You made it to Apocalypse! Day 8! The Final Countdown! On the last day, either you have figured out a way to survive or perished. Life will never be the same after this apocalyptic event. The question is do you fight to make sure humanity survives? Will you help to bring about a better society? I hope the answer is yes!
Before I continue rambling about the Apocalypse! I want to make sure you get to these stops:
Christy@ Love of Books: Christy's Apocalyptic PicksMaja@ The Nocturnal Library: Alden Bell :The Reapers Are the Angels
Today I am featuring The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey. I couldn't get Rick to guest post, he is super busy touring and all that, but I had to read this book and get it on the blog since I have heard so many great things about it. So today I am going to do a short post on the Apocalypse and share my review and offer a giveaway. So stick with me!
It's The End of the World....
by Heidi
Why as humans are we so preoccupied with the end of the world? Since the dawn of time, there have been stories about the death of man and the ultimate end of the world. Are we fascinated because we want to be prepared? Is it because we have a morbid curiousity with our own mortality? Are we preoccupied with impending doom? Whatever the reason, our desire for apocalyptic tales is stronger than ever. I admit I enjoy thrilling dystopians and disaster movies. It is exciting and terrifying watching those horrible pictures of our planet being demolished. Yet, I am always thankful that I can return to the safety of my own life after a trip to the end of the world. Having read and watched plenty of disaster movies, I am going to share a list of my top ways the world will end starting from the least probable to most likely....
1. Zombie Attack: Zombies are big in books and movies. Why do we love zombies so much? Because they are gross and eat brains? Who knows, but whatever the reason they are creepy, scary and always get your adrenaline going. However, a zombie attack is probably not the most likely way the world will end since they are plenty of people who are ready and willing to fight a few zombies. I like my brains and I prefer to remain undead, thanks!
2. Alien Invasion: Another mainstay in fiction. As humans we like to think that we aren't alone in this giant universe, and it is likely that we aren't. When the day comes to meet our intergalactic neighbors, I certainly hope it is a friendly meeting vs. a hostile planet take over. The Fifth Wave is a terrifying vision of what could happen if the aliens decided to attack Earth. While I think there are definitely alien lifeforms out there, my hope is that they won't decide to end our world.
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3. Plague: A worldwide pandemic is a very likely way to deplete the human race in a hurry. We have many cases of rampant pandemics throughout history that killed off millions of people such as the Black Death which wiped out countless people during the thirteenth thru the fifteenth centuries. With the ease of travel, a virus can be transported all over the world in a few days. It is just a matter of time before another major illness outbreak occurs. Remember just a couple of years ago when we are all frightened of swine flu?
4. Volcanic Eruption: I grew up near the great Yellowstone Caldera. Yellowstone was formed by a giant volcanic explosion millions of years ago. If you have ever visited Yellowstone National Park you have seen the power of nature. There are volcanoes all over the world, many are supposedly extinct, but it just takes one to explode and humanity could be in big trouble! Mt. St. Helens, which I can see from my house, erupted in 1980 with an explosive and powerful force that changed the mountain forever. If you want to read a book that chronicles this possibility check out Ashfall by Mike Mullin.
(Mt. St. Helen's Eruption May 18th 1980)
5. Earthquake: Anyone who lives near a fault line and experiences earthquakes on a regular basis can tell you how frightening it is when the world starts to rumble and shake. Time and time again, we have witnessed the cataclysmic fall out of a major earthquake. Check out the picture of San Francisco after the big one in 1906. The clock is ticking until the next one hits!
6. Asteroid: Obviously something big and powerful wiped out the dinosaurs. There is evidence all over the world that asteroids have hit this planet thousands of times. One large rock could devastate Earth and wipe out millions of species. I personally think if the world has to end, a giant asteroid that wipes it out wouldn't be too bad. One big instantaneous explosion and it's lights out for Earth!
