# The 5th Wave (series)
**The 5th Wave** is a trilogy of young adult science fiction novels by Rick Yancey, consisting of *The 5th Wave* (May 7, 2013), *The Infinite Sea* (September 2014), and *[The Last Star](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-last-star-novel)* (2016), all published by Putnam.[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) • [2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html) • [3](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DeFiore-London-Rights-List-2015.pdf) • [1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) • [6](https://proyectoisi.frc.utn.edu.ar/files/scholarship/Documents/the_5th_wave_the_infinite_sea.pdf) • [3](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DeFiore-London-Rights-List-2015.pdf) The first book was a #1 New York Times bestseller whose announced first printing was 500,000 copies.[2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html) • [1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) The series follows an alien race called "the Others" as it attacks Earth in staged waves—an electromagnetic pulse, tsunamis, a plague delivered by birds, and campaigns against the survivors—narrated principally through 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan and 17-year-old Ben Parish.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/plotsummary/) • [8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/) • [9](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/there-will-be-bloodand-aliens/) *The 5th Wave* was adapted into a 2016 film by [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures), directed by J Blakeson and starring [Chloë Grace Moretz](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-grace-moretz), but no sequel followed.[4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10) • [8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/) • [4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10)
The series began in May 2013 with *The 5th Wave*, a #1 New York Times bestseller published by Putnam, followed by *The Infinite Sea* (2014) and *The Last Star* (2016)[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) • [2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html) • [3](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DeFiore-London-Rights-List-2015.pdf). The first book was adapted into a 2016 film starring Chloë Grace Moretz, but no sequel followed[4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Yancey, previously known for the Alfred Kropp series and the 2010 Michael L. Printz Honor book *The Monstrumologist*[5](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54576-putnam-rolls-out-cover-of-yancey-s-the-5th-wave.html) |
| Books | *The 5th Wave* (May 7, 2013), *The Infinite Sea* (September 2014), *The Last Star* (2016)[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) • [6](https://proyectoisi.frc.utn.edu.ar/files/scholarship/Documents/the_5th_wave_the_infinite_sea.pdf) • [3](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DeFiore-London-Rights-List-2015.pdf) |
| Premise | An alien race, called "the Others", attacks Earth in staged waves: an electromagnetic pulse, tsunamis, a plague delivered by birds, and campaigns against the survivors[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/plotsummary/) • [8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/) |
| Narration | Multiple viewpoint characters, principally 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan and 17-year-old Ben Parish ("Zombie")[9](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/there-will-be-bloodand-aliens/) |
| First printing | 500,000 copies announced for *The 5th Wave*, published by Putnam at $18.99[2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html) |
| Bestseller status | #1 New York Times bestseller[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/) |
| Film | *The 5th Wave* (2016), Sony Pictures, directed by J Blakeson, starring Chloë Grace Moretz; a sequel never followed[8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/) • [4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10) |
## Publication
Putnam acquired the trilogy for world English rights in a preempt hours before what its acquiring editor called "a very heated auction", negotiated by Brian DeFiore of DeFiore and Co.[5](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54576-putnam-rolls-out-cover-of-yancey-s-the-5th-wave.html) A 2012 Publishers Weekly deals column reported the sale as rumored to be a seven-figure deal[10](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20120305/50930-deals-week-of-march-5-2012.html). The publisher promoted the first book heavily: four separate book trailers aimed at different markets and demographics, released on EW.com, io9.com, MTV.com, and USAToday.com; advertising in magazines including *People* and *EW* and in movie theaters; social media outreach through Tumblr; and a national author tour beginning in early May[2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html). Pre-publication response included three starred reviews, and more than 8,400 readers had added the book to their [Goodreads](https://www.edgepedia.org/goodreads) "to read" lists before release[2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html). Kirkus's review called it "Nothing short of amazing"[11](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rick-yancey/5th-wave/). Penguin reported giving the book a $750,000 marketing push[12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/).
