Samyann
Pines is close to nine hours of listening, and begins this series with a foundation of hide-behind-the-couch terror.
Wayward Pines, book two, is of similar length, and is a continuation of the story, with a clear ‘to be continued’ ending that will raise the hair on the back of your neck.
The third installment, in audiobook format just over six hours, and clearly not the last book in the series, is The Last Town. Be prepared for a wonderful surprise ending that will convince you that the author is not quite finished with the people of this Idaho town.
The books should be part of a Sci-Fi listing, because although thrillers, the tales involve time leaps and the macabre. Any lovers of Dean Koontz or Stephen King out there? The Wayward Pines series is in the same vein. The story begins with people innocently traveling to or through the town, for one reason or another. Initially, an FBI agent is dispatched to the town because fellow agents have disappeared. In another, a couple is on a honeymoon, another guy is simply selling encyclopedias, etc. Little do they know, that they will have an accident and simply be awakened from a long stasis. Interesting to note is exactly how the human race has become extinct is left to reader imagination, but apparently we only have a couple of thousand years left. All that is relevant to the story is that the earth has survived. A mad scientist has built Wayward Pines and engineered survival with the best of intentions; he truly believes he has created a ‘paradise’, and that he is a benevolent ‘god’. The entire human race consists of a few hundred people, most completely clueless as to how they got there, why the rest of their world is simply gone, or why they are there. In the new world, there are monsters, lots of monsters, millions, which our mad scientist didn’t count on, but has built an electrified fence around Wayward Pines for security. How he accomplished building the fence is a bit of a plot hole, considering the monsters, but hey … who cares? The circumstances are creative! Some residents believe they are actually dead, and they are in hell. The old television series, The Twilight Zone, possibly The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, or maybe The Outer Limits might come to mind. Most of the residents have blindly accepted their new lot. But, not everyone acquiesces … and therein is the story. Page turning thrills ahead!
Paul Michael Garcia does a great job, good narration throughout the entire series.
Don’t expect a Tom Clancy/Vince Flynn type thrillers or a Tami Hoag crime procedurals – Wayward Pines is thrilling Sci-Fi, through and through. But, good Sci-Fi! Enjoyed! Read in sequence, you’ll enjoy, too!
