Gone (Gone, #1) by Michael Grant

Jun 13, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of supernatural fiction

Shelves: young-adult, social-dynamics, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, supernatural-abilities, sweet-romance, reluctant-or-unlikely-hero, fantasy, superhuman, uf-summer-challenge, owned-copy

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 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! ...more

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May 21, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it liked it · 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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Feb 02, 2011 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2011, sci-fi

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 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. ...more

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Mar 20, 2010 Janina rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, sci-fi, given-away, abandoned, dystopian-apocalyptic

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 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.
...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Tola Grupa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

❤️❤️❤️My loveee

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Jun 16, 2010 K.D. Absolutely rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Ace

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

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 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. ...more

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Jul 14, 2008 Lara rated it it was amazing · 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

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.

...more

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Feb 12, 2017 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, 2017

1.) Gone ★★★★
2.) Hunger ★★★
3.) Lies ★★.5

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Even though Michael Grant may be an asshole, I'm still impressed by his books. Can't wait to keep reading and finally find out how this series ends! ...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Al rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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 26, 2009 Donalyn rated it it was amazing · 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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Jul 19, 2008 Kristi rated it really liked it · 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 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!!!
...more

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Nov 13, 2009 Morgan F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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 05, 2010 Angelc rated it liked it · 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 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/

...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Sara rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: young-adult, 2008, did-not-finish

The premise of this book sounded so interesting - everyone over the age of 15 simply disappears one day and the remaining kids are left trying to figure out what happened... plus they discover that some of them are somehow developing supernatural powers. I was excited to read this and expected writing along the lines of Scott Westerfeld, based on the plot and such. But alas, the novel did not deliver for me and I put it down after 100 pages or so, when I found myself skimming pages and caring le ...more

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Nov 02, 2017 Sarah Elizabeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, romance, read-2017, read-with-abbie, sci-fi, as, death, paranormal, young-adult

This was a YA dystopian story about a world in which adults simply vanished.

I felt sorry for all the kids in this story, to have every person over the age of 15 simply disappear would have been awful, especially for those kids too young to survive on their own.

The storyline in this was about the kids trying to find ways to survive after all the over 15’s disappeared, and trying to fulfil basic necessities such as food and nappies for the younger kids, whilst trying to work out if help was coming ...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

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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Apr 03, 2009 Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, five-stars, own-physical, read-for-high-school-book-club, romance, dystopia

In the blink of an eye. Everyone dissapears. GONE. Those three lines pretty much sum up the plot of the book, and was cleverly placed on the front jacket cover. Michael Grant phenomonaly captured so many different plot elements and combined them into a dystopic apocolypse that resembled Lord of the Flies, yet also added an element that gave characters unique abilities (like one of my favorite TV shows, Heroes).

Every character in this book has dymanic, none of them fall flat at all. There are opp ...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Joyzi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Freaks and those who are not afraid of thick books

Recommended to Joyzi by: Goodreads and Youtube

Shelves: e-book, book-series, ya-books, dystopia, disappointing-books, contemporary-fiction

Gone is like a mix of Lord of the Flies, Under the Dome, Animal Farm, Lost, Kid Nation, Heroes, X-Men and that Simpsons Movie...

Simpsons Movie Pictures, Images and Photos

This book I think is popular and also has quite number of fans but I haven't read it immediately because the book was very thick and I just find that I'm too lazy to follow a series like this. However I changed my mind and finally decided to read the first book.

At first my opinion about this book is, it is a very easy read. The sentences and the dialogues are kept s Gone is like a mix of Lord of the Flies, Under the Dome, Animal Farm, Lost, Kid Nation, Heroes, X-Men and that Simpsons Movie...

This book I think is popular and also has quite number of fans but I haven't read it immediately because the book was very thick and I just find that I'm too lazy to follow a series like this. However I changed my mind and finally decided to read the first book.

At first my opinion about this book is, it is a very easy read. The sentences and the dialogues are kept simple. There are many times that I find it too simple but I think it made sense because the target of this book are young adults and I think even a nine year old can follow the words and sentences used in this one.

Also what I like about this book is that, it is really scary. There are moments that I just find myself having goosebumps and it was just really creepy.

Also I like that there are many characters in this book and my favorite character ironically is one of the bad guys which is Dianna. She has the power to know someone's power level by merely touching his or her hand. I jst find her really interesting.

