Status
Checked out
Due January 27, 2022
Call number
Series
Publication
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (2013), Edition: First Edition first Printing, 480 pages
Description
"Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member IAmChrysanthemum
Do you know why we will win this war? Why we cannot lose? Because we know how you think. We’ve been watching you for six thousand years. When the pyramids rose in the Egyptian desert, we were watching you. When Caesar burned the library at Alexandria, we were watching you. When you crucified that
Why, Mr. Alien, you were watching us and twiddling your symbolic alien mustache of course! Yet that six thousand years of creeping on humanity doesn’t seem to have done you much good. Since your plan to kill the Earthlings and take possession of the planet (if that even IS your plan—unfortunately, Rick Yancey has left your intentions vague), well, that plan kind of sucked.
Yancey’s alien species has decided to destroy humanity in waves—1st wave, 2nd wave, 3rd wave, 4th wave. Almost 7 billion humans, dead. Now it’s the 5th wave, a wave that will challenge what it means to be human. Here’s my question, though: if the aliens are oh-so-smart thanks to millions of years of evolution and as evinced by their fancy mothership, why are they killing humanity in waves? Why are they reverting to methods that allow plucky teenagers to fight back? Why can’t they simply exterminate all humans in a single blow?
…I don’t know if there are any answers to those questions, so my first issue with The 5th Wave is a basic logic fail. Sorry, but I do not accept these premises!
Considering the 7 billion death toll, the aliens are deadly, but to me, they were never scary. It's quite remarkable, really: How can a species kill 7 billion creatures and not be scary? By definition, shouldn’t aliens be ALIEN? Unrecognizable and terrifying? Yet these aliens seem so stupidly human. Their technology is similar—you got the drones, bombs, microchips, and guns—which again raises the question: these are our intellectual superiors? The pinnacle of the universe’s chain of being? Not buying it. And then their psychology is similar to humans’. Why are these non-human creatures getting bogged down by humanity? Humanity is just that—humanity. And these guys aren’t Homo sapiens. Why can’t they be truly frightening creatures that care nothing about us and act nothing like us? If these aliens are so similar to humans, I don’t even understand why they’re bothering to exterminate us. I’m sure we could find some room on Antarctica for our weird yet strangely human galactic cousins. So...logic fail number two! Aliens should be alien.
I wanted—and needed—more information about the goals of the aliens (I should note that the book rarely describes them as aliens but as “Others”). To distinguish them from humans, I needed more backstory. All I have is questions: why are they on Earth? Just to colonize? What events on their original planet led to their arrival? But we don’t have these answers, so the aliens are mostly vacuous characters. Not horrifying, not sympathetic, not anything.
Before I even encountered the aliens and the numerous logical concerns they raised, however, I had to slog through the beginning. For a book about the apocalypse, it’s not terribly exciting. In fact, it wasn’t until the final third or so that I became enraptured with the story and let go into the pure action. The writing is partly to blame for this. The writing can be too internal and focused on the minutiae of the characters’ thoughts. There are constant Go Humanity! pep talks where the story essentially stops for a page or two as a character epiphanizes and finds his or her apocalyptic gall. Some of them are rather charming—“I had it all wrong. Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn’t. To hold on, you have to find something you’re willing to die for.”—others are distracting.
Even when the plot did kick up a gear, I remained mostly skeptical. I was never surprised and predicted all plot “twists.” And although I enjoyed the ending much more than the rest of the book due to its nonstop action, I found the climax to be too perfect. Everything comes to fruition too carefully, too obviously by design. Really, Cassie and Ben just HAPPEN to simultaneously launch Sammy/Nugget rescue attempts? Really, did it HAVE to be Ben Parrish, high school crush extraordinaire, who survived and then HAPPENED to befriend Cassie’s brother? It’s all just a little too perfect, even when taking into account that it’s a work of fiction. Also if this is going to become a love triangle in some way between Evan, Cassie, and Ben, then I’m out.
I realize that the first part of this review is mostly composed of questions. Questions of logic, of whys and hows. But the questions I’m asking after closing the books are character questions—“IsEvan going to be okay? How will the gang survive after everything that happened? What’s going to happen to them next???” Those questions show that I care. I care about these characters and I want to continue reading about their struggles. And I guess, logic fails and all, that’s enough. Maybe.
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first-century Jewish peasant, we were watching. When Columbus set foot in the New World…when you fought a war to free millions of your fellow humans from bondage…when you learned how to split the atom…when you first ventured beyond your atmosphere…What were we doing?Why, Mr. Alien, you were watching us and twiddling your symbolic alien mustache of course! Yet that six thousand years of creeping on humanity doesn’t seem to have done you much good. Since your plan to kill the Earthlings and take possession of the planet (if that even IS your plan—unfortunately, Rick Yancey has left your intentions vague), well, that plan kind of sucked.
