Wayward by Blake Crouch, a Mysterious Review.

Review: A man on a mission in an idyllic town built on lies, where beyond the fences an unfathomable fright awaits. Such is the life of Ethan Burke in Blake Crouch's Wayward, the second installment in the Wayward Pines Saga. Ethan, an F.B.I. agent in the "real" world is the sheriff in this new world — the world of Wayward Pines. Residents of Wayward Pines live a perfect life. It is well constructed so that residents need nothing and ask for nothing. Everything is as is should be, unless you want to seek what is behind the electric fences. Where Pines ends with questions, Wayward begins with answers. Ethan uncovers more information about the development of Wayward Pines and is forced to work for those who have positioned cameras throughout the town and inside homes to monitor in order to "protect" the town from those that question. Sometimes is best just to accept the world as is appears. For the most part, Ethan's job is quiet — that is until a young woman turns up mutilated on the outskirts of town. Now posed with a more urgent assignment to prevent rebellion, Ethan instead begins to uncover the secrets that continue to plague the inhabitants of Wayward Pines, putting not only himself in danger, but also every last citizen of this seemingly peaceful community.

Unlike many novels where the sequel fails to live up to the standards of the first in the series, Wayward does not disappoint. The depiction of Wayward Pines is not only inventive, but it is also terrifying. It isn't hard to imagine a similar horror facing the future of the world. What if Wayward Pines is the only option? What if death awaits those that question? Who would really be able to live in this world of secrets? Questions plague readers as they travel with Ethan throughout his quest to free the residents from the ties that bind them to Wayward Pines. Ethan's character embodies anyone who has ever sought explanation beyond the obvious. He is a strong protagonist fighting a frightfully convincing antagonist who at one time in his life had a dream to save humanity, but whose dream became an obsession leading to the world Ethan knows today. A new subplot is added in Wayward, which centers on a man exploring outside the walls of Wayward Pines. The chapters in which readers deviate from the primary plot are seemingly random at first. But as suspense builds in both the primary and subplot, Wayward comes to a close just in time for readers to turn the last page to find themselves held in suspense with no clear ending. As frustrating as this is, readers know that more terror lies ahead as they await the next book in the series. Overall, Crouch brings a horrifying nightmare to life that will creep into nighttime slumber well after the last page of Wayward.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Margo Nauert for contributing her review of Wayward.

Review Copyright © 2013 — Margo Nauert — All Rights Reserved
Reprinted with Permission

Pines
Thomas & Mercer (Trade Paperback), August 2012
ISBN-13: 9781612183954; ISBN-10: 1612183956

The Last Town
Thomas & Mercer (Trade Paperback), July 2014
ISBN-13: 9781477822586; ISBN-10: 1477822585

Wayward

The Wayward Pines Series by Blake Crouch