What I don't like about this one is that it is you know something that is not that "original" because you can see that the idea of it was already seen from other books, TV series, movie etc.

I also don't like the fact that there are many times wherein I found the kids unrealistically acting like adults. These kids are 14 years old and below however they can use the fire hydrant, fire hose, the oxygen tank and the oxygen mask, some of them can drive and can measure a city's radius, hack a computer, use a machine gun etc. Those kind of things wherein you'll just say, "Blimey, smart kids."

I also find the answer to the mystery of the "poof" and how you can not "poof" cheesy.

And there's this moment wherein I just can't understand the logic why do these kids wanted to kill other kids. I find the logic of Battle Royale and Hunger Games somewhat realistic because they only kill other children because their lives are at stake and it is the Society that dictates to kill.

But here it's a matter of free will more similar to Lord of the Flies. It comes from their own savage mind and I just find myself having a hard time to buy that idea.

...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Tatiana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, 2009, dystopias-post-apocalyptic

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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Nov 18, 2017 Farren rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-sci-fi-dystopia, library-audiobook

Gone is not equal to other books I've rated two stars, but I also don't think it deserves one star, so I guess Merry Early Christmas Michael Grant.

This definitely falls into the "overrated" category for me. The writing is... not good. Many long conversations where each sentence ends in "he said/she said" and a lot of telling but no showing. I didn't like any of the characters very much, Edilio was probably my favorite, and they weren't written realistically. You're telling me a bunch of 14 years ...more

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Feb 08, 2021 Amber J rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-reading-challenge

So I liked it. It was an interesting story and see loads of potential for it to get even better. For me, it just way too long to read. I have been busy and that explains some of it, but not all of it. It took a lot to get and stay interested in it and I found I was too easily distracted with other slightly stupid things lol. So I do plan to continue the series and see how it progresses, but I'm hoping it gets better. ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 DragonWithHeels added it · review of another edition

dnf @6 percent

i'm not even counting this book towards my reading challenge because of how early i dnfed it. the concept sounded okay-ish at first, then i heard there were some problematic parts, then there were too many pasty ansty boys, and the concept turned boring after the first few pages :/ ...more

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May 24, 2012 Sylwia rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Dropped at 294 pages.

Me:

Why I Recommend Bumping This Down On Your TBR: Michael Grant made problematic statements about children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder being a burden, he called his Native character a throw-away, and he said something about his Front Lines novel being more fiction than reality in that women were never involved in the war?

Sources: https://www.goodreads.com/user_status... ...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Rachael rated it it was amazing · 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 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 ...more

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May 30, 2014 Morgan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, fast-paced, must-reads, little-bit-of-romance, favorites

4.5 Stars!
This book was fun, funny and very fast paced!I really like all of the weirdness in this book. I also liked a lot of the characters! I think what I loved the most was the well roundness of the characters. We have a super dude, a Mexican, we have a challenged little kid and we have the teens from an academy their parents sent them because they were trouble. I recommend this book a lot. Can't wait to get to the sequel!
...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Olivia McCloskey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, apocalyptic, dystopian, adventure

Gone begins in the quiet, seaside town of Perdido Beach. A seemingly ordinary day is quickly transformed into one of confusion and mass hysteria when everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears without a trace. In the absence of parents, teachers, doctors, and police, the children are left to fend for themselves. The lack of phones, internet, and television, as well as the quickly diminishing food supply convert the children's initial shock into terror. As the remaining citizens of Per Gone begins in the quiet, seaside town of Perdido Beach. A seemingly ordinary day is quickly transformed into one of confusion and mass hysteria when everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears without a trace. In the absence of parents, teachers, doctors, and police, the children are left to fend for themselves. The lack of phones, internet, and television, as well as the quickly diminishing food supply convert the children's initial shock into terror. As the remaining citizens of Perdido Beach struggle to determine what's happened, they notice that animals have mutated and the teens themselves have developed strange and potentially deadly powers, growing stronger with each passing day. As Perdido Beach spirals into further turmoil, fear and hunger reign and war becomes imminent.

