do work, boy. She hunted her down in the swamp, dragged her luck-bedecked ass to us, gave that ass a good smack, and made her dance for us while shooting her fuckin' feet.'"
I went into all the technical aspects as to why this series is so good in my review of Wanderers so if you want to see anything other than a gush about this series please go read that review.
I waited years for this sequel. As with any ending to a series there is always the slight fear in the back of your mind: is the author going to stick the landing? I am here to say, y'all, Chuck Wendig completely stuck the landing and he got it right with everything in between as well. As I was drawing near to the end I had said that even if the ending is perfection I was still going to give the book 5 stars because the ride up until the ending was so enjoyable too. This book was really just everything that I could hope for.
The first installment, Wanderers read as more of a horror to me, I personally shelved the first one as a horror but it did have a bit of a sci-fi tinge to it that became more apparent toward the end. Wayward was a techno-thriller through and through and I really appreciated it. As I said in my review of Wanderers it felt in the vein of a Swan Song or a The Stand but not too extreme, it still had its own flavor but Wayward stood very much on its own, there were no heavy semblances of other techno-thrillers we have read before ya know? I have yet to find another post-apocalyptic techno-thriller that felt like this one.
I had an immense love for the characters and Wendig just built up on everything that I loved about them in the first book. I would literally sell my soul for Pete Motherfucking Corley the Rock God, I would donate my arm to Benji Ray, I would fight a tiger to make sure that Shana gets back to her baby. My love for these characters in unparalleled. I had seen a review calling the characters in this series two dimensional and I literally couldn't disagree more.
This is one of those series that I love so much I get, like, annoyed over average ratings of it. When that happens to me I know that it has busted into my "all time" list. I don't know exactly where it lands on that all time favorites list for me but just know that it is way up there.
November 15, 2022
When I got my hands on Wanderers back in 2019, I flew through that monster of a book in 2 days. It was my favorite book of 2019.
So when I found out Wendig was writing a sequel, I was all in. And he definitely delivered! This series feels like The Stand, or Swan Song, or The Passage. It’s truly an epic apocalyptic/post apocalyptic that truly scares the crap out of you.
Going into Wayward, it did take me a bit to remember what happened in Wanderers. I remembered the overall story but not all of the little details or all of the characters. By about 20%, I was deep in and had no issue with knowing what was happening. I did struggle just a bit at the beginning but feel like I got up to speed fairly quickly.
The Flock and the Shepherds have settled in Ouray and everything is coming up rainbows. The Flock are all brilliant people who were hand selected by the AI Black Swan to restart the world and humanity so their little town had more than most of the other settlements throughout Northern America.
Marcy, Shana, Benji, Nessie, and others are all there and having a good life, all things considered. For a while. And as usual in Wendig’s books, sh*t hits the fan.
The POVs go quickly back and forth between those I mentioned above and several others, including Creel. (What a freaking monster of a human!)
I think my favorite parts were the travels taken by Shana and Benji that show the reader how the rest of the world fared after the worst pandemic possible decimated the humans.
My favorite genre is apocalypse and post-apocalypse so, for me, these 2 books are brilliant. And full of horror. And science. Artificial Intelligence, CDC, viruses, and then more science. I loved it.
I can’t wait to see what Wendig comes up with next!
*Thank you so much to Random House, Del Rey Books, Chuck Wendig, and NetGalley for the advance eGalley!*
So when I found out Wendig was writing a sequel, I was all in. And he definitely delivered! This series feels like The Stand, or Swan Song, or The Passage. It’s truly an epic apocalyptic/post apocalyptic that truly scares the crap out of you.
Going into Wayward, it did take me a bit to remember what happened in Wanderers. I remembered the overall story but not all of the little details or all of the characters. By about 20%, I was deep in and had no issue with knowing what was happening. I did struggle just a bit at the beginning but feel like I got up to speed fairly quickly.
The Flock and the Shepherds have settled in Ouray and everything is coming up rainbows. The Flock are all brilliant people who were hand selected by the AI Black Swan to restart the world and humanity so their little town had more than most of the other settlements throughout Northern America.
Marcy, Shana, Benji, Nessie, and others are all there and having a good life, all things considered. For a while. And as usual in Wendig’s books, sh*t hits the fan.
