3.0
Wakers
ByPublisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ender’s Game comes a brand-new series following a teen who wakes up on an abandoned Earth to discover that he’s a clone.
Laz is a side-stepper: a teen with the incredible power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. All his life, there was no mistake that a little side-stepping couldn’t fix.
Until Laz wakes up one day in a cloning facility on a seemingly abandoned Earth.
Laz finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other clones, all dead, and quickly realizes that he too must be a clone of his original self. Laz has no idea what happened to the world he remembers as vibrant and bustling only yesterday, and he struggles to survive in the barren wasteland he’s now trapped in. But the question that haunts him isn’t why was he created, but instead, who woke him up…and why?
There’s only a single bright spot in Laz’s new life: one other clone appears to still be alive, although she remains asleep. Deep down, Laz believes that this girl holds the key to the mysteries plaguing him, but if he wakes her up, she’ll be trapped in this hellscape with him.
This is one problem that Laz can’t just side-step his way out of.
Laz is a side-stepper: a teen with the incredible power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. All his life, there was no mistake that a little side-stepping couldn’t fix.
Until Laz wakes up one day in a cloning facility on a seemingly abandoned Earth.
Laz finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other clones, all dead, and quickly realizes that he too must be a clone of his original self. Laz has no idea what happened to the world he remembers as vibrant and bustling only yesterday, and he struggles to survive in the barren wasteland he’s now trapped in. But the question that haunts him isn’t why was he created, but instead, who woke him up…and why?
There’s only a single bright spot in Laz’s new life: one other clone appears to still be alive, although she remains asleep. Deep down, Laz believes that this girl holds the key to the mysteries plaguing him, but if he wakes her up, she’ll be trapped in this hellscape with him.
This is one problem that Laz can’t just side-step his way out of.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesWakers Reviews
3.0
“Rating: 2.25/5⭐
Quick Summary: Set in a near-future America transformed by genetic experimentation, Wakers follows Laz, a teenage clone created as a medical backup for the wealthy and powerful. Awoken in a hidden-away facility, Laz begins to question the purpose of his existence and the morality of the world that made him. As he forms forbidden connections and uncovers secrets about his origin, he must decide whether he is merely a replacement—or his own person.
Read if you like:
⚡️memory loss mysteries
⚡️near-future sci-fi
⚡️thought-provoking stories
⚡️portal "magic"
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**
Things I liked: I like the difference between Laz and the girl. I liked Laz's side-stepping ability. I also liked that he didn't have any control in the life he stepped into, and rather had to keep trying until he found the one he wanted. THE DOGS! I loved the dogs. They were this amazing sort of companionship that Laz needed. I loved the way they were introduced to the story and the way their relationship with Laz evolved. I also enjoyed that this book was written in the male POV. There aren't enough books written in the male POV.
Things I didn’t like: Time passed really weirdly in this book. It felt almost without warning, then all of a sudden, months had passed. It felt like it took a few pages or even a chapter before I was notified of this time jump.
Just overall, I didn't enjoy the writing style much. I was kind of bored at times. I didn't see the direction of the story, and when there was a problem that needed to be solved, the two of them solved it with little to no complications. Which doesn't feel right to me.
If this is/was a series, would I continue? I won't be continuing
Do I recommend it? maybe
Who would I recommend it to? anyone looking for a no-spice male POV book
**Content and Structure Overview**
Age Category: young adult
Genre: science fiction, fantasy, dystopian
Series/Standalone: duology
Is there profanity? yes
F-word? no
POV: single POV, third person, past tense
POV Character(s): 17-year-old male (Laz)
Romance: straight romance
Spice: 0/5🌶️
Is there heavy kissing? yes, but not often and not very descriptive
Wandering hands/mouths? no
Is there below-the-belt shenanigans? no
Is there a fade-to-black scene? no
Is there on-page horizontal tango? no
If I had a kid in MIDDLE school, would I let them read this? meh
If I had a kid in HIGH school, would I let them read this? yes
Book-to-screen adaptation? no
Trigger Warnings: animal cruelty, mention of animal de@th, de@d clones
Quotes Worth Remembering: "When you invent a story to explain all the known facts, then of course the known facts will fit the story," said Laz, "It's a reciprocal arrangement."”
“This could’ve been amazing. The premise is SO good… a 17 year old that can sidestep to other versions of himself in the universe. I am fascinated by the idea of alternate universes, and have been writing a story (for fun) about that, so I was beyond excited to read a story on this subject.
Unfortunately, this fell flat for me for a few reasons:
One, the writing style wasn’t my favorite in general. And the author does this thing where he’ll switch from third person to first person at random times, but like not in a consistent enough way to seem like it’s a stylistic choice. So instead it comes across as not being edited fully. I’m still not sure if the author wrote that way on purpose or not.
Two, this was a “sci-fi” centered story, rather than a story-centered story that is sci-fi. It became more about explaining how sidestepping to other worlds could be possible. Which, don’t get me wrong, is interesting and necessary to a certain extent, but I just needed there to be more story. Some character development. More plot other than “we’re trying to find an alternate world to escape to in the apocalypse.”
Three, I hinted to this, but there was no character development really. And the characters were annoying. Intentionally so, but still.
And four, the ending was…just fine. I don’t feel like I got the kind of payout from reading this book that I hoped for.
This is my first Orson Scott Card book, and I’ll give another one of his a try, but if it’s like this book then this author just might not be for me. Which is a bummer because he’s soo popular!”
About Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is the author of numerous bestselling novels and the first writer to receive both the Hugo and Nebula awards two years in a row; first for Ender’s Game and then for the sequel, Speaker for the Dead. He lives with his wife in North Carolina.
Other books by Orson Scott Card
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