7. Human Stupidity....I don't know a better way to put this, but one of the biggest threats to the human species is ourselves. We know we are capable of great violence and everyone harbors a dark side. How many lives have been lost to war? chemical war fare? murder? senseless killings? Due to our penchant for violence, a war is always a threat. A few nuclear weapons launched and millions of lives are wiped out. Don't forget we can also do great harm to ourselves with a cyber attack. Think what would happen if cyber attackers wiped out the world monetary system as we know it? Frightening right?
8. Environmental Disruption: One of the biggest threats to humans aside from ourselves is our disrespect for the environment. For hundreds of years man has been polluting and plundering this planet with little regard. Resources can only last so long, unless we learn to conserve and replenish. Our pollution has poisoned countless habitats and in turn eliminated hundreds of species. We are already witnessing the increase in temperature and the severity of storms that scientists believe are the result of global warming. If we don't continue to move toward being more environmentally conscientious, how long will our planet be able to sustain the human race?
(please all images in this post were either purchased or downloaded from wikimedia commons. Click on the photos for credits).
These are just a few possibilities of how the world could end. What are your thoughts on how the world will end? Over this past week during the Apocalypse! Event, I have read some interesting accounts of how the world might end from a virus, to humans being overcome by evil, to zombies, cyber hacking, and vampires. Today, the last stop of the Apocalypse! I am featuring an alien invasion with Rick Yancey's The Fifth Wave! This is a terrifying picture of what could happen if our neighbors show up and want our planet. Set aside some time and strap in for one heck of a ride!
Here is my review:
The Fifth Wave(Fifth Wave #1) by Rick Yancey
The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey. After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
Hardcover, 457 pages
Published May 7th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Source: Won
Four and a half stars: A terrifying and awesome end of the world, alien invasion book!
Cassie hunkers down in her sleeping bag, alone in the woods except for Bear. She worries that she is one of the last human survivors. She hasn't seen another human for weeks. A couple of months ago, Cassie was an average teenager focused on school, boys and typical teenage problems. Then the alien ship showed up in the sky, and life as she knew it changed drastically. Within a few weeks, the aliens launched four attacks on the human race starting with power outage, then a tsunami, followed by a deadly plague and then human invasion. Cassie can trust no one but she is determined to find her brother. Can Cassie survive the Fifth Wave?
What I Liked:
- Another Wow! This book drags you in from the first pages with its gripping and entertaining story line. As humans we have always been fascinated by the idea of aliens. This book brings to life a horrific account of what could happen if the aliens were hostile. This is a scary good read with all that you love in a good dystopian. It has courageous, survivalist characters, gripping storyline, apocalyptic disasters, and aliens! If you are looking for the dystopian read of 2013, I think The Fifth Wave will be among the finalists for the year's best dystopian! Don't miss it!
- The characters are terrific! This book utilizes four different points of view. Before you get all uptight about the number of voices, I will tell you that this is done extremely well. Unlike many books that use different narrators, this one divides up the book in sections. Each new section signals a voice change. That way there is no confusion when it comes to the shifts. I liked that it was divided up and that it was easy to follow. Of course, as I usually do, I found that I identified with one character, Cassie, more than the others and I was always eager to get back to her view point. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy Zombie or Sammy's story lines. I thought they were exciting and scary as well. Evan was the only one I struggled with because I felt like I didn't quite get to know him. I absolutely fell in love with Cassie. She is a survivor, incredibly brave and I admired her tenacity and courage. She will certainly stick with me and end up on my list of admirable heroines.
- The whole invasion is creepy and terrifying. I was thrilled and frightened at the prospect of an alien species showing up one day unannounced with a hostile take over plan for Earth. There is plenty for all you apocalyptic junkies out there. Lots of death and end of the world scenarios.
- I liked that this did not end on a cliffhanger. It comes to a decent resolution and ends at a good point. Of course, there are some left over questions especially when it comes to the aliens, but it ended on a good note and I won't lose sleep over the ending.
