''The Wayward Pines Trilogy'' (2012–2014) is a

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel series by American author

Blake Crouch William Blake Crouch (born October 15, 1978) is an American author best known for his '' Wayward Pines Trilogy'', which was adapted into the 2015 television series ''Wayward Pines''. Early life and education Crouch was born near the town of St ...

. It follows

U.S. Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

agent Ethan Burke as he unravels the mystery surrounding his unanticipated arrival in the small town of Wayward Pines,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, following a devastating car accident. The novels are ''Pines'' (2012), ''Wayward'' (2013), and ''The Last Town'' (2014). In 2015, the novels were adapted into the television series ''

Wayward Pines ''Wayward Pines'' is an American mystery science fiction television series based on the ''Wayward Pines'' novels by Blake Crouch. Developed for television by Chad Hodge, the pilot was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, with both as executive prod ...

''.

Overview

The plot surrounds Secret Service agent Ethan Burke's introduction to the remote small town of Wayward Pines, his new home from which he cannot escape. The residents of this picturesque town don't know how they got there and are forbidden to talk about their prior lives. An electric fence surrounds the town, and the residents are under 24-hour surveillance. The mysteries and horrors of the town build until Ethan discovers its secret. Then he must do his part to keep Wayward Pines protected from threats both within and beyond the fence. The series covers themes of isolation, bucolic Americana, time-displacement, man vs nature, human evolution, and cryonics. Crouch has acknowledged that he was inspired by the 1990–91 TV series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

''.

Books

Reception

Ryan Daley of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...

named ''Pines'' one of his Top 10 Novels of 2012. He later called ''Wayward'' "riveting" and even better than ''Pines''.

Adaptation

The novels are the basis for the television series ''

'', produced by

M. Night Shyamalan Manoj Nelliyattu M. Night Shyamalan ( ; born August 6, 1970) is an Indian-American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, India, and raise ...

. After reading the source material, he said of the project, "As long as everybody isn't dead, I'm in", his "only rule" to secure his participation. The "big reveal" at the end of ''Pines'' is reached halfway through the series in the fifth episode, and the remaining five episodes cover the events of ''Wayward'' and ''The Last Town''. Shyamalan noted that the TV series varies from the books in some ways, but as Crouch was still writing the novels while the show was in development, there were "all kinds of cross pollinating" between the two. In December 2015,

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

renewed the series for a second season.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wayward Pines Trilogy Mystery novels by series American novels adapted into television shows Science fiction book series Science fiction novel trilogies Thriller novel series