Gone (Gone, #1)

Jul 26, 2012 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Ace

Shelves: borrowed, ya, sci-fi, dystopian, populist

Highly enjoyable. Hooks you at the very start. I drive through the traffic everyday: about an hour in the morning and definitely more than an hour at nighttime. So, while reading the first few pages of the book, I said, wow this should happen here in Manila. Imagine all adults to disappear altogether without a trace at one time and all adolescents will follow once they turn fifteen. Obviously, this is okay as long as I and my loved ones are exempted hehe.

This is a YA book and so the characters a...more Highly enjoyable. Hooks you at the very start. I drive through the traffic everyday: about an hour in the morning and definitely more than an hour at nighttime. So, while reading the first few pages of the book, I said, wow this should happen here in Manila. Imagine all adults to disappear altogether without a trace at one time and all adolescents will follow once they turn fifteen. Obviously, this is okay as long as I and my loved ones are exempted hehe.

This is a YA book and so the characters are all young adults. Sam has a friend, Quinn and a love interest, Astrid. Together, they find the possible reason for the disappearance of the people and they meet all interesting characters and go through a lot of twists and turns (just like the everyday Manila traffic) to get into the bottom of this phenomenon including its possible solution.

The storytelling is straightforward and Grant's imagination is so fertile I thought I would write a letter to our President Noynoy and recommend him to solve the congestion of vehicles during rush and even not too rush hours. Why not? If a YA author like Grant can think of all the interesting characters and situations in the book, maybe his creativity can be put to better use not only for readers but for the whole country or even the whole world. World peace, anyone?

My only complaint about this book is attributable to myself. Why oh why did a 48-year old man like me find this more enjoyable if not better read than Kazuo Ishiguro's surreal The Unconsoled? I really don't know. It is more readable, more gripping, made my heart beat faster and it does not make me sleepy every time I am holding it. Oh maybe, I don't read too many YA books so having it once in a while feels liberating. Or maybe I am having a midlife crisis so I find this kind of plot not revolting but definitely worth my reading time?

I will definitely borrow the next 4 books and read them in between the literary classics. Maybe that would be my strategy to finish the 1001 books before I die.

Thank you, Ace Jose. I hope you stop growing so you keep on buying and reading YA books and then pass them on to me. I hope that, despite our huge age difference, we will be friends forever.(less)

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Mar 29, 2012 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: no-me-gusta, kill-it-with-fire, wtf, gave-up-on-series, dystopia, young-adult, sci-fi

Well, I'm trying to write reviews more often. But I don't have anything to review today, so this will be one of my days where I revisit one of my old reviews and try to like ... write it in proper English. Since, a few years ago, I wasn't very good at doing that.

So, obviously, I didn't care for this book. I remember seeing it around in book stores a lot, and thinking it looked kinda cool and mysterious. And it sounded like an interesting premise––the adults just disappearing and whatnot. You kno...more Well, I'm trying to write reviews more often. But I don't have anything to review today, so this will be one of my days where I revisit one of my old reviews and try to like ... write it in proper English. Since, a few years ago, I wasn't very good at doing that.

So, obviously, I didn't care for this book. I remember seeing it around in book stores a lot, and thinking it looked kinda cool and mysterious. And it sounded like an interesting premise––the adults just disappearing and whatnot. You know, that whole plot line where there are no adults and only kids, and then Lord-of-the-Flies-esque violence ensues. (Still pretty cool, even if it's a cliché.) Also I heard a lot of good things about it, so I decided to give it a try.

Pretty much right away, I had a feeling this book was just not going to do it for me. The first thing I had issues with was the writing style. There were a lot of fragmented sentences with not much purpose, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. It was also just very "telling" rather than showing, which is another thing I always find problematic.

Another issue was all the characters there were to keep track of. Having a few main characters is all right, so long as they're all thoroughly developed and interesting. In this book, I felt like there were too many people and that they weren't distinct enough. At first there were several different story lines, and it was confusing as to how they were related to each other besides the fact that they took place in the same world.

Furthermore, I felt like the author took too much plot into his hands. He added too many plot twists and characters into the mix, until it was a bit too chaotic. There were the adults disappearing, people getting superpowers, talking animals, people growing tentacles out of their dismembered limbs... I remember describing this book to my friend and she was like, "Um ... this book sounds unhealthy."

In the end, the only thing that kept me reading was a mild curiosity to find out if the plot would go anywhere or if anything would be explained. Instead, it dragged out for too long and nothing was resolved at the end. At the time I read it, I didn't know there were going to be six whole books. And, well, this book didn't leave me feeling patient enough to sit through five more volumes just to get some answers. I didn't feel like it was worth it, so I gave up after this one.

A BRIEF UPDATE:: Due to all the similar comments I'm receiving on this review, allow me to make one thing clear. I AM NOT GOING TO READ THE REST OF THE BOOKS. If that makes you upset, sorry. But I'm not. I have a shit-ton of books I want to read/finish and the remainder of this series is just not on my list of priorities.

Yes, I know not everything is going to be solved in the first book. But at least some loose ends should be tied up so that each individual book is still satisfying as a standalone. At the end of this book, I just felt like the author had thrown in a bunch of strange plot twists and left the reader with too many questions. Sure, suspense is a good thing to a certain extent, but not when it's overbearing in comparison to the telling of the actual story. Look, I love series––but I love series where each book is its own story while also being a part of a bigger picture. Whereas, I felt like this was just a snippet of an unnecessarily long story without having its own unique story within it. Maybe you like that kind of story, but I don't. All righty?

