Gone Series

Light by Michael Grant

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CAUTION: May contain spoilers

I need to get this out of the way now: OMG! This book is AMAZING! Michael Grant, you are brilliant and I bow at your feet!  OK…calming down now.

Ever since Michael Grant launched his Gone series I have been wondering how the series would end.  With each book, the situation in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) has got progressively worse.  When you trap a bunch of kids inside a dome (some with super powers), with no adults, limited food, disease, and no idea if or when they’ll ever get out, you know it isn’t going to end well.  After the previous book, Fear, I have to say I had no idea how the series was going to end.  One of the things I love about Michael Grant is that he certainly keeps you on your toes and isn’t afraid to shock you.  He certainly does this in the final book in the Gone series, Light.

All eyes are on Perdido Beach. The barrier wall is now as clear as glass and life in the FAYZ is visible for the entire outside world to see. Life inside the dome remains a constant battle and the Darkness, away from watchful eyes, grows and grows . . . The society that Sam and Astrid have struggled so hard to build is about to be shattered for good. It’s the end of the FAYZ. But who will survive to see the light of day?

Light is everything I hoped it would be and much, much more.  It is a truly EPIC conclusion to the series and the way in which Michael wrapped the series up left me totally satisfied.  I won’t go in to any details because I’d hate to spoil the ending, which fans have been waiting years for.  Michael had me on the edge of my seat and it was nerve-wracking from beginning to end.  I read it over a couple of days and found that I could think of little else but the story.  As soon as I put it down I wanted to know what was happening to the characters.  By the time I’d read the final page, I felt like I was a survivor of the FAYZ who had to adjust to normal life again.  You’ve been with these characters through the whole experience so you really feel like one of them.

Everything that I love about Michael Grant’s books is here in Light.  There is plenty of violence and gore (including some cannibalism), the action is non-stop, the suspense makes you tear out your hair and chew your fingernails, and there are the characters you love (and those you hate) fighting against incredible odds.  There is also plenty of death and destruction, and not all of the main characters survive the ordeal.  I found myself saying ‘Oh no Michael, not them!’ several times during the story.

Out of all the things I love about this series, it’s the characters that have made me keep reading.  Michael has created so many great characters in this series and they get a lot thrown at them.  From the very first book, I’ve wondered who would make it through to the end, and I’m pleased to say that Michael totally surprised me.  It has been really interesting to see how the characters react to different situations, and seeing their true nature shine through.  None of the characters have made it through unscathed and I’ve loved watching their development throughout the series.

Thank you Michael Grant for creating this incredible series and these memorable characters that I’ll never forget.  I absolutely found it worthwhile and I had so much fun getting lost in your crazy world.

Even though this series has ended, we still have much more of Michael Grant to look forward to, with his BZRK series, The Magnificent 12 series (for younger readers), and hopefully more of Eve and Adam (with his incredibly talented wife, Katherine Applegate).

5 out of 5 stars

Win a copy of Light

I have a copy of Light to give away to one lucky Gone fan.  All you have to do is enter your name and email address in the form below and tell me who is your favourite Gone series character.  Competition closes Wednesday 10 April (NZ and Australia only).

Michael Grant’s Light Book Trailer

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Light is one of my most anticipated books of 2013.  It spells the end of Michael Grant’s brilliant Gone series. I have a copy sitting on my coffee table staring at me but I’m waiting until I can give it my full attention.  When I start I know I won’t want to stop until I’ve reached the end.

Light is due to be released on 1 April (just in time for Easter weekend!) and I know there will be plenty of Michael’s fans itching to find out what cruel punishment he doles out to the residents of Perdido Beach in this final book.

Fear by Michael Grant

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Michael Grant is one of my favourite authors because you never quite know what to expect when you start his latest book.    I know for sure that it’s going to be violent, probably disturbing and like no other young adult book around, but I never know what he’s going to throw at me.  Fear is the fifth book in his brilliant Gone series and there were times while reading it that I thought ‘where did that come from?’ or ‘what the hell is going on?’  Some authors may be running out of steam by the fifth book in a series (especially one as full-on as this one) but Michael Grant is still surprising me and making the situation even worse for the kids of the FAYZ.

Night is falling in the FAYZ. Permanently.  The barrier that surrounds the town of Perdido Beach is turning black, blotting out the sun and plunging its inhabitants into perpetual gloom.

And as the shadows deepen, the Darkness stirs.  From its lair beneath the earth, the gaiaphage reaches out for what it needs most – a human body into which it can be reborn…

Michael Grant drops you right back into the FAYZ in Fear and if you’d forgotten how bad things were he quickly reminds you.  Each of the camps are coping in their own ways and things have been relatively trouble-free for a while.  That is until certain characters make a reappearance and a darkness starts creeping up the side of the dome.  As in other books in the series, characters who seemed minor come into their own, especially Penny who totally loses it (her sanity that is).  The storylines of the gaiaphage and Little Pete get even weirder and in some parts I had no idea what was going on.  Michael Grant has an incredibly dark and twisted mind and he keeps coming up with new ways to creep his readers out and inflict torture on the kids of the FAYZ.  Because this book is called Fear Michael makes his characters face their fears, often using Penny as the tool for this.  One of my favourite things about this book was seeing what was going on outside the dome.  I’ve always wondered how the people outside were dealing with the dome and how the families were coping.  We do get a few questions answered about the FAYZ but hopefully the final book, Light, will tie up the loose ends.  It’s hard to believe that, in a year, we’ll be saying goodbye to Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Quinn and all the other kids of the FAYZ.

