Wanderers (Wendig Novel)

''Wanderers'' is a 2019 novel by American author Chuck Wendig. The novel focuses on a group of people whose lives are impacted after multiple individuals begin making a zombie-esque trek across the United States. A sequel, ''Wayward'', was published in 2022.

Synopsis

One early morning a fifteen year old girl named Nessie left the dilapidated old farmhouse she calls home and began to walk towards an unknown destination. Attempts by her older sister Shana to wake the girl are unsuccessful and trying to stop her only places Nessie in distress. The girl is soon joined in her walk by many others, all of whom are also unresponsive to any external stimuli other than attempts to stop them. It's soon discovered that if they are stopped for too long, the walkers will explode, with their captor typically dying due to flying bone shards. Shana decides to follow her sister to wherever she is heading and is soon joined by her father and many others, also following their loved ones. The CDC takes an interest in the walkers, particularly as the phenomenon has made its way into the news, but their investigation is hampered by the walkers' skin, which has inexplicably become impenetrable. Among the CDC workers is Benji, a scientist who became disgraced after he falsified data in order to prevent a possible future pandemic. Although he initially did not intend to join the team, Benji finds himself involved after a supercomputer called Black Rock, a new tool used by the CDC to predict and prevent disease outbreaks, states that he is necessary to solve the mystery of the walkers. Also following the walkers' progress are those who believe that they are a harbinger of dark forces and must be stopped. One of them is Matthew, a small town preacher who, under the influence of the sinister Ozark, finds himself the center of attention after he calls the walkers the "devil's pilgrims".

As the walkers continue on their way they are joined by a former cop whose brain damage seems to be miraculously reversed while she is near the walkers and Pete, a washed up rockstar who uses the walkers to avoid his life responsibilities.

Release

''Wanderers'' was first published in hardback and e-book format in the United States on July 2, 2019, through Del Rey. An audiobook adaptation, narrated by Dominic Hoffman and Xe Sands, was published simultaneously through Random House Audio.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Wanderers'' has been positive. Tor.com and Locus both praised the work, noting that the characters were nuanced and that the pacing was well done.

Adaptation

Television rights to the novel were purchased by QC Entertainment in 2019, who will develop the series alongside Lionsgate. Glen Mazzara, Ilene Staple, Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield, and Edward H. Hamm, Jr. have been named as executive producers.

Sequels

In November 2022 Wendig released ''Wayward'', a sequel to ''Wanderers''. The book is set five years after the prior book's events. The fungal infection, white mask, that decimated the human population seems to have subsided and the walkers and shepherds have also settled into their new lives in Ouray, Colorado - the destination towards which the walkers had been heading. They are not the only survivors, as Ed Creel and his followers have also managed to survive and are determined to take power for themselves. The book received a review from Tor.com's Alex Brown, who praised the work.

References

2019 American novels
Del Rey books
Zombie novels
2019 science fiction novels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanderers_(Wendig_novel)