If you've been searching for a worthy replacement for The Hunger Games, your efforts have not been in vain. Michael Grant's first installment in the Gone Series incorporates an excellent combination of post-apocalyptic YA, the fight for survival, and a suspenseful plot. Fourteen year old Sam Temple was a fantastic protagonist who assumed the role of a reluctant leader throughout the novel, preferring to remain in the shadows instead of immediately jumping at the opportunity to hold a position of power. His notable courage and determination were evident when he stood up for what he believed in and worked endlessly to discover what had happened to the adults of Perdido Beach. As for Astrid, I found her portrayal as a heroine both brilliant and intriguing. I also found her interactions with her autistic younger brother touching. Her relationship with Sam developed slowly over the course of the book, allowing readers to watch their transformation from complete strangers to close friends. I would have preferred, however, that their relationship progress at a slightly faster pace; this would have more readily held my attention toward the beginning of the book.

I was initially somewhat confused when the book shifted from Sam's POV to that of a female character by the name of Lana. Their stories did not appear to be connected in any way until they meet up later in the book. I found it challenging to adjust to the abrupt narrator changes, which disrupted the flow. I would become so engrossed in Sam's story that I would forget about Lana, struggling to recall where she was and what she was doing when the story returned to her point of view, and vice versa. Consequently, I feel that a third person omniscient narrator would have been a better choice in this situation.

I was immediately drawn into the story by the realistic characters and interesting concept. Approximately 50 pages into the book, however, the plot became slow and tedious, causing me to quickly lose interest. I'm glad that I continue reading, though, because the plot picked up again 30 pages later, and the book began living up to its classification as an apocalyptic thriller. There was a noticeable increase in the pace of the book which managed to hold my attention until the final page. While many questions were left unanswered at the conclusion of the novel, Grant incorporated a suspenseful cliffhanger that to compel readers to pick up the next book in the series. I must admit, this was a successful tactic.

Readers who tend to avoid more gruesome books should be warned that there are a few disturbing scenes, similar to those found in The Hunger Games. These scenes often depicted the aftermath, instead of the events as they occurred.

I would strongly recommend this book to: readers with a bit of patience to make it through the slow, uninteresting portion of the book without giving up, anyone who enjoyed the concept of The Hunger Games, action enthusiasts who enjoyed the fight scenes in Divergent and The Maze Runner Trilogy, those who were fond of the reckless nature of the characters in Fahrenheit 451, readers who enjoyed the fast pace and suspense of I Am Number Four, and anyone in search of an exciting, quick read. ...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Annalisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Annalisa by: Tatiana

Shelves: guy-lit, young-adult, dystopia, apocalypse, sci-fi

The big question in my head most of this book, was "who is the target audience?" Nobody in the book is over 15 (despite the 18-year-olds on the awful cover), so you'd think 13 or 14 year-olds, but at close to 600 pages, I can't see most of them reading this. And if you get too old, stories about abandoned children--babies--dying of neglect might bother you, or maybe even stories where you'd have disappeared because you've hit your 15th birthday. But despite all that, it's a great premise with a ...more

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May 10, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dome-living, sci-fi, ya, urban-fantasy, 2009

It's a normal November morning at Perdido Beach, a small town of about 3,000 on the California coast jokingly called Fallout Alley by the locals because of the nuclear power plant not far away. Normal, that is, until, at eighteen past ten, everyone fifteen and older disappears in the blink of an eye.

Babies to fourteen year olds are the only ones left - bewildered, lost, afraid, alone. Grade nine students Sam, his best friend Quinn, and Astrid the Genius are quick to realise what's happened, but It's a normal November morning at Perdido Beach, a small town of about 3,000 on the California coast jokingly called Fallout Alley by the locals because of the nuclear power plant not far away. Normal, that is, until, at eighteen past ten, everyone fifteen and older disappears in the blink of an eye.

Babies to fourteen year olds are the only ones left - bewildered, lost, afraid, alone. Grade nine students Sam, his best friend Quinn, and Astrid the Genius are quick to realise what's happened, but no one knows why. Sam is afraid it might have something to do with him and his secret: a powerful, burning light that comes out of his hands and literally burned his ex-step-father's hand off several months before.

The town is in disorder, and everyone's coming to Sam for help. He is, after all, the kid who saved a busload of students once by taking control when the driver had a stroke. But Sam doesn't want to be a leader. When he goes with Astrid to find her little autistic brother, Pete, they discover that there's a barrier, a never-ending wall, separating them from everyone else - and that the power plant is the exact centre of what what appears to be a sphere, isolating them. One kid dubs it FAYZ: Fallout Alley Youth Zone, and the name sticks.

