Pines

This is a review for the Pines trilogy:
#1 Pines
#2 Wayward
#3 The Last Town

I had no idea what I was getting into on starting the first book. I honestly thought it was a horror story but it soon morphed into something else entirely. It has all the right ingredients to reel you in and hold you there. Once started I could not stop and I'm glad I didn't. I consumed all three books back to back and loved every minute of them. I will not give spoilers but I would describe my journey into it like this:
I started with a detective story which turned into the X-Files which then turned into The Road which then did turn into a horror story and visited Dystopia on the way. If that sounds convoluted then let me also say that the transitions are show more seamless and so skillfully done that you hardly see the ountryside change as you look out the window.

Technically: brilliant charactersation, all the main chharacters are 3D and the peripherals 2D so you dont waste time reading unrelated story lines. Believable world building and the reality/technology transitions well managed.

If what you are currently reading is not a 5 star then dump it to read this trilogy. show less

What a very, very weird little town Wayward Pines, Idaho, is! That’s not a spoiler alert: Readers will realize by the second chapter that Wayward Pines is next-level weird and not in a cheery Mary Poppins kind of way. Weird in a Shirley Jackson or Robin Hardy way, really weird.

And what a page-turner Pines is! Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke has arrived to investigate the disappearance of two fellow Secret Service agents. Another agent was killed in a horrendous car accident. And nearly everyone seems to be hiding a lot. But that’s the least of it; author Blake Crouch takes readers on a twisty ride with one shocking surprise after another.

I’ve been hearing the buzz about the Wayward Pines trilogy for years. It lives up to the show more hype and more. Why didn’t I read this series years ago? Five terrifying stars in the Idaho skies. show less

I’ve been working my way slowly through Blake Crouch’s backlist. I finally picked up Pines, the first in the Wayward Pines series.

This is exactly what I want in sci-fi thriller. Fast paced, impossible to put down, every answer led to more questions. I’m not gonna say it was a 5-star banger, but it was definitely 4.5. This is bingeable thriller stuff right here.

I don’t want to give you much beyond the blurb, because you really need to go into this blind. Ethan Burke is a Secret Service agent, sent to the small, cozy town of Wayward Pines to find two missing agents. He wakes up in the hospital after a massive car accident, and everyone seems nice but won’t give him straight answers. He’s unable to leave town, has no ID or show more wallet, and can’t contact anyone outside.

I think it’s a 4.5 instead of a 5 for me because we get a couple character POVs that weren’t very strong, and I didn’t have too much interest in. That might get more fleshed out in later books, but luckily for now the focus was mainly on Ethan and the action so it kept my attention. If you want character driven, this probably isn’t for you. But action? Page-turning suspense? Crazy weird things? Check, check, and check.

I think whether you like this or not will depend on how far you’re willing to suspend disbelief. Towards the end, the science and feasibility of some of the reveals start to stretch a bit, but that’s where the “fiction” in science-fiction comes into play. If you don’t like Crouch’s other works, I don’t think this will change your mind. But if you DO like him, or you just like a thriller in a sci-fi framework, then I don’t think you should miss this one. I listened to this on audiobook while painting our guestroom/library, and I was itching for each coat to dry so I could get back in and start painting and listening again. I think this is great for an audiobook, so as soon as I’m done with the one I’m on now (the new Bobiverse book YAY!) I’ll be queuing up the next in the series. BINGE TIME. show less

This was probably one of the most intense books I’ve ever read. No joke - the pace is absolutely relentless, and at times that becomes too much of a good thing. I kept yearning for a place to rest, to catch my breath, but Ethan got no breaks and neither did I, as a reader. The book is often brutal, with some incredibly violent scenes that made me wish I wasn’t reading late at night in the dark. Crouch is incredibly good at those types of scenes. His writing is vivid and imaginative, and it’s easy to get sucked in to the world he created. And maybe that was part of my problem with this book. I didn’t want to be sucked into Wayward Pines! I was a little too creeped out, and although the payoff is brilliant and I really enjoyed the show more final 20% of the novel once the revelations started coming, I’m not entirely sure I can handle any more books in this series. I debated watching the TV show, but if it’s as dark and horrifying as parts of this book were, I think I’ll stay away. I love Crouch’s writing - in fact, Dark Matter was one of my favourite books of last year - but this series is just a little too much for me. show less

What do you get when you mix Jurassic Park, LOST, Twin Peaks and Planet of the Apes? Why, you've got Pines! An extremely fun and often times terrifying read by Blake Crouch.
Ethan Burke is on assignment for the Secret Service. His mission: to find two missing agents, last known whereabouts: Wayward Pines, Idaho. Before he has a chance to launch his investigation his car is t-boned by a semi. When he opens his eyes he is in a forest and a bit disoriented. His wallet, credit cards and cell phone are gone so he must walk towards the picturesque town center to call the office and his wife and check into a hotel. Not so easy when you have no ID or money. Not so easy when the town folk don't take too kindly to strangers. In his efforts to show more find a way home he discovers he first needs to find a way out but until he finds that he learns some odd things about this town and the reader finds they're just as disoriented as Ethan.
In true Crouch fashion, the reader is transported to the unknown and it's a frightening place. Fasten your seat belts and take a drive to Wayward Pines soon, you may be stuck there for awhile. show less

This is one of those cases where the less you know upfront about the story, the better. It's about a special agent arriving in a strange town investigating the disappearance of two of his colleagues. It has an intentional Twin Peaks vibe.
It's an interesting story, for sure, but, more important and just like Recursion, it's told very well.
It contains some of the most intense sequences I read. There's a chase sequence that actually left me tired.
The ending pulls the rug from under you in a very satisfying way. It explains everything and gives meaning to the struggles of the main character.

I downloaded this last year to take part in an online book club, but never got around to the reading part. Sorry, book club! Anyway, my contribution would have been positive - quick, standard fare, but wonderfully easy to devour in a few hours. Think Twin Peaks, the author's inspiration, crossed with The Village and a dash of The Truman Show. I thought I knew where the plot was going, but was still surprised - and a little bit let down - by the twist.

The first half of the story is gripping and full of tension - well, for me anyway, because I hate reading about solo characters who are launched into Stepfordesque situations, one man against a community of oddballs pretending to be normal. Federal agent Ethan Burke wakes up injured and show more disorientated in Wayward Pines, Idaho, after his car is hit side-on by a Mack truck. He can't remember who he is and can barely walk, but the real trouble starts when he tries to retrieve his wallet and ID from the sheriff's office and get the hell out of Pines. I kept shouting at him, 'Don't go to the sheriff! Don't tell him that! Don't trust anyone!' Ethan is predictably resourceful - and seemingly indestructible - so I didn't worry about him for too long.

The first part of a trilogy, Pines is basically all about Ethan trying to escape from a Stephen King novel. The second part is a build-up to the sequel. Entertaining and intriguing - not sure I'll be reading on, though. show less