Yancey’s alien species has decided to destroy humanity in waves—1st wave, 2nd wave, 3rd wave, 4th wave. Almost 7 billion humans, dead. Now it’s the 5th wave, a wave that will challenge what it means to be human. Here’s my question, though: if the aliens are oh-so-smart thanks to millions of years of evolution and as evinced by their fancy mothership, why are they killing humanity in waves? Why are they reverting to methods that allow plucky teenagers to fight back? Why can’t they simply exterminate all humans in a single blow?
…I don’t know if there are any answers to those questions, so my first issue with The 5th Wave is a basic logic fail. Sorry, but I do not accept these premises!
Considering the 7 billion death toll, the aliens are deadly, but to me, they were never scary. It's quite remarkable, really: How can a species kill 7 billion creatures and not be scary? By definition, shouldn’t aliens be ALIEN? Unrecognizable and terrifying? Yet these aliens seem so stupidly human. Their technology is similar—you got the drones, bombs, microchips, and guns—which again raises the question: these are our intellectual superiors? The pinnacle of the universe’s chain of being? Not buying it. And then their psychology is similar to humans’. Why are these non-human creatures getting bogged down by humanity? Humanity is just that—humanity. And these guys aren’t Homo sapiens. Why can’t they be truly frightening creatures that care nothing about us and act nothing like us? If these aliens are so similar to humans, I don’t even understand why they’re bothering to exterminate us. I’m sure we could find some room on Antarctica for our weird yet strangely human galactic cousins. So...logic fail number two! Aliens should be alien.
I wanted—and needed—more information about the goals of the aliens (I should note that the book rarely describes them as aliens but as “Others”). To distinguish them from humans, I needed more backstory. All I have is questions: why are they on Earth? Just to colonize? What events on their original planet led to their arrival? But we don’t have these answers, so the aliens are mostly vacuous characters. Not horrifying, not sympathetic, not anything.
Before I even encountered the aliens and the numerous logical concerns they raised, however, I had to slog through the beginning. For a book about the apocalypse, it’s not terribly exciting. In fact, it wasn’t until the final third or so that I became enraptured with the story and let go into the pure action. The writing is partly to blame for this. The writing can be too internal and focused on the minutiae of the characters’ thoughts. There are constant Go Humanity! pep talks where the story essentially stops for a page or two as a character epiphanizes and finds his or her apocalyptic gall. Some of them are rather charming—“I had it all wrong. Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn’t. To hold on, you have to find something you’re willing to die for.”—others are distracting.
Even when the plot did kick up a gear, I remained mostly skeptical. I was never surprised and predicted all plot “twists.” And although I enjoyed the ending much more than the rest of the book due to its nonstop action, I found the climax to be too perfect. Everything comes to fruition too carefully, too obviously by design.
I realize that the first part of this review is mostly composed of questions. Questions of logic, of whys and hows. But the questions I’m asking after closing the books are character questions—“Is
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LibraryThing member kittyjay
I first came across Rick Yancey in his Monstrumologist series and fell in love: the writing, the plot, the characters, the willingness to believe that young adults are capable of understanding high concepts.
Though aliens and science-fiction has never been that interesting to me, I read The 5th
The 5th Wave is from the point of view of several survivors of an alien invasion; unlike most alien invasion books, however, the war is a foregone conclusion. Cassie and Ben, the teenage protagonists, are aware of the hopelessness of fighting against a larger power. They are not trying to win, they are trying to survive as long as they can, and keep their promises to those they love.
Already, the plot was something different - not a novel concept, but one frequently surpassed by the Man's Last Fight Against a Greater Force trope - but Yancey takes it a step further. The aliens look like humans, or can, and so the last survivor's begin turning against each other, trusting no one to survive. Humans destroy themselves, and become the enemy more surely than the aliens.
Cassie finds herself being saved by a boy named Evan, who lives in a curiously unaffected farmhouse, and from the beginning, the reader is aware that Evan is one of the aliens, one of the Others. However, far from detracting from the tension their scenes of distrust and hope, it builds to it. This is even more apparent in Ben's scenes; we are aware of who is working for before he is, but the knowledge doesn't make his scenes boring, it makes them wrenching. We know what is going on, but Yancey writes so convincingly that even the reader begins to think, "Well, maybe..."
The tension, anguish, the wild vacillations between hope and hopelessness, all of it rings true.
