Wayward is the second installment in Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines series. I read the first book in the series, Pines and it absolutely sucked me into this secret world designed to save humanity itself. In Wayward readers have already found out that Secret Service agent Ethan Burke is two thousand years into the future and has been promoted to Sheriff of Wayward Pines, Idaho. Outside of Wayward Pines, there are no other humans that are known about. Ethan knows the creator of Wayward Pines, scientist David Pilcher, has many secrets, and his bold, yet likable personality, will get him the facts. Meanwhile, he is also reunited with his wife Theresa, and son Ben.
The series reads much like the old Twin Peaks series where everything seems normal until you look a bit closer. Why does no one talk about their past? Why are there cameras and microphones everywhere? And furthermore, why is there a big electric fence surrounding the city? Is it to keep people in or to keep something else out?
With just the right amount of sci-fi to keep things interesting and just the right amount of normalcy to keep them realistic, Wayward is a well-balanced masterpiece that will have readers wanting more.