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Wanderers

A Novel

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Wanderers

Written by: Chuck Wendig
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Xe Sands
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About this listen

A decadent rock star. A deeply religious radio host. A disgraced scientist. And a teenage girl who may be the world’s last hope. From the mind of Chuck Wendig comes "a magnum opus...a story about survival that’s not just about you and me, but all of us, together" (Kirkus Reviews starred review).

Nominated for the Bram Stoker Award

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by:

  • The Washington Post
  • NPR
  • The Dallas Morning News
  • Kirkus Reviews
  • Publishers Weekly
  • Library Journal
  • Polygon

Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon, they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other "shepherds" who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.

For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them - and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them - the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart - or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.

In development for TV by Glen Mazzara, executive producer of The Walking Dead

Look for the sequel in 2022

Praise for Wanderers

"This career-defining epic deserves its inevitable comparisons to Stephen King’s The Stand." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

"A suspenseful, twisty, satisfying, surprising, thought-provoking epic." (Harlan Coben, number one New York Times best-selling author of Run Away)

"A true tour de force." (Erin Morgenstern, New York Times best-selling author of The Night Circus)

"A masterpiece with prose as sharp and heartbreaking as Station Eleven." (Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M)

"A magnum opus.... It reminded me of Stephen King’s The Stand - but dare I say, this story is even better." (James Rollins, number one New York Times best-selling author of Crucible)

"An inventive, fierce, uncompromising, stay-up-way-past-bedtime masterwork." (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World)

"An American epic for these times." (Charles Soule, author of The Oracle Year)

©2019 Chuck Wendig (P)2019 Random House Audio
Literature & Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary Apocalyptic Fiction
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What the critics say

"Wanderers is amazing - huge, current, both broad and intensely personal, blending the contemplative apocalypse of Station Eleven with the compulsive readability of the best thrillers." (Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaigns series)

"Chuck Wendig’s latest, Wanderers, is a magnum opus of both storytelling and prose, epic in scope, yet told with an intimacy that hooked me from the first page. It reminded me of a technological version of Stephen King’s The Stand - but dare I say, this is even better: a postapocalyptic horror story that bares the best and worst of humanity in all its rawest forms. Don’t miss this tour de force. It left me awed." (James Rollins, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Crucible)

"With Wanderers, Chuck Wendig levels up - and when you consider the high level he was already writing at, that's saying something." (John Scalzi, New York Times best-selling author of The Consuming Fire)

What listeners say about Wanderers

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing, Exciting, Heartbreaking, Concurrently

This is my first Wendig novel, and all I can say is, "Holy crap!". What a ride. The novel is very long, but so well-written that it somehow never feels at all like a slog. Never feels like exposition for the sake thereof. Never feels like it is lecturing, leading or lying to the reader. And it left me breathless. Like I wanted to laugh and cry and scream all at the same time.

Wonderful narration team truly made the characters come alive, can't praise them enough.

Is the story a warning? An allegory for our seemingly horrible current world situation? Or simply a great yarn with fully fleshed-out characters that truly feel like human beings that one can relate to? I can't say for sure what was in Chuck's head, but what I CAN say is that this was one of the best stories I have ever experienced. And it IS an experience. 5 Stars aren't enough.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Intense

Excellent narration. Gripping story, if a little too close to home. It was the shortest long “read” yet. Couldn’t put it down. Sad it’s over.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Read .. Listen.

This was a terrific book. My first compliment is that I had to look at the authour's name because this sounded and started out like Stephen King.

The storyline is consistent and the characters engaging. There was enough back-story to not make me wonder. There was enough science (and written well too .. like .. hey .. is that true) to make it believable. My dis-belief was suspended. The story had a beginning .. bunch of middles and a firm ending. Sure I can see a sequel but if it never happens I am content with the summary and ending as a single book.

The narrators were fine and easy on the ears. In some books you get pops, squeaks and audio level changes and there was none of that nonsense here either.

Overall it was well worth my monthly credit for length, story line and narrators. If there was a clap-emoji I would put it here.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

We have seen this story before...

Start by saying that as a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction I mostly enjoyed this novel. Good character development and pacing. However the technical detail weighs it down considerably at the beginning and it takes too long to get going. Also, low score for inventiveness and I found it too weighed down by the political debates of the present moment. So a good novel but not great or overly memorable.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Long and winding

First, do NOT pick this up if going through a tough time or depression.

I felt it was way too long for what it was. Trying to show a lot of the characters but the author already did a good job at showing who they are in a short amount of time.

If AI, dark/gritty, end of the world stuff is your jam, you'll probably enjoy this.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An Olympic event…

I started this novel when I was 24. I’m 90 now. What else can I say?

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting story, but too long

I would have enjoyed this book far more had it been half the length. All the side stories and character development felt tedious and long winded. I actually skipped ahead a few times and didn't miss anything.
The narrators are slow talkers, I had to listen at 1.3x speed. And Xe Sands' performance grated me with her rendition of the main charaters with a whinny voice and trailing end to her sentences.
Overall, the story is interesting, I just wish there'd been less of it. I will not be listening to Book2

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truly great!!!

I’m getting near to the end and I couldn’t even wait to review it. The whole thing, from writing to the voice performances and did I mention the writing, are so fantastic. Ymmv, but for me this production was just truly great.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jesus CHRIST, Chuck.

I not only loved this story, I and am terrified of the real world parallels. Loved it, though.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good Story Line But Much Longer Then Necessary

I liked the concept of this book but it took me 3 different attempts to finish it because it is painfully long. Not a lot happens in between the main events but there are chapters upon chapters of unnecessary detail making it hard to stay focused on the actual storyline.

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