I will be re-reading this when I have a physical copy on hand. Wanderers is an experience, a treasure, and just an epic read. You don’t need to hear more from me, but if you ask, I will most definitely have more to say. In fact, I’ve culled so much from this review already. I could probably go on and on about this book. What effect have humans had on this world? Is where we are heading entirely our fault? How does the cultural system of religion play a part when the world we know goes sideways? Are there benefits to creating newer, better technology? What is good and what is evil? These are the things that draw me to books like The Stand, Swan Song, The Road, and most definitely Wanderers.

I could wax on for days about various thematic elements in this novel. I was never lost, often surprised, and always on the edge of my seat until the next discovery was revealed. What I will comment on is Wendig’s ability to tweak a thread here that becomes something of huge importance later, while still weaving these pieces into a tapestry of storytelling that left me in awe. These people are crafted so beautifully and it was an easy, natural development for me to accept. This unfolds organically and I had no issue keeping track of who was who and their relation to other characters. Lay people, scientists, a preacher, CDC members, politicians, zealots, backwoods militia, and more. And yeah, I’ve read and watched a LOT of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.Īs one might expect in a book of this length, there is a veritable host of characters introduced throughout. What follows is one of the most engaging, well-developed, and epic journeys I have ever read. As mentioned in the synopsis, a mysterious affliction manifests in part of the population. And absolutely, 100% worth every second of it. This is a BIG book, a chunky almost 800-page hardcover. I mention all of this to lead up to Chuck Wendig’s newest release, Wanderers. It is the possibility that these things may come to pass in some form that draws us in – will we make it, is there hope? This explanation makes sense to me we look to fiction such as this in order to view possible outcomes at a safe distance. Hyong-Jun Moon (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) states that “.the extreme versions of future catastrophe in apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives might function as a psychological buffer, through which strive to accustom themselves to the coming realities of harshness, insufficiency, and antagonism.” (241). Unimaginable loss of life and the complete breakdown of technological comforts and common social behavior are not the things we look for to inspire levity. Why are so many of us drawn to tales that outline the destruction of life as we know it? These are not light things.

Wanderers by chuck wendig