Gone
Remarkable
Original
Unpredictable

Gone

Michael Grant2009
The first in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant's breathtaking dystopian sci-fi saga, Gone is a page-turning thriller that invokes the classic The Lord of the Flies along with the horror of Stephen King. In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else. . . . Michael Grant's Gone has been praised for its compelling storytelling, multidimensional characters, and multiple points of view.
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Reviews

Photo of Whitney Nicole
Whitney Nicole@whitneyturnspages
4 stars
Jan 14, 2024

Well to be honest, I read this because a friend of mine said this was a dystopian classic back in the day (classic in the sense that it was popular in middle school, everyone relax I’m gen z). And as a book I thought was targeted at teens, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it as a 23 year old. The plot, the mystery, the whole “new world” thing it had going on, I loved it. Although I was shocked at the casual xenophobia thrown at one of the characters. And it wasn’t even like, the character grew and realized xenophobia and literal slurs are wrong, it was just thrown in there and the poor kid who it was directed at just kinda took it?? While I do think this is a well written, easy read if you are anyone over the age of 12 (not in a bad way, sometimes you need a simple quick read), I have now learned this is a nine book series. And good though the plot is, I would not read another 8 books with this plot line. However, if I were younger I probably would.

Photo of Emily
Emily@emilywright
5 stars
Jan 5, 2024

loved the series

Photo of Geoffrey Froggatt
Geoffrey Froggatt@geofroggatt
3 stars
Nov 29, 2023

This book series will always have a special place in my heart. In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents, unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out. This book is Lord of the Flies meets X-Men. I loved the survival horror aspect to this book combined with the developing superpowers angle. I loved the alternating POVs and the setting itself. The more that I read the more I could visualize Perdido Beach and the landscape described in this book. I loved the diverse cast of young characters and the ways they were portrayed and contrasted with one another. I loved the melting pot of personalities and powers that effected the story. The pacing was great and the writing style was brutal for a book for young-adults. I highly recommend this book for younger readers who want a survival horror story with some superpower spice.

Photo of Emmalie Stearns
Emmalie Stearns@emmaliejoy
4 stars
Feb 6, 2023

hsjbfhjsbdgksdgjsjg just amazing. Amazing.

Photo of Whitney Nicole
Whitney Nicole@steraturnspages
4 stars
Jan 24, 2023

Well to be honest, I read this because a friend of mine said this was a dystopian classic back in the day (classic in the sense that it was popular in middle school, everyone relax I’m gen z). And as a book I thought was targeted at teens, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it as a 23 year old. The plot, the mystery, the whole “new world” thing it had going on, I loved it. Although I was shocked at the casual xenophobia thrown at one of the characters. And it wasn’t even like, the character grew and realized xenophobia and literal slurs are wrong, it was just thrown in there and the poor kid who it was directed at just kinda took it?? While I do think this is a well written, easy read if you are anyone over the age of 12 (not in a bad way, sometimes you need a simple quick read), I have now learned this is a nine book series. And good though the plot is, I would not read another 8 books with this plot line. However, if I were younger I probably would.

Photo of Kimber Severance
Kimber Severance @kimberseverance
3 stars
Jan 18, 2023

This book could of turned out very cliche, but it didn't. Who hasn't mulled over the whole "parents disappearing" idea? Gone definatly took its own spin on things, diverting the focus away from the sole conflict of "all the adult are gone" The added twist with the super powers, and alluding that those powers didn't surface just because of the wall, really added to the depth of the story.

Photo of Katy
Katy@katyreads
4 stars
Jan 4, 2023

Thought about this series randomly and decided to revisit it after a decade. Still as good as I remember it being. Decided to give this a 4 stars, instead of my initial 5 stars because I forgot how slow-paced the beginning was. Also, I found some scenes to be a little stale (in terms of action and other things) but all in all, it was a blast revisiting this book.

Photo of Jacalyn Boggs
Jacalyn Boggs@ladyozma
4 stars
Dec 8, 2022

When “Left Behind” meets “X-Men” with a spattering of “Lord of the Flies” you get “Gone” by Michael Grant. It seemed like your typical day until everyone over the age of 14 vanishes in the blink of an eye. Cars crash, buildings burn, and kids wander the streets lost, confused, and scared at first. But what happens next? This dystopian novel takes you to the darkness of a world gone mad, a world where suddenly children are left to their own devices. When your town elders consist of ninth graders, things quickly descend into chaos. A few kids step up to the plate to keep things running as smoothly as they can. Others wrest power through bullying. It’s not a unique story. Until you throw in the talking coyotes and the super powers. Or the sphere that walls in the community of kids. That alone gives you enough of a mystery that you cannot stop turning the pages. For me, I wanted to know why the adults *poofed* in the blink of an eye, and why kids turning 15 poof on their birthdays as well. The town’s nuclear power plant appears Ground Zero for the phenomenon, but what caused it? By the end of the first book, you end up with about as many questions as answers. In a good way. Left wide open for the sequel, without the annoying cliffhanger makes me want to dig right into the second book. Which happens to already reside on my e-Reader. Thank goodness. I’m hooked. This book definitely falls into the “Chunkster” category at a whopping 558 pages. While geared toward young adults, it is not annoyingly juvenile. With a setting closer to today than the distant future, a reader can easily pick up the book and understand the world that Michael Grant creates within the pages. As far as dystopian novels go, I consider it a lighter fare, at least compared to some of what I’ve read this year. I look forward to the second book, hoping that it will answer more questions as things get more desperate.