- Talk about twists and turns! This book constantly keeps you guessing and you must remember that you can trust no one or can you? Time and time again, I was second guessing motives. I was caught off guard so many times and was blown away by some shocking developments. If you like twisty reads, you will eat this one up! I was amazed! Loved the surprises!
And the Not So Much:
- My biggest complaint is I never had a clear understanding of the aliens. I didn't even get to know what they really looked like. They constantly kept me guessing, at times they seemed not so bad, and then there were other points where they were just evil. I wanted to understand them better and know their motives, aside from taking over the planet. What did they want with the kids? How exactly did they infiltrate the embryos while in utero, something to do with owls? I was confused over that point. I am expecting to learn more next time around, but I so wanted to know at least what they looked like!
- I thought the first part of the book was riveting as it recounted all the death and destruction that occurred during the invasion. I was disappointed that the second wave was just a mere mention. I would love to have had a detailed blow by blow account of the tsunamis! (Yeah, I am morbidly fascinated with disaster scenarios).
- After the excitement of the attack, the book takes a turn and we spend some time in Fort Haven. At this point, I felt the book lost a bit of momentum while we went through training with Zombie and Nugget and Cassie was convalescing. This portion of the book dragged just a bit, but thankfully the book hits the twists and it gets exciting.
- The ending while thrilling and climatic, is a bit improbable. I just thought it stretched being believable. At least it doesn't end on a cliffhanger.
- I was a tiny bit disappointed that a romance doesn't development. The pieces are in place, and I was fully expecting for something to ignite, but it doesn't happen. Oh well. I have hopes for the next book.
- Evan... I did not understand his character.... so confusing. I only hope there will be some explanation next time around. Right now I am feeling conflicted.
The Fifth Wave is everything you want in a thrilling, alien invasion, dystopian read. It has plenty of destruction and death, terrific characters overcoming insurmountable odds, mind boggling twists and turns, and an explosive finish. I am certain this book will end up on many best of 2013 lists, and it deserves the credit. This is definitely a must read for 2013!
Favorite Quotations:
"Sometimes in my tent, late at night, I think I can hear the stars scraping against the sky. That's how quiet it is."
"Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for."
"Crazy people---they never think they're crazy. Their craziness makes perfect sense to them."
"In the 4th Wave, you can't trust that people are still people. But you can trust that your gun is still your gun."
"How do you rid the Earth of humans? Rid the humans of their humanity."
"Even the most sensitive person can get used to even the most insensitive thing."
"Cruelty isn't a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit."
"The minute we decide that one person doesn't matter anymore, they've won."
"It's almost dawn. You can feel it coming. The world holds its breath, because there's really no guarantee that the sun will rise. That there was a yesterday doesn't mean there will be a tomorrow."
I won a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Before I get to the final giveaway, I want to thank all of you for participating in this week
long Apocalyptic Event. A huge thanks to my two lovely co hostess: Christy and Maja! I couldn't have done it without you two. Thank you, thank you, for going along with my crazy idea and helping me make it happen! Thanks to all of you who stopped by and followed all the posts and to all of you who put up your own Apocalyptic Posts! I hope you all had as much fun as we did. Finally, a huge thanks to all the authors who took the time to post on our blogs and provided giveaways for all of you. We all three worked with some fantastic authors! If you enjoyed The Apocalypse! let us know and we will plan on bringing it back. In the meantime, I will be posting about the next big event: Something Wicked Returns soon! Wicked is a month long event in October. I hosted it last year and had a terrific turn out! Expect it to be bigger and better this year. I will have details in the next week!
Whew! Finally.....The Giveaway! I am am ending this with a bang. I am going to offer a copy of The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey to one lucky winner. This is open Internationally as long as The Book Depository or Amazon ships to you. To enter fill out the Rafflecopter after reading the Contest Policies. Be sure to catch up on all the great giveaways this week by clicking the button below.
That's it... Apocalypse! 2013 is a wrap! Thanks again for everything! See you back next week for some light and fluffy reads, I need a reprieve from all the darkness.......
Last day to link up:
