The 5th Wave (5th Wave, #1)

by Rick Yancey

"Remarkable, not-to-be-missed-under-any-circumstances."—Entertainment Weekly (Grade A)

The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

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.

"Wildly entertaining . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."—Justin Cronin, The New York Times Book Review

"A modern sci-fi masterpiece . . . should do for aliens what Twilight did for vampires."—USAToday.com

• ISBN10: 1101598964
• ISBN13: 9781101598962
• Publish Date: 7 May 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Penguin Group (USA) LLC - (Putnam)
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leah]

This was SO good. Like hard-to-put-down good. Like finish in one day good. I'm not going to do a full review, because I mostly read this one just for the pleasure of reading and it was amazing. Sort of a mish-mash of The Hunger Games, The Host, but entirely different too. I loved all the different narratives, it kept the book going at quite a pace, and I was never quite sure what was happening or what was going to happen next. I can't WAIT to get stuck into Infinite Sea - and even better, the final book is out in May so I can finish this trilogy super quick!

[tweetybugshouse]

I of course read this one cause it was on my book shelf and two cause the movie coming out and i one of those people that really does try to read the book before i see the movie. I not one that tends to pick up alien books but the previews look good so i said what the heck lets see what happens. I did read the whole thing over a weekend. Their were parts of the book that i thought were drawn out longer then they needed to be but the whole concept to me is unique for an alien book. It a book that your not really sure what is going on tell you get all the facts lined out and then your not really sure those facts were right and then your like ok we can trust this character and then your like no we can't. It very well done and i intrigued to see where the series go that being said i probably won't read book two until i find out if they are making more then one movie. I also don;t own the other books at least not yet.

Ik hou van dit boek. Ik kwam makkelijk in het verhaal, voelde mee met de personages en het was lastig om het boek neer te leggen. Helaas was het af en toe wel heel erg voorspelbaar, maar op de een of andere manier was dit niet zo belangrijk dat ik het niet bij mijn favoriete boeken kan laten horen. Heel benieuwd naar het volgende boek.

[reveriesociety_]

DNF *sigh* I just couldn't get into it. I have a good feeling I might pick it up later. It wasn't BAD but definitely not up for it now.

DNF - at least for now. When I started this book I was BLOWN away by the creepiness and overall terrifying atmosphere that this book created. Thing were happening and the waves were terrifying and I was so intrigued.

And then the "romance" happened....and it took a turn for the worse. It was an insanely weird and creepy insta-love/kidnapping something or other thing that was supposed to be romantic and was absolutely not. I think with everything else being so weird and creepy, I needed some normalcy in the romance. Believable romance, an un-perfect one, but not weird and creepy like everything else. I just couldn't pick it up after that. I want to simply because every one has raved about it, but I'm not so sure it's going to happen.

So, for now, this remains a DNF.

[charlton]

I really need to read more of this genre!
It had me hooked from the very beginning. Bam! You find out about an alien invasion and how will people survive?
It's basically a quest,1 person is looking for another person.
But the things that happen during the book ...
It was a good book and I would have never picked it up had it not been for my daughter insisting.

[ellieroth]

También en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Aliens

El único libro de aliens que leí fueron los dos primeros de la serie Obsidian y la verdad no me gustaron. Creo que esperaba de La Quinta Ola ser tan fresón como ese, los buenos comentarios o el fandom de un libro no son garantía de que un libro ses bueno o vaya a gustarme. Este libro no es nada como mi anterior experiencia aliénigena. Decidí leerlo en inglés porque las traducciones luego nos confunden quién es quién cuando el cast se va anunciando, es bastante sencillo de leer, por si buscan una lectura para empezar en inglés, The 5th Wave es una buena opción (a diferencia de The Inifinite Sea, pero de eso ya les hablaré luego).

Bookmarks

Esta fue una de esas veces que mi libro está lleno, pero lleno de anotaciones, desde frases pequeñas, conversaciones, párrafos, cosas que solo entiendo de un modo personal. Es un libro sobre aliens, sobre como no han sido exactamente como ET pero de alguna manera lo sentí en muchos momentos un poco personal.

