Wanderers Audiobook By Chuck Wendig cover art

Wanderers

A Novel

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Wanderers

By: Chuck Wendig
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Xe Sands
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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 Action & Adventure Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Exciting Apocalyptic Fiction

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)
Captivating Twists • Compelling Characters • Prescient Storytelling • Unique Premise • Well-researched Science
Highly rated for:
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Wanderers wants to be a 21st-century rendition of Stephen King's THE STAND: an epic story of American societal collapse and survival in the face of a deadly epidemic. Sometimes, it succeeds: the scope of the story and the twists of the plot are top-notch, and it's certainly a good page-turner. There's no question I enjoyed this book, and if you need an engaging and well-researched read about how our troubled world could collapse, WANDERERS is easy to recommend.

So why only 3 stars Overall and for Performance? Mostly to give potential readers some perspective in between the absolutely gushing reviews and the 1-star haters on this site. So now that I've recommended this read, here are the reason WANDERERS is not perfect and might not be for you:

1) LENGTH: This is a marathon of a book in audio or print, and I can't shake the feeling that it needed another 80–100 pages of squishing in order to keep the plot moving. Wendig knows how to tell a good story, so the pacing is generally pretty quick. Still, every character had several internal monologues where I was saying "OK, I get it," as I wished the author would move on to the rest of the action. This brings me to my next quibble...

2) CHARACTERS: As an epic-in-scope story, WANDERERS has a LOT of main characters who get to command narrative attention and tone in their chapters. Some of them you will like a lot. Others you will dislike, but understand. And still others will make you ask: "Wait, why are you doing that? What's motivating you to think that's a good idea?" I've read enough novels to know I don't have to love or identify with all the characters to enjoy the story, but WANDERERS at times had me puzzled why certain characters behaved the way they did. At worst, it feels like they're acting to advance the plot or just do oddball funny things to lighten the novel's tone rather than behaving in a believable manner. Perhaps this will not bother a less critical reader, but it irked me.

3) POLITICS: If you've ever peeked at Wendig's Twitter feed, you know he's an outspoken progressive—and personally, I agree with him on a ton of levels. My issue here is not that I disagree with his rather bleak view of modern conservatism, but rather that there's not a lot of nuance in how he depicts the American political divide in this book. Outspoken conservatives in this book inevitably end up on the side of monsters, and those sympathetic to such views get co-opted by the monsters and suffer horribly as a result. This won't be a problem for many liberal-minded readers, but where I got hung up was how essentially every character has internal monologues that stop the action to reflect on their political leanings at some point in the story. At worst, these moments feel like the author is signalling us "Don't worry, this character is a liberal" in order to get us to like them. Perhaps this is an inevitable land-mine for a novel set in 2019 America, but I feel like the author is going to irritate or distract a lot of readers by constantly bringing politics into a story that doesn't always require it.

4) PERFORMANCE: There's a pretty marked contrast in acting ability between the two narrators. While Dominic Hoffman has a pleasant voice, he cannot do a British or Irish accent to save his life. What's more, his narration can sometimes become stilted when switching between characters during dialog. Xe Sands is generally better across the board at reading the sections narrated by the female characters, as she empathizes with the characters with more skill. These VO issues don't cripple the book, but I wish the producers had gotten two 5-star voice actors instead of one great voice and one okay voice.

5) SEXUAL VIOLENCE: There's one episode of rape in this book that is both graphic and unexpected, as the character perpetuating it doesn't give much warning that he's capable of this kind of sexual violence in this moment. While it may or may not belong in the story, I found it shocking when it occurred and kept wondering if it was really necessary to the plot. Other readers may not arrive at the same judgment, but I note this here as a trigger warning for anyone who knows they'll be bothered by this kind of content.

CONCLUSION:
WANDERERS is a good, long book that I enjoyed. I felt bothered enough by its imperfections to write this review. I hope this helps you decide if this novel will be up your alley or not.

Recommended, with some issues

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This book is extremely good, especially if you are into similar stories. This hit a lot of the same notes as THE STAND for me, but in some ways it might even be better?!

A classic tale of the apocalypse, reimagined

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This book left me with a lot to process.; it touches on our fear of the unknown, our need to believe in something bigger that us and our failure to see how redundant we are in the grand scheme of things.

Inquisitive, Thought Provoking and Unnerving

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Some books work better read than spoken. But the amazing performances of for the audio book transcend the text. It feels way more intimate as an audio book more real than it could on a page.
The storytelling in Wanderers is masterful. A full cast of characters that all feel intimate and real. A post-apocalyptic story that seems to go on where others would end with multiple twists and turns.
It’s not a book for the faint of heart the topic is vividly described and it’s the end of the world.

The Audio book is amazing.

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Prescient. Terrifying. Brutal. Beautiful. Hopeful. Read it. Before we live it.

This book will remain with me for a very long time. It is terrifyingly possible. It is excruciatingly beautiful. It is horribly brutal. It is ultimately hopeful.

A story for our time

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Unlike other medias like movies and television shows, novels doesn't expires soon after their release dates. I'm read many classics far before my time and I've also read publications as soon as I clicked on the refresh button. "Wanders" was release the day before the Fourth of July and you couldn't asked for a better release date.

I bought this book because I liked the cover. As crazy this may sound, if I don't know what to read next, I like to go to the bookstores and browse by looking at the covers and it something interest me, I write the title down and search on Audible if the book is out on audio. Some of my favorite books are from good covers. It's like window shopping and I find this to be a good way at expanding my mind to different genres.

"Wanders" had a great cover, like the end of the world, so I bought it, not knowing the plot or anything else. I have no regrets at purchasing this book. I couldn't get enough with the sleep walkers, zombies, plague and subplots from the main characters. The entire story was enjoyable because I really like doom days scenarios.

I'm glad that I started this book a day after the release date because it was almost like watching a summer blockbuster, but for over 32 hours. I would imagine that I would had heard about Chuck Wendig from my friends later on, much after summer ended, but it wouldn't had been the same book, as I look out my window, feeling the warm hot heat building up while the sun plateaus for the day.

Best Release Date

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Even though it takes quite a while to reveal the truth of what is going on it is a road well worth taking. Imaginatively written and all around captivating performances! A compelling story that continues to surprise throughout right up until the end!

Utterly intriguing!

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Longest book I’ve ever listened to, but worth every minute...an absorbing tale that went by like a movie.

Makes you think

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I like long books that hold my attention, and this book delivered on that account. It also ended well with enough of a bow to wrap things up, but lots of good, sticky questions to make me hope there could possibly be a sequel. I think the book would make such a great TV series, but I have to hope it would be British, Australian or NZ so that it would be thoughtful and relationship driven.

I actually really enjoyed all the different characters. It's still very clear from the beginning who is indeed the protagonist even though she isn't in every chapter. By the end, it's obvious.
As a mirror of current events, it's very thought provoking and accurate in many respects. I don't think we have to move far into science fiction or conspiracy theory to see how greed, hate, fear, ignorance and technology catalyze into devastation.
Why 4 stars instead of 5? It's just not quite The Stand. And it's not The NIghtingale. It's not A Gentleman in Moscow. It's not The Grapes of Wrath. It's not The Poisonwood Bible. Those are my five stars....

If you like your audio books to be long and engaging to be worth your Audible credit, then Wendig certainly delivers with Wanderers.

riveting

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Really glad I picked up this book. It was exciting, entertaining, and moving. Also a great distraction while stuck at home.

4.5 stars, excellent story and narration

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