Wanderers: A Novel

Chuck Wendig’s new book is a lengthy tome that captures you from the very beginning and keeps you hooked to the very end, in the style of Justin Cronin’s The Passage perhaps mixed with Stephen King’s novella The Long Walk.

Shana wakes up one morning to find her sister missing, which she has done before, but this time it feels different. Then she sees her walking across their front yard. Upon confronting her, she finds her eyes glazed and the younger girl is completely unresponsive, but she is walking at a steady pace in a specific direction. She is unable to make her stop or turn back. Running to get her father, they return in the truck to find the girl walking down the street. Again they are unable to stop her without her showing signs of extreme duress and suffering. Then another walker joins with the girl. So begins the tale of the wanderers who increase in number as they cross the country on a mysterious mission.

Wanderers is engrossing and compelling and just a delight to read with its large cast and complex and interesting characters. While there is an unnecessary rape scene, fans of Stephen King will delight in this book.