The 5th Wave
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The 5th Wave
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Aliens have hit Earth in four waves of attack, taking out tech, oceans, plague, and trust between humans. Sixteen-year-old Cassie Sullivan walks Ohio looking for her little brother as the fifth wave begins.
Rick Yancey's 5th Wave trilogy has three books: The 5th Wave, The Infinite Sea, and The Last Star. The trilogy is complete.
Yes. A 2016 film adaptation starring Chloe Grace Moretz was released. The film underperformed and the planned sequels were not produced.
The 5th Wave was written by Richard Yancey, published in 2013 by n/a.
The 5th Wave is 496 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The 5th Wave takes most readers 7 to 11 hours to finish.
The 5th Wave is a standalone novel by Richard Yancey, not part of a series.
The 5th Wave is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.