---

WANDERERS is a book that I’ve put off for ages, and what better time to read an epic novel about a global pandemic than at the end of a real global pandemic that WAIT DID I SAY END, HAHAHA OH FUCK JUST WEAR YOUR GODDAMN MASKS OK?

I’ve been a big Chuck Wendig fan over the last however-many-years, but WANDERERS was just one that slipped through the cracks for me. But this is Wendig at his best & most ambitious, and I’m really happy to have finally made the time for this monster.

I’m an unabashed fan of all things post-apocalyptic, and while WANDERERS fits the bill, this book also does some surprising things…things that make writing this review a bit challenging, in terms of staying clear of spoilers.

A book this gigantic naturally involves a lot of different characters, and I think it was Shana Stewart that I most gravitated towards. Shana’s younger sister, Nessie, becomes the first of the so-called “sleepwalkers” in the story, when she one day just leaves the house and begins to walk slowly, inexorably, blank-faced…it’s unsettling.

Shana decides that nothing is more important than keeping Nessie safe, and so she begins to walk with her, becoming the first “shepherd.” Soon, they are joined by more & more people. More of the mysteriously afflicted sleepwalkers, their respective shepherds/family members, scientists, members of the military.

All just walking towards some unknown destination. The sleepwalkers cannot be stopped or redirected.

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to write this review (and others), as WANDERERS is really a journey you need to take for yourself. Unsurprisingly, the book is deeply political, and includes a lot of not-so-thinly-veiled, scathing commentary about the Trump administration. If you follow Chuck Wendig on Twitter, some of the themes and political ideology in the book will feel familiar.

The novel is also weirdly prescient, having been published in 2019, well before the COVID-19 pandemic began. There are some similarities that are borderline eerie.

Content warnings abound for WANDERERS. A rather big subplot of the book revolves around a truly vile white supremacist, so there’s some unpleasant language in that regard.

There’s also a somewhat graphic scene where a man is raped. As much as I loved this book & love Chuck Wendig, I feel like this scene could have been either cut from the book, or presented in a less graphic way. It really hit me wrong, which I gather was the point. But I just think this could have been handled differently, or simply not included.

All told, WANDERERS is a thoroughly immersive & engaging story. It’s sort of deeply American, in the way that America is kinda fucked? There’s also a bit of a sci-fi angle too, with a way-too-sentient AI thrown in the mix.

This was just epic, I’m glad I finally made the time for it! Really excited about WAYWARD!