The only problem I had with it is that Yancey doesn't seem to be reaching very deep with this one, at least not compared to his Monstrumologist books; the reader doesn't have to work for this one. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does push The 5th Wave a bit more firmly into what I would consider run-of-the-mill YA literature. He also has the obligatory love triangle between Cassie, Evan, and Ben, which toed the line of becoming tiresome, and threatens to cross it in the future books.
Overall, however, when compared to the mediocre writing and often laughable plots of series like Divergent, Yancey still shines brighter than most YA stars and is well worth picking up.
Though aliens and science-fiction has never been that interesting to me, I read The 5th
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Wave based on my conviction that Yancey would not let me down, and I was pleased, but not surprised, to find that I was completely right.The 5th Wave is from the point of view of several survivors of an alien invasion; unlike most alien invasion books, however, the war is a foregone conclusion. Cassie and Ben, the teenage protagonists, are aware of the hopelessness of fighting against a larger power. They are not trying to win, they are trying to survive as long as they can, and keep their promises to those they love.
Already, the plot was something different - not a novel concept, but one frequently surpassed by the Man's Last Fight Against a Greater Force trope - but Yancey takes it a step further. The aliens look like humans, or can, and so the last survivor's begin turning against each other, trusting no one to survive. Humans destroy themselves, and become the enemy more surely than the aliens.
Cassie finds herself being saved by a boy named Evan, who lives in a curiously unaffected farmhouse, and from the beginning, the reader is aware that Evan is one of the aliens, one of the Others. However, far from detracting from the tension their scenes of distrust and hope, it builds to it. This is even more apparent in Ben's scenes; we are aware of who is working for before he is, but the knowledge doesn't make his scenes boring, it makes them wrenching. We know what is going on, but Yancey writes so convincingly that even the reader begins to think, "Well, maybe..."
The tension, anguish, the wild vacillations between hope and hopelessness, all of it rings true.
The only problem I had with it is that Yancey doesn't seem to be reaching very deep with this one, at least not compared to his Monstrumologist books; the reader doesn't have to work for this one. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does push The 5th Wave a bit more firmly into what I would consider run-of-the-mill YA literature. He also has the obligatory love triangle between Cassie, Evan, and Ben, which toed the line of becoming tiresome, and threatens to cross it in the future books.
Overall, however, when compared to the mediocre writing and often laughable plots of series like Divergent, Yancey still shines brighter than most YA stars and is well worth picking up.
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LibraryThing member ecataldi
Hands down the BEST alien book I've ever read! Imagine if "The Host" had actually been good and had a lot of awesome multi-dimensional characters, now multiply that by ten and throw in some "War of the Worlds" and that is what "The 5th Wave" is. A real page turner told through the eyes of those
Humans have been largely eradicated, billions are dead and the few that remain know they can trust NO ONE. After the first wave, the world was covered in darkness, everything technological was destroyed in a massive EMP blast. Everything was mass chaos. The second wave killed millions by wiping out all the coastal cities, the third wave was a plague, and the fourth wave was aliens posing as humans. Can Cassie survive another wave? Can anyone?
This young adult thriller will keep you on your toes as you see the world through the eyes of four young survivors. Each chapter brings about another question, another trial. Can humanity survive?
This page turner is hands down the most inventive and engaging alien novel I've ever read, it's not overly science fictiony and it is a great read for those who love dystopias and end of the world books.
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living through the alien invasion. Humans have been largely eradicated, billions are dead and the few that remain know they can trust NO ONE. After the first wave, the world was covered in darkness, everything technological was destroyed in a massive EMP blast. Everything was mass chaos. The second wave killed millions by wiping out all the coastal cities, the third wave was a plague, and the fourth wave was aliens posing as humans. Can Cassie survive another wave? Can anyone?
This young adult thriller will keep you on your toes as you see the world through the eyes of four young survivors. Each chapter brings about another question, another trial. Can humanity survive?
This page turner is hands down the most inventive and engaging alien novel I've ever read, it's not overly science fictiony and it is a great read for those who love dystopias and end of the world books.
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LibraryThing member dom76
For a YA novel, I really enjoyed it! The story was well written, intriguing and suspensful.
LibraryThing member AllBookedUpYA
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey will help quench your thirst and take you for an unexpectedly brilliant ride in this Sci-Fi Dystopian!
This book has all the crucial makings of the best of the best: strong & independent heroine, global devastation, little hope for success, an impossible love and a force
Yancy also creates a dynamic read by telling this story from a few POVs. At first this may seem a little confusing, but this style really helps to give the reader a 360 view of the story and adds increasing depth, much more than you would get from a first-person only point of view.