And it's more than that. Even if it did feel like a complete, satisfying story, I just didn't like anything else about the book. I didn't like the style, I didn't like the characters. Those are things that won't change in the next books. I'm sure more questions are answered in the later books. I know how series work, I'm not a moron. I simply don't feel compelled to read the rest of the series because, well, frankly ...

You're entitled to your opinion. If you love this book, and this series, good for you. I personally disliked almost everything about this book and that is a solid reason not to continue with the series, especially when I have so much else to read. So, please. Stop telling me to read the rest of the books. I'm not going to. I agree to disagree with anyone who likes this book, and if you can't do the same for me ... well, you're just being immature. (less)

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Jan 02, 2011 Janina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, dystopian-apocalyptic, given-away, sci-fi, not-for-me, alternating-pov, series-lost-interest

I put this book aside about two weeks ago, saying I would definitely go back and finish it as I only had about 100 pages left. But it doesn’t look like it now. I’m simply not in the mood to pick it up again. And as I’m not planning on spending money on the next instalments of the series, I will probably never read them anyway, so why continue here?

I really don’t know why Gone wasn’t able to intrigue me. It is a clever and absolutely thought-provoking story that definitely got me thinking. How wo...more I put this book aside about two weeks ago, saying I would definitely go back and finish it as I only had about 100 pages left. But it doesn’t look like it now. I’m simply not in the mood to pick it up again. And as I’m not planning on spending money on the next instalments of the series, I will probably never read them anyway, so why continue here?

I really don’t know why Gone wasn’t able to intrigue me. It is a clever and absolutely thought-provoking story that definitely got me thinking. How would I react if people suddenly started to disappear? What would I do to help keep things working? Would I freak out? Would I become as cold-blooded as some of those barely 14-year-old kids? It’s hard to imagine. I would definitely start feeling claustrophobic.
But it also made me wonder: Can those kids be for real? I mean, I have of course never been in a similar situation, but it’s hard to believe it can transform you into a heartless killer in a matter of days. Even if you’ve always been a bully. Killing and torturing people is still on a completely different level.

That being said, I think one thing that I didn’t like was the constant action in this book. I know this is how the book is supposed to be like and I totally knew what I was getting myself into and even looked forward to it. But somehow, in this novel, it just didn’t work for me. Don’t ask me why.
You just never get one peaceful moment. One awful thing happens after the next. We get Caine the dictator and his little crazy friend (I’ve forgotten his name already. Duh.) who want to rule the FAYZ and don’t care at all who lives or dies as long as they stay in power. But hey, that’s not enough. No, throw in some weird talking animals and that creature in the cave. And I know things will probably only get worse in future instalments. I’m certainly not a faint-at-heart when it comes to books (don’t make me watch a horror movie, though), but this was simply … exhausting. And it had the opposite effect on me than it should have had. It made me not care.

The language and dialogue were kept simple, but I thought that fitted the story in some way. I liked Sam’s voice and his personality. Same goes for Astrid, although their love story felt a bit strange to me and developed so fast. But, then again, under their circumstances everything’s a bit different ...

All in all, this book just wasn’t for me. But it might be for you, so don’t refrain from giving it a try. I can totally see people loving this series.
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Sep 09, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of supernatural fiction

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dystopian, uf-summer-challenge, owned-copy, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, alternate-dimension-or-world, apocalyptic-postapocalyptic-dystopi, supernatural-abilities, superhuman, hero-to-die-for, nerd-prof-scientist-genius-geek, sweet-romance, reluctant-or-unlikely-hero, social-dynamics

I read this book out of curiosity, with no preconceived notions. Merely because I was curious what kids would do in a world with no adults. I admit I was blown away.

Mr. Grant told me a story that I couldn't put down. From the beginning, my mind was full of questions about how this happened, how the kids would survive, what could prevent the same thing from happening again....So many questions.

Sam is the kind of boy you want to have around when the world goes crazy. He's definitely the reluctant...more I read this book out of curiosity, with no preconceived notions. Merely because I was curious what kids would do in a world with no adults. I admit I was blown away.

Mr. Grant told me a story that I couldn't put down. From the beginning, my mind was full of questions about how this happened, how the kids would survive, what could prevent the same thing from happening again....So many questions.

Sam is the kind of boy you want to have around when the world goes crazy. He's definitely the reluctant hero type, but usually they come through for you like no other. Because they do what needs to be done, simply because it needs to happen. Not for glory, not for recognition. Sam doesn't want to be 'the guy', but he knows that no one else is going to do it. And when Caine and his posse come down from Coates Academy, taking over and making things mostly worse, someone has to step up to the plate to stop him.

This book is intense, violent, and sometimes sad. Some of these kids die. A lot of them get hurt pretty bad. I'm not a mother yet, but I love kids, and I hate to see them suffering. It was a bit painful to watch. Even harder was seeing the cruelty and potential for evil that some of these children showed. Drake, who is basically Caine's bully boy, is a psychopath. He loves hurting people, and he feels no remorse about doing it. In my mind, I was weighing the options, even thinking that they needed to kill him, because he was like a rabid animal, bent on destruction. I felt horrible doing that, but he's a loose cannon, and he's only going to get worse. I don't think saving this boy is an option.

One of the take home messages of this book is the consequences of a social structure that is pretty familiar to most of us. The dynamic that we see in a group of kids where there are bullies who find the 'weakest' people and torment then, doing everything they can to make life miserable for those kids. And this causes a lot of fallout, because people forget ethics and what's morally right so that they can have peace from the bullies. In essence, they become part of the problem, contributing to a micro-society in which children get hurt because everyone is afraid to speak up and stand up against the bullies and the ones who are 'running things' for their own twisted, self-absorbed reasons. It made me shudder to see what these children did to each other, because they thought it was the easiest option to keep control of things. I'll be honest. I was bullied and picked on big time. It made me hate seeing the so-called 'weak' or 'different' people get targeted and treated that way. I'm no fighter, but I made a promise that I'd stand up for someone who couldn't do that for his or herself. I was glad that the kids like Sam and Edilio (what a sweetheart) were more than willing to do that.

