Wanderers

Ugh. What a drag.

Wendig tries to follow the steps of Stephen King but fails so miserably. I'm not sure I would have finished it if it wasn't because I got this as part of a gifted book subscription. Nothing happens for the first 500 pages, not even character development and after 800 the author was still unable to write a decent arc for any of the characters. Each one of their stories seems just like stereotypes that have been used a thousand times before (only probably better than here).

This read like it was written with the intention of becoming a film/TV show and it kinda tracks given the fact that it ended on a cliff-hanger that leads to a second book (equally long) which I will not be reading.

I could have done without the racial and homophobic slurs, without the rape scene that did not really add anything to the plot and without the sexism (not just from the nasty characters but also from those that are described as the heroes).

Minor point and probably not the author's fault, but the edition of the book was also dreadful – there were numerous printing errors, and words being combined when it didn't seem like that was the intention of the author.

As a personal note, if you have anything remotely close to trypophobia – don't read this book. It will trigger you.

I think in these pandemic times the idea of apocalyptic plague takes on fresh horror and meaning. That being said, I haven't found what I would call a perfect rendition of this yet. Wanderers does come closer than some in having a believable plague with an interesting exploration in the corresponding collapse in society. The super AI guiding humanity to safety was however a weak point for me in that the required suspension of disbelief was too high - how could humans walk for weeks on end without any sustenance? It just does not work for me. However the story was epic enough to get passed these hurdles and the denouement was satisfying.

It is hard to avoid discussing this book without talking about the elephant in the room that is Stephen King's The Stand. I read The Stand earlier this year and found the quasi-mysticism of the ending very underwhelming. Wanderers treads similar pathways but is more satisfying for taking a slightly more sciencey approach. It is still quite a long way from a perfect plague book for me - the super AI theme felt very forced - but the overall story structure was definitely better than its better known King cousin. These books are similar in many ways but for me Wendig stuck the landing better.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig is his magnum opus. It is a colossal story that occupies a sliver of literary real estate between dystopian, science fiction, and current events.

“You didn't change anyone's mind about politics by hammering away at them—all that did was drive the nail deeper into the wall of their own certainty.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

One morning on June 3rd, in the small town of Maker's Bell, Pennsylvania, Shana stood next to her little sister's bed and thought, “Nessie ran away again.” Nessie ran away often, and as Shana was Nessie's older sister and protector, it was Shana's problem. Nessie left the farm in the middle of the night with nothing on but a dress. What Shana did not know at the time, but learns quickly is that Nessie is sleepwalking. Or, as she becomes known later, a walker. Nessie has begun a long walk, and nothing can deter her. Shana is not far behind. As the days pass, the group of walkers grows. The group that stumbles through the countryside is made up of all sorts of people, young or old, they all walk with a single-minded determinedness. The group picks up walkers, and shepherds (people who help take care of their flock of walking friends and family) regularly.

While the walkers walk, the world's opinion is split on what type of creature these walkers are. Are they aliens, science experiments, do they carry disease? Whatever they are, the right-wing side of American politics, Kreel, feels that there is something unholy about them. They should be stopped. Kreel goes to rallies and muckrakes against the sitting president Hunt. How is she is not doing anything? How is she not acting fast enough and putting the children at risk? It would be perverse if it weren't so plausible. All of the political machinations of the American two-party system tear each other apart and turn to civil war in the background of the story. While the walkers are doing their long march across the countryside, the world is wracked by a pandemic. A type of flu that travels quickly from person to person, kills without mercy, and drives people insane.

In the foreground of the story, we have a few intersections of well thought out and interesting characters. The first thing I noticed about Wanderers is that it doesn't feel like there are any protagonists, either that or everyone is a protagonist. No one truly is a hero. All the characters develop and change. Because the narrative is told from many viewpoints, you get a good feel for all the distinct characteristics. They are all dealing with the world crumbling around them, political unrest, and the desperate desire to protect the walkers.

Secondly, the characters are written like people, warts and all. You will like them; you want them to live. Sometimes they won't. You will hate them, and maybe want them to suffer a little bit. There are good guys, especially Benji, Aram, and Pete, but perhaps they aren't always right.
Wendig draws no lines in the sand on who is good and who is evil. There are not amateur black and white characters in Wanderers because in Wendig's world, the world is full of grays. Much like real life. No one thinks of themselves as the villain.

“That is how science and medicine are practiced best, though—we are best when we admit our ignorance up front, and then attempt to fill the darkness of not-knowing with the light of information and knowledge.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

Also, I tell you this as one reader to another; this author is not kind to his characters in this book. This book is The Stand meets Nevil Shutes On The Beach with some Techno-Thriller Johnny Mnemonic stuff that is impossible to explain without spoilers. Half the time, I had no idea where the hell the story was going. I said, “huh” more times than I could count.

The pacing was a real issue for me, and Wanderers is a massive book. It is a tale that slowly burns. Every chapter is well written, but instead of galloping, the chapters slowly and steadily march you towards the end. At about the 50% mark, the pace starts to quicken, the parts and story begin to collide. It is a symphony of elements that come crashing together in a grand sforzando that left me stunned and unable to read much for a few days.

“I heard that if you complain, it reprograms your brain like a computer virus, and it just makes you more and more unhappy, so I'm going to stay positive because I bet the opposite is true, too.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

Most importantly of all, there is hope in Wanderers. Hope for humanity, and the characters. I didn't see it through the weeds of most of the book. It was frustrating and tiresome at times. I wanted to be blasted in the face with hope. Please give me something to cling to Wendig. Give me something to grab on to, don't let me be pulled out to sea to drown with these characters. But hopes shining light would stick out now and again. There is hope that most magnificent of human emotions that can lead us through tragedy. Wendig wrote about it; it is here in the muck and mire of pandemic and upheaval. Look for it, chapter to chapter, you will find it among Wendig's words.

I would recommend this as a must-read. I have never encountered a Wendig book that I was not fond of, this included. The reader should be aware of the exciting and interesting, heart busting, soul-crushing time they are in for. Especially with times as they are right now.