Gone

I had high hopes for this one. I absolutely loved the concept and the way the book started off. But, as it progressed, I found it was dragging at times and I found I wasn't connecting with the characters as I was hoping I would. There were moments that were great, but too many that fell flat, I'm afraid. It was okay.

While I was afraid this book might read a little young for me with the characters all being under 15, that wasn't the case at all. I found them darkly compelling and adult in a terrifying world. LORD OF THE FLIES indeed. I'm eager to read the rest of this series.

The premise--everyone age 15 and older suddenly disappearing and a strange "bubble" surrounding this small coastal town--is fascinating. I love that the main character, a 14 year old boy, SOUNDS like a 14 year old boy. Tension quickly rises as the best and the worst inside the remaining kids rises to the surface. The mystery regarding the disappearance is solid, the danger the kids face both from dwindling supplies and from the bullies among them, is real. And there's a hint that something malevolent lurks under the ground with its sights set on destroying all the survivors.


I found this book to be thrilling, unique, and intense. It's kind of like a modern day Lord of the Flies, and the violence level is similar. Not for younger or squeamish readers, but definitely a book I would recommend for readers who love adventure, thrillers, and post-apocalyptic survival stories. My teen boys loved it.

Reader reviewed by Grace Soledad

If I had one word to describe this book, itd be intense. Everything about this book is intense. I dont usually read sci-fi type books, but this was absolutely incredible. While this isnt the book that you want to read if you want a calm book based mostly on the characters, it blew my mind.

Sam is interesting, to say the least. I found myself curious as to where his character was headed. I liked how although it showed him calm in the face of trouble, he did get scared; he just didnt let anybody see him like that. He didnt try to take charge, but it somehow gravitated toward him until Caine arrived. He kind of reminded me of that quote,

Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.

Astrid annoyed me. Quinn was likeable and confused. People will easily relate to him. Caine was slightly malicious, but you can understand why. I liked how all the secondary characters played a role in the book. It mainly focuses on Sam, but you get to see how the FAYZ affects lots of people individually. Occasionally, Michael Grant will feature a chapter on somebody else so that later in the story, you see how they play a role and adapt to their new world.

Although, like I said, this book doesnt really focus on the characters. First, comes the surprise and denial of all the kids, wondering where their parents went. They are scared and alone, and it seems very realistically written. First, kids think its great and they can do whatever they want. Then, they realize how much they rely on their parents and the adults who support and care for them.

Oh my gosh, the action in this book was sublime! It was unbelievable! My heart was racing throughout the entire last half of the book. There were betrayals, supernatural powers, chases, bullies. The last half was a roller coaster: once I thought that everything was over, the intensity built up again. I swear, it has a ton of action. Adrenaline pulsed through me when I read this and the writing was so bloody brilliant that I thought I was in the scene with the characters!

Anybody who wants an action-packed pageturner, pick up this book. And the great thing about this book is that it isnt even gender-specific. Whether you are a girl or a guy, an adult or a teen, you will love it.

Recommended for anybody who loves: The Hunger Games; The Lord of the Flies; The Maze Runner; action-packed books; books that focus on a range of characters; science fiction; supernatural powers; etc,

Possible book club questions:
When Sam gets some food from the store, he leaves money on the counter, while everyone else just steals. What do you think this shows about his character?
Why do you think the cut-off age is fifteen? Do you think that the FAYZ considers that too mature?
What role do you think that L.P. will play later in the books?
Why do you think Mary automatically steps up to take care of the children?
What would you have done if you were in Quinns position?
Do you think Caine was right to do the things he did?

Reader reviewed by darklightkid

It's a pretty ordinary day in Perdido Beach, California...until the moment when every single adult and older teenager (read: over 15 years old) disappears for no apparent reason. At the same time, a strange impenetrable force field cuts off the town and the surrounding wilderness from the outside world.

In the town, several of the kids left behind wonder what happened - but there's not much time to wonder for Sam Temple, who has only about 10 days until his fifteenth birthday, on which day he will very likely disappear like all the other older kids. Kids also start developing unusual supernatural powers. Sam's power is the ability to fire deadly beams of green fire from his hands. Other kids, mostly at Coates Academy in the hills (a place where all the rich and/or troubled kids go) develop even stranger powers, like super speed and the ability to read other people's power levels. The worst of them all is Caine, who has some majorly evil telekinesis abilities.