The POVs go quickly back and forth between those I mentioned above and several others, including Creel. (What a freaking monster of a human!)
I think my favorite parts were the travels taken by Shana and Benji that show the reader how the rest of the world fared after the worst pandemic possible decimated the humans.
My favorite genre is apocalypse and post-apocalypse so, for me, these 2 books are brilliant. And full of horror. And science. Artificial Intelligence, CDC, viruses, and then more science. I loved it.
I can’t wait to see what Wendig comes up with next!
*Thank you so much to Random House, Del Rey Books, Chuck Wendig, and NetGalley for the advance eGalley!*
October 30, 2022
While I knew that this was gonna be a long book, since I read the first one, I gotta say that this one is too long. Even a good story can be hurt by going on too long.
Anyways, onto the book.
This one picks up 5 years after the first one ends. There are some of the main people back for this, like Benji and Shana. Also the bad guys, they stayed the same as well. There were a couple of newbies, but they were not really fleshed out.
Things are weird in the location that Black Swan chose to bring the flock to. Speaking of the flock, they act more like cultists than people. Shana feels like an outsider, like they know more about her and what is supposed to happen and they are not telling her what that is.
So things happen, the various people all get into situations that need resolving, and eventually Benji and Shana return to the town after having to leave. Not getting into spoiler details, but I gotta say that whole thing left me asking myself WTF??
Let's talk about that ending. Like, I was reading that and muttering out loud cause really? After all the years, all the suffering, and that's it?
All in all, it was a decent book. Not as good as the first one, but close enough.
I got this one from netgalley.
Anyways, onto the book.
This one picks up 5 years after the first one ends. There are some of the main people back for this, like Benji and Shana. Also the bad guys, they stayed the same as well. There were a couple of newbies, but they were not really fleshed out.
Things are weird in the location that Black Swan chose to bring the flock to. Speaking of the flock, they act more like cultists than people. Shana feels like an outsider, like they know more about her and what is supposed to happen and they are not telling her what that is.
So things happen, the various people all get into situations that need resolving, and eventually Benji and Shana return to the town after having to leave. Not getting into spoiler details, but I gotta say that whole thing left me asking myself WTF??
Let's talk about that ending. Like, I was reading that and muttering out loud cause really? After all the years, all the suffering, and that's it?
All in all, it was a decent book. Not as good as the first one, but close enough.
I got this one from netgalley.
October 11, 2024
Omg! This was too longgggggg and too much Sci-fi.
I really loved “ the Wanderers” but this one definitely was not for me.
Too many unnecessary pages, too many politics issues.
Bored to death.
I really loved “ the Wanderers” but this one definitely was not for me.
Too many unnecessary pages, too many politics issues.
Bored to death.
January 18, 2024
Wow.
Wanderers and Wayward are some of my favorite books I’ve ever read. Chuck Wendig pours everything he has into his characters and forms the world around their journeys, and it creates some of the most jaw clenching, tear inducing, and laugh of loud moments I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.
The books are epic (in story and size) but the payoff has been so very very worth it.
Gumball is a Very Good Dog🐾
Wanderers and Wayward are some of my favorite books I’ve ever read. Chuck Wendig pours everything he has into his characters and forms the world around their journeys, and it creates some of the most jaw clenching, tear inducing, and laugh of loud moments I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.
The books are epic (in story and size) but the payoff has been so very very worth it.
Gumball is a Very Good Dog🐾
Want to read
December 4, 2020There’s going to be a sequel?? Count me in.
May 9, 2023
Rec. by: Previous wanderings
Rec. for: Peripatetic protagonists and plague pundits
I read Chuck Wendig's 2019 novel Wanderers in October 2020—not humanity's best year, indeed. The fears and uncertainties of the real world were at a fever pitch, and it was actually something of a relief to read about a timeline that made ours look good in comparison.
Even so, I thought that first book was "long and kinda flat, like a lonely two-lane road running through some Midwestern state."
Now Wendig's back, with Wayward, a sequel—another long one, pushing 800 pages. I liked this one a lot more—so much so that it's retroactively raised my estimation of Wanderers, in fact. His work is really topical... the concerns about artificial intelligence that only get sharper in the sequel are only one example:
And... some things bear repeating, after all—like the realization that people who band together have a much better chance of surviving an apocalypse than lonely individuals, however heavily armed and prepped they may be.
