The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
One of the best alien novels I ever read… The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (in German Die 5. Welle, in French La 5e Vague). I read it in French where it contained 593 pages. Originally published in 2013. For boys and girls 15+.
Aliens have invaded the Earth and try to erase humanity.
1st Wave: Lights out.
2nd Wave: Surf's up.
3rd Wave: Pandemie.
4th Wave: Silence.
I'm Cassie. Not Cassie for Cassandra or Cassie for Cassidy. Cassie for Cassiopea. I am on a mission to rescue my little brother.
Thinking she might be the only human alive on the planet, she runs into Evan. But who is he? A human? Or an alien in disguise? And the 5th Wave has already begun...
This book was gorgeous. The author is a genius, these ideas about the aliens and how to eliminate the humanity! How this is explained as well. The whole stats and everything. Very, very well done. The characters are really realistic, too, as well as their reactions.
I love Evan. He's so very gentle and thoughtful, he just has a kind heart. He'd be a perfect big brother, no doubt. He's just so caring. Apart from that, he's quiet and reliable – and obviously has his secrets. The solution to them didn't surprise me… but I'd have guessed it was far worse than this. I wonder how this plays out.
Spoiler:
It almost seems as if he and Cassie will hook up at some point in the near future, but now she's around Ben the entire time. I really hope that she still loves Evan, in the end.
Evan's so lonely. He deserves someone who loves him… And since he really cares so much for Cassie...
I don't get really why, though. Cassie's pretty ungrateful for his help and always snaps at him – but maybe he got to know the real her through her diary. Because Cassie's actually quite the cool person: She's loyal and fierce as hell, determined, and she would do really anything for her brother. I really hope she and Evan will be an item, even though she has to grow a lot to deserve him. It's like with America and Maxon from The Selection: You wish him to be happy, and you know they could fit, but she needs a little nudge in the right direction – a nudge she didn't get in this book.
As for Ben: I like him as well, even though he changes a lot throughout the book. First the dream boyfriend, than the lost boy – God, I was so sorry for what happened to him! That was so, so terrible! - and then he became the murder zombie. But it makes sense.
By the way, the plan for the army? O. My. God. That's so evil. And so very well executed, on a narrative level. It took me by surprise.
Back to the characters. The little group of adventurers around Ben is really fascinating… everyone of them. I'm already excited as to how this will play out. But my favourite in the group is the little brother. He is so cute! So very well done! I love him.
Apart from this, the style is gorgeous and everything very, very tense. Seriously, even if you read it in a language you don't know very well, you still can't put it down until you finished. And a 593-pages-book does take time, especially in a semi-familiar language.
All in all, I conclude that the book is really, really well done.
In brief:
Stars for characters, ideas, content, style, the whole who's-good-who's-bad-thing and, last but not least, how this book makes you think.