The barrier and how it came to be isn't the only mystery. When people turn fifteen, they blink out, disappear, and no one knows whether they die or go to the other side of the wall. There's also the question of powers and mutations: Sam soon learns that he's not the only one with weird powers. Animals have been affected too, from flying cobras to talking coyotes.

When the kids from Coates Academy, a boarding school for problematic rich kids, turn up and take over, sides are quickly drawn. Soon it's a fight for survival against some powerful bullies, and the clock is ticking down for Sam: he'll turn fifteen soon, but first he has to save the kids from the perfectly charming, arrogant and devious Caine and his sadistic friend Drake - opponents who pale in comparison with the Darkness hiding beneath the ground...

It wasn't until I started writing this review that I discovered there are maps at the beginning of the book. Maps! I love maps! It would have made it all the more enjoyable to have had them while I was reading this, because they do travel around the FAYZ zone quite a bit. Ah well.

I could easily rate this higher; there's lots to love - and I did love it. It's quite the tour de force, a gripping premise, layers upon layers of mystery and fantastical surprises, endearing characters, post-apocalyptic tension and anticipation, and a nice slice of fear. One reviewer on the back cover likened it to Lord of the Flies written by Stephen King - not a bad comparison. It certainly has that terrifying LotF scenario of young kids gone wild.

Each chapter counts down the hours and minutes backwards from Sam's looming birthday, adding to the tension and the feeling of something inescapable and bad about to happen. Between the various supporting cast, several side stories are played out and the ups and downs of a young teens life are aired. You get to know each and every one of them, and come to care for them as well. This book will take you mere hours to read but they will be hours where you'll live in Perdido Beach. It's quite disorientating to be distracted from its pages.

It's hard to pinpoint why I notched the rating down one. Some of the characters were a bit too simplistic, bordering on cliché, and sometimes the prose - lots of very short sentences - bothered me. I would also question whether anyone can "come out of" their seatbelt under any circumstances. I've never heard of that happening and it ruined an otherwise compelling scene, rendering it a mere plot device.

After a bit of a slow start, Gone will suck you in and hold you fast. Cleverly plotted, fast paced, scary and engrossing, the only difficulty I really had was what genre to shove it in. Magic powers and a thing of darkness: fantasy. Happening in our world, modern times: urban fantasy. End of the world as we know it - for the kids at least: Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic. Freaky barrier and unknown but possibly explainable mysteries involving the universe: science fiction. Scary wild kids pitted against good kids, scary wilderness with carnivorous animals and a very toothy monster: horror. I'm going with fantasy here but if you enjoy any of these genres, in the YA style, you'll like this. ...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Alyssa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I hate to say this. Really I do. But this book is possibly one of the worst things I've ever read.

The basic idea of the entire story was pretty good. I, personally, love the idea of a bunch of kids/teens getting trapped on an island until they turn 15 and are teleported elsewhere with the rest of the adults. It somewhat reminded me of the basic idea of Lord Of The Flies. If the author had left the idea with that it would have been a somewhat enjoyable read. If the author had left it at where th I hate to say this. Really I do. But this book is possibly one of the worst things I've ever read.

The basic idea of the entire story was pretty good. I, personally, love the idea of a bunch of kids/teens getting trapped on an island until they turn 15 and are teleported elsewhere with the rest of the adults. It somewhat reminded me of the basic idea of Lord Of The Flies. If the author had left the idea with that it would have been a somewhat enjoyable read. If the author had left it at where they all had "magical powers" I would have probably enjoyed it. But he didn't. Micheal Grant tried to cram every single idea he could think of into a book. From Sam finding out that he has an evil twin brother (am I the only one who thinks this is somewhat like a Soap Opera?) to eating disorders, he put everything in it.

Now I'm okay with one or two side plots, but there was about twenty of them. And with each side plot there was another 20 new characters. Why can't one of our main characters have issues? Why do we have to have new main characters introduced for every little think that's introduced? And why does each new character have to have a whole chunk of the book devoted to them? It makes the actual PLOT of the story hard to keep up with.

There were certain points in the book where it was unintentionally hilarious. Considering what this book is about, I don't think that's what the author was going for.