It's also significant, I think, that I was able to find several memorable quotes to share from this book, this time.
Wayward certainly begins auspiciously, with an epigram from Douglas Adams:
Wendig really gets the appeal of apocalypse (for the survivors, anyway), too:
And sometimes you just have to laugh... at yourself. From "Crusher's" brief reign in the ruins of Cleveland, Ohio:
Pulling together... that's where it's at:
Wendig's "Acknowledgements and Afterword" includes some illuminating revelations about the author's influences and behind-the-scenes process, too.
Wayward was undeniably gripping. After the apocalyptic trifecta in Wanderers—the Sleepwalkers, the White Mask pandemic, and Black Swan's insidious plans—it might have been hard to see a way forward... but Wendig managed to make the trek back from Ouray even more interesting.
Don't read this one first—too much depends on what has gone before—but if you read Wanderers with any enjoyment at all, do go on to experience Wayward as well.
Rec. for: Peripatetic protagonists and plague pundits
"Hindsight is twenty-twenty."
"Hindsight is, I wish the year 2020 never happened," she said.
"Not humanity's best year, no."
—p.319
I read Chuck Wendig's 2019 novel Wanderers in October 2020—not humanity's best year, indeed. The fears and uncertainties of the real world were at a fever pitch, and it was actually something of a relief to read about a timeline that made ours look good in comparison.
Even so, I thought that first book was "long and kinda flat, like a lonely two-lane road running through some Midwestern state."
Now Wendig's back, with Wayward, a sequel—another long one, pushing 800 pages. I liked this one a lot more—so much so that it's retroactively raised my estimation of Wanderers, in fact. His work is really topical... the concerns about artificial intelligence that only get sharper in the sequel are only one example:
By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.
—Eliezer Yudkowsky, epigram introducing Chapter 15, p.114
And... some things bear repeating, after all—like the realization that people who band together have a much better chance of surviving an apocalypse than lonely individuals, however heavily armed and prepped they may be.
It's also significant, I think, that I was able to find several memorable quotes to share from this book, this time.
Wayward certainly begins auspiciously, with an epigram from Douglas Adams:
For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.After all, sometimes you just have to laugh, as in when Wendig brings back people like that puffed-up blowhard Ed Creel (you'll remember him, i'm sure) sitting behind the stolen Resolute Desk in his subterranean bunker beneath the Kansas soil, pretending to be President.
—from The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Wendig really gets the appeal of apocalypse (for the survivors, anyway), too:
There was only stillness. And there was solace in that stillness.And the reasons (or at least some of them) for why some of us might desperately want that stillness:
—p.14
"I don't know if you saw the world that I did, Benji, but what I saw was, even before White Mask, a mad place. I don't just mean the baser instinct stuff—the bigotry and bullying. I mean, chaos. Delusion. Stupidity. People rejected science for dangerous fantasy. All for money, for power—or worse, to sit at the feet of rich and powerful men. And their impact on the natural world? A literal atrocity. Dead birds on skyscraper glass, dead fish on poisoned shores, dead bugs on windshields until there were no more bugs to splatter."
—Arthur, p.40
And sometimes you just have to laugh... at yourself. From "Crusher's" brief reign in the ruins of Cleveland, Ohio:
"Your name." Because I can't keep thinking of you as Sgt. Pepper.Heh...
"Crusher."
"Cru—Crusher? That's not your given name, surely."
"Alan," said the scrappy woman. "His name's Alan."
"Alan," Pete said, the name dripping out of his mouth like the last puke after a long night of drink and drugs. "I see why Crusher is preferable."
—p.107
Pulling together... that's where it's at:
The test of a Very Good Boy was this, Gumball knew:Seems pretty clear to me. And some things bear repeating; my own formulation of Gumball's philosophy, which I've also shared before, is that "The Lone Ranger doesn't tie the villain to the railroad tracks."
You must remain a Good Dog even in the face of a Bad World.
—p.760
Wendig's "Acknowledgements and Afterword" includes some illuminating revelations about the author's influences and behind-the-scenes process, too.