Pros & Cons

Pros: Me encantó la voz de Cassie, es muy divertido leerla, es cínica, sincera, pasa por algunas cosas que la desvían y distraen de su meta pero al final nunca pierde la vista de su objetivo. Además que a diferencia de otros personajes distópicos, Cassie (o en este caso el escritor Rick Yancey) muestra el lado más real de una catástrofe: violencia y a veces egoísmo. Y hay dos frases que me gustaron aunque no son exactamente de importancia pero que para mí hicieron que The 5th Wave resaltará de muchas distopías conocidas: "Si voy a morir, voy a morir limpia" y "No habrá señal, pero llevo conmigo mi celular. Por que ya sabes, es mi celular". Como dije, son frases muy superficiales, es sólo que a veces las distopías se me hacen tan ordenadas y arregladas (otro caso interesante de distopías que me gustó bastante por su realidad fue Not a Drop to Drink, por si estás interesado en otro tipo de distopía).

Cons: En un momento cambia bruscamente de POV, no me gusta mucho eso, además de que no entendí porque exactamente se le llaman "Olas". Si no hubiera leído The Infinite Sea, en contras pondría que a veces me fue no-creíble que los Extraterrestres se tomarán tanta molestia para hacer lo que hicieron y luego prácticamente parar y dejar algunos vivos, no tenía mucha lógica. Pero como dije, eso pondría eso si no hubiera leído The Infinite Sea.

Una cosa curiosa que me pasó leyendo el libro es que, como sabes, el cast tiene a Chloë Grace Moretz como protagonista ¿y de qué otra adaptación recién estrenada famosa protagonizó Chloe? If I Stay. Durante todo el libro no pude dejar de pensar que en cierta manera se complementaban. El The 5th Wave tiene mucho flashbacks con Cassie, en Si Decido Quedarme también. Incluso en alguna parte dice exactamente "If I stay", confieso que me reí como loca un buen rato xD Ya les fastidié el libro ¿verdad? ._. Culpen a los productores

La Quinta Ola me gustó bastante, rápido de leer, incluso divertido de hacerlo (por lo general con Cassie), tiene personajes muy interesantes, escenas con acción y dolor. Solo espero que la trilogía no termine con cierto pequeñín sacado del mapa.

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[Angie]

I went into The 5th Wave thoroughly expecting to love it, but I didn't. I liked it, but some things just didn't sit right with me. It all starts off with Cassie just trying to survive after an alien apocalypse. Something like 99% of the human population has been killed off by aliens referred to as the Others. No one knows why they're there or what they want, but they suspect they just want Earth. But then why go through all of these separate phases? Why not just kill all the humans in one sweep; they obviously have the technology to do so. That was the big question I had the entire time I was reading, and I highly suspect it's something that will be revealed in the next book as a twist. At least, I hope so. I like books to follow reason.

The 5th Wave isn't just Cassie's story, although I think I would name her as the main character. The narrative actually alternates between four POVs: Cassie, Zombie, Sammy, and the Silencer. Most chapters are Cassie as she talks about life before the aliens, their arrival, and the first four waves of their attack. A major part of the plot is her finding her little brother, Sammy, after he's taken by some soldiers. We do get one chapter from Sammy's perspective, which was I think just to give us a glimpse into the military camp and make us readers even more paranoid about who's an alien and who's not. Zombie is actually Ben, some kid Cassie had a crush on in school, who is now in this new alien fighting military. His chapters reveal the most twists, since he's right there in the action. As for the Silencer, well, he's a bit of a creep and I could have done without his chapters about stalking Cassie in the woods.

I was really into The The 5th Wave at some points, but then I felt like it would drag for awhile, then pick up again, then drag. It's a pretty thick book. By no means is it anywhere near the longest I've read, but it definitely felt long. I loved the chapters that made me doubt who was human and who was an alien. There was no way to tell! What is going on here?! However, when Cassie meets Evan, things get weird. Yes, there is romance, and yes, it's insta-love. But it's kind of one-sided insta-love. Evan claims to be in love with her, and Cassie doesn't trust him, because really, who can you trust in this screwed up world? It just wasn't a well done romance. They did some kissing, which I was totally sold on. They might be the last two humans ever, so kissing in the face of fear! Evan's declaration of love? No way.

So, I liked The 5th Wave. It's action packed and messed with my head, but some parts could have been seriously condensed or left out entirely. Plus I just could not stop wondering why this fifth wave of attack was even happening. The vast majority of humans are already gone. Their tactics have been beyond successful, so why not just continue doing what they're doing? Unless the aliens are just severely screwed up creatures who like to screw with people, but to what purpose? I suppose I'll have to read the sequel to find out.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[leahrosereads]

The 5th Wave was a pleasant surprise for me, although having read Rick Yancey’s [b:The Monstrumologist|6457229|The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)|Rick Yancey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307409930s/6457229.jpg|6647553], I knew that I really enjoyed his writing style.

