alexisneuville's review
5.0
Really good book! Very suspenseful and had the perfect amount of love, action and happiness. It was pure amazingness!
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
For reasons nobody can work out, anyone over the age of fourteen disappears suddenly. Whatever they are doing, they vanish. We’re introduced to this idea by seeing a group of students try to work out what to do when their classes are interrupted by the adults disappearing. There is no phone service, and the children slowly realise they’re on their own.
Like any dystopian story, watching how people react to their new environment/situation is interesting. Initially, I had high hopes for this. The characters we’re introduced to are seemingly well-developed and their behaviour is plausible.
As time passes, the reality of providing for those who are vulnerable sinks in. They make plans of sorts, but it’s very much on a short-term basis as they assume they will be rescued or that the dome that appears to have settled over them will, eventually, be removed.
In scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Flies we even have a second group that cause conflict. However, with this scenario came the realisation that the disappearance of the adults wasn’t the only strange event…some of the children have powers way beyond anything seen before, and animals are mutating.
Once we were in the middle section of the book it was focused on the developing tension and power struggle between the two groups. We learned a little more about the key players, but there was also a bizarre situation involving talking coyotes and a mysterious presence that seemed to be behind the whole thing.
While the book was full of action and engaging in some ways, it also didn’t make much sense. Though I was ready for some attempt to resolve the situation, what happened came about very quickly and ended so abruptly that nobody really knew what was going on at the end.
Like any dystopian story, watching how people react to their new environment/situation is interesting. Initially, I had high hopes for this. The characters we’re introduced to are seemingly well-developed and their behaviour is plausible.
As time passes, the reality of providing for those who are vulnerable sinks in. They make plans of sorts, but it’s very much on a short-term basis as they assume they will be rescued or that the dome that appears to have settled over them will, eventually, be removed.
In scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Flies we even have a second group that cause conflict. However, with this scenario came the realisation that the disappearance of the adults wasn’t the only strange event…some of the children have powers way beyond anything seen before, and animals are mutating.
Once we were in the middle section of the book it was focused on the developing tension and power struggle between the two groups. We learned a little more about the key players, but there was also a bizarre situation involving talking coyotes and a mysterious presence that seemed to be behind the whole thing.
While the book was full of action and engaging in some ways, it also didn’t make much sense. Though I was ready for some attempt to resolve the situation, what happened came about very quickly and ended so abruptly that nobody really knew what was going on at the end.
abbylu23's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a great read! It had me wondering what would happen next at every page. Though in my opinion, the story could have been more developed being a 500+ page book; but overall it was an excellent & enjoyable read. I can't wait to start reading the second installment of Michael Grant's Gone series.
brittanymariereads's review
4.0
I really enjoyed Gone! It was a really unique storyline with believable flawed characters. There were a large number of charcters, which allowed the author to show the many different aspects of human nature. Not all humans are inherently good or courageous and it was nice to see that in this book. The story was interesting and crazy. There was so many plot twists and unanswered questions. I can't wait to buy the rest of the series!
bookish_spoonie's review
3.0
It's a modern fantasy version of Lord of the flies. It was an interesting read but I didn't love it. It kept me entertained but I won't be rushing for the next book.
hazelstaybookish's review
4.0
What do you do when no one's there to look after you? To feed, guide, and protect you? What do you do when your teachers, your parents and all adults fifteen and above are simply gone?
No one knows. Not Astrid the Genius or Schoolbus Sam. In Michael Grant's dystopian sci-fi, Gone, the young kids, all those who stayed behind, are thrown off by this dilemma. Who won't freak out when you are left alone to fend for yourself with a bunch of kids who are as clueless as you are? Oh and yes, don't forget the strange powers the characters have and the mutating animals. FAYZ (Fall Out Youth Alley Zone, as the characters named it) is in a state of chaos.
I am not a huge sci-fi fan but Gone had exceeded my expectations. Honestly, at first, the book seemed very tiring to read and I had to pause for a while. There was so much action that even I was getting exhausted. BUT. Yes, there's a big but right there. The action of course is what made the book so interesting. The drama and everything that's happening is so overwhelming and it's crazy- in a good way.
The characters, Sam, Astrid, Quinn, Edilio, Lana, Albert, Little Pete, Caine, Diana, Drake, Jack, Orc, Mary, Dahra, Brianna and so on, were just as crazy. Okay, some of them were literally crazy, like Drake, who is just such an abominable psychopath. What I meant was that the number of characters (I haven't even named them all in that case) was generally astonishing. I just love that Michael Grant was able to make us understand each one of them. Getting to view the situation in so many perspectives was a nice change.