Wayward was undeniably gripping. After the apocalyptic trifecta in Wanderers—the Sleepwalkers, the White Mask pandemic, and Black Swan's insidious plans—it might have been hard to see a way forward... but Wendig managed to make the trek back from Ouray even more interesting.
Don't read this one first—too much depends on what has gone before—but if you read Wanderers with any enjoyment at all, do go on to experience Wayward as well.
December 9, 2022
I'm so so bummed to say this, but I did not like this sequel at ALL.
I adored Wanderers. I think its one of the best books I read this year, so needless to say I was hyped to read this and anxiously awaiting its release. But it completely missed for me.
I finished about half of it before coming to terms with the fact that I didn't care about any of this and that the plot had kind of lost me at this point. It was exponentially cheesier than Wanderers; the dialogue so much more forced and contrived.
The minor annoyance I felt at Wanderers for its themes/political messages/moral preaching being too on the nose was impossible to ignore with this one.
There are pockets of profundity and the beauty I felt in Wanderers can be found hiding, but they are fewer and further between than the first book. Unfortunate.
I adored Wanderers. I think its one of the best books I read this year, so needless to say I was hyped to read this and anxiously awaiting its release. But it completely missed for me.
I finished about half of it before coming to terms with the fact that I didn't care about any of this and that the plot had kind of lost me at this point. It was exponentially cheesier than Wanderers; the dialogue so much more forced and contrived.
The minor annoyance I felt at Wanderers for its themes/political messages/moral preaching being too on the nose was impossible to ignore with this one.
There are pockets of profundity and the beauty I felt in Wanderers can be found hiding, but they are fewer and further between than the first book. Unfortunate.
November 7, 2022
Wayward is an intricate, absolutely mammoth book that continues the story from Wanderers. There's quite a bit to unpack here, and I enjoyed it. The characters felt alive and true to themselves, the story had twists but managed to be clear, and the writing was just fantastic. I had a conversation with the author after reading, and his insight on the book and process was just very cool. This isn't a book that you can speed through because you'll miss too much, but if you have the time, it's a feast.
November 19, 2022
Dolly Parton is Mother Abigail in this one
Wendig gonna Wendig and this is he at the top of that game.
**Spoilers for animal people**
The dog makes it. Because he's a Very Good Boy.
Wendig gonna Wendig and this is he at the top of that game.
**Spoilers for animal people**
The dog makes it. Because he's a Very Good Boy.
February 12, 2024
It’s bizarre to come across potentially my favorite read of 2024 in January.
This duology has consumed me; I have felt deeply this story & these characters.
P.s
Do yourself the favor & read the acknowledgements & afterword.
Chuck, you’ve outdone yourself.
This duology has consumed me; I have felt deeply this story & these characters.
P.s
Do yourself the favor & read the acknowledgements & afterword.
Chuck, you’ve outdone yourself.
November 20, 2025
Wow this audiobook was long and really good! Xe Sands one of my favorite narrators! 4 4 🌟
February 5, 2023
COVID 19 impacted the world…thanks, Captain Obvious. But in the case of my favorite authors working—Stephen King and Chuck Wendig—the pandemic and its incumbent challenges, the ripple effect, caused the best of us to overcorrect not unlike an immune system that begins to attack itself.
WAYWARD could've been a masterpiece, but it became bogged down with on-the-nose political allegory where characters were too similar to their "real world" analogs, and Black Swan became too much like a cautionary tale for a thing we haven't even escaped.
Wendig was at his best when her wrote WANDERERS. It predicted the effing future, and with eerie accuracy. WAYWARD reflected on the past, without enough distance from that past.
But for the failures I note, 99.99999% of authors will NEVER achieve a book half as good as WAYWARD. Its characters are relatable (sans the above-mentioned when a character is forced to be a Wendigian mouthpiece for a political speech). Benji's journey is exceptional. He's inevitable but also unrecognizable from the man who first appeared in WANDERERS.
Shana is the hero we need, flawed but unflagging, and I loved her evolution. Pete amazed me. He became fully himself to a chorus of rock 'n roll and fireworks. At heart, Black Swan's evolution is meaningful and relatable. I believe it, and the ultimate solution is satisfying too.
One of my favorite moves Wendig makes is killing his characters. People you love drop dead without ceremony, just as it can happen in real life, and that keeps the consequences ever-present.
