Back in 2008, I first started reading the Gone series, not realizing that it would still keep me hooked 5 books later. Since the last book came out just a few weeks ago, I decided to re-read the whole series, so I could better remember everything that had happened. Re-reading the books reminded me why I was hooked on the series in the first place.
Gone begins with everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappearing. At first, all of the kids are glad the adults are gone. But then strange things start to happen. Kids start to develop powers, weird creatures begin to appear, and worst of all, they all seemed to be trapped in a giant dome, something the kids name the FAYZ. The series follows, with Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear, and finally Light. Each novel presents a different difficulty for the kids, a new challenge that they have to overcome. Will they all make it out of the FAYZ? That is up to them.
At first, this series is quite unassuming. It just seems like a young adult superhero story. But I think Michael Grant makes it much more than that. As each novel progresses, things get darker and darker, and Grant creates twists that the reader never sees coming. Every time you think you know what’s going to happen next, something completely different happens. That is what kept me hooked in the series. That, and I wanted to know what created the FAYZ. Grant also did a decent job at including a diverse audience within the series. There were representations from almost every race, gender, and sexual orientation. Any young adults could easily find a representation of themselves within the novel.
The one thing I think threw me off about the novel was the age of the children, which I think was the point. Often, while you’re reading, you will forget that all of these people doing these horrible acts of violence, these things that any “rational” human being would do, are all being done by kids who are fourteen or under. This might be me over-analyzing the novel, but I thought of this as Grant possibly making a comment on childhood, either that we grow up too quickly now, or that anyone in a situation like that (life or death) is forced to grow up more quickly than we think is acceptable. It is an interesting perspective to look at the series as a whole.
Overall, if you’re looking for an exciting, action packed summer read, I would definitely give this a try. The action is basically non-stop, and you won’t be disappointed. Until next time, happy reading! 🙂