Gone [Paperback]

 

 

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SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT OWN RISK!!

Michael Grant, co-author of Animorphs and Everworld, has combined and revisited several elements from various stories and created a unique and exciting new universe with his newest book series, 'GONE'. Imagine the kids from the 'Lord of the Flies' set in a dome like town, like from the comic book series 'Girls', in a modern day where cell phones or the internet are no longer available, where there is no direct contact from the outside world, right along with no adult supervision what so ever. Now, with a limited supply of food and no moral code or authority to follow by, hype them up on the Mutant X-Gene and leave them on their own. Pretty scary stuff, right?

Gone is, simply put, an insane book. Surprisingly gruesome, flying from one twist to the next. I have to admit that I did see about half of the twists coming while reading through, but that's simply because I read a lot and there is hardly ever anything that truly surprises me anymore. Gone, however, still does not disappoint, and likely won't for anyone who reads it. There are some very sick (adjective, not slang) crazy moments in here, but that just makes the book all the more better.

I like that there is no sugar coating, just the plain reality of the situation, everything from the dumping of dead baby bodies to the sawing off of someone's arm to save their life. Nothing is sacred once everyone is GONE, and every topic seems like fair game once this book starts to build momentum. It's what sets it apart as one of the more successful YA books out right now, in my opinion. The entire thing is so epic and oozing of awesome that it's hard not to imagine a movie adaptation not too far behind.

A definite recommend read and buy from me. I can't wait for the sequel. A+

- Caine (being all condescending): "So, your father disappears and you don't even want to know why? Interesting. Me, I've always wanted to know who my real parents were."
- Sam: "Let me guess: you're secretly a wizard who was raised by muggles."

Every now and then I get blindsided. I really had no expectations for GONE when I first picked it up, and certainly I didn't expect to become so caught up in the book. GONE is Michael Grant's first entry in his new YA series, and it just might be the juice I've been looking for to accomodate what I like to call my "Harry Potter fix." If you're like me, then GONE just may also be your huckleberry. 558 pages of this thing, and I tore thru it in a day and a night.

It only takes a moment to shatter a world, change it irrevocably and forever. One day, all the adults and kids older than 14 simply vanished, leaving the younger children stranded in the suddenly desolate tiny town of Perdido Beach, California. Then a shimmering, impenetrable wall is discovered, a wall which spans all the way around Perdido Beach, and up and below, in effect sealing off the town and its outskirts from the rest of the world (if they're even still in their own world).

No grown-ups. No doctors, no firefighters, policemen, or teachers. No parents. Left to fend for themselves, several of the children try to make do. But it's hard to do the right thing when you're ill equipped to handle adult responsibilities and the bullies are swaggering. But then even the local thugs are forced to fall in line when the students of the creepy Coates Academy come to town. The Coates retinue is led by the charismatic teenager Caine, who promptly takes control of the Perdido Beach community, to the relief of many. However, relief turns to apprehension when it dawns on everyone that there's something a shade off and ugly with Caine. And, for sure, there's something wrong with his sadistic enforcer, Drake.

Things have gotten even more weird. The laws of physics and evolution are being tossed aside. Not only are people popping out of existence once they turn 15, but animals are rapidly mutating. In fact, several of the kids are manifesting frightening, freakish abilities. And something strange and malevolent is lurking in the wilderness. The children of Perdido Beach tend to look to Sam Temple, a level-headed fourteen-year-old. But Sam is as scared as the rest of them and doesn't want the burden of leadership. Because Sam has a secret. He thinks he may be the cause of all this...

And, even more worrisome, he's only days away from turning 15.

GONE is an apocalyptic thriller, and it is an irresistable read. The kids will snap this up. Heck, the adults will snap this up. There are echoes here of THE STAND, LORD OF THE FLIES, the X-Men, and even of young Billy Mumy from that chilling Twilight Zone episode. But GONE comes with its own fully fleshed out story, and it sets a driving pace. Plenty of blistering action sequences and sci-fi twists and turns. Author Michael Grant stabilizes things with his deft handling of the characters. The main protagonists are Sam (a.k.a. School Bus Sam, and very appealing as the reluctant hero) and Ingrid (the Genius), whose care and concern she shows for her friends and especially for her 4-year-old autistic brother balance out her intimidating brains and sometimes cold demeanor. But then we also bond with the supporting cast, as we get to know them. I ended up really liking the teens who respectively took charge of the daycare, the doctor's office, and the local McDonald's. Quinn is Sam's best friend and his personal arc is notable for its strong and unflinching character development. Quinn comes up with choices that may be unpopular but, I think, more realistic than we'd prefer. Quinn ends up jeopardizing his relationship with Sam, and, as the book went on, I did wonder if their friendship would be salvageable. My final word on Grant's fine developing of his cast is that, you know, even some the bullies end up shaking off their cliches.

Michael Grant also doesn't neglect to explore the fallout of a world suddenly without adults (and, yes, there are some pretty disturbing, tragic consequences). From dwindling food supplies to medical care to housing and on to other civic responsibilities, etc. Caine may be deranged, but he sure can organize (Sam ends up being the Fire Dept. chief). Narrated mostly from Sam's point of view, GONE still has enough chapters told by various other people that we do get a more rounded perspective of the story. Key chunks of the novel deal with the reveal of several sci-fi and fantasy elements. One particular entity bodes well to be the Big Bad of the series. And you just know the local nuclear power plant will be heard from again. Same thing with the sinister Coates Academy.

