May-Jun 2015 Part Three to Part Six (SPOILERS)

[Debra]

Put your comments about this section here.

[Larissa]

I have no idea how the introduction of the androids will play into this story, but dang is that creepy!

[Debra]

Yes, the androids are creepy!

That survivor Jess sure has a mouth on her now. Wonder what it means, that her personality has changed so much. I don't believe that stuff about her being one of the four horsemen precluding the Rapture. Those guys are coming out of left field, in my opinion. But hey, that may be where the author is headed.

Lots of strange things happening with folk. That Japanese forest is creepy with all the suicides and talk of ghosts of dead folks hanging around. And where did THAT little boy go? He's supposed to be the fourth horseman, but he wasn't found... on the three.

I find it funny how Lotz talking about an end-of-days series called "Gone" which is about the Rapture. I couldn't helping thinking it was a reference to the Left Behind series. I read that series. Was a bit preachy, but I found it interesting to read.

[Larissa]

Also the sequel is coming out this week!!! My students want me to read it really fast and tell them about it before school's out. ☺

[Larissa]

Debra, one of my students told me that the "hanging forest" is a real place. Apparently it came up in one of their history or psychology classes. Yikes!

[Debra]

Larissa, the hanging forest is real? Wow!

[Sharon Louise]

I looked it up and yes it IS a real place! I didn't realise until you mentioned it, Larissa!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara

I'm loving this book - good choice whoever suggested it *cough *cough :) :)

[Janice]

Thanks for posting that link, Sharon. Very interesting... and creepy.

I'm bringing up the rear, it looks like. For some reason, it seems to be taking me a long time to read this book.

Right now, I'm feeling a bit frustrated with the slow pace. It's more than half the way into the book and we're still no further ahead. There's lots of foreshadowing, but nothing specific. If it wasn't for the fact that we know that something happens to Paul, that Jess dies, that the Japanese girl (can't think of her name) and Ryu disappear is there anything really sinister about the story.

The androids are definitely creepy. I can't imagine talking to one like Joanie did. I would think it was pretty obvious that Joanie was the one who leaked the information of the android to the press. I'm not sure why Ryu would get the blame for it.

I thought it was really creepy when Jess walked over to the hidden recorder and whispered, "Hi Uncle Paul". He seems to be the only one really aware that something isn't right.

Rueben's seemingly lucid moments are interesting. Bobby seems to have manifested that somehow and is now determined to have the same effect on the dinosaurs.

[Debra]

I did find the book a bit slow-going in places. It took me longer to read than many horror books I've zoomed through. I think part of it is the disjointed threads that don't seem to flow together. But you are left with enough questions and foreshadowing to keep you going.

Yep, when Jess makes it known she is aware of the hidden recorder, that was definitely a creepy moment. There is a sense of sinister about her, even though she seems so polite and well-behaved.

Bobby, on the other hand, seems to be only doing good as evidenced by the remarkable recovery Reuben is having. Or has Bobby just taken over his mind?

[Janice]

You're right. Bobby didn't seem to be as creepy as the other two, did he? The only thing was when they were in the doctor's office and he wanted to see his porn pictures - KNEW there were porn pictures on his computer.

[Debra]

Yeah, that was kind of funny how he knew the doctor was viewing porn on the sly.

[Sharon Louise]

It didn't occur to me that maybe Bobby had taken over Reuben's mind - interesting point.

[Janice]

I'm not sure about Bobby taking over Reuben's mind. I think he was giving Lillian what she wanted - Reuben back and AL gone. What makes me think that is when Jess said that she was giving Paul what he wanted by giving the illusion that Stephen was sitting on the end of the bed. She was giving him Stephen back. I can't remember the exact quote but it was something like - sometimes we give people what they want. Sometimes we don't.

[Debra]

Good point Janice. That's kind of what led me to believe the children were being used by aliens.

[Sharon Louise]

Ok, yes that makes sense :)

[Kristin]

There's a hint that the children might be "good." But not sure yet. Still haven't been able to really get into this one. It's interesting. I feel the story just hints at all the bad/fall out to come. I'm hoping the payoff is worth it.

I've enjoyed the Pastor Len sections. I fell bad for the guy. He wants to do good. But he wants so badly to be famous as well. Once he gets a taste he becomes obsessed with more more more.

[Debra]

Yes, Pastor Len seems to lose focus and wants fame instead of true spirituality.

[Almeta, co-moderator]

Just read about Stephen at the end of the bed asking "How could you let that thing in?" You guys mentioned it in the previous section and had me confused.

I'm assuming that Jess is the thing he means.... or it could simply be the recorder...nah.

At any rate, I'm already believing that the black figure is a real presence and not a dream.

[Debra]

Almeta wrote: "Just read about Stephen at the end of the bed asking "How could you let that thing in?" You guys mentioned it in the previous section and had me confused."

Ooooops!

[Almeta, co-moderator]

Debra wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Just read about Stephen at the end of the bed asking "How could you let that thing in?" You guys mentioned it in the previous section and had me confused."

Ooooops!"

No real spoiler, since it happened right away in Part Three.

[Almeta, co-moderator]

Not feeling good about androids. That they are very lifelike and copies of the original humans is pretty unsettling.

Of course the children are starting to look as though they are copies as well.

Yeah Debra, I thought Gone was a reference to The Left Behind series also.

[Almeta, co-moderator]

Sharon wrote: "I looked it up and yes it IS a real place! I didn't realise until you mentioned it, Larissa!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara"

Larissa, I often look up things from books that I am reading when I get the feeling the reference might be true. It never occurred to me that this might be a real place. Odd thing for a student of yours to know.

Thanks Sharon, for the link to Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest.

[Almeta, co-moderator]

Janice wrote: "There's lots of foreshadowing, but nothing specific. If it wasn't for the fact that we know that something happens to Paul, that Jess dies, that the Japanese girl (can't think of her name) and Ryu disappear is there anything really sinister about the story. ..."

I had to backtrack a bit on these incidents. The author/narrator vaguely references "shame what happened" to Paul or Jess, or mentions something happened "before Ryu and Chiyoko disappeared". Thought that I had dozed through something and missed some action, only to find out that the circumstances had yet to be told.

[Almeta, co-moderator]

I can't decide about the children. Sometimes they seem to be doing good things, but I just can't seem to trust them. We never actually hear from them, just reports about them from often unreliable sources.

Who are they?

[Debra]

Almeta wrote: "Who are they?"

Good question!

[Janice]

The million dollar question!

[Linda]

Janice wrote: "I'm not sure about Bobby taking over Reuben's mind. I think he was giving Lillian what she wanted - Reuben back and AL gone. What makes me think that is when Jess said that she was giving Paul wh..."

I agree with you on this point also Janice, I think Bobby wanted his grandma to be happy and making her happy is bring his grandpa back to her. So to me, I think Bobby worked on putting "Al" more in the background and letting his grandpa be more present. Even though he wasn't present a lot, but enough to make his grandma happy. To me Bobby was the lest creepy of the kids, that Jess was the creepiest!! OMG, when she talked to her uncle Paul thru the recorder!!! But I can't decide about Stephen coming back to see Paul, I'm not totally sure Jess's point with that - to me it didn't feel like Stephen was being a comfort to Paul, Stephen was creeping Paul out!!! And poor Paul - he cried all of the time!!!

[Janice]

I agree that Bobby was the least creepy of the three and that Jess was the worst.

[Debra]

I also agree. Each kid had a different modus operandi.