The Infinite Sea

The 5th Wave Trilogy is a series of novels written by Rick Yancey. The first novel, The 5th Wave, was published in 2013, followed by The Infinite Sea in 2013 and The Last Star in 2016. These young adult romance novels are set in a dystopian future where Earth has been invaded by an alien species and most of humanity has been killed. The 5th Wave was made into a 2016 movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Nick Robinson and directed by J Blakeson. However, because of the film’s poor critical reception and box office performance, there are no plans for turning the second two novels into films.

Before the first novel begins, a species of aliens known as the Others has invaded planet Earth and systematically killed most of humanity. The title comes from the “waves” of destruction that the Others use decimate the human population. The invasion begins with the first wave, an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out electronics and kills half a million people. Then, the Others drop a massive rod into the ocean, setting off a tsunami that kills 40% of the world’s population and drives everyone off the coasts. The next wave is an Ebola-like disease that kills 97% of those left. The Others then release Silencers—trained assassins in human bodies. The first novel begins in the middle of the titular 5th wave, in which child soldiers trained by Others set out to kill any remaining humans.

The primary protagonist throughout the series is Cassiopeia “Cassie” Sullivan. She is a 16-year-old girl who survives the plague with her younger brother, Sam, and her father after her mother dies. In the first novel, they make it to Camp Ashpit, where they join other survivors. When a school bus comes and takes away all the young children, Cassie is left behind with her father. Commander Vosch, the novel’s primary antagonist, destroys the camp and kills the survivors still there. Cassie manages to survive when her father distracts the soldiers long enough for her to escape. On her own and desperate to find where Sammy has gone, Cassie is shot by a Silencer. She is then taken to a home nearby by Evan Walker, where she heals and falls in love with Evan. However, she then learns that he is the Silencer who shot her. As Cassie struggles with her feelings for Evan and whether to trust him, Evan grapples with the conflict between his human feelings and his Other identity. The two work together to infiltrate Camp Haven, the Air Force base where children are being trained as soldiers.

At the same time, the novel follows Sam and Ben Parish, a boy from Cassie’s high school. They are trained as soldiers by Vosch, who convinces the children that they are seeking out and killing Others. In reality, they are tracking and killing groups of human survivors. Working with fellow soldiers Ringer, Poundcake, Teacup, and Dumbo, Sam and Ben eventually discover the truth of what is happening at the base. At the same time, Cassie and Evan infiltrate the base. After their reunion, Evan stays behind to destroy the base with promises to meet Cassie and the others in a nearby hotel. When The Infinite Sea begins, Cassie, Ben, Sam, Ringer, and the others are waiting for him.

The Infinite Sea continues many of the themes and ideas that are introduced in the first novel. From the very start of the novel, the group struggles with The Futility of Action, a primary theme in The 5th Wave, as they argue whether to stay in the hotel or seek out a new location, unsure whether it even matters what choice they make with the Others looming over them. At the core of each of the characters is the idea of hope in seemingly hopeless situations. Cassie clings onto the hope that Evan truly loves her and that he can overcome his “Other” identity, while Ringer grapples throughout the novel with whether there is any hope left for humanity to fight back. Ultimately, the underlying question throughout both novels is why the Others have chosen to destroy humanity in waves, a question that persists even after Ringer uncovers the truth about the Silencers.