Aliens. Immediately people have certain ideas in their heads about what that means and how we’d react as a race if we were to see aliens come to earth. Yancey plays with that idea a little.
In this novel, aliens have been amongst us for thousands of years, watching us and learning about our race. They have developed a way of implanting their consciousness inside a human embryo. It then exists alongside the human when it is born, slowly assimilating. This idea is downright creepy, and I think the concept behind the waves of attack when they finally come is carefully set-up.
The aliens have a plan to eradicate the human race. The initial four waves of attack have culled the weakest, and so starts the fifth wave. Cue a brash action-packed novel.
From the outset I can see the movie appeal of this novel, and I found this an entertaining read for the most part. I loved the relationship that develops between Cassie and Evan, and think Cassie is a great main character. I’m not sure quite how credible some of the behaviours are from the younger characters in the novel, but my son – very much the target audience for this novel – justified this by saying that humans would have to adapt, and we never know what we’re capable of until we’re forced into that situation.
I felt that the way the narrative was told from different viewpoints was a good way to maintain an air of tension. As we slowly piece elements of the story together it becomes pretty nail-biting. Unfortunately it all felt a little predictable at times, but there’s no doubt about the fact that if you like this sort of thing you will enjoy it.