This is not your mama's alien invasion story. This is a story of survival, trust, love, and humanity. The 5th Wave has amazing potential on the big screen as well. Action packed through and through and for you fans of Sci-Fi, this is definitely one not to be missed. Sony has purchased the movie rights to this epic series! If you have not done so yet, add this one to your readers!
This book has all the crucial makings of the best of the best: strong & independent heroine, global devastation, little hope for success, an impossible love and a force
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strong enough to make the impossible possible. Yancey is a master at world-building. This is not your typical "alien invasion" novel. I constantly felt as if the walls around this story grew, expanded, pulsed with life and sharpened with every word written. I could feel the cold concrete and taste the gritty earth. Amazing! The beginning could feel a little slow if I hadn't been falling in love with the world-building, but there were so many moments where I found myself thinking, "whoa, what?" or "Ah? OoooOOO!" The twists and turns and revelations will keep you guessing until the very end...and even after will leave you wondering! Yancy also creates a dynamic read by telling this story from a few POVs. At first this may seem a little confusing, but this style really helps to give the reader a 360 view of the story and adds increasing depth, much more than you would get from a first-person only point of view.
This is not your mama's alien invasion story. This is a story of survival, trust, love, and humanity. The 5th Wave has amazing potential on the big screen as well. Action packed through and through and for you fans of Sci-Fi, this is definitely one not to be missed. Sony has purchased the movie rights to this epic series! If you have not done so yet, add this one to your readers!
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Aliens are hovering over the earth. While everyone on the planet waits for a landing or arrival, the aliens have launched remote waves of destruction that have killed billions of humans after the first four waves. Humans are isolated and can't trust each other. After Cassie has lost her entire
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family, seeing her mother die in the plague, her father shot by the military, and her brother taken away, she is determined to try to survive on her own until she can find her brother. Her path crosses with Evan Walker, a mysterious handsome loner who saves her life after she is shot. Sammy, taken by the army, is being trained to be a soldier. When Cassie and (separately) Zombie discover the truth about the 5th Wave, will they be able to act before it is too late for humanity? Different sections of the book are told from different character's points of view. Show Less
LibraryThing member Brainannex
Aliens are here and it is creepy. Although a substantial story, it went fast because you really are wondering what happens next but be sure not to breeze by some of the throwaway philosophical lines.
LibraryThing member asomers
This was an awesome post-apocalyptic-alien invasion-action-adventure novel! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. I thought the characters really represented typical teen angst and bravado. I could definitely see this being made into a movie! I think this would appeal to teens who
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enjoyed Divergent and Legend or teens who watch Falling Skies . Be warned there is definitely some violence and a few curse words. Show Less
LibraryThing member capiam1234
I really loved the premise of this story. The setup and the way each wave made everything seem bleaker and bleaker makes this alien invasion frightening and ingenious.
But then you get to the characters. I couldn't find myself liking my of them. They were all so bland with no development to help us
Will I read the next one? Sure I'd like to see where this goes. Maybe I can learn to like one of them, doubtful.
But then you get to the characters. I couldn't find myself liking my of them. They were all so bland with no development to help us
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want to cheer for any to survive. I actual started thinking that everyone should finally buy it in the end Nd the rest of the series starts following the development of the aliens on our planet after they've taken over.Will I read the next one? Sure I'd like to see where this goes. Maybe I can learn to like one of them, doubtful.
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LibraryThing member smcamp1234
I really loved the premise of this story. The setup and the way each wave made everything seem bleaker and bleaker makes this alien invasion frightening and ingenious.
But then you get to the characters. I couldn't find myself liking my of them. They were all so bland with no development to help us
Will I read the next one? Sure I'd like to see where this goes. Maybe I can learn to like one of them, doubtful.
But then you get to the characters. I couldn't find myself liking my of them. They were all so bland with no development to help us
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want to cheer for any to survive. I actual started thinking that everyone should finally buy it in the end Nd the rest of the series starts following the development of the aliens on our planet after they've taken over.Will I read the next one? Sure I'd like to see where this goes. Maybe I can learn to like one of them, doubtful.
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LibraryThing member julie10reads
"Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother from the enemy with help from a boy who may be one of them"-- Provided by publisher.
The title is a masterful hook, beginning the story with the 5th wave of an alien invasion on earth. The reader soon discovers what
Although the main character, Cassie, is a teenager, I did not realize that THE 5TH WAVE was branded as a YA novel while I was reading. The plot (what a stunning plot!), pacing and characterization should appeal to a broader audience than say DIVERGENT or PURE could claim.
