Book Review: THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey

This brutal alien invasion novel shows Earth in true apocalyptic hysteria. Foreign species are invading the planet. But not without destroying and annihilating the entire human race first. Filled with countless psychological plot twists and a clever interpretation of human extinction, Rick Yancey excels in 'The 5th Wave'. 

The novel initially follows heroine Cassie Sullivan, a sixteen-year-old survivor of the apocalypse, whilst she recalls the destruction that followed the first four waves: a worldwide powercut; devastating tidal waves, a deathly plague which causes bleeding from every orfice; and disguised killers that look just like humans which destroys the very concept of trust. These methods have killed all but several hundred thousand humans. The population is rapidly decreasing and it is becoming more and more likely that Cassie will be the last of humanity. The reader follows her journey alongside a parallel narrator as they try to make sense of how, why and what is exactly going on. However, the 5th wave is approaching and they are running out of time.

"Cruelty isn't a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit."

I have to congratulate Yancey here for orchestrating a well-paced and engaging action novel which kept me constantly guessing by maintaining high levels of paranoia. The most effective result of this technique was the inability to deduct who the real enemy was. With the characters, you are never certain who to trust and who is telling the truth. The uncertainty that underlies every page is therefore a captivating way of keeping the story fresh and interesting the whole way through. I found 'The 5th Wave' had a similar reading experience to Divergent where the gripping plot-driven narrative encouraged me to pick this book up at any given opportunity just so I could find out what was happening next.

(This review will contain spoilers from this point onward.)

The narrative style was also very effective and the choice of narrators were also very well considered. I have to admit that after reading the first chapter through Cassie's perspective, I did get a little irritated with her voice and wondered whether I could have read a whole book in that way. However, as soon as the perspective swapped to Ben Parish, I was immediately engaged. Getting a drastically opposing focalisation  to Cassie added insight as well as heightened the aforementioned uncertainty. Once the reader begins to familiarise themselves with Ben and view the events through his indoctrinated point of view, the aliens' manipulation feels that much more realistic. 

The dichotomy between Cassie and Ben was also so clever. At the beginning of the novel when Cassie spends many pages describing her obsession with her high-school crush, I sighed and wondered why there was such an emphasis on this frivolous and admittingly irritating detail. I was so relieved to discover his greater involvement in the novel. There is such a great presence of dramatic irony where Ben's bland and cliché high school jock archetype is both fuelled and subverted by his development into a soldier. He becomes a similarly faceless person in a completely different way - and yet through his narration - the reader gets to learn so much more about his background, adding layers and texture to his characterisation. It was so entertaining to read the climax where Ben's and Cassie's story lines collide and the two meet in this unbelievable, almost hyperbolic situation where the coincidence of them meeting again makes the ending so much more enjoyable to read. It also effectively emphasises the personal journeys the two have gone on:  from one high school student sought after another, to two emotionally broken survivors who have been to hell and back. The fact that Sammy is there as a conduit to link the two together even further is brilliant and their maternal/paternal instincts demonstrate how quickly they've had to grow up. 

In my opinion, I found Ben's character arc and journey more interesting to read and I think it was also written better. The tone was more psychologically thrilling to read I really liked the dynamic between all the other child-soldiers within his army squad. I found it important that Yancey wasn't afraid to use very young children and I subsequently found Teacup to be a very interesting character. Additionally, I think the romance between Ben and Ringer was done well as it never felt artificial or forced and didn't interrupt the high pressured plot. 

On the other hand, I didn't really warm to the relationship between Cassie and Evan. I found the first scene of their initial interaction unbelievable as there was that element of insta-love. I'm not sure whether it was just Evan who I never really connected with, or whether it was Cassie's presentation of Evan that didn't sit well. However, as the novel progressed, it got easier to accept the credibility of their relationship, especially when considering Evan's literal and mental division which would lead to foreign feelings and confusion.

I'm intrigued to read the sequel: The Infinite Sea and I cannot fathom what kind of mind-blowing events Yancey will bring to the story next. So watch this space.