I had some issues with the decisions that were made by the kids. They had no real sanitation rules. They didn't use their resources effectively. They had very poor nutrition, unnecessarily, because there was a supermarket full of healthy things like fruits and vegetables, proteins, grains. They ate mostly junk like candy, ice cream, soda pop, you name it. I guess I was looking at things through 'grown-up' eyes, which did cause me some discomfort. I was glad that they did organize care for the babies and kids too young to watch out for themselves, because Mary and her brother took on that job. I was also glad that Dahra worked as the medical provider. Albert took over the McDonalds and provided food for the community. Even so, I see some problems ahead, unless the kids set up a civic structural system in which every person is accountable (over-thinking this, I know!).

I loved the relationship between Astrid and Sam. They had an innocent love but also a strong friendship and support system in which they watched out for each other and did what they could to help everyone through this situation. Astrid was the brain, very smart, but also very kind. She had to take care of her younger brother, who was autistic, and extremely gifted with powers. I'll get to the powers part later. Give me a minute. Not an easy task for a young girl, but she did it. I was rooting for things to work out for these two!

Another character who turned out to be a favorite was Lana. Lana is in a very bad position when the 'event' happens--the one in which all the people over fourteen disappear. She ends up getting horribly injured and is about to die, when her power to heal manifests. Oh, I was on the edge of my seat, seeing her stranded, wounded very badly, with only her dog to protect her from the wild animals in the desert. I was so glad that she was able to get out of that situation. Of course, she ends up in a worse situation that ties in with the kids in town, and in a big way, as this book culminates. It might seem like a deus ex-machina to have a character who can heal even the most grievous wounds, but I was glad that she did have the power. These kids have a lot stacked up against them already. They need all the advantages they can get.

Now, lets talk about the power. Some of the kids, Sam included, have supernatural abilities that start manifesting. I thought this part was very cool. How Caine approaches this, with his evil little posse' made my hair stand on end. I can't even conceive of children being as cruel as that lot were. The powers end up playing a pivotal role in this story, and I am sure that this will continue to be a very strong element in the forthcoming books. I liked the "X-Men" sort of element it brought to the story, and how kids that were often bullied and felt useless, got to play important roles in the fight against Caine and his Posse' of Evil.

I wanted to give the author a nod of thanks for making the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) a multicultural environment, with children of all races. Everyone is important, and it was nice to see that there was a rainbow represented here. That speaks highly to me!

If you're an adult and you don't think you could enjoy young adult books, this is one I'd recommend. If you're like me, you will be riveted to this exciting story. It has a lot to offer as far as entertainment, but also stimulates the brain, as you are confronted with this bad situation that this young kids have to face. I cannot stop reading these books. I'm way too invested now!(less)

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Jun 03, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: too-painful-to-finish, the-great-shelf-of-meh, kat-s-book-reviews

I suppose I should provide some kind of explanation as to why I didn't finish reading this book.

It's not because the concept was stupid - actually the concept was quite interesting and would make for a fantastic philosophical discussion.
It's not because it was poorly written - actually it was written quite well with a great plot and interesting world building and action packed scenes.
It's not because the characters were horrible or annoying - Actually, Sam is really likable if not frustrating, A...more

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view all 30 comments

Temi Abimbola Soo true, I felt the same way, the first few pages of the book I was wondering "why aren't they worried instantly about the babies and toddlers!" sinc...more
Mar 28, 2013 02:57am

D Carr I'm laughing righr now!

I appreciated your explanation of yoyr review even more than your review. I also found the other comments to be of value and w...more
20 hours, 50 min ago

Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 it 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 histor...more 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 it 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 on missing, it turns out that anyone 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 in 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. Everyone was looking up to him for answers, but all Sam felt was guilt. Guilt because there was a possibility that this was his fault. Sam has this little problem, he can shoot beams of light out of his hands 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 is 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 that 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 Coats 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 starts 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 his new world, he will be fourteen in a week or so. No worries though. Yeah right!

There are so many twists and turns in the plot 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, and fantasy all rolled into one. Gone is a spectacular beginning to what I can only hope will be a thrilling series! Amazing!!!
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Mar 31, 2011 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, ya-na, 2011, wtf-sexism

This was a very good book about adventure, mutants, superheroes and just the plain old story of surviving high school... only this time there are no adults to keep a check on things.

This novel tells the story of how one day in a small Californian town everyone 15 and over mysteriously disappears. But that's not all. The town becomes surrounded by a strange spherical barrier, no one gets in or out. And stranger still, the children and teenagers left behind are discovering that some of them have w...more This was a very good book about adventure, mutants, superheroes and just the plain old story of surviving high school... only this time there are no adults to keep a check on things.

This novel tells the story of how one day in a small Californian town everyone 15 and over mysteriously disappears. But that's not all. The town becomes surrounded by a strange spherical barrier, no one gets in or out. And stranger still, the children and teenagers left behind are discovering that some of them have weird mutant powers. And that snakes can fly. And coyotes can talk. In a world gone mad, power and leadership are up for the picking. In a world run by children, power belongs to the bullies, the sadists, or the mutants.