Another refreshing thing about this book was that it did not focus so much on romance. Grab a YA book and I assure you that there would definitely be romance there. Yes, some of the characters here develop relationships but this was not the focal point of the story. There is so little romance that it made me appreciate even the little things.
In my opinion, the book was awesome. I loved the story, the characters, and the action. It was a roller coaster ride with so many ups and downs. I really don't know what's going to happen with the next books but I daresay they would probably be as thrilling as Gone.
No one knows. Not Astrid the Genius or Schoolbus Sam. In Michael Grant's dystopian sci-fi, Gone, the young kids, all those who stayed behind, are thrown off by this dilemma. Who won't freak out when you are left alone to fend for yourself with a bunch of kids who are as clueless as you are? Oh and yes, don't forget the strange powers the characters have and the mutating animals. FAYZ (Fall Out Youth Alley Zone, as the characters named it) is in a state of chaos.
I am not a huge sci-fi fan but Gone had exceeded my expectations. Honestly, at first, the book seemed very tiring to read and I had to pause for a while. There was so much action that even I was getting exhausted. BUT. Yes, there's a big but right there. The action of course is what made the book so interesting. The drama and everything that's happening is so overwhelming and it's crazy- in a good way.
The characters, Sam, Astrid, Quinn, Edilio, Lana, Albert, Little Pete, Caine, Diana, Drake, Jack, Orc, Mary, Dahra, Brianna and so on, were just as crazy. Okay, some of them were literally crazy, like Drake, who is just such an abominable psychopath. What I meant was that the number of characters (I haven't even named them all in that case) was generally astonishing. I just love that Michael Grant was able to make us understand each one of them. Getting to view the situation in so many perspectives was a nice change.
Another refreshing thing about this book was that it did not focus so much on romance. Grab a YA book and I assure you that there would definitely be romance there. Yes, some of the characters here develop relationships but this was not the focal point of the story. There is so little romance that it made me appreciate even the little things.
In my opinion, the book was awesome. I loved the story, the characters, and the action. It was a roller coaster ride with so many ups and downs. I really don't know what's going to happen with the next books but I daresay they would probably be as thrilling as Gone.
reigna's review
3.0
Okay, okay, this one won me over in the end. I felt that the beginning was rather clunky and hectic, as characters were introduced in rapid succession and the author made copious use of sentence fragments. Don't get me wrong, sentence fragments can be great when used effectively, but in this case it just felt stilted and robotic.
I think you have to wait until you get at least a third or half of the way through before Grant hits his stride. Even so, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it had a great Lord-of-the-Flies premise and some nicely rounded characters. On another...it just felt really messy, you know? There are just too many unexplained plot points left hanging for my liking and I don't know if I'm interested enough to finish the next five books.
I think you have to wait until you get at least a third or half of the way through before Grant hits his stride. Even so, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it had a great Lord-of-the-Flies premise and some nicely rounded characters. On another...it just felt really messy, you know?
Spoiler
Especially once talking mutated animals and a mysterious "Darkness" and weird morphy weapon-limbs appear.signehansen's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit, man.. This book?!
It kind of really blew me away. Just everything. From the story line to the characters to the crazy coyotes - It was epic.
I love how you never felt they were older than what they were supposed to be. Even when they were killing each other, it's made in a way that never lets you forget just how young these characters really are - and in terms, makes it both incredibly amazing and incredibly scary.
So, I would basically recommend this to everyone, ever.
It kind of really blew me away. Just everything. From the story line to the characters to the crazy coyotes - It was epic.
I love how you never felt they were older than what they were supposed to be. Even when they were killing each other, it's made in a way that never lets you forget just how young these characters really are - and in terms, makes it both incredibly amazing and incredibly scary.
So, I would basically recommend this to everyone, ever.
kmc3050's review
5.0
Michael Grant's Gone is not your typical post-apocalypse novel. He creates a world where adults have vanished, leaving the youth to rise up and survive. Along with the normal fear, struggle, and drastically changed world, there are super-natural powers, eerie barriers, and animal mutations, as well as, an underlying evil. Grant skillfully weaves these themes and his characters into a successful and thrilling plot. There is no doubt that readers will be rooting for the good kids to prevail while jumping out of their socks during frightening parts. Since there are many scenes that would be better handled by a maturer audiences, this book is best suited for the older side of Young Adults.
syren96's review
3.0
When I first started reading this book I didn't think I was going to like it at all. It was a strange mesh of Under the Dome and Lord of the Flies, and the writing style just wasn't working for me. As I kept going I grew to like more of the characters, and some of the things that niggled at me in the beginning faded into the background. Couldn't fault it for lack of action, if anything it could have used some downtime between some of the scenes. I think I'll continue with the series, because I am curious about where it's headed.