## Premise and the waves
The story begins with the appearance of a large alien ship hovering above Earth that lingers for ten days without communicating, housing beings humans come to call "the Others"[13](https://www.supersummary.com/the-fifth-wave/summary/) • [8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/). Yancey described the attack as "a coordinated, multiple assault on the planet Earth" rather than a single strike[12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/):
1. The first wave is an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out all the power on Earth[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/plotsummary/).
2. The second wave consists of tsunamis that wipe out coastal areas; Yancey tied the design to the fact that 40 percent of the world's population lives within 60 miles of a coastline[14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-5th-wave-2016) • [12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/).
3. The third wave is a plague delivered by birds, a killer version of avian flu[12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/) • [15](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fifth-wave-review/5098854.article).
4. The fourth wave turns the surviving population against itself, summarized in the book's tagline as "trust no one"[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/).
5. The fifth wave targets the remaining survivors and involves mind control and child soldiers[8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/).
After these waves, beings who only look human, called Silencers, roam the countryside killing anyone they see[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/). The narrative follows Cassie Sullivan, a 16-year-old survivor armed with an [M16 rifle](https://www.edgepedia.org/m16-rifle) and her younger brother's teddy bear, as she tries to reunite with her brother Sam while escaping the Silencer trying to kill her[16](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399162411). A parallel thread follows 17-year-old Ben, an unwitting military recruit facing a crisis of conscience, and the story is told from different viewpoints throughout the series[16](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399162411) • [9](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/there-will-be-bloodand-aliens/). Cassie's search for her brother Sam drives the plot of the first book[17](https://fallboys.com/books/the-5th-wave).
## Themes and origins
Yancey has said the novel grew from two sources. He recalled an interview in which the physicist [Stephen Hawking](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-hawking), asked what would happen if intelligent aliens found Earth, answered that it would probably resemble [Christopher Columbus](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-columbus)'s arrival in the Americas for the Native Americans; Yancey wrote an invasion premised on hoping the aliens never find us[12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/). A 3 a.m. conversation with his wife supplied the emotional core: she named alien abduction as her greatest fear, reasoning that no one would believe her afterward, and Yancey built the novel around that sense of terrible isolation[5](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54576-putnam-rolls-out-cover-of-yancey-s-the-5th-wave.html) • [12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/).
**What it means to be human** is the theme Publishers Weekly located at the book's center, invoking cartoonist Walt Kelly's line "We have met the enemy and he is us"[16](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399162411). Common Sense Media noted that by keeping the invaders' motives opaque Yancey keeps readers guessing and the level of suspense high throughout the book[18](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-5th-wave-book-1). The novel's treatment of distrust among survivors has also been used in classrooms: an educator writing in *The ALAN Review* described a student who mapped elements of the novel onto the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis in a video essay[19](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v45n1/pdf/v45n1.pdf).
## Film adaptation
Film rights were preempted by [Tobey Maguire](https://www.edgepedia.org/tobey-maguire) and producer Graham King of GK Films, and the author reported before publication that a screenwriter was being lined up[2](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html); the book was subsequently optioned by Sony Pictures, with Maguire reportedly attached[12](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/). Sony released *The 5th Wave* in January 2016, directed by J Blakeson from a screenplay by Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman, and Jeff Pinkner, with Chloë Grace Moretz as Cassie[8](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/) • [14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-5th-wave-2016). Reception was unfavorable: the film holds a 17 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critics consensus citing "unimpressive effects" and "plot points seemingly pieced together from previous dystopian YA sci-fi films"[4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10). It was a modest box office success, but it did not reach the heights Sony had hoped, and no sequel followed despite the two remaining books[4](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10).
## Reception of the trilogy
Publishers Weekly called the first book the opener of "a gripping SF trilogy" aimed at a broad commercial audience[16](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399162411), and *Entertainment Weekly* called *The Last Star* "a satisfying end to an impressive trilogy"[20](https://www.penguinteen.com/9781101599044/the-last-star/). Reader response has been more mixed: a StoryGraph reviewer who rated the trilogy together praised it as engaging post-apocalyptic survival with unexpected twists, but found the romance unconvincing and suggested the three books could have been condensed into one[21](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/79635fc0-4b91-4b14-8826-630188504203).
