Scan barcode
bowes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Sexism, Gun violence, and Body horror
blogthatbook's review against another edition
4.0
My dyslexia quite literally makes me terrified of big hefty books like Chuck Wendig's Wanderers. Even short books can be hard work for me to read. So, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting to finish this monster. I even scheduled a midpoint break and put this book to one side while I read something else, just to try and stave off that stale feeling I was expecting to get by being weighed down by the volume of this thing.
But a funny thing happened, I didn't feel stale while reading these hundreds of pages. There was no boredom, no mind-wandering and no "Will this thing ever end?" thoughts each time I rejoined the story. Even during my midpoint break, I wasn't breathing sighs of relief to be away from it for a while; on the contrary, I actually found myself wanting to get back to The Flock, The shepherds, Benji, Black Swan and Rock God Pete.
Did I enjoy it?
I enjoyed the reading, I enjoyed the writing and I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the story's duration. Nothing felt rushed, but it didn't feel like it dragged either, I guess it was just right, at least for me. It was a hell of a stretch in believability at certain points, but this is science fiction, sort of, so if you can't suspend your disbelief then you're in the wrong place.
I didn't enjoy some of the more graphic sections of the book though, most namely the male rape scene. It made me feel incredibly uncomfortable and actually managed to turn my stomach. Personally I'd rather that wasn't in there, I don't really think it was necessary, but this is Chuck's book and you have to respect the author's choices. It certainly got an emotional response from me that will be with me for a long time, and isn't that the whole point of story telling? There is actually a hell of a lot of this book that will stay with me for a long time.
I imagine there won't be many 'on the fence' opinions when it comes to this book, most people will either love it or hate it. Me? I thought it was a fantastic experience and a great ride to go on.
If you're thinking of trying this book then I suggest you should just go ahead and do it. Don't let the page count put you off. It's an enthralling read which rattles along with incredible ease.
But a funny thing happened, I didn't feel stale while reading these hundreds of pages. There was no boredom, no mind-wandering and no "Will this thing ever end?" thoughts each time I rejoined the story. Even during my midpoint break, I wasn't breathing sighs of relief to be away from it for a while; on the contrary, I actually found myself wanting to get back to The Flock, The shepherds, Benji, Black Swan and Rock God Pete.
Did I enjoy it?
I enjoyed the reading, I enjoyed the writing and I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the story's duration. Nothing felt rushed, but it didn't feel like it dragged either, I guess it was just right, at least for me. It was a hell of a stretch in believability at certain points, but this is science fiction, sort of, so if you can't suspend your disbelief then you're in the wrong place.
I didn't enjoy some of the more graphic sections of the book though, most namely the male rape scene. It made me feel incredibly uncomfortable and actually managed to turn my stomach. Personally I'd rather that wasn't in there, I don't really think it was necessary, but this is Chuck's book and you have to respect the author's choices. It certainly got an emotional response from me that will be with me for a long time, and isn't that the whole point of story telling? There is actually a hell of a lot of this book that will stay with me for a long time.
I imagine there won't be many 'on the fence' opinions when it comes to this book, most people will either love it or hate it. Me? I thought it was a fantastic experience and a great ride to go on.
If you're thinking of trying this book then I suggest you should just go ahead and do it. Don't let the page count put you off. It's an enthralling read which rattles along with incredible ease.
sbudiselich's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
rypmurph's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rjdey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pam2375's review against another edition
3.0
This was an end of the world apolyptic tale about sleepwalkers and the folks that follow them (to keep them safe?)!
This was good and it kept me going to the end, however, there did seem to be a LOT of characters to keep track of.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advanced readers copy. Release date is set for July 2019.
This was good and it kept me going to the end, however, there did seem to be a LOT of characters to keep track of.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advanced readers copy. Release date is set for July 2019.
tarah_'s review against another edition
Not a fit for me. The synopsis sounds amazing but the authors political views got in the way of enjoying anything about this.
jdewater's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
casim's review against another edition
2.5
Everything this book does competently, which is not all-encompassing, some other book does better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape