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Crucifix Soldier
Reznik is a cruel drill sergeant who oversees the training of Ben, Sammy, Ringer, and several other recruits. Although Ben grudgingly respects Reznik at first, he comes to see how Reznik is a monster, culminating in the moment when Ben and Ringer realize Reznik has been sniping them from a rooftop. Killing Reznik is the point of no return for Ben and Ringer, who then have to go on the run, rebelling against their former commanders.
Reznik Quotes in The 5th Wave
The The 5th Wave quotes below are all either spoken by Reznik or refer to Reznik. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 42 Quotes
Zombie was born on the morning I left the convalescent ward. Traded in my flimsy gown for a blue jumpsuit. Assigned a bunk in Barracks 10. Whipped back into shape by three squares a day and brutal physical training, but most of all by Reznik, the regiment’s senior drill instructor, the man who smashed Ben Parish into a million pieces, then reconstructed him into the merciless zombie killing machine that he is today.
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Chapter 50 Quotes
“It’s about connection,” she says. She motions for me to sit down. She sits in front of me, takes my hands.
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Chapter 79 Quotes
You’re soft. You should have killed him. You can’t rely on luck and wishful thinking. The future of humanity belongs to the hardcore.
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Chapter 87 Quotes
That’s the flaw in Vosch’s master plan: If you don’t kill all of us all at once, those who remain will not be the weak.
It’s the strong who remain, the bent but unbroken, like the iron rods that used to give this concrete its strength.
Floods, fires, earthquakes, disease, starvation, betrayal, isolation, murder.
What doesn’t kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us.
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Chapter 90 Quotes
And then, instead of jumping onto the Humvee like a normal person, Ben Parish turns and races back for me.
I wave him back. No time, no time, no time no time no time no time.
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Reznik Character Timeline in The 5th Wave
The timeline below shows where the character Reznik appears in The 5th Wave. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 42
...new identity more because Zombie is “hardcore.” He trains with a cruel drill sergeant named Reznick, whom he hates, but Zombie feels that the training makes him strong. One day during...
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Chapter 43
...One day a new kid who is even younger, looking about five, joins the squad. Reznick calls him Nugget, and he has eyes like a teddy bear. When Reznick starts insulting...
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Chapter 45
The next morning, Zombie goes to Reznik with a request to exempt Nugget from the morning’s duties. Reznik refuses. At breakfast, Zombie...
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Chapter 51
Later, Reznik pulls Zombie aside and takes him to an authorized personnel area, where Vosch is waiting...
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Chapter 52
After Ben leaves Vosch’s office, Reznik congratulates him by name. Vosch gives a speech at graduation, but Ben is too distracted...
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Chapter 61
...down. The sniper cries out “Maggots,” and with a shock, Ben recognizes the voice as Reznik.
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A wounded Reznik gets up, while Ben and Ringer are still too stunned to react. But when it...
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Chapter 62
Flintstone doesn’t want to believe that Reznik was sniping at them and that Camp Haven might be run by aliens. Ben shows...
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Chapter 64
...tells a version of the truth: that Ringer shot him. Ben claims he was defending Reznik’s role in the mission, and that’s why Ringer turned on him. In fact, his whole...
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...is leaving out part of the story. He shows Ben a device like the one Reznik had and asks if Ben wondered why Reznik had a device with a kill switch....
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