Avast, Earthlings; Aliens Want Your Energy | The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Dystopian literature and movies have recently had a surge of popularity in recent years, particularly in the young adult genre. With today’s fears of an unstable future, it may not be a surprise that fiction portraying a collapsed society with spunky heroes who strive to make a difference are so popular to the younger generations. The upcoming film The 5th Wave, based on the novel of the same name by Rick Yancey, features a unique take on these dystopian tropes. Teenaged Cassie Sullivan finds herself trying to survive an alien invasion in which they attack in waves. This is particularly significant as it proves increasingly difficult to fight against these invaders. These waves eerily mirror that of problems we have in the real world, much like dystopian fiction often does.

The first wave, “Lights Out,” is caused by an electromagnetic pulse. EMPs are far from the stuff of science fiction, and EMP attacks have been a concern of the government for years. The United States power grid is in a state of vulnerability caused by lack of upgrades and absence of regulations and oversight. The power grid has been found to be easily breached by foreign hackers and to be collapsed by powerful weather such as superstorm Sandy. According to Ohio Gas, the US power grid is using 10 percent more electricity than it was a decade ago and undergoing blackouts up to 214 minutes per year, compared to Japan’s average blackout time of 4 minutes. Without efforts to upgrade both the power grid’s security and efficiency, a real-life “Lights Out” is more likely than not.

“Surf’s Up” is the fanciful name given to the tsunamis and earthquakes caused by the second wave, when the aliens drop gigantic beams onto fault lines. This attack is deliberate, as they have determined that more than 40 percent of the Earth’s population lives near a coastline. While we are not in danger of gigantic metal beams dropping out of the sky onto fault lines, coastal dwellers are in danger thanks to climate change. As the Earth’s overall temperature warms and polar glaciers melt, the ocean’s level rises. Over time this will result in coastal flooding. While this will not kill the coastal population in massive levels like in The 5th Wave, it will cause them to lose homes and livelihoods.

The third wave, the “Pestilence” wave, has traits of avian flu and Ebola. As we have seen in recent years, disease and its spread are anything but science fiction. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the international reaction give just a small taste of what this situation could be like – and it should be remembered that Ebola is much less easy to spread than the flu. Virus mutation is a constant fear of scientists and with our current population and penchant for quick travel, the rate at which a deadly disease could be spread is no laughing matter.

The “Silencers” of the fourth wave could be seen as the most far-fetched of the waves – alien presences inhabiting the minds of humans. However, this could also be taken metaphorically, in terms of propaganda. Propaganda has been a part of war for all of written human history, and with it those who would switch sides and work for the enemy. From the Quislings of World War II to modern-day teenagers who seek out Daesh online, the fear of the other side getting into the heads of the public has been ever-present.

The 5th Wave presents an intelligent and exciting take on a dystopia, with the alien invaders exploiting both humanity and Earth’s own weaknesses in an effort to conquer the planet. The resulting story should resonate with today’s teenagers and adults alike, and perhaps presents a warning to all about what needs to change in order to prevent a less fanciful version of The 5th Wave from happening.

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Title: The 5th Wave
Series: The 5th Wave (#1)
Author: Rick Yancey
Genre: Science-Fiction
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Pages: 480

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.