The characters were unbelievable. Not in the sense of that they had powers, but in the sense of their personalities. The most believable people in the book were still pretty unbelievable. Now, I doubt that KIDS and TEENAGERS are going to start trying to rebuild society when all the adults are gone. The first thing that's going to be on their minds is going to be them trying to get the T.V.s and IPods to start working again. There will be a few mature enough kids that are going to be trying to get civilization back on their feet, but the majority of them will be partying about not having school or any adult supervision or morning the loss of their parents. (Which one would you be....?) I also doubt that anyone, even the bullies, would start killing and torturing people. I mean, sure, they would probably start to try to get momey or start breaking into stores and stealing stuff (candy, food, games, drinks, etc.), but I highly doubt they would start killing people. I just can't see it. Seriously, Michael, do you really think that bullies will (whenever they are free to do ANYTHING they want) will kill people?

Has this author ever heard of a break? Apparantly not. There's not one spot in the entire book where you can ever even breath. Can't we have a simple scene were you have a bunch of the characters sitting around a campfire or something just being light-hearted before something else happens?

You know a book is bad when your favorite characters are the bad guys. (I mean, have you ever heard of anyone saying 'Oh yeah, President Snow is my favorite character in the Hunger Games' or 'You know, I was really wishing Voldemort killed Harry for good'?) Caine, Caine's crazy assitant, and Caine's girlfriend really made the book a lot better. They made it go from being used as my toilet paper to getting thrown off of a moving train so that it falls into a ocean filled with book eating sharks that tear it apart page by page.

If the author had changed the plot up, lost some (okay, okay MOST) of the side plots, and made the writing more believable I think I would have enjoyed it. Or, at least, been able to finish the ding-dang book. Sadly, I couldn't do either (and I even FINISHED Twilight).

This book only deserves one star. Half a star for the basic idea and half a star for Caine, his crazy assitant, and Caine's girlfriend. ...more

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Oct 17, 2014 Lauren Kammerdiener rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: if you're looking for something that's dystopian but not overly dystopian

Shelves: 2015, reviewed, science-fiction, fiction, young-adult

I had first planned on only giving this book three stars, but then I got to thinking about it, and I realized I couldn't.

This is a very unique book. I thought it was going to be dystopia-blah, but it really isn't dystopian. There is no corrupt society or government. It's just a beach town where all the adults have disappeared and the kids are trapped inside a giant forcefield.
You know, the usual.

I think Michael Grant did a really great job with this concept. He explored every angle of what it mi I had first planned on only giving this book three stars, but then I got to thinking about it, and I realized I couldn't.

This is a very unique book. I thought it was going to be dystopia-blah, but it really isn't dystopian. There is no corrupt society or government. It's just a beach town where all the adults have disappeared and the kids are trapped inside a giant forcefield.
You know, the usual.

I think Michael Grant did a really great job with this concept. He explored every angle of what it might be like if every adult with in a twenty mile radius disappeared, leaving behind over two hundred fifty desperate kids, fourteen and under.
(It's interesting to think how I personally would react in such a situation. I think I would probably cry for like three days and then hide in the daycare.)

However, I wasn't hugely fond of some twists that occurred in the plot.
(view spoiler)

But I really ended up loving these characters. At first, I thought they were all going to be pretty wishy-washy, but I was wrong. They were all very strongly built. (Except Quinn. I hate Quinn. He is a whiny, sexist, racist backstabber.)
I really loved Lana and Patrick, but I especially adored Diana.
Diana. I have to say, I think she's one of my new all-time favorite characters ever. She's so different; cynical with a sense of humor, smart and sharp without being such a chafe about it ~~(Astrid)~~, and she has almost complete control over Caine, and, in turn, could have control over the entire FAYZ if she wanted. I freaking loved her.

While I really want to know what happens to all these characters and get some answers, I also don't really want to dedicate the time to reading five more of these larger books. If this were a trilogy, I would definitely get on that, but six books is a lot.
Still, I think I will come back to this series sometime in the future, if just for my girl Diana, ~~instead of looking up spoilers online like I was thinking of doing.~~ ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
astrids power	2	12	Nov 30, 2020 12:00AM
The FAYZ: The Gon...: Diana or Astrid?	4	13	Sep 29, 2020 03:30PM
The FAYZ: The Gon...: If you were in the FAYZ and you had "The Power" what would your power be?	26	86	Sep 22, 2020 04:10AM
Willmar Public Li...: Gone	1	3	Jun 22, 2020 11:00AM

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