Having really enjoyed Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist, I became interested in checking out the author's other works and decided to pick up his new young adult book The 5th Wave.
The book tells the story of an alien invasion, happening over a period of time in a series of planned attacks called "waves". The 1st wave was an electromagnetic pulse-like burst that knocked out electricity and almost everything that runs on power. The 2nd wave wiped out all cities on the world's coastlines. The 3rd wave was a plague that decimated the human population. The 4th wave made those still alive mistrust and turn on each other. Cassie is one of the few lucky (unlucky?) survivors, believing that striking out alone is the only way to stay alive. Those that are left now prepare for the worst; they know "the Others" aren't done with humanity yet, and a 5th wave is on the horizon.
I was really excited when I found out the premise behind the book, hoping to see a new take and fresh ideas on the alien invasion concept. Going on a tangent here, but I think most of us today take movies like Alien for granted; the image of the chestburster exploding out of a human chest cavity is a familiar one to us now that it's been propagated in pop culture, but can you imagine actually sitting in that theater seat watching that scene play out for the very first time on the big screen back in 1979? It was before my time, but I can't help but think it must have been one crazy, horrifyingly mind-blowing experience, simply because no one then could have expected it.
You could say I'm trying to I'm chase that feeling, I guess. I live for those moments when I'm surprised by my science fiction, those OMG-I-can't-believe-that-just-friggin'-happened moments. Anyway, I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it didn't quite get me there. Even so, it was great read. Never mind that some of the waves were based on familiar ideas, and there were themes reminiscent of stories like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or The Thing (TRUST NO ONE!), the horror of their relentless assaults was very well done, making the characters' fears seem very real.
In fact, I only have a very few minor gripes, and they mostly stem from the things the author threw in to make this book feel more mainstream YA, almost like he was deliberately trying for a Hunger Games vibe. There's that aspect of the young girl struggling in a survivalist situation, complete with a sappy romance with a cute boy with a lop-sided grin. Arrgh, seriously, why do they always always ALWAYS have to have the lop-sided grin?! Spare me!
I know it's a stereotype, and as usual there are going to be exceptions, but some male authors just can't seem to pull off writing convincingly and realistically from the point-of-view of a teenage girl. Some of Cassie's thoughts about crushes and boys are either giggle-worthy or cringe-inducing, and I get the feeling Rick Yancey simply used general ideas found in mainstream movies and books when it came to writing Cassie. She definitely didn't come across as naturally compared to his characterization of Will Henry in The Monstrumologist.
I only mention this because YA romances that feel corny or awkward have a tendency to drive me absolutely bonkers, but thankfully it was only mildly distracting here. Ultimately, there really wasn't much in this book that took away from my overall enjoyment. Despite incorporating a lot of elements I feel like I've seen before, I really have no complaints in terms of the story. It was entertaining, full of action and suspense and all I could ask for.
Final verdict:
4 of 5 stars
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