So, I'm going to explain the reason it got four instead of five stars. Well, I've spent the last few weeks reading books that are instantly gripping, they throw you right into the middle of the story and build up their characters around it... this book, however, takes time at the beginning to introduce and explore each character in a way that I feel would have been much more effective if it had been integrated throughout the novel. But it's not just that. I have some issues with the female characters.

As a woman and a feminist, I love strong females in books. But the strongest female in this book was probably Diana, the psychopath, and even she was most notably only the girlfriend of the opposition. The girls in this book are all "beautiful" or "cute" and are important only as ornaments on the arm of the leaders - all of which are male, there never seemed to be any discussion in this book as to whether the chosen leader would be female. Also, I grew increasingly annoyed by the way Sam was built up as Astrid's saviour and hero. I had higher hopes for Astrid at first, she was described as a genius and I thought she could be a great contribution to solving their predicament, but she was actually fairly useless, often needing to be rescued herself. My favourite female of the book is Lana. She survived alone in the desert without ever needing a guy's help (unless you count her lovable dog, Patrick) and she braved a truck crash, coyote attacks and more. I hope there's more strength and admirable qualities coming from her character in the second installment. Which, by the way, I am extremely looking forward to because the story is VERY good even if my rant seemed to suggest otherwise.(less)

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Jul 18, 2008 Lara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone, really.

Shelves: for-harper-collins

I hereby predict that, sometime in the next year or so, the next big Young Adult obsession will be with the book Gone, by Michael Grant, and with the subsequent books that I hope he writes quickly because I might die if I don't know the what and the why and the how and the...well, EVERYTHING. (This is apparently the first in a series of six books.)

I also predict that it will take off like the Harry Potter and the Twilight Series, with almost as many adults reading the series as kids.

For one thi

...more I hereby predict that, sometime in the next year or so, the next big Young Adult obsession will be with the book Gone, by Michael Grant, and with the subsequent books that I hope he writes quickly because I might die if I don't know the what and the why and the how and the...well, EVERYTHING. (This is apparently the first in a series of six books.)

I also predict that it will take off like the Harry Potter and the Twilight Series, with almost as many adults reading the series as kids.

For one thing, this book is creative genius. I can take a guess at some of Grant's inspirations, but I truly hope that my doing so doesn't take away from Grant's originality, because to me this book felt 100% new, and Grant is brilliant to have woven his ideas together in such a phenomenal way.

The story is this: everyone over the age of 15 disappears one day, all in the same instant. After the initial panic, a power struggle ensues (a la Lord of the Flies). But that's not all: it turns out that some of the kids have developed certain...let's say unique...skills (a la Heroes), which help and harm in their strange, adultless environment. The story surprises despite having some familiarity, and I simply couldn't put it down. I even once tucked it under my shirt and snuck it into the ladies' room at work with me so I could continue reading. Oh, and there's even some teen love in there, too, and who doesn't love young love? (No one, I tell you.)

I admit, the cover art and the summary on the book jacket are a little hokey. I can overlook the summary - after all, I thought the summaries for the Twilight series sounded ridiculous as well, so I think my distaste has more to do with my being in my thirties than anything else. That very well may be the same for the cover art, too, but I do think it will hinder the book's allure for adult readers. If you guys over at Harper Collins are reading this, you might want to consider ditching the random people on the book jacket and instead design it as it looks without the jacket on it (matte black with shiny blue title in large letters on the front). But that's just my two cents.

When it comes down to it, though, the book jacket art is pretty irrelevant. With or without it, this book kicks some serious ass. And you don't have to be a young adult to think so.

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Apr 23, 2011 Alecia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

I tried and tried to love this book, but I just couldn't connect with it. The concept was a brilliant one. It was the reason I decided to buy the book in the first place, but once I started reading it, I couldn't establish a connection with any of the characters.

I just felt as if I was an outsider and not able to grasp any of the emotions of the characters. I didn't feel as if I was part of the story. At times, I thought there was too much telling as opposed to showing. There were also many pass...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Angelc rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The kids of Perdido Beach suddenly-very suddenly-find themselves alone. Everyone over age 14 has disappeared without a trace. It's up to the kids to make their own society to keep themselves alive. Most of the kids want Sam to lead them, but he's not sure he's comfortable in the role. His new friends, Astrid and Edilio, and his best friend, Quinn, have to help convince him to take his place as the leader of their newfound society, as well as struggle to stay alive amidst chaos, bullies, and the...more The kids of Perdido Beach suddenly-very suddenly-find themselves alone. Everyone over age 14 has disappeared without a trace. It's up to the kids to make their own society to keep themselves alive. Most of the kids want Sam to lead them, but he's not sure he's comfortable in the role. His new friends, Astrid and Edilio, and his best friend, Quinn, have to help convince him to take his place as the leader of their newfound society, as well as struggle to stay alive amidst chaos, bullies, and the strange students from rival school, Coates Academy. Did I mention that Sam can shoot lightning bolts from his hands? And he's not the only one with supernatural powers.

I think this book just wasn't my style more than anything else, but I do enjoy most YA fiction so I wanted to share my honest feelings about the book. I didn't realize that the teens in this book were so young, only 14. I also didn't know there would be so much violence.

The main reason that I didn't really enjoy this book was because of the violence. There is a lot of violence in this book, the author does not gloss over any gory details. Also, there are some downright evil characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The line between good and evil is very clear cut here. The teens are either very good or very bad. In fact, there were only one or two charcters who struggled with whether or not they were on the side of good or evil. Those characters, Quinn and Orc, really stand out as the most interesting to me.

This book definitely took some cues from "Lord of the Flies", so it didn't seem like a totally new concept. Also, I really felt like I as reading James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" all over again, although I did enjoy this book more.

