The 5th Wave

Starred review from February 25, 2013
Yancey makes a dramatic 180 from the intellectual horror of his Monstrumologist books to open a gripping SF trilogy about an Earth decimated by an alien invasion. The author fully embraces the genre, while resisting its more sensational tendencies (rest assured, though, there are firefights and explosions aplenty). A rare survivor of the invasion, 16-year-old Cassie, armed with an M16 rifle and her younger brother’s teddy bear, is trying to reunite with her brother and escape the “Silencer” (assassin) trying to kill her. Meanwhile, 17-year-old “Zombie,” an unwitting military recruit, is facing a crisis of conscience. The story’s biggest twists aren’t really surprises; the hints are there for readers to see. Yancey is more interested in examining how these world-shaking revelations affect characters who barely recognize what their lives have become. As in the Monstrumologist series, the question of what it means to be human is at the forefront—in the words of cartoonist Walt Kelly, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” It’s a book that targets a broad commercial audience, and Yancey’s aim is every bit as good as Cassie’s. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brian DeFiore, DeFiore and Co.

If you get confused about who the good guys are in this story, don't worry. It's all explained in the end. The feeling of uncertainty is part of the plan to make listeners experience the horror of living in a world in which aliens have killed 93 percent of humanity--and are still hunting the remaining survivors. It's an effective tool, and listeners won't guess the ending or major developments, which adds to the pleasure. Brandon Espinoza and Phoebe Strole deliver the novel, with Espinoza taking the chapters narrated by a mystery man and Strole taking those narrated by a young female. As Cassie, a girl searching for her missing brother, Strole is particularly convincing. The emotion in her voice is a stark contrast to the lack of emotion in the voice of her savior. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine