The 5th Wave (novel)

The 5th Wave

The cover art of The 5th Wave
Author	Rick Yancey
Cover artist	Allied Integrated Marketing
Country	USA
Language	English
Genre	Young adult, Science fiction
Publisher	Penguin Group
Publication date	May 7, 2013
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	497
ISBN	978-0-399-16241-1
Followed by	The Infinite Sea

The 5th Wave is 2013 young adult science fiction novel by Rick Yancey. It is the first installment in the trilogy. Critics have compared the book favorably to The Hunger Games and The Road,^[1] and noted that it "should do for aliens what Twilight did for vampires."^[2] Sony Pictures plan a film adaptation scheduled for a January 2016 release.

Plot

The 5th Wave follows 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan as she tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of alien invasion that have already decimated the population and knocked humankind back to the Stone Age. As one of Earth's last survivors, Cassie is left with just herself and has to learn the hard way to trust no one. Throughout the story, Cassie must pass multiple obstacles to save her brother Sammy.

Characters

Cassie Sullivan – the protagonist of the novel. She is 16 years old, short, and has curly strawberry-blonde hair. In school, she had a crush on Ben Parish, a popular football player. Her mother died in the 3rd wave and her father was killed by Commander Vosch in a refugee camp the Sullivans stayed at. Her little brother, Sammy, is taken away in a school bus with other kids to a military training camp, Camp Haven. She is shot by a Silencer after some time. She is rescued by Evan Walker, and the two start a relationship. Cassie soon finds out that Evan was the Silencer who shot her. Although wary of him, she and Evan go to Camp Haven and rescue Sammy and Ben.

Evan Walker – a boy from rural Ohio who lived with his large family. His family and girlfriend were all killed during the 3rd wave. He rescues Cassie after she is shot and takes her into his home, a farm. Evan soon professes his love for Cassie, but she quickly discovers that he is the Silencer who shot her and is not truly human. He goes with Cassie to rescue Sammy from Camp Haven but is injured along the way. Evan disappears in Camp Haven but is able to get Cassie, Sammy, and Ben out. His fate is undetermined until the second book. He is described as having chocolaty brown eyes and brown hair.

Ben Parish/Zombie – a popular football player and honors student at Cassie's high school. While in high school, Cassie had a crush on Ben, but he never noticed her. After the 3rd wave, Ben contracts the plague but is "rescued" by soldiers who save him and take him to Camp Haven. There he becomes a part of Squad 53, now going under the name of Zombie. Zombie soon discovers the soldiers are not real soldiers but aliens in disguise. He manages to escape with Cassie and Sammy. He is described as being tall and buff with dark hair.

Sammy Sullivan/Nugget – Cassie's younger brother. He is taken away from the refugee camp he, his father, and Cassie stayed at. He is taken to Camp Haven to be a part of Squad 53, after being given the name Nugget. Nugget and Zombie become good friends, with Zombie acting almost like a big brother to him. Sammy manages to escape with Cassie and Zombie at the end of the novel. He is described as having messy brown hair and large, teddy bear eyes.

Ringer/Marika – a girl who joins Squad 53 after Tank, a former member, goes "Dorothy" (code for crazy). She is the best shot in the group and is very quiet yet scary. She and Zombie become friends and she helps him shoot better. She is often threatening and serious toward the other squad members but can also be vulnerable at times. She is described as being tall and skinny, with pale white skin and long, glossy, straight hair. She is also 3/4 Asian.

Commander Vosch – the leader of the soldiers and the mastermind behind the plans. He is very sadistic, cruel, and unfeeling. He at first is shown as a "hero" to those at Cassie's refugee camp, but he soon reveals his true nature by personally killing Cassie's father and destroying the camp. He is also responsible for Camp Haven and becomes familiar with Cassie, Ringer, and Zombie.

Dumbo – a member of Squad 53. He has huge ears and is good with medicine and anatomy. Around 12 years old

Teacup – a member of Squad 53. Originally, the only girl, and the youngest in the squad before Nugget and Ringer come. About 7 years old.

Poundcake – a member of Squad 53. A large, chubby boy who never speaks, but is good with a gun. Around 8 years old.

Flintstone – a member of Squad 53. A teenage boy with a unibrow. Around 16 years old.

Tank – A former member of Squad 53. He went "Dorothy", meaning he went crazy and was taken away. Dumbo and Zombie discover him dead in the P&D (Processing and Disposal) hangar.

Kenny/Oompa – a member of Squad 53. A chubby boy around the age of 8 or 9.

Reception

The critical reception to the book has been very positive. It received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.^[3][4] Reviewers have noted that it has broad audience appeal, blurring the lines between young adult and adult fiction, and of genre and mainstream fiction, that it cannot be easily wedged into one genre despite having many of the characteristics of young adult fiction.^[1][5] The New York Times listed it as one of the best young adult books of 2013,^[6] and it was a Goodreads finalist for Best Young Adult Fantasy or Science Fiction novel in 2013.^[7]

Sequels

The 5th Wave is the first book in a planned trilogy. The second book in the series, The Infinite Sea, came out on September 16, 2014.^[8] The third book in the series is named The Last Star and it's scheduled to come out September 8, 2015.

Film adaptation

The film rights for the trilogy are currently with Sony Pictures, who has a "significant six-figure deal" to launch the series with Graham King and Tobey Maguire attached as producers.^[1] On April 15, 2014, it was officially announced that Chloë Grace Moretz will star as Cassie Sullivan, and that J Blakeson will direct from the script of Susannah Grant.^[9][10] Nick Robinson and Alex Roe would be joining the film as Ben Parish and Evan Walker.^[11] The projected release date is January 15, 2016.^[12] Liev Schreiber would play the villain in the film.^[13] Maika Monroe joined the film to play the character of Ringer.^[14]

References

External links

• Official website