The writing in the book was good and I liked the fact that there were so many characters to read about. Each one was fully fleshed out. I liked the way that the characters were split up into different subplots before coming together at the end. I was most interested in Lana, left stranded in the woods with her dog, Patrick, after the 'poof.' Also, I liked Albert and the way he took over running the McDonalds to keep everyone fed. I found the main characters, Sam, Astrid, and Caine, pretty average and I didn't like reading about Mary changing diapers at the day care at all.

Mostly I was turned off by the graphic details of violence and too much detail about dirty diapers, etc. However, the writing was great and fast-paced, and I can see how someone with different tastes would enjoy the story.

Reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/

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Oct 17, 2012 Nessa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review, fiction, not-my-cup-of-earl-grey-tea

Gone by Michael Grant has to be one of the most frustrating novels I've read recently. Taking place in a dystopia where all the adults have disappeared, à la Lord of the Flies mixed in with some kids mysteriously getting superpowers sounds really good on paper. Too bad it didn't work when given 560 pieces of paper to work with.

The basic plot of Gone is about anybody above the age of 15 disappearing into thin air. Naturally, this leaves quite a few problems for the surviving children: there are b...more Gone by Michael Grant has to be one of the most frustrating novels I've read recently. Taking place in a dystopia where all the adults have disappeared, à la Lord of the Flies mixed in with some kids mysteriously getting superpowers sounds really good on paper. Too bad it didn't work when given 560 pieces of paper to work with.

The basic plot of Gone is about anybody above the age of 15 disappearing into thin air. Naturally, this leaves quite a few problems for the surviving children: there are babies who need feeding, young children who need constant reassuring, and bullies who try to pull the new society down to its knees.

Our three main characters (though this novel does occasionally switch between several other inconsequential characters) are Sam, Astrid, and Quinn. Sam is a surfer dude who everybody looks up to because he once stopped a school bus from crashing when the driver had a heart attack, Astrid is your token smart chick, and Quinn is so boring I often forgot why he was there.

Admittedly, Gone is fairly good at addressing what would happen if all the adults (and older teenagers) were to disappear off the face of the earth. Such as burgers being left on the grill in McDonald's for over 10 hours, house fires after adults left stoves on too long, and babies being in need of care. And also, bizarrely, the mass adult disappearance leads to the 3G, emergency, and web networks being completely down. Which is weird, because unless the adults had shut them down just before the disappearance, how is it possible that every single network in the town is shut off? Ah well, whatever.

This novel was actually quite boring, given the concept. There might be a lot going on (what with the kids joining factions and making life hell for others), but it was always quite boring to read. Characters did this, then that. Then there would be a few pages about an alternate character doing something as mundane as operating the town McDonald's. Yeah, kid. That's a good idea. Operate industrial machinery because some kids still want to eat goddamn cheeseburgers.

(Yes, I know they're just children who can't cook and might gravitate towards a fast food restaurant rather than try to turn on the stove at home. Admittedly, these were clever touches, but the plot takes such a long time to get its act together that it really dragged after a while. Mr. Grant, I know you're trying to cover every base when it comes to children being too immature to handle a world without adults to hold their hands every step of the way, but it got too much after a while.)

Speaking of that plot, it took quite a while to get anywhere. So all the adults in this small Californian town mysteriously disappear. The novel then meanders for a bit before slipping in superpowers, then meanders a bit more before adding in talking coyotes controlled by some mysterious, evil force of darkness, then meanders a bit more before showing us just how horrible the Coates Academy kids are - we're talking capturing kids with superpowers and encasing their hands in cement. What follows on is more meandering until one character grows a tentacle after losing his arm (what the hell?) and then the ticking clock of Sam and Caine's 15th birthdays, wherein all that happened was the villain showed up, went 'bwahaha well if you won't join me now, you'll join me eventually…' and then let them go. What the actual hell? I know this book is the first of a series, but goddamn, end your books properly. I have no interest in reading the next two books because all the first book did was lumber along and occasionally add in weird shit for over 500 pages, before concluding in the last sixty pages with an unsatisfactory payoff. No, I don't care about that kid who was getting eaten by giant worms. I barely got to know him. Grah.

This book has an interesting concept, and the writing isn't too bad. But the storytelling and lack of decent characters really got to me after a while. Everything is black and white in this world: you're either a bully or a good kid. And that's it. The characters aren't defined very well outside of one-note traits. Astrid is Smart and Good. Sam is Good and Conflicted. Caine is Smart and a Bully. Diane is Conflicted and kind of a Bully. Quinn is Boring and Good. And finally, Edilio is Good and a Hispanic Immigrant (as Quinn reminds us a million times over in unfunny witticisms that would have gotten him a broken nose if I were Edilio). And… that's about it. It's not a bad read to pass the time with, but if you're looking for memorable characters and a decent story, I'd go for other dystopian YA books. 2/5.

(This review is also available on my blog: http://book-wyrm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/...)(less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Elisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, scifi-dystopian, fantasy-paranormal, 2013-rereads, own-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Lots of my friends have this remarkable ability to stay up really late into the night reading. I have never been one of those people. Whenever I hear someone say something like "I stayed up until three in the morning reading this book!" I always get really jealous, because it seems no matter how much I like a book I just physically CANNOT miss sleep over it. The night seems like such an excellent time to read, too, everything is so quiet and peaceful and sleep seems like such a waste of time whe...more Lots of my friends have this remarkable ability to stay up really late into the night reading. I have never been one of those people. Whenever I hear someone say something like "I stayed up until three in the morning reading this book!" I always get really jealous, because it seems no matter how much I like a book I just physically CANNOT miss sleep over it. The night seems like such an excellent time to read, too, everything is so quiet and peaceful and sleep seems like such a waste of time when I COULD be reading. But no matter how I try to convince myself this, I cannot seem to fight sleep come eleven o' clock.