And of all the triumphs, pastor Matt is the finest, to my mind. His education is brutal for two consecutive books, and if I had to guess without ever reading a word of biography on the author himself, I imagine Matt is an avatar for Charles Wendig. You read it here first, folk, unless you didn't...
WAYWARD could've been a masterpiece, but it became bogged down with on-the-nose political allegory where characters were too similar to their "real world" analogs, and Black Swan became too much like a cautionary tale for a thing we haven't even escaped.
Wendig was at his best when her wrote WANDERERS. It predicted the effing future, and with eerie accuracy. WAYWARD reflected on the past, without enough distance from that past.
But for the failures I note, 99.99999% of authors will NEVER achieve a book half as good as WAYWARD. Its characters are relatable (sans the above-mentioned when a character is forced to be a Wendigian mouthpiece for a political speech). Benji's journey is exceptional. He's inevitable but also unrecognizable from the man who first appeared in WANDERERS.
Shana is the hero we need, flawed but unflagging, and I loved her evolution. Pete amazed me. He became fully himself to a chorus of rock 'n roll and fireworks. At heart, Black Swan's evolution is meaningful and relatable. I believe it, and the ultimate solution is satisfying too.
One of my favorite moves Wendig makes is killing his characters. People you love drop dead without ceremony, just as it can happen in real life, and that keeps the consequences ever-present.
And of all the triumphs, pastor Matt is the finest, to my mind. His education is brutal for two consecutive books, and if I had to guess without ever reading a word of biography on the author himself, I imagine Matt is an avatar for Charles Wendig. You read it here first, folk, unless you didn't...
October 6, 2022
Amazing sequel! This was an amazing read with great writing and perfect plotline, however; it was a long one! At 800 pages I felt at times overwhelmed because there are times the narrative dips and had me distracted and wishing the story would move a bit quicker. Having said this, I still highly recommend this one, especially to everyone who's read the prior installment Wanderers and even if you hadn't this one can still be followed without much confusion. Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced e-arc, I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this one.
March 30, 2024
The first book had a unique concept that drove the narrative to the very last page. In contrast, this book feels like one long epilogue that didn't need to be written. I bailed on it before finishing bc I was just too bored by it all.
November 30, 2022
If a solid, standalone 800-page novel yielded an 800-page sequel, would you read it?
I did, and it was worth braving the sophomore jinx of this chonky series. Sure, I had some issues with Chuck Wendig's Wanderers (2019), but the sequel, Wayward, brings many of the same characters five years ahead and tells the story of a rebuilding world after the White Mask pandemic wiped out all but 1% of the population. I had my own ideas of what might have happened at the end of the first book, so I had to read it.
In this story, the president is a (somehow) exaggerated version of Trump who is building an army of really bad guys prepping for a battle of good vs. evil. Sound familiar? If Wendig took some flak from Stephen King fans who felt Wanderers was too similar to The Stand, he goes beyond King's vision in Wayward and makes you think about what a sequel to The Stand might look like. New characters, new conflicts, a sentient AI, and all I kept thinking was, boy, wasn't The Stand a great book?
King fixation aside, I thought the action in Wayward was better than in Wanderers. The villains with superpowers were scary-good and for an 800-page doorstop, Wayward kept me turning pages with only a couple of pit-stops where the book dragged. Recommended only after you've read Wanderers — and only if you love big books and you cannot lie. By the way, these two books could make a really great series. Wendig writes riveting chapter-ending cliffhangers.
I did, and it was worth braving the sophomore jinx of this chonky series. Sure, I had some issues with Chuck Wendig's Wanderers (2019), but the sequel, Wayward, brings many of the same characters five years ahead and tells the story of a rebuilding world after the White Mask pandemic wiped out all but 1% of the population. I had my own ideas of what might have happened at the end of the first book, so I had to read it.
In this story, the president is a (somehow) exaggerated version of Trump who is building an army of really bad guys prepping for a battle of good vs. evil. Sound familiar? If Wendig took some flak from Stephen King fans who felt Wanderers was too similar to The Stand, he goes beyond King's vision in Wayward and makes you think about what a sequel to The Stand might look like. New characters, new conflicts, a sentient AI, and all I kept thinking was, boy, wasn't The Stand a great book?
