Summary: The enemy is Other. The enemy is us. They're down here, they're up there, they're nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us.
But beneath these riddles lies one truth: Cassie has been betrayed. So has Ringer. Zombie. Nugget. And all 7.5 billion people who used to live on our planet. Betrayed first by the Others, and now by ourselves. In these last days, Earth's remaining survivors will need to decide what's more important: saving themselves...or saving what makes us human.
Date Published: May 24, 2016
Published By: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: 338
Rating: 5/5
I'm not sure what I would have done if the conclusion to Rick Yancey's 5TH Wave trilogy was disappointing. The first two books were just so spectacularly mind-blowing that I kind of really needed the final book to be nothing short of transcendent.
(SPOILER ALERT! It was.)
Something I've loved throughout this series is that each main character has their own agenda and this really comes into play in the final book. It's not as simplistic as 'good guys' versus 'bad guys'. Or rather 'humans' versus 'aliens.' It's a lot more nuanced than that - characters who think they are on the same side have competing interests or goals which makes for some great conflict.
Along with delivering an epic, action-packed sci-fi series, Yancey provides some astonishing insight into the human condition. There were some lines that gave me goosebumps, they were so accurate and profound. This isn't a book that you forget about the moment you finish reading it - this is a story that will stay with you. Which is a good thing because it's a story that touches on so many important topics - humanity, love, faith, hope, violence, war, religion, education, and environmentalism. (Just to name a few.) This isn't your average alien invasion yarn.
And, oh my God, the writing is so gorgeous that I want to have the entire text of all three books tattooed on my body. Rick Yancey is a master of evoking an emotion in the reader with just a few well-chosen phrases.
I'm sure there are some who would disagree with me but, in my opinion, Yancey made a bold choice in how he ended the series and it paid off. It's an ending that won't please everyone, particularly those inclined towards happy endings that tie everything up in a perfect little bow and make you feel all warm and squishy inside. But I've always argued that a fitting ending is better than a happy one, and I think the ending fit perfectly.
