Sam Temple is an ordinary high school kid living in remote Perdido Beach, California, when his life is suddenly turned upside-down. In the blink of an eye, all of the adults--fifteen and up--vanish. As the youth within Perdido Beach, and the surrounding area, nicknamed the FAYZ, realize it’s free from any outside authority, all hell breaks loose, and the lives of everyone inside turn into a fight for survival. When kids begin developing superhuman abilities, things become even more dangerous, as they battle hunger, disease, an evil creature which has taken up residence in the FAYZ, each other, and themselves.
Gone was one of the fastest reads for me in years. With a Science Fiction-Fantasy Apocalypse vibe to it, it had me hooked through the entire six-part series. One of the most intriguing parts to it, is the constant shift in perspective. Though it’s mainly centered around Sam, there are at least fifteen other secondary characters the book repeatedly switches between, and it captures all of their perspectives amazingly well. Though the superpowers and magical aspects of the book are not meant to be realistic, the characters’ reactions are. All of the point-of-views, whether they’re evil or good, is examined throughout the course of the series. Michael Grant explores the different responses to a lawless reality--bonding together in the face of danger, as well as the every man for himself mentality. Despite many of the choices they make, all of the characters in Gone are understandable from their own perspective, and very well-developed in their thinking processes. I loved this book, because it gave me a new way to think about the basic human survival response, and the way it interacts with a high level of cognitive thought. The Gone series is a great Lord of the Flies type survival novel, and will make you consider the human mind in new ways.
-Samara, (Dusen)Berry Blogger and member of the River Teen Advisory Board
Check out all the books in the series:
1. Gone
2. Hunger
3. Lies
4. Plague
5. Fear
6. Light