This book is a thinking person's sci fi, what some readers might characterize as "soft", i.e. heavier on psychology than technology. I found it exciting, suspenseful and clever. Of course, a movie is in the works and apparently a sequel.
7 out of 10 Recommended to fans of 60s (the golden days) science fiction and to those who enjoy a good tale well told!
The title is a masterful hook, beginning the story with the 5th wave of an alien invasion on earth. The reader soon discovers what
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waves 1 to 4 were.Although the main character, Cassie, is a teenager, I did not realize that THE 5TH WAVE was branded as a YA novel while I was reading. The plot (what a stunning plot!), pacing and characterization should appeal to a broader audience than say DIVERGENT or PURE could claim.
This book is a thinking person's sci fi, what some readers might characterize as "soft", i.e. heavier on psychology than technology. I found it exciting, suspenseful and clever. Of course, a movie is in the works and apparently a sequel.
7 out of 10 Recommended to fans of 60s (the golden days) science fiction and to those who enjoy a good tale well told!
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LibraryThing member Lindsay_W
The first four waves of an alien invasion have killed most of the earth’s people. The silencers are taking out the rest one by one. Yet high school classmates Cassie and Ben have survived. What is it about them that gives them the strength and perseverance to go on in the face of seemingly
“When the moment comes to stop running from your past, to turn around and face the thing you thought you could not face – the moment when your life teeters between giving up and getting up – when that moment comes, and it always comes, if you can’t get up and you can’t give up either, here’s what you do: Crawl” (Chapter 82 pg 419)
There is definitely more to this story, so I am glad to hear that a sequel is in the works, and a movie too!
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insurmountable odds?“When the moment comes to stop running from your past, to turn around and face the thing you thought you could not face – the moment when your life teeters between giving up and getting up – when that moment comes, and it always comes, if you can’t get up and you can’t give up either, here’s what you do: Crawl” (Chapter 82 pg 419)
There is definitely more to this story, so I am glad to hear that a sequel is in the works, and a movie too!
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LibraryThing member Ccfoley
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It was cleverly written, filled with insightful one liner quotes. It had a wonderful concept and great execution. It fell a little bit short at the end (especially in comparison to a wonderful beginning). I still found the end to be fulfilling enough to name it
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my favorite read of the summer. Show Less
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
Read from July 29 to August 01, 2013
The description says this book is The Passage meets Ender's Game, you could also say it's The Host meets Ashfall. It doesn't matter what books you compare it to, The 5th Wave can easily stand on its own.
It's a fantastic survival story and while I see that
The description says this book is The Passage meets Ender's Game, you could also say it's The Host meets Ashfall. It doesn't matter what books you compare it to, The 5th Wave can easily stand on its own.
It's a fantastic survival story and while I see that
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Goodreads has it listed as a series, I found it to be wonderful as a stand-alone (and it would be nice if some things weren't part of a series...). Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookswithbite
Since this book has been getting such great reviews, I went ahead and read it. It was awesome!
Plot:. If you like end of the world plots, you must read this. It builds up nicely from the past, present and then the future. Every chapter aimed at the reader the outpouring of emotions as well as great
Drama: There is buildup between the character’s past life and families. Even though the parents weren’t in the present, they played a big role in the past and future. This book moved between multiple povs of Cassie, Even and her past crush. I really like how everything weaved together nicely. Nothing is left out so that the reader can understand what is going on from chapter to chapter.
Aliens: YES! It is alien invasions. In these moments, going through wave after wave it gave me goose bumps. It thrilled me with the different dimensions of the way people reacted. Some took it hard, others didn’t care, and others got scared. Watching the world crumble at the mere tip of my fingertips was the most exciting thing I ever experienced.
My only gripe is the pacing of the story. Some parts of the story were slow, but I also understand that, that was due to the building up of the world the author created. Really, it was me being impatient and wanting it to move to the next scene.
The Fifth Wave accomplishes what it set out to do- to WOW the reader. The world and it’s complexity of the invasion in both past and present, sets the reader in an uncontrollable wave of excitement. Want to read something that will blow your mind? Check out The Fifth Wave. You won’t regret it.
Plot:. If you like end of the world plots, you must read this. It builds up nicely from the past, present and then the future. Every chapter aimed at the reader the outpouring of emotions as well as great
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character buildup. Towards the end of the book, small pieces are revealed and I’m happy to say that I am excited to read the next book.Drama: There is buildup between the character’s past life and families. Even though the parents weren’t in the present, they played a big role in the past and future. This book moved between multiple povs of Cassie, Even and her past crush. I really like how everything weaved together nicely. Nothing is left out so that the reader can understand what is going on from chapter to chapter.
