Wake the Dead Theory Page



Welcome to the Wake the Dead Theory Page. This is a place where you can discuss confirmed, debunked, and unconfirmed theories from the Wake the Dead series.

Current and Unconfirmed Theories

 * Inspiration: Players believe this series pays homage to The Walking Dead.
 * Levels and equipment: Given that this series features a level system similar to the Blades of Light and Shadow series, it is believed that some equipment will have a minimum level requirement for use.
 * Survivors: It is believed that only the MC and the four love interests will make it to the end of the story. This is weakened in Chapters 11 and 12 when Eli gets bitten and you have the tough choice to shoot him.
 * Relations with other settlements: Some choices, especially hard ones, affect your standing with the leaders of other settlements, such as amputating Minna and letting Ironmount's people kill Trent. It's possible that picking choices that damage your relations with others causes them to withhold aid to your colony when the zombie surge happens during the summer solstice.
 * Pale figure: In Chapter 11, there is a pale figure staring at the MC from a distance if you pick the premium option to use the carousel against the zombies. This figure is probably a zombie who chose not to rush towards the MC for an unknown reason.
 * Origin of the apocalypse: There's a theory that the zombie apocalypse is caused by an experiment gone wrong, and the Tower's founders are the most likely culprits, hence Blackstock's authoritarian leadership because he couldn't risk letting anyone know his darkest secrets.
 * Zombie queen: Players believe that the zombie queen who talked to the main group in Chapter 16 is Shannon Fox's surrogate mother Hana Nguyen, and the next chapter will show the consequences of the hard choice on saving Shannon or Minna first in the warehouse.
 * Jeb: There's a theory that if Jeb survives, he will reappear in the last chapters of the book fighting for the colony during the zombie surge.
 * Killing or sparing traitors: In Chapter 18, you are given the choice whether to execute or spare Dirk, Trent and the others who betrayed you to Blackstock. Both of these are indicated as 'hard choice', leading some players to believe that if you let them live, they could betray you again during the solstice.
 * Zombie King: Given the ending of Chapter 19, where you fall into a new Zombie Hive constructed under your colony, and that there is already a Zombie Queen, some players wonder if the Queen will try to turn you into a Zombie King, to rule alongside Your Sister, now a fellow Queen.

Confirmed Theories

 * Title: There are many players who believe that the title "Zombies" is merely a working title. This is confirmed in Choices Insiders June 2021 as PB officially announced the book title would be Wake the Dead.
 * Gender of Choice: In line with most adventure books being gender of choice, many players expect this to be the same. This is confirmed in Choices Insiders June 2021.
 * VIP release date: Most players believe that the book will be released for VIP players around the end of October. The theory is confirmed on October 20, 2021, as PB announced the release date would be October 27.
 * Open Heart faces: Many players theorize that the book will reuse male faces from the Open Heart series. This is confirmed as the book reuses three male OH faces.
 * Angel's parents: Some players believe Angel's parents will eat one of the crew members if they are taken to Olympus. This is confirmed in Chapter 14, as they will kill Mack if they are brought back to Olympus.
 * Fate of Your Sister: Some players believe that due to Your Sister being bitten by zombies, Shannon Fox's comments that the workers in her lab turned into zombies after being bitten, and the fact that her death was not shown on-screen, we may have to fight her as a zombie later in the series. This is confirmed in Chapter 16, when it is revealed that she has been resurrected as a Zombie Queen.
 * Dirk will betray you: Some find Dirk's cynicism despite your colony's successes off-putting and believe that he may betray you to Blackstock in order to save his own skin. This is strengthened as the summary for Chapter 18 mentions an unexpected betrayal. This was also partially confirmed in Chapter 17, when Dirk organizes a coup d'etat in attempt to overthrow you and install someone else as leader. This is further confirmed in Chapter 18, when he double-crosses you with Blackstock.
 * Trent will be a threat: According to one of the lead writers, Trent had no intention of letting the main group and the Tower guards survive the Trial by Combat. This leads to the theory that he will pose a threat later on if he was spared. This is confirmed in Chapter 18 where it is revealed that if you spared Trent, he sides with Blackstock and Dirk to attempt to overthrow you.

Debunked Theories

 * General release date: It is believed that the general release will be set for December 22, thus coinciding with the VIP release for Crimes of Passion. This is debunked on December 15, 2021, as PB revealed the book will be released to all players on December 29 via a response on Instagram.
 * MC's age: In Chapter 12, Sledge mentions that those who wish to join the Raiders must pass the trial before they turn 20, which means every Raider joined the gang as a teenager. This leads players to believe the MC is 18 years old, which is a reasonable age to start going on missions. This is debunked by an earlier behind-the-scenes tweet by one of the writers, stating MC has lived at The Tower for twenty years. Even if that is an approximation, MC was not born in The Tower and came to The Tower with his/her sister at a young age. This would make MC's age in the 20s.
 * Sequel: Given that the first book largely revolves around establishing your new colony and preparing for the upcoming zombie surge, it is believed that a second book could put more focus on the conflict between you and Marcus Blackstock. This is now less likely as of Chapter 18, when Your Character kills Blackstock in self-defense. However, it does say in a diamond scene in the same chapter that you will not have another chance in this book to spend the night with one of your love interests, hinting at a potential second book. PB debunked this on April 11, 2022 when they revealed that WtD is a standalone book.