Wayward
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The epic sequel to Chuck Wendig's apocalyptic literary masterpiece WANDERERS.
HOW DO YOU SURVIVE THE END OF THE WORLD?
Five years ago, a group of ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect them.
Their destination, Ouray, became 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.
But the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and their new world is fragile. 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, they have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.
'As great as Wanderers was, Wayward is better . . . Combines grim extrapolation, great characters, and hope.' Christopher Golden
'Salient, masterful, this is an author at the top of his game.' Adam Christopher
'IMAX-scale bleeding-edge techno-horror from a writer with a freshly sharpened scalpel.' Kirkus
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wendig's sequel to 2019's Wanderers disappoints, with the sprawling postapocalyptic epic hobbled by heavy-handed political satire—at one point, U.S. President Ed Creel, a cartoonish Trump stand-in, fights with a man calling himself White Jesus—that overwhelms the more thoughtful elements of the plot. In an alternate present, a Hillary Clinton–like figure, President Nora Hunt, was assassinated during the 2020 White Mask pandemic, which killed millions. Creel then assumed power, but in the wake of the virus, his domain is initially limited to a Kansas bunker. Outside the bunker, those not killed by White Mask struggle to survive, among them former CDC epidemiologist Benji Ray, who is stunned to discover the disease's true origins. Other of the myriad plotlines feature Shana Stewart, whose pregnancy may give some sense of what future humanity can expect; violent political intrigue surrounding Creel; and Matthew Bird, a pastor trying to reconcile his faith with what he's learned about an über-powerful AI called Black Swan. There's not much that feels fresh; both the plot twists and the characters' inner journeys are predictable and familiar. This is best suited only for diehard fans of the previous volume.