Aliens: YES! It is alien invasions. In these moments, going through wave after wave it gave me goose bumps. It thrilled me with the different dimensions of the way people reacted. Some took it hard, others didn’t care, and others got scared. Watching the world crumble at the mere tip of my fingertips was the most exciting thing I ever experienced.
My only gripe is the pacing of the story. Some parts of the story were slow, but I also understand that, that was due to the building up of the world the author created. Really, it was me being impatient and wanting it to move to the next scene.
The Fifth Wave accomplishes what it set out to do- to WOW the reader. The world and it’s complexity of the invasion in both past and present, sets the reader in an uncontrollable wave of excitement. Want to read something that will blow your mind? Check out The Fifth Wave. You won’t regret it.
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LibraryThing member rondoctor
Good, fast read, although the end leaves you hanging a bit. Another in the genre of teenagers saving humankind. Looks like this one is ready for a sequel.
LibraryThing member BooGirl
The shifting POV threw me off a little. I found it harder to connect with the characters. I wasn't as into it as the majority seems to be so I fought to finish it and was a little disappointed. All that momentum of the explosions just fell flat with a sudden dull ending with the MC thinking about
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how terrible she looks. Show Less
LibraryThing member Goldengrove
Alien apocalypse! Except it's a gradual one, they don't want to spoil the Earth, just get rid of the infestation...
When the alien spaceship first appears, people are quite excited - but when all our electronics are wiped out it becomes apparent that they are NOT Vulcans coming to spread peace and
The story is told from several POV, mainly through the eyes of Cassie, an ordinary high school girl who has to struggle through the trauma of losing her family and friends and all that's familar. I thought it rang very true when she remembers how she cried for the ordinary, 'stupid' life that she'd lost forever.
It's an exciting read, and will very much appeal to teen dystopia-lovers. There's some good writing, and some interesting exploration of emotional confusion. There are a few practical snags: it seems unlikely that powerful alien forces would take such a gradual approach if their ultimate aim is to kill all humans, perhaps this will make more sense in the sequel. And although everything is is chaos it seems fairly easy for our heroes to find enough to eat and drink - a nod is made towards it being difficult, but it isn't really.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought the author did a good job of taking the reader with his characters. In common with almost every recent YA dystopian novel it owes a huge debt to John Wyndham, but that's not a bad thing.
When the alien spaceship first appears, people are quite excited - but when all our electronics are wiped out it becomes apparent that they are NOT Vulcans coming to spread peace and
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understanding.The story is told from several POV, mainly through the eyes of Cassie, an ordinary high school girl who has to struggle through the trauma of losing her family and friends and all that's familar. I thought it rang very true when she remembers how she cried for the ordinary, 'stupid' life that she'd lost forever.
It's an exciting read, and will very much appeal to teen dystopia-lovers. There's some good writing, and some interesting exploration of emotional confusion. There are a few practical snags: it seems unlikely that powerful alien forces would take such a gradual approach if their ultimate aim is to kill all humans, perhaps this will make more sense in the sequel. And although everything is is chaos it seems fairly easy for our heroes to find enough to eat and drink - a nod is made towards it being difficult, but it isn't really.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought the author did a good job of taking the reader with his characters. In common with almost every recent YA dystopian novel it owes a huge debt to John Wyndham, but that's not a bad thing.
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LibraryThing member Jiraiya
This book whooshed from a four to a two star rating in double quick time. The most fun I've had in a long time, but by the time the last third of the 5th wave came along I had the feeling that this book was running on empty tanks. I still can remember parts of the early chapters vividly and that's
Although the first 2/3 of the book was good, I felt that the flippant tone of Cassie was at loggerheads with the dangerous setting and bleak world; it just didn't mix well. Cassie sounded like a comic who is not funny and is a mime as well. I couldn't guess which authors influenced this writer. I could only pinpoint the Gandalf like quote about time. And oh, the ending looked like straight from Empire Strikes Back.
I side with that bearded investigator from Capitalism A Love Story who said that the baddies have already won. And here, the aliens have won. It's up to the sequel to twist this fact into an upbeat story but in my book wiping nearly 7 billions of people means the game is over. To people wanting to know if this book is worth reading, I have two things regarding the aliens. First, I was disappointed in the fact that they don't have bodies. I don't want tentacled aliens or humanoid aliens. It's just that, for a specie who has got the time and favor to leave their bodies behind, they are too ruthless and their methods are too barbaric. I find it disappointing that they even have a sort of mother ship. They are too sanguine to be able to be so evolved. There's a quote early on that the aliens to the world was what Columbus' arrival signaled for the Natives. The aliens are so advanced that they can teleport their souls into human wombs. Yet their invasion sucks. The 5th wave is too laborious.
