Wanderers

A Novel

By: Chuck Wendig

Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Xe Sands

Length: 32 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by:

• The Washington Post
• NPR
• The Dallas Morning News
• 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 in 2022

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, number one New York Times best-selling author of Run Away)

"A true tour de force." (Erin Morgenstern, New York Times best-selling 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, number one New York Times best-selling 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)

©2019 Chuck Wendig (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Wanderers is amazing - huge, current, both broad and intensely personal, blending the contemplative apocalypse of Station Eleven with the compulsive readability of the best thrillers." (Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaigns series)

"Chuck Wendig’s latest, Wanderers, is a magnum opus of both storytelling and prose, epic in scope, yet told with an intimacy that hooked me from the first page. It reminded me of a technological version of Stephen King’s The Stand - but dare I say, this is even better: a postapocalyptic horror story that bares the best and worst of humanity in all its rawest forms. Don’t miss this tour de force. It left me awed." (James Rollins, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Crucible)

"With Wanderers, Chuck Wendig levels up - and when you consider the high level he was already writing at, that's saying something." (John Scalzi, New York Times best-selling author of The Consuming Fire)

Maybe if Philip K Dick had written The Stand....

Wow. Intense. A couple intensely dark chapters (e.g. Chapter 50). The story also has a certain level of predictability, seemingly of intentional design, which allows Wendig to throw some PKD-ish twists into the plot that you just don’t see coming. There are s few similarities to Stephen King’s “The Stand”, but end result is more like what might have been if King, Phillip K. Dick, and Wm Gibson had collaborated for one incredible kick-ass story.

The performances by Hoffman and Sands were very good as well. Sands in particular, does an exceptional job bringing through the character in the female protagonist’s voice.

Definitely recommend.

Mixed feelings

I had a hard time figuring out how to rate this book.

On the one hand, the underlying story is pretty interesting, but it has a number of elements that really dragged it down.

1. There are a few scenes of egregiously explicitly violent torture and rape. I literally almost returned the book on the spot after one such part. It’s like listening to a Hostel movie. That said, it’s really only maybe 15 minutes worth over 30 hours.

2. The author injects his politics into the story in a way that, imo, drags down the book. One of the major themes is incredibly contemporary about what is clearly the worst Trump supporters. Despite most likely agreeing with the author politically in many ways, I found it really heavy-handed and lacking nuance. One of the characters is extremely obviously a Trump stand-in, and his supporters are basically comically evil.

What a great ride! Summer blockbuster that will leave a mark and the stain will not come out with club soda.

It's like Michael Chrichton and Stephen King had a baby, locked him in a basement in Western Pennsylvania, and made him write a book. Lots of twisty, wretched turns. Chuck Wendig never disappoints!

Excellent

This is an epic story that should not be taken lightly, prepare yourself to enter the depths of this labyrinthine novel. Story is told in fantastic detail, narrated perfection, and fills your minds eye with vivid details.

Amazing

In these days of Isolation due to covid 19 I was riveted by the authenticity.

Listen to the sample...

I think you either really like Xe Sands or you don't but I encourage listening to the sample before purchase. I only made it a few chapters before returning the book, I should have remembered I'd had to do the same thing on another book by Xe. She has a very distinct style which makes me dislike the character from the start... but you may like her!

Great book

This is a great road-book analysing what will happen if an unknown virus spreds and no one knows what to do....

Some parts are not for the faint of heart...

Definitely a rated R book for language and rape. I was hooked from the beginning and wanted to stop bc of the language and rape but I couldn't stop listening. Unfortunately, I hated the ending. I have very mixed feelings about this book, a love hate feeling but left me wanting more minus the ending.

MUST READ

No words. Still reeling from the story. It was fantastic! Heartbreaking. Non stop entertainment. I loved it!

This was great

I first have to say that the narration made this book better. I bought the audio and Kindle versions and the audio is much better.

As for the story, it was a bumpy ride from the beginning to the end. The people of the world are dying and the flock will be the beginning of the new world, but unfortunately, there are no zombies.

What grabbed me was how real this was and how it actually could happen. From the hatred of the others, the political atmosphere, the climate issues, to an AI that can change so much.

My only complaint was that I didn't like Shana, she never seem to learn as the events happened. But I loved the Irish rocker once he learned to accept who he was.