Ready for a really bad pun? "Gone" are the days when I cannot stay up for a book. (That's probably not true, I'm pretty sure this book is a special case...I just couldn't resist saying it).

For me, simply put, Gone is a perfect story. An interesting premise explored by incredible characters. I am all about characters and as cool as the plot might be, (ahem, Maze Runner) if the characters don't come alive, I'm not going to care about the story.

There were a lot of people who were PISSED after the Lost finale. I'm not so blinded by my Lost love that I can't understand why. Yeah, not all the questions were answered- wait, let me rephrase- a TON of the questions were not answered. On the message boards after it aired, I saw the same complaint over and over- "Since when was this a show about CHARACTERS? I wanted answers!"

I would say the reason that I loved it so much was because for me, it was ALWAYS a show about characters. Yeah, sure, they were on a mysterious island. Dharma, Others, polar bears, time travel- bring it all on, I just want to know what's going to happen to these people I have come to care about so much over the years. So I got my answers- and I am genuinely sorry to those who didn't get theirs.
Whoa, whoa, I digress.

My point is, I love characters and the characters in Gone are so incredibly fleshed out that I already know this is going to be an epic journey for me. Because no matter what happens, it's happening to them.

It's one of those rare stories where it's not a clearly drawn love/hate line between the good guys and the bad guys, either. Through the entire book, instead of thinking "Man, I hope Sam kills Caine" I kept thinking "Man, I hope Sam and Caine team up." Yes, I have this vision of them (SPOILER!!!!!!!!!) becoming bestie brothers and fighting the darkness together. I guess we'll see.

Oh, and for the friends of mine on here who know me in person- this may mean something to you. MEGAN (yes, my sister) is reading (and loving) this book. For the first time in the history of my reading career, (and the times I forced her to sit down and listen to me read HP to her don't count) my gushing over a book caused her to want to read it. She started yesterday and by the time I left her to go to bed she was nearly 200 pages in. Yes, it's THAT good.

I cannot wait to move on with the series. I know a lot of people are becoming increasingly irritated with so many series (Bethany, did we ever figure out what the plural for series is?!) but I still love a good series. Well, I love books that are written with the original intention of being a series, not standalone books that do well and are then awarded a crappy sequel or ten. I'm also one of those weird people who likes to wait with bated breath for the next book in a series. I totally get the people who want to wait until all the books come out before starting, but there's something about the wait that I really just thrive on.

I know it's not for everyone (judging my friend's reviews) but I am still going to recommend it until everyone around me has read it...or punched me in the face. (less)

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May 14, 2010 Morgan F rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi, goodreads-author, favorites, series, re-read, 2000s, adrenaline, own, multiple, read-2010, good-sized

This book is one of the most thrilling and addictive books I've ever read! The incredibly paced plot and the abundant twists and turns made it nearly impossible to put down. Don't be intimidated by the length, it reads very quickly, and you'll be wishing for more by the end. I do have a couple complaints though, that I'm willing to ignore in order to give this book 5 stars. The characters are all very young, so don't expect the most challenging dialogue, and don't expect closure at all from the...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE.

Recommended to Justin by: Matt and Stella

Shelves: favorites

“It's not about who's got powers. It's about who's not afraid. And who's going to do what has to be done.”

In the blink of an eye, all the adults and everyone over the age of 15 disappears. Gone. Sam and the Perdido Beach kids are all scared and confused, but eventually try to organize themselves and find out about the new "world" they're living in.

A giant energy barrier, nicknamed the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone), has apparently entrapped an area of 20 mi across. Its center? The power plant....more

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May 09, 2011 Rad Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book-read

"Every adult disappears, no fireman, no teachers, no cashiers, no scientists, no miners, and no parents. All GONE except for the young teenagers, middle schoolers and toddlers in the town."

No one get a hang of what really happened on the town, they just know that something really, really bad is going to happen.
A supernatural dystopian novel written by Michael Grant, the first novel in the series of the proposed six.

A barrier appeared suddenly out of nowhere cutting an option of escape, animals...more

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May 03, 2009 Donalyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-science-fiction

I read a lot of books, but you knew that didn't you? While I enjoy most of the books I read, few stand out to me as amazing or memorable (this is why I give out so few five star reviews).

Gone is simply the best YA book I have read since Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls, and stands right beside The Hunger Games and the Knife of Never Letting Go as some of the best dystopian sci-fi around...

In Perdido Beach, life is normal (mostly) until a sudden disruption results in the disappearance of ever...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by The Story Siren for TeensReadToo.com

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 thi...more Reviewed by The Story Siren for TeensReadToo.com

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!!!
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Apr 29, 2008 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Welcome to the FAYZ, short for Fallout Alley Youth Zone. There’s no one who’s over the age of fourteen; they’ve all “poofed,” they’re just gone. But the strangeness only starts there. There’s a circular wall, or maybe dome, surrounding the land within a ten-mile radius from the nuclear plant. The wall is impenetrable and burns you if you touch it. There are strange mutations in the animals, such as seagulls with talons, winged snakes, and talking coyotes. Some kids have also developed strange po...more Welcome to the FAYZ, short for Fallout Alley Youth Zone. There’s no one who’s over the age of fourteen; they’ve all “poofed,” they’re just gone. But the strangeness only starts there. There’s a circular wall, or maybe dome, surrounding the land within a ten-mile radius from the nuclear plant. The wall is impenetrable and burns you if you touch it. There are strange mutations in the animals, such as seagulls with talons, winged snakes, and talking coyotes. Some kids have also developed strange powers. The rules of the world are changing, and Sam is running out of time before he turns fourteen and is bound to poof.

