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A fabulous thriller of a novel. You simply cannot put it down once you've started reading it. The characters are so engaging that you simply have to "find out" what happens to them!
enjoy!
enjoy!
Fictional Novel
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Wil Mara
262 books61 followersWil Mara has worked as an author for over 34 years and currently has more than 325 books in print. He has written both fiction and nonfiction, for children and adults. His books have won multiple awards, reached bestseller lists, earned excellent reviews, and been translated into more than a dozen languages. 2005’s Wave won the New Jersey Notable Book Award, and 2012’s The Gemini Virus remained on Amazon’s list of ‘Ten Bestseller Medical Thrillers’ for 14 consecutive weeks. The most recent novel in his disaster series, Fallout, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Novel of the Year. And his children’s nonfiction publications have won countless awards and terrific reviews in all the leading trade journals, including Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and others.
Much of his work for children has been nonfiction for the school-library market. He also ghostwrote five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. And starting in 2019, Rosen Publishing released the first of his new ‘Twisted’ series, which has been described as “Twilight Zones for kids.” It became the most pre-ordered fiction series in the company’s history. The first ‘Twisted’ book, The Videomaniac, was released on January 1 and sold through its first printing in less than a month. The second, House of a Million Rooms, was released on March 1 and, just a few weeks later, was chosen as a Main Selection Title by the Junior Library Guild.
Wil was also an editor, administrator, and executive inside the industry for over 20 years, working for such houses as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Prentice-Hall until turning to fulltime writing in 2005. He is an associate member of the NJASL and an executive member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, which is an affiliate of the US Library of Congress. He is also the vice president of the Literary Alliance of New Jersey, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Wil is also an experienced speaker, presenter, and voice artist, having visited more than 300 schools and other institutions, and done the audio readings for many books, including his 2012 thriller The Gemini Virus. He continues to speak to audiences across the country (including via video) and do voice work as his writing schedule permits.
Much of his work for children has been nonfiction for the school-library market. He also ghostwrote five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. And starting in 2019, Rosen Publishing released the first of his new ‘Twisted’ series, which has been described as “Twilight Zones for kids.” It became the most pre-ordered fiction series in the company’s history. The first ‘Twisted’ book, The Videomaniac, was released on January 1 and sold through its first printing in less than a month. The second, House of a Million Rooms, was released on March 1 and, just a few weeks later, was chosen as a Main Selection Title by the Junior Library Guild.
Wil was also an editor, administrator, and executive inside the industry for over 20 years, working for such houses as Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, and Prentice-Hall until turning to fulltime writing in 2005. He is an associate member of the NJASL and an executive member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, which is an affiliate of the US Library of Congress. He is also the vice president of the Literary Alliance of New Jersey, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Wil is also an experienced speaker, presenter, and voice artist, having visited more than 300 schools and other institutions, and done the audio readings for many books, including his 2012 thriller The Gemini Virus. He continues to speak to audiences across the country (including via video) and do voice work as his writing schedule permits.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 12, 2012
i bought this book at one of the doller stores a couple months ago for $1.25; and not giving it much thought after that. while waiting for my next "big title" to come in the mail - i reluctantly starte this book. hands down, one of the best stories i have ever read! money well spent too... lol
July 29, 2014
Thrilling book, simply could not put it down. The characters are so engaging (whether you like them or not) you have to find out what happens to them.
June 4, 2024
This book dates itself a bit by making clear it's proximity in time being written to the Terrorist attacks in America September 11th.
It was an easy read; I wanted to see what happened to the characters. I felt that it fell a bit flat in fleshing out the final moments and fates of the protagonists.
Overall, I give it a 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3. It was a fun book that read like a classic disaster movie.
It was an easy read; I wanted to see what happened to the characters. I felt that it fell a bit flat in fleshing out the final moments and fates of the protagonists.
Overall, I give it a 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3. It was a fun book that read like a classic disaster movie.
September 22, 2010
loved this book, read it in two days...very real disaster.
