Journey into the Apocalypse: Book Review of The Wanderers
Hello, welcome to 4 Buckets a community for musings on life, food, books, and pop culture. Pop down below and leave a comment, I promise I don’t bite.
The collapse of society is a tale that’s been told many times in movies and books. What happens when social norms, the normal order of things—work, life, and family—are thrown out the window? Would we still be civilized, or would anarchy reign? Chuck Wendig’s The Wanderers delves into this very question amid social, political, economic, racial, and emotional turmoil. Blurbs on the book compare this to The Stand by Stephen King. I love The Stand, so that comparison got my attention. After reading The Wanderers, I get the comparisons to King.
When our main character, Shana, awakens to find her younger sister, Nessie, missing, a rush of questions floods her mind. Has the brooding 15-year-old run away again? Did she leave in search of their mother, who left the family years ago? No. Relief settles in when Shana looks out the window and spots Nessie in the driveway, barefoot and in her pajamas. Phew! The euphoria of finding Nessie quickly dissipates when Shana calls out to her sister and gets no response. Nessie’s eyes are dead, no emotion, no blinking. But she seems determined to keep walking. Where? Shana has no interest. Attempts to restrain Nessie are futile; she thrashes violently, drawing blood. Letting Nessie keep walking is all Shana can do—for now.
It's as if Nessie is sleepwalking, moving with a purpose known only to her. But Nessie isn’t alone; the number of sleepwalkers swells, reaching the thousands. Family members, like Shana and eventually her dad, are the only ones protecting the sleepwalkers, walking alongside their loved ones. Walking with the sleepwalkers as a last line of defense. People who don’t understand or choose not to understand the phenomenon, want to physically restrain the walkers. Some even want to kill the sleepwalkers. The government, law enforcement, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) struggle to find a solution—a cure.
A CDC outcast, Dr. Benjamin (Benji) Ray, is brought back into the fold for his expertise with epidemics. Only his presence was requested not by a human, but by a computer. An advanced computer, named Black Swan, with artificial intelligence (AI) requested Benji. Yes, a computer trusts Benji to unravel the mystery. Sadie Emeka, a tech representative for Benex Voyager, the company responsible for Black Swan, brings Benji into the fold. Black Swan is a supercomputer with advanced AI tech that could one day replace humans. A computer requesting the presence of a human might have sounded far-fetched in an older generation but not in today’s climate. AI is gaining prominence in the tech, entertainment, and social media industries, we’re not that far away from this technology encroaching in other spaces—including healthcare.
The wider world has mixed views on the sleepwalkers. In an election year, the US president is attempting to navigate this contentious terrain, striving to protect the sleepwalkers while also trying to appease those who demand they be confined or even eliminated. The president’s opponent feeds into people’s fears, stoking the hysteria by insinuating something should be “done” about the walkers. Naturally, there are fringe groups, one led by Ozark Stover, who think it’s their place, their right to stand in judgment and authority over the walkers. The walkers will eventually “infect” everyone, therefore it’s ok for people like Stover and the impressionable people who follow him to act on their perceived authority.
I couldn’t help but find parallels to the current state of affairs in the U.S. People fear what they don’t understand, or even care to understand, and feel it’s ok to ostracize people/things they don’t like. People only associate with people who think like them, leading to ignorance on topics concerning race, politics, religion, books, and more. The list could go on forever. In 700-plus pages, author Chuck Wendig covers a lot of topical issues without ever feeling preachy. More like asking the question: what could the future look like? And is it a future most of us would want?
Upcoming posts
Thursday: Lost ReWatch for season two episodes twenty-three and twenty-four
Monday: Operation TikTok: Book review for Fourth Wing
Need a notebook?
If you’re in the market for a notebook, please check out my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jaelfogle