Trilogy: The 5th Wave

Author: Rick Yansei
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia Science Fiction.

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Year: 2013 - 2016

Ranking: 3,5/ 5

 

Synopsis

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

The Author

Rick is the author of fifteen novels and a memoir. His books have been published in over thirty languages and have earned numerous accolades and awards from around the world. His young adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was named a "Best Book of the Year" by Publishers Weekly and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, Rick received a Michael L. Printz Honor for The Monstrumologist. The sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His latest novel, The 5th Wave, the first in an epic sci-fi trilogy, made its worldwide debut in 2013, and will soon be a major motion picture for GK Films and Sony Pictures.

Personal Experience with This Book

The Fifth Wave is a trilogy that began with the right foot. We had a very good plot and a main character with a strong personality and determined to do anything in order to save her brother. However, as the story progresses the essence of the first book is lost; the trilogy ended up leaving me with a strange taste that still cannot understand.

I liked the first book a lot. I think we had a wonderful Cassie. Certainly, she looked a little confused when it came to Evan but even so, Cassie's first book is a person who, though scared and knowing she has very little chance of survival, will do anything for what she has proposed. On the other hand, there are the group of boys and girls squad where Ben (Zombie) is. And we see how these children, who should be playing, begin to handle weapons and to behave more maturely because of their situation.

We also have a story full of questions; what keeps the reader outside of his chair. We want and need to know what happens, what it is the reason behind The Arrival and what do The Others want with children? The first book leaves one with so many questions that is fair and necessary to read the second book to know what will happen.

Now, in the second book it is where my problems start with the trilogy. I will be very clear with this. I liked the story told in the last two books; however, I feel that Rick gave a big turn to his story that made me feel deceived in some way.

In the second book, we are more focused on the information we had not in the first. We are seeing important things for the story but if there is no any development. Rick gives a lot of information in this book but nothing drastic happens. The main characters are now more; we have Sam and Ringer taking part in the chapters of this book. We get deeper into their stories and we can see how they have evolved since the first book. All this is perfect.

I generally had no problem regarding that "nothing happens" in this book. The truth is that it was the least that bothered me. What I was upset about was Ringer’s prominence, not by herself, but because we forgot Cassie. Cassie, the strong girl, who would give everything for her brother, that Cassie. The Cassie of this book is practically another person and not for good. She keeps worrying about Evan, Evan this and that and Sam goes into the background. Then she comes and feels bad because her brother "does not love her anymore". Seriously?

For the third book I had already gotten used to that Ringer was to be the centrepiece of the trilogy. Cassie's story was over in the first book and definitely, Zombie  and Evan were just supporting characters for the two girls. I must say that both boys regarding Ringer remained a little behind, and I say Ringer because Cassie is even further behind than the same guys.

The last book of the trilogy has a good rhythm. There are many things happening and one does not feel overwhelmed when reading it. Rick Yansei’s writing is incredibly light. I finished this book in less than what I was expecting and, that is always a point in favour of a book; not make the reader feel that reading is dense and long and that the book is endless. This helped much to my enjoyment of the book in general.

Cassie and Evan did not have a very big development in the story. Cassie even went back enough and, as I mentioned, it looks like a completely different person. Evan is alsways the forced hero Rick gave us; always wanting to do heroic things for Cassie. This couple never convinced me in any of the 3 books. Zombie had a very nice development. It feels real because although he does not participate much in the action parts, he still has courage and a desire to save his friends. He does not care about anyone else, just his friends. Sam is another character who surprises. From the first book, we see him growing and growing and, by the end of this book, Sam does not look as the scary boy who wanted to see his older sister in the first. Ringer, meanwhile, has the biggest change. Not because of her personality, which remains intact throughout the series, but by the simple fact that everything that happens to her.

Overall, the story was good but it did not stop giving me that unpleasantness that had to be written otherwise. I feel that although the plot is interesting for the 3 books, that did not stop not the feeling as if Rick had cut the story in the first book and you were telling something completely different. Or maybe I'm just the only one who feels this way.

I Enjoyed the books; each differently. But this is not a trilogy that I recommend reading with high expectations. I think the first book was very good and the second and the third one went well. I am curious, however, what they will do with the movies. I guess I will see and leave my opinion on them in the future.