5 out of 5 stars

The Show No Fear and Go BZRK Michael Grant Blog Tour – Guest Post from Michael Grant

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Today I’m excited to host Michael Grant on the 4th stop of his Show No Fear and Go BZRK Blog Tour.  I’m a huge fan of Michael’s Gone series and his new series, BZRK.  He’s one of the most unique and original writers for young adults and never fails to please his army of fans.  I asked Michael if he could write about a couple of topics I was interested in; writing for the teenage guy inside him and authors and their use of social networking.  Thanks for joining me Michael.

  • Writing for the teenage guy inside you

Sometimes I’m not sure I ever was a teenager.  I never fit in.  I didn’t participate in events and activities at school, aside from debate club for one year.  I was a determined loner, actively avoiding other kids, inventing endless excuses to put off people who invited me to parties or dances.  I would sit at pep rallies and hear the “The we’re number one!” cheers and think, “Nah, we’re really not.”  I was cynical, arrogant, uninterested.  I’m sorry to say that if I was like any of my GONE characters in those days it might have been Caine.  (I’ve matured — a bit.)

I dropped out of school at age 16 and went to work full time.  I took immediately to work.  Work made far more sense to me than did my home life or school.  I liked the simplicity:  show up, work hard, get paid, go home.  All my life since then I’ve been a work-a-holic.

So when I think about the teenage Michael I just see a person who was waiting impatiently for the whole thing to be over so I could get on with the rest of my life.  In particular I wanted to be living my life, as defined by me, without adults . . . Oh.  Well then.  Hmmm.  I guess we’ve discovered the link between teenaged Michael and GONE, the book series where every single person over the age of 14 simply disappears, leaving things to be managed by teenagers.

I think adults try to keep teenagers trapped in childhood sometimes.  I think kids are often capable of more.  I was.

  • Going beyond the book: authors and social networking

I am somewhat conflicted on social media.  I’m on Twitter and on Facebook, and moderately active on both.  Am I convinced that it’s useful in terms of selling books?  No.  I think it’s useful primarily in maintaining contact with existing fans.  But I’m also conflicted about the usefulness of that.  I enjoy hearing from fans, as any author does.  But I think it can also demystify an author, showing them for what they of course are:  just regular people living not terribly grand or interesting lives.  I like hard data and I don’t think any exists on the practical effects of social media.  The jury is still out.  Of course in the meantime I’ll still be on Twitter and Facebook.

    

The fifth book in Michael Grant’s Gone series, Fear is out now, as well as the first book in his new BZRK series.  I’ve got a copy of each to give away here on My Best Friends Are Books.  Just enter your details to get in the draw.

A special thank you to the wonderful Jennifer Kean at Hardie Grant Egmont for organising the blog tour and for energy and enthusiasm!

Win Michael Grant’s Fear and BZRK

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Michael Grant is lucky enough to have two books released within a couple of months, the first book in his BZRK series and the fifth book in this Gone series, Fear.  They’re both amazing books and perfect for teenage guys.

Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont I have a copy of both BZRK and Fear to give away.  All you have to do to get in the draw is enter your details below.  Competition closes Friday 20 April.  Open to New Zealand and Australia only.

The Show No FEAR and Go BZRK Michael Grant Blog Tour

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Michael Grant’s Down Under Blog Tour starts today and I’m very excited to be hosting Michael on Friday 13th April.  I’m a huge Michael Grant fan (I love the Gone series and BZRK is amazing) and can’t wait to read the latest book in the series, Fear.  Make sure you visit My Best Friends Are Books on Friday 13th to hear what Michael Grant has to say about writing for the teenage guy inside him and authors and social networking, as well as a giveaway of both BZRK and Fear.

Visit each of these great blogs on Michael Grant’s Down Under Blog Tour:

Check out this great book trailer for Fear too:

Plague by Michael Grant

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The Gone Series by Michael Grant is one of the coolest series ever written. It’s just a normal day in Perdido Beach when all the adults (anyone over the age of 14) suddenly disappears and the town is surrounded by an impenetrable wall. You would think that life would be great without adults; you can do whatever you want, when you want to, and eat whatever you like. But when you’ve cut off from the rest of civilization, with a small supply of food and water, life starts to get worse. If that isn’t bad enough, some of the kids in Perdido Beach start developing super powers, including levitation, invisibility, healing, and super-speed. Two groups of kids form; Sam leading the kids from Perdido Beach and Caine leading the kids of Coates Academy. Their new home comes to be called The FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) and as time passes they have to deal with kids who suddenly disappear on their 15th birthday (Gone), a shrinking food supply (Hunger), the manipulation of The Darkness (Lies), and in the latest book, a terrible Plague.

In Plague the darkness has been foiled once again and the resurrected Drake has been contained. But the streets of Perdido Beach are far from safe, with a growing army of mutants fighting against the humans for power in the town. In a small room of a house near the edge of town, Little Pete lies ill on a bed. In his fevered dreams, he continues his battle with the hidden evil that seeks to use his power to bring about anarchy and destruction. The situation in the FAYZ is the worst it’s been but can Sam actually save them all this time?

Plague is a really intense book with some parts that will leave you cringing. I still can’t believe that the characters survived through their challenges. One thing that stands out about this book in the series is that there is some sense of hope, which made me want to read the next book right away (I can’t say any more otherwise I’ll ruin the surprise). I’m amazed at how Michael Grant keeps track of all his characters and how he comes up with new ways to test them in each book. I’ll eagerly await the next in the series, Fear, to see what he has in store for Sam and the kids of the FAYZ. The series is in the Young Adult section so they’re recommended for good readers aged 12 and up.    9 out of 10