The Wave | 
 enlarge | Author: Walter Mosley
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $8.48
You Save: $21.47 (72%)
New (22) from $8.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 577908
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 5
Pages: 300
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.9 x 1
ISBN: 1598870092
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781598870091
ASIN: 1598870092
Publication Date: January 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Shrink wrapped ....Ship within 8 hrs TS5
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Product Description
The New York Times bestselling author returns to science fiction with an eerie, transcendent novel of the near future. Errol’s father has been dead for several years. Yet lately Errol has been awakened in the middle of the night by a caller claiming to be his father. Is it a prank, or a message from the grave? When he hears the unmistakable sound of a handset being put down on a table, he decides to investigate. Curious and not a little unnerved, Errol sneaks into the graveyard where his father is buried. What he finds there changes his life forever. Caught up in a war between a secret government security agency and an alien presence infecting our world, touched by the Wave, he knows that nothing will ever be the same again.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
Worth the Time, if you are so inclined. March 20, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Walter Mosley is, of course, the author of the `Easy Rawlins' series (of which I'm a huge fan) and the `Fearless Jones' series (not so much). He has also from time to time taken a detour outside of mystery/crime fiction to write very speculative stuff in SciFi and other things; for example see `The Man in My Basement' for a really startling view of race relations.
This little volume has some really fine writing, but some problems with the plot. I had a hard time really believing some of the characters who seemed, to me, to be pretty one dimensional. But be that as it may, it is worth a read. The ideas herein are interesting, if a bit too `supernatural' for my taste.
The First but not Last Mosley book I'll read January 27, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've never read Walter Mosley before but certainly knew of him. I can't believe I've waited so long to read one of his books. THE WAVE: this book has me totally hooked. It was an action-packed story that grabbed me from the start. I am enamored with all of the elements of the story: sci-fi (dead coming to life and alien creatures), love (girlfriend who without question strongly supports and stays by his side until the end of the journey), and the surrealism of the world Errol finds himself in. The only thing I didn't like was how loose he seemed to be (he slept around quite a bit). Since reading this book, I've now researched his other writings--sci-fi, thrillers, mysteries. I don't know where to start so I'm just plunging in. I just ordered three more of his books and I already started reading "Fortunate Son." I'm hooked. I may even become a Walter Mosley groupie. I just visited his website!
Mayra Calvani - Armchair Interviews December 3, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
`"... naked, naked... I don't have any clothes... so so cold..."'
With this intriguing line starts New York Times bestselling author Walter Mosley's latest novel. Don't be fooled by its short length and light writing, however, because this is one of those works highly allegorical and filled with deeply hidden themes.
The story beings when Errol Porter, a computer programmer turned potter, receives a creepy phone call from a strange man speaking in single words. The stranger's voice is pleading, desperate and crazed. A few days later the man calls again. This time his language is more developed and he claims to be Errol's father. There's just one problem: Errol's father is in the grave, dead for many years. But if the stranger is not his father, then who is he, and why does his voice sound so similar and he seems to know so many secret things about Errol and his family, things only his father could have known?
Errol goes to his father's grave and meets the stranger, and from that moment on his life is turned upside down. The stranger--or GT--is the identical, much younger version of his father. It doesn't make sense, but Errol's desire to believe that somehow his father has come back to him is too strong. He soon realizes this `creature' is, in a way, his father, yet at the same time a much more disturbing and wondrous being whom the American government is frantically after. Errol tries to help GT and in the process finds himself captured by the secret authorities. While captive he's shocked with one stunning revelation after another about the identity of GT and others like him, and witnesses acts of unspeakable ignorance, fear and evil by his own people.
The Wave is an interesting read, to say the least. It brings up many questions to mind: Can innocence and survival be evil? Who is more evil--the creature who acts on evolution and survival or the man who, driven by fear, commits acts of unspeakable atrocity? Does the end justify the means? The book can be read in a day or two yet haunts the reader with these questions for many days afterwards. The only disappointing element in the novel is the villain. The story is so well written I was surprised to find such a cliche, cartoon-like presentation of the "mad" government scientist from such an accomplished author. In spite of this, however, the novel is worth reading for all the moral questions it raises.
 Okay Read November 30, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was an okay read. I like the idea of the dead coming back.
So-So November 26, 2006
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
When Errol starts receiving crank calls from a deranged bum, he begins to wonder if the crank calls could be from his long dead father. As Errol explores this possibility it leads him deeper into danger and government conspiracy. Can Errol and his newfound girlfriend make it out alive?
I started out enjoying "The Wave," but by the end of this novel, my enjoyment had waned. For one thing, I didn't like the main character. He was an unemployed bum who was overweight and worked at a pottery studio. Despite this overall unattractiveness, several hot women want him. Yeah. Right. I just could not relate to this guy. Perhaps if he had a job and some responsibilities I could've taken a liking to him.
Spoilers ahead. Please read no further if you don't want to be spoiled.
Here Goes:
I found, G.T. The alien symbiant/dad combo a tad creepy. His spouting and preaching about the wave and its agenda, and peaceful intentions were belied by the fact that G.T. killed a number of soldiers 'for practice' and in his previous life had murdered his wife's lover. I just found it hard to care about this guy or the alien inside him. Yeah, the alien claimed it was self-defense but come on.
I also found Errol extremely irritating by the end of the book. His blind support of the "Wave" and calling it a God and carrying it around in his backpack just seemed silly. Instead of being thrilled that Errol was 'helping' his alien friends instead I wanted the aliens to be evil, and have Errol been an unwitting dupe.
Finally, the latter half of this book was a tad too cliche-ridden for my liking. Evil scientist (also mad) does terrible experiments on sympathetic aliens, while Errol bonks his hot wife.
Meh.
There were some kernels of goodness in this one, but Errol and G.T. just didn't do it for me. I prefer my heroes with more spine. 3 stars.
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