August 15, 2019
Wave is set in present day and a what-if story. In other words, what if a tsunami was heading straight for Long Beach Island, New Jersey? I found myself obsessed with this book. Once I began, I could not put it down. I needed to know what would happen next to the characters I had become enchanted by. This book was excellent, an edge of your seat read! I must admit to yelling at the characters a time or two. If you haven’t read it yet, then this one is a must!
January 10, 2021
I recently watched two Norwegian movies called Wave and its sequel Quake. Both movies were better than some Hollywood mega $ blockbusters. So when I saw this book (which was autographed!) for sale I picked it up. The tsunami waves did not strike LBI until the last few pages. The majority of the book dealt with the rescue/evacuation of the island residents and the residents' backstories. But it was very suspenseful.
September 1, 2020
Absolutely LOVE this book!! This is my second time reading it. I read it when it first came out while on the beach in LBI!!I’ve been vacationing on LBI since I was born. So it’s so creepy for me to read about a tsunami taking it over! So cleaver in the way the tsunami started!!such a great exciting creepy story!! 5/5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 1, 2017
One of my favorite books. I think I held my breath throughout. This was written before the sandy storm hit the Jersey shore amazing.
August 15, 2019
pretty good, makes u wonder what u find u should take when u have to leave in a hurry
October 31, 2019
It was an entertaining easy read. I was hoping for a bit more. I think I actually ended up liking the characters that I feel like he set up for the reader to dislike.
December 1, 2021
I enjoyed the book, though it made me sad. LBI is one of my favorite places
May 24, 2025
maybe?
Star telling accuracy with a believable story line. Great characters. A fun read(especially if you enjoy going down the shore(IYKYK) and hit the beach!!!)
Star telling accuracy with a believable story line. Great characters. A fun read(especially if you enjoy going down the shore(IYKYK) and hit the beach!!!)
November 28, 2025
actually gave up on this one - I don't do that very often. Not to say it was bad, just not for me.
July 30, 2012
I love me a good disaster novel - terror, destruction, action - yes please! So when I picked up Wave, I was pretty excited to get reading.
However, although Wave is a quick read, it wasn't exactly what I expected. Yes, there was the varied cast of characters, the build up to the tsunami was well thought out, some science gave the plot a backbone, but I found that I didn't actually LIKE any of the characters - and in any kind of disaster novel, if you don't care about the characters as a reader, the tension just isn't there.
Firstly, a large part of the character story-line revolved around the corrupt mayor of Long Beach Island, and the political aspect is just not my thing. I found myself skimming over large parts of the narrative focusing on these characters, because I simply wasn't interested in what was happening to them.
The young lovers were sweet but the boyfriend was infuriating - reading about his emotional issues meant that he came across as a whining, insecure boy rather than a man that I cared about. Probably the only character that I actually found interesting was the slobby trailer trash girl who had an addiction to junk food and Jerry Springer, and pretty much did every stupid thing possible in the face of impending doom.
And the actual tsunami itself doesn't actually happen until the very end of the book - and although I appreciated that the author was trying to build tension, in the end it actually made the pivotal part of the story, the tsunami and the aftermath feel incredibly rushed.
I don't want to say that Wave is a bad book, because it certainly isn't. The writing is good, the science is well-balanced and the scenario is pretty plausible. It just wasn't what I was expecting, nor what I look for in a good disaster novel - ultimately this just wasn't the book for me.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
However, although Wave is a quick read, it wasn't exactly what I expected. Yes, there was the varied cast of characters, the build up to the tsunami was well thought out, some science gave the plot a backbone, but I found that I didn't actually LIKE any of the characters - and in any kind of disaster novel, if you don't care about the characters as a reader, the tension just isn't there.
Firstly, a large part of the character story-line revolved around the corrupt mayor of Long Beach Island, and the political aspect is just not my thing. I found myself skimming over large parts of the narrative focusing on these characters, because I simply wasn't interested in what was happening to them.