The kids from Coates Academy come down to the town of Perdido Beach, and one of them, named Caine, basically takes over. He acts as if he’s benevolent, but people are dying, and it’s because his sheriff and Captain Orc’s little gang of bullies keep beating people up who break the rules imposed on them by Caine. And while some of these rules are actually valid, others prevent people from gaining any power to oppose Caine.

Sam, Quinn, Edilio, Astrid, and Little Pete find themselves thrown together for survival. Sam knows that something is off about Caine, and he also has a power to shoot fire from his hands. They are constantly running from Caine or one of his allies. They eventually meet a girl Lana, who is a healer, and discover that Little Pete has special abilities of his own. When they save a bunch of kids with power from Caine, who had them imprisoned with their hands cemented in blocks, the kids join their movement to take Caine down. The struggle escalates, and all their lives are at stake.

When I first read the summary for this book, I was extremely intrigued. This new world is almost like a parallel universe. I really enjoyed the references to Harry Potter, Star Wars, Hollywood, Agent Orange (the bad), and other literary works. Reading into Astrid and Sam trying to figure out where they were and what was happening to their world was very stimulating. There is a lot of exciting action in this novel, and even though the kids’ powers sometimes seemed like they were taken from the movie The Incredibles, I still enjoyed it. I wanted to cheer and scream at the ending of the novel, and I really hope there will be a sequel to this book. Gone was simply an amazing book; I don’t think I can stress that fact enough, and I recommend it to everyone. This book is very thick, and I hope its length will not discourage anyone from reading this fantastic story.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Mar 07, 2008 Terry added it · review of another edition Recommends it for: sci-fi enthusiasts, adults and teens

Shelves: ya-12-and-up, science-fiction

Wow! I'm not usually a sci-fi fan, but this was fantastic. Gone is one of those books whose events and characters stay with you well past the time you stop reading it. The plot is fascinating and frightening, captivating and fierce. The author has created a collection of teens that readers will instantly relate to, quickly choosing sides for themselves.

To read the full review, go to The Reading Tub(r).

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Apr 07, 2011 Lyndsey marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: about-superpowers-or-odd-abilities, about-dystopia-or-utopia, to-read-first-in-series, to-read-maybe, on-hold, about-all-kids-or-ya-society

Just to let everyone know. This book is available with bonus material from Kindle for just $1.99.

You can get it HERE

I started this a while ago but haven't finished it, yet. It was very interesting albeit far-fetched. But then again, it IS young adult fantasy. This book is the first in a very popular series and a new book is coming out soon. That is usually motivation for me to get caught up.

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Jul 23, 2012 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade-reader, nook, read-in-2012, sci-fi, young-adult

This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I avoided this series for a while because I thought it was an offshoot of those Left Behind books. I know, I know. I should probably read them before I make any snap judgments, but I have absolutely no desire to read a series about The Rapture.
At all.
Ever.
Anyhoo. Thankfully, this series has nothing to do with that.

*Ok. Stop laughing at me! I only glanced at the blurb a few years ago! You gotta admit that "Blah, blah, blah, a bunch of people disappear....more

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Oct 01, 2012 Tima rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library, read-in-2012

Haven't quite decided on a star-rating for this yet..

Boy, oh boy, is it getting dang-aggravating to not be able to type efficiently enough with one hand to write reviews. Anyone want to volunteer to be my other hand until mine heals? ;-)

1.5 months later...

I really liked this book. The characters were are enjoyable and well-written, especially the bad guys. The story line is unique and interesting (Over the age of 14? POOF YOU DISAPPEAR!).The book is gruesome, violent and detailed. It was fascina...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya, dystopias-post-apocalyptic, series-dropped-lost-steam

This book was a pleasant surprise. The plot is quite wild actually: one day, all people over the age of 15 disappear, and young kids are left to fend for themselves in a world, where "normal" rules no longer exist. In this new world, the FAYZ - Fallout Alley Youth Zone, the unimaginable happens - animals rapidly mutate, some kids acquire special X-men-like abilities, coyotes led by the mysterious Darkness try to overtake humans.

Undoubtedly, this sounds like a lot of craziness, and yet it all so...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Daria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-books, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 11, 2008 Camille rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One second there and then the next, gone. What would you do if all people older than 14 just disappeared right before your eyes? Would you steal from the stores or run McDonalds?The kids of Perdido Beach, CA find this happen to them. A town run by a bunch of 14 year-old kids could jump into confusion very quickly. Sam Temple seems to be the only one who can help this crazy city. Though he is relunctant to do it, he tries to keep order, though this proves to be dificult when the school bullies do...more

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Jul 30, 2008 Michelle Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young Teens

Recommended to Michelle by: Amazon

Imagine a world where there is no one above the age of 15? A world where there are absolutely no adults… no teachers, doctors, sheriffs, businessmen, lawyers, policeman, or any adults to provide guidance to those deemed minors in our society. Imagine a world where the lines between good and evil are at times blurred. Imagine a society where when given the opportunity, you will align with people who you might not normally, but who you have a lot in common with (people with special powers). Imagin...more Imagine a world where there is no one above the age of 15? A world where there are absolutely no adults… no teachers, doctors, sheriffs, businessmen, lawyers, policeman, or any adults to provide guidance to those deemed minors in our society. Imagine a world where the lines between good and evil are at times blurred. Imagine a society where when given the opportunity, you will align with people who you might not normally, but who you have a lot in common with (people with special powers). Imagine a world where you have to decide whose side you are on, and who you want to be. Well, welcome to the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone), where every adult in the town has disappeared and the survivors (all kids under 15) are trying to handle those roles vacated by their parents and others in the community. Those left behind are no longer allowed to be “just kids”, but now must become adults and take over those roles necessary in any well organized society, where a nuclear reactor is present, as well as some eager coyotes who answer only to something known as “the darkness”.