Reviewers of the film placed it in the young adult dystopian wave of the 2010s alongside *The Hunger Games*, *[Divergent](https://www.edgepedia.org/divergent-novel-series)*, and *The Maze Runner*[22](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-5th-wave-film-review-chloe-grace-moretz-is-sunk-by-the-dull-teen-scifi-wave-a6826531.html), and most judged it a lesser entry in that company; the Guardian wrote that it "lacks the cinematic legs of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner"[23](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/5th-wave-review-scifi-fantasy-young-adult-chloe-grace-moretz).
## References
1. [The 5th Wave Series, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/T5W/the-5th-wave/)
2. ["'The 5th Wave' Launches with a Splash", Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2013](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56959-the-5th-wave-launches-with-a-splash.html)
3. [DeFiore and Company London Rights List 2015](https://agenceelianebenisti.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DeFiore-London-Rights-List-2015.pdf)
4. ["'Hunger Games' Fans Are Flocking to This Movie That Just Crashed the Netflix Top 10", Tom's Guide, 2025](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/netflix-just-got-this-sci-fi-action-movie-with-the-hunger-games-vibes-and-its-already-crashed-the-top-10)
5. ["Putnam Rolls Out Cover of Yancey's 'The 5th Wave'", Publishers Weekly, November 1, 2012](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/54576-putnam-rolls-out-cover-of-yancey-s-the-5th-wave.html)
6. [The Infinite Sea (reissue listing with series and dates)](https://proyectoisi.frc.utn.edu.ar/files/scholarship/Documents/the_5th_wave_the_infinite_sea.pdf)
7. [The 5th Wave (2016) Plot Summary, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/plotsummary/)
8. ["Review: The 5th Wave Washes Out", Time, January 22, 2016](https://time.com/4190195/review-the-5th-wave-chloe-moretz/)
9. ["There Will Be Blood…and Aliens", Kirkus Reviews, 2013](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/there-will-be-bloodand-aliens/)
10. ["Deals: Week of March 5, 2012", Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20120305/50930-deals-week-of-march-5-2012.html)
11. ["The 5th Wave" review, Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2013](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rick-yancey/5th-wave/)
12. ["Interview: Rick Yancey", Lightspeed Magazine, August 2013](https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-rick-yancey/)
13. [The 5th Wave Summary and Study Guide, SuperSummary](https://www.supersummary.com/the-fifth-wave/summary/)
14. [The 5th Wave movie review, RogerEbert.com, 2016](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-5th-wave-2016)
15. ["'The Fifth Wave': Review", Screen Daily, 2016](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fifth-wave-review/5098854.article)
16. ["The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey" review, Publishers Weekly, February 25, 2013](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399162411)
17. [The 5th Wave, Coming-of-Age Analysis, Fallboys](https://fallboys.com/books/the-5th-wave)
18. [The 5th Wave, Book 1, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-5th-wave-book-1)
19. [Sean P. Connors, *The ALAN Review*, 2018](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v45n1/pdf/v45n1.pdf)
20. [The Last Star, Penguin Teen](https://www.penguinteen.com/9781101599044/the-last-star/)
21. [The 5th Wave Collection reader reviews, The StoryGraph](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/79635fc0-4b91-4b14-8826-630188504203)
22. ["The 5th Wave, film review", The Independent, 2016](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-5th-wave-film-review-chloe-grace-moretz-is-sunk-by-the-dull-teen-scifi-wave-a6826531.html)
23. ["The 5th Wave review – sci-fi war games with few surprises", The Guardian, January 24, 2016](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/5th-wave-review-scifi-fantasy-young-adult-chloe-grace-moretz)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Prose fiction › Novel series and sagas › Children's and young-adult novel series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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