The young lovers were sweet but the boyfriend was infuriating - reading about his emotional issues meant that he came across as a whining, insecure boy rather than a man that I cared about. Probably the only character that I actually found interesting was the slobby trailer trash girl who had an addiction to junk food and Jerry Springer, and pretty much did every stupid thing possible in the face of impending doom.
And the actual tsunami itself doesn't actually happen until the very end of the book - and although I appreciated that the author was trying to build tension, in the end it actually made the pivotal part of the story, the tsunami and the aftermath feel incredibly rushed.
I don't want to say that Wave is a bad book, because it certainly isn't. The writing is good, the science is well-balanced and the scenario is pretty plausible. It just wasn't what I was expecting, nor what I look for in a good disaster novel - ultimately this just wasn't the book for me.
Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie
December 2, 2012
Started this on 11/30. Giving it one and a half stars, because if it wasn't a library book I'd have thrown it out my back door. I'd started reading Mara's "The Gemini Virus" and gave up because it was so bad, and decided to try Wave to see if it was any better. Just a tad. I finished it with some skipping of pages, because I was interested enough to see if it would get better (no), and to see what happened.
There was lots to not like about this book: stereotypical characters-a Middle Eastern terrorist who causes the tidal wave; a grossly obese, amoral, slovenly woman who is addicted to talk shows and wastes precious time laboriously gathering her collection of videotapes of the shows before evacuating (whom I found myself rooting for); a greasy slimeball who brings about the downfall of the town's mayor, and more which I've thankfully forgotten.
The writing is disjointed, surprising because the dust jacket boasts that Mara has written over 70 books, but on Googling him, I find that he has written a lot of books for children, which perhaps carries over to his adult writing, given the excruciating detail he gives unnecessarily. The reader doesn't need to know the background of characters who disappear, never to be heard from again.
The tsunami that happens is anticlimactic-not suspenseful at all. All I took away from this book is a yet-again-thankfulness that I live far inland.
There was lots to not like about this book: stereotypical characters-a Middle Eastern terrorist who causes the tidal wave; a grossly obese, amoral, slovenly woman who is addicted to talk shows and wastes precious time laboriously gathering her collection of videotapes of the shows before evacuating (whom I found myself rooting for); a greasy slimeball who brings about the downfall of the town's mayor, and more which I've thankfully forgotten.
The writing is disjointed, surprising because the dust jacket boasts that Mara has written over 70 books, but on Googling him, I find that he has written a lot of books for children, which perhaps carries over to his adult writing, given the excruciating detail he gives unnecessarily. The reader doesn't need to know the background of characters who disappear, never to be heard from again.
The tsunami that happens is anticlimactic-not suspenseful at all. All I took away from this book is a yet-again-thankfulness that I live far inland.
February 22, 2015
An interesting read about a terrorist traveling to Washington,DC to detonate a nuclear bomb. Mid flight, turbulence causes his bag to fall out of the overhead compartment and his cover is blown. Along with the detonator he has a gun. The gun goes off and due to depressurization several people, including the pilot, fly out the hole in the plane. The plane crashes and the bomb starts to fall to the bottom of the ocean when it explodes, causing a tsunami that will reach Long Beach Island in less than three hours. It's a race against time to evacuate the island and the only way off is a bridge. The author delves into the lives of several different people and how they react to a life threatening event. Do they make it in time? I think it's worth the read to find out!
July 26, 2011
The author of this thriller novel of a tidal wave wiping out Long Beach Island, New Jersey painstakingly delivers scientific data to back his thesis. Personally, I would have believed every word without any science at all. I wanted to love it, but it's simply not scary enough.
September 18, 2012
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for this, but I just couldn't seem to get into it. I found Don Harper's story to be an interesting one, but felt the others lacked much drive. Overall, not a bad read, just not what I was hoping.
December 24, 2014
An interesting twist to a terrorist threat.
April 11, 2016
A good thriller...a tsunami caused by a botched terrorist attack when the plane carrying a nuclear device headed for DC goes down causing an underwater landslide. It's a page turner and quick read.
June 22, 2017
One of my favorite books ever!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews