A beautifully written novel that makes you wonder: what would you do if your own loved one started walking, part of a mysterious mass migration, and did not seem to hear or see you? Would you go with them to protect them, or would you let them go? Provocative and engaging.

I have had the pleasure of being sent advanced copies of Chuck's work for several years now and I am always grateful. This was such an interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre and it couldn't have come at a better time. Always love everything Chuck does!

This reminds me a lot of The Stand. In fact, the author admits to it within the novel. What Wendig doesn’t do is veer off into the cartoonish which King, at times, has a tendency to do. Don’t let its length deter you. It reads quickly and I finished it within three days. Wendig wrestles with potent questions here including the power of technology, extreme prejudice, the religious façade and violence of the Christian right, morality and the crumbling of society. What’s more he is able to inject into it both humor and the quirkiness of mankind. If you liked The Stand (I’ll go out on a limb here) you’ll like this even more.

Wanderers is an incredibly difficult book to review. Had I read it two years ago when it first came out, I think I would have felt very differently about it than I did reading it in August 2021. Although it’s an absolutely massive book, Wendig does a great job of introducing a number of characters and of slowly tying everything back into the main story. It was rather brilliant how he took so many seemingly unrelated things and tied them all together. I also really enjoyed watching how all of the characters changed and grew over the course of the novel. However, (trying to remain spoiler-free here) the book took quite a few turns that I really wasn’t expecting and that ended up being a bit jarring. Wanderers is somewhat genre-defying, but it was interesting to see how Wendig slowly transformed this book from one genre to another to another, all while delivering a critique of the current state of the world.

And that is exactly why Wanderers was a demanding and, at times, exhausting read right now. After two years in a global pandemic, it was hard to read about another pandemic and the factors that led to that catastrophe. Parts of this story just felt a little too close to home right now. But, again, I think I would have loved this book had I read it when it first came out.

While the story starts off with a fascinating (and slightly disturbing) scene of sleepwalking, the rest of the beginning of the book was too slow to hold my interest. I suspect this might be a tale better enjoyed in audiobook format, given the writing style. Ultimately, it wasn't for me, but that's definitely a matter of personal taste.

Ugh. This is a book that held my interest all the way until the end, then I was left thinking, that's it?? Plus the politics in it were ridiculous. Why must authors do that??

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was interesting. It was long, it took me much longer to get through than normal. I wish it had been a little harder to walk away from this book as often as I did. I finally had to wait until this was published and get it as an audio book. I was able to finish it this way. My reading time is very limited, but I read hundreds of books every year. To do this they have got to grab me and not let me put them down. This one just didn't o that for me. I kept getting other books that I wanted to read more than this one. Overall I am glad that I listened to this story. It was better than the writing lead me to believe. I'd recommend the audio book, but not the printed book.

Wanderers by @chuck_wendig (#66 in 2019)
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This was the first novel I’ve ever read by Chuck Wendig, so let me start by making some comments on him as an author. Wendig’s writing is vivid. He’s not like Charles Dickens where he needs 5 pages to describe a hole in the wall, but he paints such perfect mental pictures while still remaining concise. Now that’s not to say that his storytelling is concise, because this book (at least my ARC version) is a whopping 769 pages. A lot of what he writes, however, is dialogue and necessary to drive the story forward. Out of all the chapters in this book, I would say 95% of them end in a cliffhanger. Damn you, Wendig! I got nothing done for the past few days because I kept having to read the next chapter... and then the next. Now for the story itself- it’s the zombie apocalypse, but not like how Hollywood depicts it. No “undead” members of society lurk in dark rooms waiting to jump out and eat someone’s face. These zombies are literally “walkers,” and their flock mysteriously grows. They are harmless (unless if they’re restrained) and they walk towards an unknown destination for an unknown purpose. Meanwhile, an infectious disease breaks out and is threatening to end all of mankind. I hate comparing authors to other authors because authors are so unique in and of themselves, but for the sake of the #bookstagram world, I would say that Chuck Wendig’s narrative voice is comparable to that of Stephen King- vivid, addictive, and relatable. But make no mistake: Wendig is surely an original. Even though the last two pages drove me absolutely insane (isn’t that what authors are supposed to strive for?) this book gets 5 stars from me. Bravo, Chuck Wendig! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I got this ARC from BookCon, but I kept avoiding it because of its length. Ignore that, people!

Reading this book a few months before the Covid-19 outbreak and seeing a lot of familiar terminology and buzzwords mentioned was frightening! The Wanderers is an incredibly chilling story following the outbreak of a new epidemic in the United States; one that does not visibly sicken or kill anyone but instead takes control of their minds & bodies.

Wendig does an amazing job of pulling together multiple elements of this story. Weaving multiple perspectives from people in the CDC, religious leaders, and those affected by the sickness, readers that love character driven stories will enjoy sitting with this one and the switch in perspectives. It reads as unfolding of the sickness, and culminates in an ending that I never would have predicted.

Reading this book in 2019/2020 will certainly feel like holding up a mirror to some aspects of life during Covid-19. For lovers of The Stand and Swan Song who love apocalyptic horror/thrillers, Wanderers is 5/5 stars.

I did not love this, Wanderers is the story of a group of people who awaken into a trance like state and for reasons mostly unknown start wandering across the country.
Lots of adult language, rape, racism, sexism, blood, gore, and violence throughout this book. I understand its place as part of the journey in this scenario however it was too much for me.
Thanks to Net Galley for my copy of this book to review.

I did not finish this book. It was 800 pages and I could not connect with the plot/writing so I decided to put it down. Thanks for the chance to read it!

Post-apocalyptic mystery. Wendig always keeps me enthralled to the end. I love his characters that are so realistic, yet beautifully idealistic.

This was a great thriller/sci-fi read, unlike most books that I dig into. It was lengthy so I read and listened to it once it became available. I loved the mystery of the sleepwalkers and the sciencey part of the epidemic.

I did not care for this book much. There was far too much leftist propaganda and far too little actual book development.

I just couldn't get interested in this book and did not finish it. It may just not be the right genre for me.

Wow, this is amazing book. I can totally see this happen in real life. [ but don't want to happen] this Is a very long long book which took me 3 months to read. I enjoy the plot and would love to have a sequel. I recommend this book to anyone.

GREAT book! Interesting start. Little long in the middle. Fantastic back 1/4. This was a highly anticipated novel for me, and it did not disappoint. I love apocalyptic novels.

Short Summary: After a comet passes over the Earth, seemingly random individuals in a sleepwalk state begin walking as a group in the same direction towards an unknown destination.

Thoughts: This one had a lot of layers between the sleepwalkers, their loved ones following their progress across the United States, the religious nutters, the multitude of characters, and then the explanation of everything, but in all honesty the comparisons to The Stand were erroneous.

Verdict: Wanderers starts out very strong but between the unnecessarily long page count and a few curveballs in the plot that I found wholly unnecessary, this one essentially lost me when it was all said and done.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mr. Wendig's novel is 400 pages of character development paired with 400 pages of leftist lecturing on all topics from A to Z. A complete bore of a novel that I spent time I will never get back reading.

1 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.