King fixation aside, I thought the action in Wayward was better than in Wanderers. The villains with superpowers were scary-good and for an 800-page doorstop, Wayward kept me turning pages with only a couple of pit-stops where the book dragged. Recommended only after you've read Wanderers — and only if you love big books and you cannot lie. By the way, these two books could make a really great series. Wendig writes riveting chapter-ending cliffhangers.
June 3, 2023
Well, I'm sorry.
I've been thinking about this book, and what my feelings are towards it.. and I just can't give it more than 1 star.
In the first book, I enjoyed the actual plot, the situation of a pandemic and a group of people being chosen, yadi yada.
But, there were already things that bothered me, but I was invested enough into the story to be willing to read book 2.
Now that I've finished it, I wish I had not read either of these.
Everything that bothered me in book 1, was amplified in this sequel, and that just killed the mood for me.
I'm so sick of this white supremacy shit.. this was so anticlimactic, ho the bad guy Creel, proning white supremacy, yadi yada.. I couldn't care less.
Ho, shall we talk about how many times the fucking word "nazi" is mentionned ? Like, do you even KNOW the difference ? Fuck this, I'm sick of people using this term to serve their agenda when they actually have no clue what they're talking about.
Everything was a stereotypical leftist view, pushed to the extreme, and ho so not true.
I lost it at the afterword; I still haven't finished it, but I think there's no point to.
I'm a very open-minded person, always willing to talk to someone about their world's view and such, but this was just eye-rolling kind of stupid.
Fuck, I wanna read a sci-fi book, I end up with a treaty explaining on how Orange Man Bad.
Ho yeah, he hurt so many people.. boo hoo.
This review is already too long, but let's also talk about the characters.
Just like in Wanderers, the only one worth it was Benji. The rest was worthless, trying too hard, look at me I'm different, kind of people.
Shana, so unremarkable, couldn't give a fuck.
Nessie unsufferable.
I was actually more invested in Gumball's story than any of the characters.
Black Swan, won't even say a thing about it, cause I didn't give a shit.
Deep down, I knew this book was gonna be shit for me when I read the interlude page 167 "Who are your people in the neighbourhood"
To this chapter all I have to say is : Fuck You.
I don't care what you think, I don't care if your feelings are hurt by my review. One thing is sure, I won't buy another book by Chuck Wendig .. what a shame.
I've been thinking about this book, and what my feelings are towards it.. and I just can't give it more than 1 star.
In the first book, I enjoyed the actual plot, the situation of a pandemic and a group of people being chosen, yadi yada.
But, there were already things that bothered me, but I was invested enough into the story to be willing to read book 2.
Now that I've finished it, I wish I had not read either of these.
Everything that bothered me in book 1, was amplified in this sequel, and that just killed the mood for me.
I'm so sick of this white supremacy shit.. this was so anticlimactic, ho the bad guy Creel, proning white supremacy, yadi yada.. I couldn't care less.
Ho, shall we talk about how many times the fucking word "nazi" is mentionned ? Like, do you even KNOW the difference ? Fuck this, I'm sick of people using this term to serve their agenda when they actually have no clue what they're talking about.
Everything was a stereotypical leftist view, pushed to the extreme, and ho so not true.
I lost it at the afterword; I still haven't finished it, but I think there's no point to.
I'm a very open-minded person, always willing to talk to someone about their world's view and such, but this was just eye-rolling kind of stupid.
Fuck, I wanna read a sci-fi book, I end up with a treaty explaining on how Orange Man Bad.
Ho yeah, he hurt so many people.. boo hoo.
This review is already too long, but let's also talk about the characters.
Just like in Wanderers, the only one worth it was Benji. The rest was worthless, trying too hard, look at me I'm different, kind of people.
Shana, so unremarkable, couldn't give a fuck.
Nessie unsufferable.
I was actually more invested in Gumball's story than any of the characters.
Black Swan, won't even say a thing about it, cause I didn't give a shit.
Deep down, I knew this book was gonna be shit for me when I read the interlude page 167 "Who are your people in the neighbourhood"
To this chapter all I have to say is : Fuck You.
I don't care what you think, I don't care if your feelings are hurt by my review. One thing is sure, I won't buy another book by Chuck Wendig .. what a shame.
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