Wayward, Chuck Wendig
Wayward, Chuck Wendig
List: $27.50 | Sale: $19.25
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Wayward

Author: Chuck Wendig

Narrator: Xe Sands, Dominic Hoffman

Unabridged: 34 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/15/2022


Synopsis

“If King had written a sequel to The Stand, it might look something like this monumental epic of a story.”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Kingdom of Bones

“As great as Wanderers was, Wayward is better.”—Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Road of Bones

Five years ago, ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country to a destination only they knew. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect them.

Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world—and the birth of a new one.

The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd—and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.

Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.

Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.

About Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath. He is also the author of The Kick-Ass Writer from Writer's Digest Books. His Miriam Black books are currently being adapted into a major TV series.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Debra on November 19, 2022

Finally! Whew! This was a BIG book as was its predecessor, Wanderers. This series began when people began wandering/sleepwalking across the country leaving their loved ones and the general population confused and concerned. Many loved ones (shepherds) followed them looking for answers. Ouray, Colora......more

Goodreads review by Becky on October 11, 2022

Reading for review in the October 2022 issue of LJ and on the blog: Three Words That Describe This Book: Epic in scope, socially conscious, terrifyingly realistic Why does Wendig torture us? Just like Wanderers, this book is so close to our world, while still being decidedly not exactly, that it is t......more

Goodreads review by Em on May 08, 2025

I am always so hesitant to give a book five stars, but I truly cannot imagine giving less in the case of this duology. Quite frankly these books are as close to perfect as they come, and if there's another set of books in this particular sub-genre that is closer to literary excellence than I am unaw......more

Goodreads review by Jordan (Jordy’s Book Club) on January 06, 2023

QUICK TAKE: I liked it, but not as much as WANDERERS. Creel is a fantastic mustache-twirly villain, but Black Swan is kinda a dud, and I found myself rolling my eyes during all of its scenes. The Creel stuff though is really great, and I could have spent an entire book at Atlas Haven, or whatever th......more

Goodreads review by chloe (chloeslibrary1) on October 04, 2022

This book is crazy, but in such a good, exciting way. This book was everything I wanted and more. It was so beautifully written and Chuck Wendig is simply a genius. I loved how even though there are a lot of characters in this book, they are so unique and have their own distinct personalities. I was......more


Quotes

“Chuck Wendig’s Wayward proves that there’s always more story to tell. If King had written a sequel to The Stand, it might look something like this monumental epic of a story. I don’t think I’ll get this book out of my head for a long time—maybe never.”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Kingdom of Bones

“As great as Wanderers was, Wayward is better: The best post-apocalyptic fiction combines grim extrapolation, great characters, and hope. Wendig nails it!”—Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Road of Bones

“Chuck Wendig has done it again. Salient, masterful, this is an author at the top of his game.”—Adam Christopher, New York Times bestselling author of Empire State
 
“IMAX-scale bleeding-edge techno-horror from a writer with a freshly sharpened scalpel.”—Kirkus Reviews

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

“A true tour de force.”—Erin Morgenstern

“A masterpiece with prose as sharp and heartbreaking as Station Eleven.”—Peng Shepherd

“An inventive, fierce, uncompromising, stay-up-way-past-bedtime masterwork.”—Paul Tremblay

“An American epic for these times.”—Charles Soule

“Epic, electrifying, poignant—Wanderers is a tsunami of a novel.”—Meg Gardiner

“A riveting examination of America—fiction that feels more real than reality itself.”—Scott Sigler

“Beautiful and harrowing—and timely as hell in its depiction of a very real world on the edge of the abyss.”—Richard Kadrey

“If you ever wanted to know what America’s soul might look like, here’s its biography.”—Rin Chupeco

“A brilliant Hollywood-blockbuster of a novel.”—Peter Clines