Wanderers
A decadent rock star. A deeply religious radio host. A disgraced scientist. And a teenage girl who may be the world’s last hope. From the mind of Chuck Wendig comes “a magnum opus . . . a story about survival that’s not just about you and me, but all of us, together” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.
For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them—and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them—the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart—or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.
Advance praise for Wanderers
“This career-defining epic deserves its inevitable comparisons to Stephen King’s The Stand.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A suspenseful, twisty, satisfying, surprising, thought-provoking epic.”—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away
“A true tour de force.”—Erin Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus
“A masterpiece with prose as sharp and heartbreaking as Station Eleven.”—Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M
“A magnum opus . . . It reminded me of Stephen King’s The Stand—but dare I say, this story is even better.”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crucible
“An inventive, fierce, uncompromising, stay-up-way-past-bedtime masterwork.”—Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World
“An American epic for these times.”—Charles Soule, author of The Oracle Year
Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.
For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them—and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them—the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart—or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.
Advance praise for Wanderers
“This career-defining epic deserves its inevitable comparisons to Stephen King’s The Stand.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A suspenseful, twisty, satisfying, surprising, thought-provoking epic.”—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away
“A true tour de force.”—Erin Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus
“A masterpiece with prose as sharp and heartbreaking as Station Eleven.”—Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M
“A magnum opus . . . It reminded me of Stephen King’s The Stand—but dare I say, this story is even better.”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crucible
“An inventive, fierce, uncompromising, stay-up-way-past-bedtime masterwork.”—Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World
“An American epic for these times.”—Charles Soule, author of The Oracle Year
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Community Reviews
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I don't write reviews very often, as you will see if you check out my Goodreads profile. But every now and then, I am driven to do so because a book or a movie or a TV show hits me in the feels. Wanderers did that. And it did that over the course of 800 pages, which, much as the time and effort I am sure it took to write the doorstop (figuratively), is no easy feat. I think Wendig's Wanderers (nice alliteration!) stands toe-to-toe with King's The Stand and McCammon's Swan Song for sure, but where it stood out for me was the "humanity" of it. There was no supernatural flavor (although I guess arguments could be made about the definition of that word) - the situation that occurs in the book, scarily, does not require too much of a suspension of disbelief. I bought this book in late December 2019, never imagining the world that would emerge just around the corner. Also not knowing what kind of book it was - it was written by Chuck Wendig and that was all I needed to know - I am a fan for life so I would have bought it anyway. When I started reading it on 25 April 2020, I was for-real creeped out at the type of book it was. It was okay though as I find that when I am struggling with something, I tend to lean into it, so the subject-matter was right up my proverbial alley. The fact that I read the book in 2 weeks speaks volumes because that is normally how long it takes me to read a 300-page book. What I'm saying is that it is a really good book, with engaging and oh-so-flawed characters, and the story takes its time in all the right ways, in all the right places. Well done, Mr. Wendig.
I don't write reviews very often, as you will see if you check out my Goodreads profile. But every now and then, I am driven to do so because a book or a movie or a TV show hits me in the feels. Wanderers did that. And it did that over the course of 800 pages, which, much as the time and effort I am sure it took to write the doorstop (figuratively), is no easy feat. I think Wendig's Wanderers (nice alliteration!) stands toe-to-toe with King's The Stand and McCammon's Swan Song for sure, but where it stood out for me was the "humanity" of it. There was no supernatural flavor (although I guess arguments could be made about the definition of that word) - the situation that occurs in the book, scarily, does not require too much of a suspension of disbelief. I bought this book in late December 2019, never imagining the world that would emerge just around the corner. Also not knowing what kind of book it was - it was written by Chuck Wendig and that was all I needed to know - I am a fan for life so I would have bought it anyway. When I started reading it on 25 April 2020, I was for-real creeped out at the type of book it was. It was okay though as I find that when I am struggling with something, I tend to lean into it, so the subject-matter was right up my proverbial alley. The fact that I read the book in 2 weeks speaks volumes because that is normally how long it takes me to read a 300-page book. What I'm saying is that it is a really good book, with engaging and oh-so-flawed characters, and the story takes its time in all the right ways, in all the right places. Well done, Mr. Wendig.
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