The 5th Wave
by Rick Yancey
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Cast of Characters
- Plot Summary
- An Analysis of Major Characters
-
Chapter Summary and Analysis
- Part 1 (The Last Historian), Chapters 1-12
- Summary: Part 1 (The Last Historian), Chapters 13-24
- Summary: Part 2 (Wonderland), Chapters 25-30
- Summary: Part 3 (Silencer), Chapter 31
- Summary: Part 4 (Mayfly), Chapters 32-36
- Summary: Part 5 (The Winnowing), Chapters 37-41
- Summary: Part 6 (The Human Clay), Chapters 42-52
- Summary: Part 7 (The Heart to Kill), Chapters 53-55
- Summary: Part 8 (The Spirit of Vengeance), Chapters 56-64
- Summary: Part 9 (A Flower to the Rain), Chapters 65-77
- Summary: Parts 10-12, Chapters 65-82
- Summary: Part 13 (The Black Hole), Chapters 83-91
- Symbols and Themes
- Key Facts
- Key Quotes
- Discussion Questions
- Take The Quiz
- Further Reading
- Flashcards
- Biography of Rick Yancey
Summary: Part 1 (The Last Historian), Chapters 13-24
Summary: Part 1 (The Last Historian), Chapters 13-24
Cassie recalls life at the refugee camp. She is unusually lucky: nobody else there has any family left. The survivors at the camp, says Cassie, talk longingly of the days before “the Arrival,” grieving openly for their lost loved ones and former lives. No one knows what to do next or what to expect next from the Others. They are “like the Japanese who survived the initial blast of the Hiroshima bomb. We didn’t understand why we were still here, and we weren’t completely sure we wanted to be.”
On the sixth day at Camp Ashpit, Cassie sees her first drone in the sky. At first, the refugees think it is a U.S. military drone and become optimistic about rescue. Hutchfield dismisses this possibility. They realize that it must be an alien drone and pass the night in terror, wondering what new horror is about to be released. That night, Cassie’s father gives her a semiautomatic Luger, her first gun. The drones begin sweeping through the sky more regularly, but nothing happens. One morning, Cassie wakes up to celebration. A U.S. Black Hawk has arrived at the camp; the refugees are being rescued—or so they think—by “The People in Charge.” The helicopter leaves without stopping, though. After this, Cassie’s father gives her an M16 rifle, the rifle that will eventually become her best friend. Mr. Sullivan is grim and serious. Cassie knows that worse things are yet to come, and senses that her father thinks their luck is about to run out.
A few days later, a convoy of soldiers from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base arrives, along with three yellow school buses full of children. The refugees rejoice, believing they are finally being rescued. The soldiers load all the young children onto the school buses, saying they will be taken to safety and then the adults will follow along shortly. Cassie’s instincts scream against letting her brother Sammy get on the bus by himself, but Mr. Sullivan insists. Cassie reflects...
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