Bestselling novelist Blake Crouch has been a hot topic in the science fiction community after his book “Dark Matter” was adapted into a popular Apple TV+ series. Since the release of the show, I have not only read “Dark Matter,” but also fallen down a rabbit hole of Crouch’s previously published books. This recently included his “Wayward Pines” trilogy.
For me, the “Wayward Pines” trilogy was extremely deceiving. I am not sure why, but I was under the impression that it diverged from Crouch’s usual science fiction realm and took on a detective mystery-thriller aspect instead. This was absolutely not the case, which led me to enjoy the books all the more.
The series opens with Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke waking up in the small town of Wayward Pines with no phone, no wallet and his partner on the assignment dead. He can’t reach his wife and son in Seattle, and also can’t get a hold of his boss, the one who sent him on this assignment. The longer he stays in the town and begs for answers from its residents, the more Burke starts to realize that this town has much deeper secrets than he could have guessed, including no way out.
The series consists of three books: "Pines," "Wayward" and "The Last Town."
Going into the series, I was highly skeptical about whether it deserved three books. Now, I can confidently tell you that it deserved at least four more. This series battled so many themes and raised so many questions, including: What is survival? Is simply staying alive enough? Is ignorance bliss? Who gets to make decisions for the greater good? Is the end of the human species something that can be avoided? Is it something that should be avoided?
This series mainly followed Burke, but it also included multiple POVs that allowed for shocking plot twists and for the reader to learn things before Burke did. The differing POVs and the vast amount of character viewpoints we get reminded me a lot of Stephen King’s “Under the Dome."
This was one of my favorite aspects of the series, as tensions always felt so high. When one POV ended, you were left wondering where that one was going, but also ready to figure out where the other POV was going to take you. It also gave me a feeling like I was watching these people’s lives and switching between screens, like Ted (you’ll just have to read it to get the reference!).
This series would appeal to those who like complex emotional books that deal with survival situations greater than one can really imagine. Those who appreciate climate fiction, political themes and a good love triangle should bump Crouch’s world of Wayward Pines much higher on their to-be-read list.
