Monday, November 19, 2018

Blake Crouch - Wayward Pines

So, how come I only just now figured out that it's also a TV series? What gives?! At least I'll have something to watch when done with Kindaichi. But this post is not about the series, it's about the book. Don't know if there are more than one, probably yes, but this post will focus on the first book. Titled Wayward Pines. If I did my translation homework correctly. Because, to be honest, I read the book in Czech. Bought it for cheap in a used books store.
And what is it about? Well, it starts with Ethan Burke [and is it just me who got a flash from Resident Evil 7 after reading that name? I made myself research RE 7 while reading this book]. Ethan goes to a tiny town called Wayward Pines where two federal agents were lost. Or, to be precise, it's the place where the agency lost contact with them. So he goes there, but on the way, he is in an accident, a truck rams into him.
When he wakes up near a river, he thinks something is off. For the town, people act weird around him and he's having a hard time learning anything about anything. He's unable to contact his boss or leave the place. Later, he joins together with a young woman. A woman, that doesn't act like the rest of the town. He also finds his old work partner, but she's older than she should be.
So Ethan tries to leave the town. And by some miracle, he succeeds. He crosses the river and then climbs over an electric fence that seems to be there more to keep something out rather than in. After he leaves the town and the immediate surrounding area, he's walking through a canyon. There, he encounters weird white-y mutated beings. And while he manages to kill the first as well as outrun the others, he's cornered and his only option is a ventilation shaft that has no place being in the side of a canyon wall.
He goes in. And there he finds the big secret. After going through some corridors and a big warehouse that has anything, from food to different models of cars, he enters a cryogenic chamber. There, he's finally told, that he was sleeping for a really long time. And that the world as he knows it, has ceased to exist. That Wayward Pines is the only oasis of humankind left on earth.
The man behind the oasis takes him out of there on a chopper to show him. To let him see it with his own eyes. And after that, he's on board with the project and replaces the old sheriff that has been thinking of somehow making profits only for himself and climbing to power.
The book reads by itself, it's written in a way that will make it hard for you to put it down. At least the Czech version. Don't know about the original version, but the Czech translation is really great. And as for the cryogenic sleep and the destruction of mankind, you will not be able to guess it till the very end. Like, you will know something's off, but won't guess the exact thing that happened, unless you're very lucky. I expected some kind of a dystopian crisis, but not cryogenic sleep. That's for sure.
The whole thing reminded me of a book I've read some years back. A sci-fi. Set supposedly in space, all the population is fooled but two or so inquisitive younger people. And it turns out they are trapped in this gigantic space ring made of several links, but, the whole thing is sitting on the surface of a planet. Wish I could remember the name of the book... I know the author starts with something close to the beginning of the alphabet... At least that's what my gut tells me... Will have to go and do a bit of googling. Wouldn't mind reading that thing again. 
Back to Wayward Pines. The book is good, I will definitely try to get my hands on the next in the series. Though I'm not getting my hopes up for the TV show. Kinda gave up [at least for now] within the first few seconds. Thing is, The acting of the MC, it seemed like when the Japanese make a supernatural elemented movie or some of the older dramas they made. But the problem is, I don't mind this style of acting when it comes to the Japanese. I kinda expect it from them. But Wayward Pines TV series is definitely not done by the Japanese. So that kind of acting has nothing to do there. Might give it another try if I find myself with nothing to watch, but for now, the show has been shelved. 

No comments:

Post a Comment