“Gone” by Michael Grant

Wow.  Plain-out Wow.  “Gone” is the first in a multi-book series about another dystopian universe where teens face brutal realities … but it is really really good.  The best I have read in a bit.  Saw Michael Grant at the National Book Festival, where the apparently stoned organizers decided to put him in the Children’s tent instead of the Teen tent.  He wasn’t five minutes in before parents were grabbing little ones by the wrist and dragging them out.  I laughed myself silly.  An exuberant, engaging speaker, Mr. Grant held nothing back and was true to the gritty nature of his writing.  “Gone” is the story of an ordinary day – which turns quickly “un-ordinary” when all of the adults in the town of Perdido Beach disappear in an instant.  And that’s in the first paragraph.  What follows is a twisting, turning, gut-wrenching series of events and adventures that not only left me ripping through a very large book very quickly, but left me nearly gasping to see “what happens next.”  Science and/or Science Fiction blends with strong religious overtones to make this a tale where the story wraps itself into directions you never see coming.  The characters are diverse and real, with none of them one-dimensional.  The good guy questions himself, the savior of the littlest kids struggles with an eating disorder, the best friend is never clear on where his loyalties lie and the bad guys … well, they are all unique.  A warning – the violence is visceral and this makes the novel (and Mr. Grant’s presentation at the Book Festival?) a “bit much” for more sensitive readers.  Almost every reviewer mentions the similarity here with “Lord of the Flies.”  The survivalist theme amidst competing human struggles for power can’t be denied, but there is such a freshness to this book that it feels like it is happening as you read it.  The teens sound like the kids I interact with every day and jump off the page as someone you seem to know.  Point-of-view careens from one character to another, with a wide spectrum of people coming together in such an achingly slow pace that it sometimes feels like watching a daytime drama.  What will happen to Lana and the hyenas?  Is Caine’s evil plan going to work?  Will Sam return from the power plant in time?  Read the next chapter to find out … or the next …

Spoiler Alert

Yes, it was so good, I want to read the rest.  But on the other hand … this book doesn’t end badly, and Grant alluded to the conclusion of the series in his presentation, indicating that “a lot” of the major characters die.  Don’t think I can take it.  Barely got through this one.  We’ll see if I plow on.