The message of hope and love sits gingerly among the massacre that is ongoing in the story. The calm bits, when Cassie's hair is being brushed, or when she revolts against her savior is like parental roles and controls. Same goes for the betrayal of the supposed leaders of the troops. It's true that there's a metaphor somewhere in the situations here. To tell the truth, those parts were well written.
I'd like to have been told the situation of the aliens on their mother planet. I'd like to know if the aliens are only bloodthirsty or if they have a culture and arts and a recorded history. Then I remind myself that this book is a young adult dystopian novel, not hardcore sci-fi. One final point which took off a star from the rating: the fact that the aliens had been watching the humans throughout their entire history and only invaded earth now. They could have wiped the humans in the stone age and none would have been the wiser. To sum it up, this book is a lopsided effort, and the best 2/5 book I've read. It's a lot of fun...till halfway through.
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rare for me. I wish others would read this particular book because it deserves success. If it flops, it won't have a sequel.Although the first 2/3 of the book was good, I felt that the flippant tone of Cassie was at loggerheads with the dangerous setting and bleak world; it just didn't mix well. Cassie sounded like a comic who is not funny and is a mime as well. I couldn't guess which authors influenced this writer. I could only pinpoint the Gandalf like quote about time. And oh, the ending looked like straight from Empire Strikes Back.
I side with that bearded investigator from Capitalism A Love Story who said that the baddies have already won. And here, the aliens have won. It's up to the sequel to twist this fact into an upbeat story but in my book wiping nearly 7 billions of people means the game is over. To people wanting to know if this book is worth reading, I have two things regarding the aliens. First, I was disappointed in the fact that they don't have bodies. I don't want tentacled aliens or humanoid aliens. It's just that, for a specie who has got the time and favor to leave their bodies behind, they are too ruthless and their methods are too barbaric. I find it disappointing that they even have a sort of mother ship. They are too sanguine to be able to be so evolved. There's a quote early on that the aliens to the world was what Columbus' arrival signaled for the Natives. The aliens are so advanced that they can teleport their souls into human wombs. Yet their invasion sucks. The 5th wave is too laborious.
The message of hope and love sits gingerly among the massacre that is ongoing in the story. The calm bits, when Cassie's hair is being brushed, or when she revolts against her savior is like parental roles and controls. Same goes for the betrayal of the supposed leaders of the troops. It's true that there's a metaphor somewhere in the situations here. To tell the truth, those parts were well written.
I'd like to have been told the situation of the aliens on their mother planet. I'd like to know if the aliens are only bloodthirsty or if they have a culture and arts and a recorded history. Then I remind myself that this book is a young adult dystopian novel, not hardcore sci-fi. One final point which took off a star from the rating: the fact that the aliens had been watching the humans throughout their entire history and only invaded earth now. They could have wiped the humans in the stone age and none would have been the wiser. To sum it up, this book is a lopsided effort, and the best 2/5 book I've read. It's a lot of fun...till halfway through.
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LibraryThing member arielfl
"1st Wave: lights out. 2nd Wave: surf's up. 3rd Wave: pestilence. 4th Wave: Silencer. What is the 5th Wave?"
What exactly is the fifth wave is the question that keeps Cassie up at night. The first four waves of the alien invasion wiped out 97% of earth's population. Cassie lost both her parents and
For a YA book this was pretty darn compelling. Even though I had seen it all before, Falling Skies and The Host for example I still wanted to see what happened. Yes it was cliched. Kick ass heroine, check, world gone to hell and only the kids can save it, check, love triangle check! It also relied too much on coincidences, Ben and Sammy in the same camp... really? what a small world. At least it was entertaining which is more than I can say for The Maze Runner and Matched. Hopefully there will be more of "the others" back story in the next book. One more thing, more Evan please! He's out of this world.
What exactly is the fifth wave is the question that keeps Cassie up at night. The first four waves of the alien invasion wiped out 97% of earth's population. Cassie lost both her parents and
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her younger brother Sammy has been taken to an undisclosed location. Against insurmountable odds Cassie pursues reuniting with her brother and helping her out is mysterious farm boy Evan. Cassie want to defeat "the others" but compounding the problem is that they look just like us or are they us?For a YA book this was pretty darn compelling. Even though I had seen it all before, Falling Skies and The Host for example I still wanted to see what happened. Yes it was cliched. Kick ass heroine, check, world gone to hell and only the kids can save it, check, love triangle check! It also relied too much on coincidences, Ben and Sammy in the same camp... really? what a small world. At least it was entertaining which is more than I can say for The Maze Runner and Matched. Hopefully there will be more of "the others" back story in the next book. One more thing, more Evan please! He's out of this world.
