Rick Yancey is the author of the New York Times bestseller The 5th Wave , The Infinite Sea , The Last Star , several adult novels, and the memoir Confessions of a Tax Collector . His first young-adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp , was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, his novel, The Monstrumologist , received a Michael L. Printz Honor, and the sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo , was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. When he isn't writing or thinking about writing or traveling the country talking about writing, Rick is hanging out with his family.