The weirdest part is, Caine and Sam turn out to be fraternal twin brothers. Both are heading towards their fifteenth birthdays. So what happens next?

The best feature of the novel is that, at the start of each chapter, the reader is given a time countdown to the story's climax (Caine and Sam's fifteenth birthday.) The novel also exists for its high action and relatable teen characters. Its only problem is overlength. At over 500 pages, it feels like the story takes forever. And I also admit that when I first heard that Grant was planning to write a six-book series, I was scared that the sequels would turn out to be more filler than anything else. So far, this isn't really the case for either Hunger (2009) or Lies (2010). Hopefully the remaining books will be just as entertaining as this one (or even better).

Reader reviewed by phoenix05

I loved this series.  After reading the Hunger Games, I was on the search for something similar, yet different, and happened upon the Gone series.  Gone is one of those books that you just won't be able to put down if you enjoyed Hunger Games.  

Reader reviewed by jedi145

I really like this book (and the rest of the series: Hunger, Lies). It was nice to read something different. Everyone above the age of 15 disappears and the kids develop powers.  The characters are well rounded and matured though the book. The main characters start as just normal young kids and mature into leaders and survivors. The author also thought of things that would happen in a real apocalypse. The characters include leaders, bullies and lazy kids. He also explained what the kids did with the youngest kids and babies. It seemed really realistic of what would happen if kids were stranded without adults except the supernatural aspects of the story. The plot and writing are really good and have kept me reading though all 3 long book and I am eagerly waiting for the next book. 

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

I'm not sure how to review this book. I liked it, especially the
plot of everyone 15 years and older disappearing. It set the road for
intrigue. But Gone wasn't
outstanding. I really enjoyed the beginning, but after the initial shock
of the disappearance, the quality went slightly downhill from there.

Some
things weren't surprising, like *SPOILER*
Sam not disappearing when he turned
15. I was like "well, of course I knew that
wasn't going to happen. It would've been cool if the author would've
made him disappear, but then somehow fight his way back to the world of
the living. *END OF SPOILER*

Reader reviewed by sariebearie08

I have heard a lot about this series from other bloggers, and I was
eager to get me hands on a copy of gone.  Overall, I enjoyed the book.
The plot was extremely exciting and the storyline was well developed. 
The book begins with and is centered around, for the most part, Sam
Temple. Once the blink happens, it is Sam who kind of gets everyone
calmed down and safe. Sams sort of a local hero and everyone looks to
him, which he is completely uncomfortable with. I love the character of
Sam; hes humble and unsure of himself, which makes him a great hero.
From here, the story progresses quickly; which is great, especially
with a 500+ page book.



While Sam is obliviously the main character, there are a lot of
secondary characters. This posed a problem, at least for me, because at
some point in the time, the novel changes to each of their
perspectives. There is Sam, who you read most of the novel through, but
then there is also Astrid the genius, Sams friends Quinn and Edilio,
Lana, Albert, Mary, Cookie and Dahra. Then, there are the bad guys -
Caine, Diana, Howard, Orc, Computer Jack and Drake.  I am sure there
are more peppered throughout the book, but I cant remember them all.
Thats a lot of different perspectives to read through. I understand
that the author wants the reader to see the whole picture, but we are
constantly changing perspectives and when the story is intense it can
get annoying.  I found myself just wanting to stay with Sam and Astrid,
but the story kept taking me elsewhere.



Also, this book dealt with some pretty gruesome mental images. I did
not really bother me, but it is a book about children under 14. So I am
going to assume a lot of readers will be under 14 and without spoiling
too much, there are lots of dead bodies (including a baby in a garbage
bag) and lots of icky bone breaks and just overall nasty injuries. 
Just wanted to  warn everyone!



But, honestly, the perspective thing is the only gripe I have with this
book. I thought all the characters were well written, and I quickly
rallied around Sam, Astrid, Edilio and Little Petey. I was, and still
am rather skeptical about Quinn, but I think that is to be expected.
There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the book and it
certainly keeps you on your toes. I would highly recommend this book!