GONE does give up some answers (we do learn, for example, what happens to Sam on his 15th birthday and what caused the adults to go poof!). And we sense from the start that Sam and Caine are heading for a big showdown. But, really, the book ends with more truths undivulged, things left unresolved, and the readers clamouring for more. All part of Michael Grant's evil plan, I'm sure, as this is only the first installment for what promises to be an enthralling series.

The hook boils down to this: kids are alone and under attack. Michael Grant builds on that premise and comes up with a very suspenseful read. Partly a morality play and partly a young romance and mostly a hectic otherworldy thriller, this one offers up freakish-powered children jostling for supremacy and ordinary folks stepping up to the plate. GONE is just creepy enough that you tend to take it a tad more seriously than the other YA sci-fi/fantasy stuff out there. As an apocalyptic thriller, this one gets it right. Sequel, please.

This is my first exposure to Michael Grant's writing, and he totally blew me away. Maybe it was because I am partial to the sci-fi/fantasy genre, but truthfully I don't think that had anything to do with it. This story was just.... WOW!

Imagine sitting in class one day, maybe you are paying attention to your teacher, maybe you are daydreaming about surfing, then all of a sudden your teacher disappears. What would you do?

It just so happens that this very scenario happens to Sam Temple in his history class. It turns out his teacher isn't the only one missing; everyone over the age of thirteen is missing. Not just missing but disappeared. No cell phones, no television, no Internet. Poof, gone!

Sam has been in a horrific experience like this before. Well, maybe not exactly like this. Sam had saved a bunch of kids on a school bus after the driver had a heart attack, good ole' School Bus Sam. Sam was a natural leader, but he didn't feel like it. Now everyone is looking up to him for answers, but all Sam feels is guilt. Guilt because there is a possibility that this was his fault. Sam has this little problem -- he can shoot beams of light and burn people's hands off. Literally. But I guess things like that happen when you live in Fallout Alley.

Thankfully, Sam isn't alone. He has his best friend and surfer brah, Quinn; the genius, Astrid, who Sam has secret feelings for; and the faithful and dependable Edilio.

Of course, in any untamed civilization, there is always a power struggle, those who have it and those who want to take it away. It turns out that Sam isn't the only one who has "powers." When the kids from the private school, Coates Academy, show up, Sam and Astrid realize there is something more going on. It also doesn't help that the kids from Coates and the kids from Perdido don't exactly get along.

Caine from Coates Academy comes in, dazzles everyone with his charm, and takes control of the FAYZ, a.k.a. Fallout Alley Youth Zone. Caine has his own secrets. He has powers of his own. And if he thinks your powers might be a threat to him, he takes care of you one way or another. But when Caine's sinister sidekick, Drake, allows a girl to be beaten to death with a baseball bat for doing a "magic trick," things go from bad to worse.

Caine knows that everyone looks up to Sam as a leader; so begins the battle of good vs. evil. Besides, Caine has his own hidden agenda toward Sam. Oh! And did I mention that when you turn fourteen, you poof, too? So not only does Sam have to save this new world, but he will also be fourteen in a week or so. No worries, though. Yeah, right!

There are so many twists and turns in the plot of GONE that you won't be able to put this book down until it's, well, gone. But don't fret, this is only the beginning of a six-part series. The characters are well-developed. I love when you feel like you really connect with characters, and this was one of those experiences. You not only get to experience Sam's part of the story but the views of many other characters. There is action, suspense, romance, science fiction, and fantasy all rolled into one.

GONE is a spectacular beginning to what I can only hope will be a thrilling series! Amazing!!!

Reviewed by: The Story Siren

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5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Grant's Gone (and told a good story)
"Gone" surpassed my expectations (which had built during the two years I thought about reading it and recommending it to everyone else) with good good guys, good villains, and... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Chris

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a must read
The sheer size of this book at first may seem daunting. However the story istelf is so well written and so interesting, you don't realize how far into the novel you got until you... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Karoline

4.0 out of 5 stars Liked the concept
This is a great book once you get past the inference of what is happening to the small children and babies in the book- the ones no one checked on until is was too late... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Mama S

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Pros: good pacing, lots of action and plot twists, interesting and realistic (if sometimes infuriating) characters

Cons: I wanted the kids to do the smart thing -... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Jessica Strider

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss the chance to read this book!
I don't think I could have enjoyed this book more. Honestly and truly, it was a fantastic book, much more so than I originally had anticipated. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Ria Bridges

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book... great supplier
My 12 year old son and I both enjoyed this book so much we bought the sequel 'Hunger' which my 12 year old read in just a few days because it was really good as well.

Published on May 13 2010 by Lil

5.0 out of 5 stars A review WITHOUT spoilers.
After reading the first pages, I was determined to find out more about this new world called the FAYZ. This book really leaves you hanging off your seat. Read more

Published on July 9 2009 by Elexa

5.0 out of 5 stars This book certainly is not gone from the radar
Gone is an amazing book. When I first picked it up I thought it was going to be great. But as I got further into the book my hope for it started to dwindle. Read more

Published on Dec 17 2008 by Sheila Jay

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