We’re here, and then we’re gone, and it’s not about the time we’re here, but what we do with the time.

The premise behind The 5th Wave is pretty much an alien invasion, and the aliens are winning. They’re taking earth, and there really isn’t anything we humans can do to stop them. Are the concepts in this novel unique and original? No. They’ve been told in other science fiction novels and shows, and probably told better. However, the world that Rick Yancey created with these borrowed concepts, was awesome and just kept me entertained, and because of that, 4 Stars baby!


The book follows several characters, including our main heroine Cassiopeia (Cassie) Sullivan. She’s a 17 year old living in a world with one rule (for her): to trust no one. Because, in this crazy, alien invading world, she’s lost her family in devastating ways. Yet, she attempts to overcome and stay strong, namely to keep a promise to her little brother, six year old Sammy. She’s snarky and brave, and for the most part independent, and for the most part, I loved her. And then, she was whiny and made a crap ton of mistakes that made me want to pop her across the face. Oh, to be young again.

Another character we’re introduced to is Evan Walker, Cassie’s (hopefully only) love interest in this series, but we’ll see. He’s an alien, and he’s human. He’s a Silencer (meant to take out humans during the 4th Wave of the invasion), but when he comes across Cassie’s path, he just can’t do it. She brings back the humanity side of him, and he stalks her. Am I OK with the stalking love interest? Usually no, but I think I just liked Evan so much, I’ve made an exception for him in my mind. I enjoyed their interactions together, and although Cassie’s trust in him was shaky, for valid reasons, I think their friendship and love grew OK in this. It definitely was insta-love, on Evan’s part, and Cassie was the more hardheaded one, in denial until the end. Still, I liked it. Again, normally inta-love pisses me off, but Evan was just one of those characters I was rooting for.

Another viewpoint we meet, is Cassie’s infatuation from high school, Ben Parish a/k/a Zombie. He is rescued by the government after contracting the plague in the third wave. They nurse him back to health and train him to be a soldier, to fight in an upcoming battle where humans will try to take back Earth and put a stop to the aliens. And boy does that sound great to Zombie! He had lost his family during the invasion, and because he ran away during the fight that killed his family, he feels the need to prove himself...of course, he learns so much more about himself and about the government, and the plot thickens a lot…

The final view we see is Sammy’s. He’s also taken in by the government, and he is also being trained to take out the aliens in the upcoming war. (Reminder - kid is six years old!) Sammy is put into Zombie’s training squad, and Sammy definitely latches onto Zombie as a substitute for Cassie. He needs the love and support from a sibling, and Zombie is there. Zombie also needs a little bit of something to believe in and love again, and he sees Sammy as a do-over for his guilt and mistakes.

The characters come together when Zombie learns the truth about what is going on, and Evan opens up to Cassie and reveals the truth as well. Together, Evan and Cassie make it their mission to rescue Sammy, and Zombie also wants to rescue Sammy away from the government. They meet up at the Haven in a very awkward way, but hey, you have to do what you have to do.

There are minor characters from Zombies squad that help with the rescue, and I loved how the squad interacted with each other. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

The spoilers are just some that came to mind, don’t open it if you don’t want to read any. They may not even make all that much sense...it’s just things I had to get out and vent about a bit…

(show spoiler)[Evan had better NOT be dead. I’m really hoping he got out before destroying the Haven (central base that the aliens were using on Earth). Serious fingers crossed on that.

Also with the kiss that Zombie gave Cassie on the cheek at the end, I’m really hoping that doesn’t turn into anything more. I mean, he kind of has Ringer, or it seemed like he does, and Cassie has Evan. That and Ben Parish didn’t even KNOW Cassie, even though they went to the same school. Just no love triangle, please...for fuck sakes no love triangle…] (hide spoiler)


All in all, I’m thrilled that I’ve read The 5th Wave, and I’m absolutely looking forward to the follow-up novel, [b:The Infinite Sea|16131484|The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2)|Rick Yancey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395351812s/16131484.jpg|27237970] coming out this year. I believe this will be a trilogy, so one other book will be out as well, so, definitely looking forward to that as long as The Infinite Sea is awesome!

[violetpeanut]

Wow was this good! Great characters, amazing plotting, perfect pacing. Really, really good.