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LibraryThing member 4sarad
I thought this whole book was crap. It got a lot of hype and I was looking forward to it. I had been meaning to read Yancey's Monstrumologist series (which I hear good things about), so I was happy to pick this one up. Anyways, this story is told from multiple points of view and you get a rundown
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on the end of the world. Aliens invade and there had been 4 waves of attack. The four waves are all stupid. You get to know the characters who are okay... but not stellar in any way. Main character seems like a less cool Katniss, for example. Everything in this book was just so predictable... and there was cliche after cliche after cliche. I can't think of a single unique thing in this book; I've seen it all 100 times before. This book also didn't make me feel anything. Aliens invaded and killed like 95% of the population. It wasn't scary at all. A man gets shot right in front of his daughter. It wasn't sad. A bunch of kids are running around trying to save the world. It wasn't exciting at all. This book pretty much failed. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
Cassie, a tough, practical, and angry 16-year-old, has survived the 1st through 4th waves of what humankind thought was an alien invasion, but what is turning into more of an extermination. All she wants to do - all she NEEDS to do - is rescue her little brother from the aliens themselves.
This is bleak, epic and violent and very, very awesome. It is a long read, and may take some patience, but recommended for fans of Justin Cronin's The Passage, King's The Stand, and teen author Moira Young's Blood Red Road.
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Unfortunately, the aliens holding her brother look like humans and are part of that 4th wave - sleeper agents of a sort, whose only job is to kill any and all surviving humans.This is bleak, epic and violent and very, very awesome. It is a long read, and may take some patience, but recommended for fans of Justin Cronin's The Passage, King's The Stand, and teen author Moira Young's Blood Red Road.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
This book was unputdownable!
LibraryThing member MrsMich02
Absolutely fantastic dystopian YA thriller. Cannot WAIT to see the next book hit the shelves!
LibraryThing member aimless22
This is an interesting look at a possible alien invasion. Sixteen year old Cassie Sullivan, her five year old brother, her mother and father all survive the first two waves of the alien invasion. Her mother is lost in the 3rd - the Pestilence. Her father is lost in the 4th - the Silencer. The book
Ben ends up saved by the army that has uncovered alien technology that they want to use against the invaders. He is trained to kill and made a sargeant in a squad full of children all under seventeen.
Cassie finds herself alone, scavenging for food and determining the rules of the new world - trust no one and remain alone. But then Evan Walker saves her in a blizzard and nurses her back to health.
Can Cassie trust Evan?
Can Ben carry out his mission?
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is set up with 12 sections, each from a character's point of view. All but two are split between Cassie and Ben Parish, Cassie's high school crush. All of the Cassie and Ben chapters are written in first person narration. The other two chapters are one third person narration from Sammy's point of view and one third person narration from the unnamed Silencer who follows Cassie. Ben ends up saved by the army that has uncovered alien technology that they want to use against the invaders. He is trained to kill and made a sargeant in a squad full of children all under seventeen.
Cassie finds herself alone, scavenging for food and determining the rules of the new world - trust no one and remain alone. But then Evan Walker saves her in a blizzard and nurses her back to health.
Can Cassie trust Evan?
Can Ben carry out his mission?
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Awards
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2016)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Honor Book — 2016)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 9-12 — 2015)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2016)
Gateway Readers Award (Nominee — 1st Place — 2016)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2015)
Garden State Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades 9-12 — 2016)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2015)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2015)
The Children's Book Award (Winner — Older Readers — 2014)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2014)
Colorado Blue Spruce Award (Nominee — 2015)
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Winner — 2016)
Florida Teens Read Award (Nominee — 2015)
The Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2015)
Kids' Book Choice Awards (Finalist — 2014)
Westchester Fiction Award (Winner — 2014)
Milwaukee County Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2014)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2016)
Iowa High School Book Award (Winner — 2016)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Keystone to Reading Book Award (Winner — 2015)
Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers (Honor Book — 2015)
Surrey Teens Read (Winner — 2015)
South Carolina Book Awards (Winner — Young Adult Book Award — 2016)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2014)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2014)
Children's Favorites Awards (Finalist — 2014)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2014)
OYAN Book Rave (2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-05-07
Physical description
9.31 inches
ISBN
0399162410 / 9780399162411