Michael Grant’s story “Gone” revolves around a young boy named Sam who is a good, but reluctant hero turned leader of the rag-tag group of survivors (some of whom have magical powers that are evolving). Sam, just days from his 15th birthday (where everyone appears to go “poof”) has finally been given the opportunity to be with the girl of his dreams and be the hero he once was. There are other characters critical to the success of the novel. Astride (a genius and reluctant surrogate mother to her autistic and powerful brother, Little Pete); Edilio (Sam’s friend, who unfortunately doesn’t have powers but a lot of spunk); Caine (the dark and powerful twin of Sam, who wants Sam dead at all costs); Diana (the evil, but beautiful assistant to Caine); Drake (a young psychopath in the making); and Quinn (the confused and unreliable best friend of Sam).

While the characters are interesting, I found that the storyline is what will appeal to young readers. For example, the FAYZ begins to divide itself much as our society does. There are those that “have” and those that “don’t. Every teen or young adult will read this book and be able to relate to the sense of wanting to belong. We have all met kids like those who attend Coates Academy (the privileged school for troubled youths) and those who don’t (the town kids). And everyone will sympathize with kids who are struggling to fit in and deal with those things that make them different. I think most will be riveted by the real issues that these kids have to deal with….simple things like learning to communicate without the traditional means of doing so (cell phones, internet) and all will appreciate their resourcefulness. Everyone, young or old will understand how there are natural leaders and natural followers. All will appreciate how people naturally want to survive and how they find themselves able to do things that they normally wouldn’t do. And everyone understands the simple lesson of learning how to take responsibility for your actions. I really enjoyed watching Sam and others as they discover “who they are”.

What I didn’t like about the book (and what prevented me from giving this book more than a 4) was the fact that the author appears (from Chapter 1) to be setting the stage for a showdown that we know won’t come until there is at least one sequel. The attempt to create future storylines left me with several questions that I thought should have been answered in the first novel. For example, what caused the FAYZ? Who and what is the darkness? What happened to the adults? I mean these things were discussed briefly, but there was nothing really clear or easy to understand. There were just a lot of partial explanations. What I would have loved to see were some things clearly stated with maybe the outcomes left to the imagination so that I would have a desire to see how it all ends. Instead what I found was that the author’s attempt to prepare me for future novels left me unsure if I really “care” to find out what is going to happen. (I have read several authors who created this feeling of anticipation without taking away from the story….Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series…or LA Banks VHLS). But maybe it is because I am an adult, looking for things that a young teen or adult isn’t. But I still liked the story enough to give it a decent rating, I just wanted more.

However, with everything being said….I would definitely recommend this novel to young readers. There is an innocence about it that I know will appeal to the average reader.
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Dec 29, 2012 Olivia Ward rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think so far it is an interesting book but I am not quite sure because I haven't read the ending and that could make a difference. It can get boring too.
I dislike the fact that the book changes every two to three paragraphs and I get a bit confused because I think it's continuing from the last paragraph.
I am a bit hesitant about reading it at night time because it makes me nervous that it is true, the book can be very realistic when you are by yourself reading at night. I have to bee around s...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Nicola rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, dystopia, young-adult, still-reading-series

My only regret is that I didn't pick this one up sooner. I have no idea why I avoided it for so long but I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. It's quite different than anything I've read before. In a small town in California, everyone over the age of 15 randomly disappears at the same time. The kids of the town are left to fend for themselves and naturally, groups form and leaders step up. It was extremely compelling from start to end and kept me wanting more. The only thing I didn't...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Angus Woodiwiss rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gone, by Michael Grant, is an interesting addition to his books. The book started out so boring that I almost gave up reading it. But after chapter 3 things got better and better and better. The further in the book you read the more interesting it became. The only problem I found when reading this was that it was just plain creepy. The dying and gore, the little girl with superpowers and the darkness/coyotes. This book will create quite a stir in your brain and may even leave you sleepless. All...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people ready to be hooked into a series

Recommended to Jen by: Tattered Cover Book Store

Shelves: booksfornephewsandnieces

Gone is definitely a page-turner - it's how I spent most of Thanksgiving. It's kind of like Lord of the Flies meets The Stand (Stephen King) - except there will be five more books in the series.

Our hero Sam, 14, is sitting in class when his teacher suddenly disappears. So does the 15-year-old sitting near him. Smart-girl Astrid, who skipped a grade, was the only person who didn't disappear in her class of 15-year-olds. What starts as realization dawning and kids coping - and heroes and bullies e...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Book Gang!!: Gone spoilers	7	11	11 hours, 41 min ago
Would you survive the FAYZ?	26	95	May 23, 2013 04:35am
The FAYZ: The Gon...: If You Could Be In The Gone Movie, Which Character Would You Play?	49	63	May 19, 2013 10:53pm
Who is the real leader: Sam or Caine?	14	58	May 18, 2013 01:44pm
If you had a power, what would it be?	44	122	May 18, 2013 01:41pm
The Page Turners: June Monthly Read: GONE	12	32	May 17, 2013 03:31pm
The FAYZ: The Gon...: Should we call ourselves...Goners?	41	51	May 16, 2013 07:43pm

title link	preview: Gone
avg rating	preview: Gone Goodreads rating: 3.91 (55558 ratings)
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