Wanderers: A Novel

By Chuck Wendig

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). NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Polygon 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. In development for TV by Glen Mazzara, executive producer of The Walking Dead • Look for the sequel, Wayward, now available! “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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Published May 19, 2020

800 pages

Average rating: 7.61

31 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

xo_tonidenise_xo
10/10 stars
Wow I don’t even know where to begin. I absolutely loved this book. From the moment I started reading, I was completely hooked, and it quickly became one of those books I had a genuinely hard time putting down (I had many 4am nights reading this one). The story is intense, gripping, and thought-provoking. I became so invested in the characters and their journey that by the time I reached the end, I honestly wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I’m actually quite sad that I finished it. Which, to me, is one of the best compliments I can give a book because that does not happen often for me. And can we please talk about how this would make an AMAZING TV series or movie?! The scope of the story, the characters, the tension, and the sheer amount of material to work with would translate beautifully to the big screen. If you’re looking for a book that pulls you in, keeps you guessing, and makes you forget you have other things you’re supposed to be doing, 😂 read Wanderers. I went into this book expecting a good read and came out wishing I could experience it all over again for the first time.
MadocMattox
8/10 stars
What a wonderful grand tale of chaos and order with the implications of religion, AI, and social media in response to unknown events
stackedlibrarian
8/10 stars
The absolutely wrong book to have been reading when coronavirius broke out! 3.5 rating because it was a fascinating telling of world’s end, but at almost 800 pages a bit of a slog in some places.
E Clou
8/10 stars
Definitely fun but unnecessarily rapey in parts. Lots of great distinct characters, no plot holes, riveting throughout. Still, I would recommend it if you love apocalypse books (I do) but not otherwise.

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