Photo of Janice Hopper
Janice Hopper@archergal
3 stars
Nov 2, 2022

Audio from Overdrive via AudioSync. I needed something to listen to while knitting lace. It's a perfectly serviceable books about what happens in a community when everyone 15 or over disappears suddenly, at the same time, and only the kids are left. They try to figure out what happened. They try to manage the babies and little bitty kids that are left. Some of them try to deal with new powers they're suddenly developing. There's a bit of Lord of the Flies as well as X-men here. It's fine. It didn't blow my socks off, but it's fine, and it kept my attention.

Photo of Caterina P.
Caterina P.@ourbookishnotes
1 star
Oct 15, 2022

Gone, by Michael Grant, is centered around the horrifying idea of all people over the age of eighteen suddenly disappear. Although the idea and plot were sound, I found that the novel was very dully written. If your looking for an exciting, fast paced novel read; The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Photo of Spencer McWilliams
Spencer McWilliams@lilteine
5 stars
Oct 12, 2022

This book and the series is absolutely AMAZING! Gone was very interesting and a good start with the plot! I've been obsessed with the series after the first book.

Photo of Nadia Serrano
Nadia Serrano@nadiasbel
4 stars
Aug 25, 2022

This book is a very similar style to maximum ride but a little bit more mature. I really like it when I read it a while back and re-read it a few months ago and absolutely loved it can't wait to read more of the series. the only thing I didn't like was that there were too many points of view and it was very easy to get confused. other than that the plot and storyline was written very well and very enjoyable.

Photo of Adele Modonesi
Adele Modonesi@bambihwg
2 stars
Aug 24, 2022

DNF'd at page 405. I gave up.

Photo of Diogo Nunes
Diogo Nunes@dialex
3 stars
Aug 2, 2022

I loved the concept and to discover how kids reacted on a world like that. It's clearly a dark book, not a child book. The ending was a bit unsatisfactory. I'm curious to continue reading.

Photo of Lis
Lis@seagull
1 star
Mar 16, 2022

I don't want to slap the "complete crap" label on this, because really, it just wasn't my kind of book. Sorry to everyone who likes this book, and no offense. The plot was original, the characters were well-written, etc. I just...didn't like it. Sorry again.

Photo of Kevin Spachuk
Kevin Spachuk@spacious1
3 stars
Mar 8, 2022

Good idea/concept but long in execution and dialogue digressions.

Photo of Julia Thompson
Julia Thompson @julillia
5 stars
Feb 26, 2022

I remember reading the first 3 books of the Gone series years ago before I had children. They were easy to get into and exciting. I feel the same now as I did then but with a bit more crying from some of the sadder parts that a hormonal mother has trouble handling. This series is so different from what I normally read. I am a sucker for fantasy romance, ones that include fae more often than not. While there is a bit of romance in this book it's more action packed and thrilling. I love my action scenes and Gone did not disappoint. There was no sugar coating on the sad bits and it left me concerned for my fast favorites in the series. There's so many different elements happening in this book it's amazing. From superpowered bullies to a variety of mutated animals and one reluctant hero, there was no boring moments for me. I could not remember what happened in the book from when I read it years ago so I was unable to put it down until I had answers this time. The writing is not very complicated so it only took me a few hours to make it through, which is always a plus around a busy schedule. I'm happy I already own the next 2 in the series and can't wait to binge read them as well. I don't generally write reviews so sorry if you're reading this and wondering why I'm all over the map. I'm hoping to start writing reviews more regularly and improving as I go.

Photo of Kim
Kim @readwithkim
4 stars
Dec 21, 2021

I'm finally done the book and it was really good. It has been 4-5 weeks ago since I started reading this because I have other stuff to do. All I can say is awesome book :)

Photo of Fiona
Fiona@mcfizzle
5 stars
Dec 20, 2021

Amazing!

Photo of Mia
Mia@itsmia
4 stars
Dec 6, 2021

4.5 stars! Jeg ventet en god stund med å lese denne boka, siden den er ganske lang og jeg var i humør til å lese litt kortere bøker, men jeg begynte nå å lese likevel. Og får jeg bare si W-O-W. Denne boka var mye bedre enn jeg hadde forventet. Det er action fra første side og helt ut. Jeg fikk sterke følelser for alle karakterene -- både positive og negative (særlig hat overfor Drake, ugh!) -- og de var så bra skrevet at jeg følte at kjente dem. Det er mye grotesk som skjer, det er skummelt og språket i boka beskriver situasjonene så perfekt. Om jeg hadde vært i the FAYZ så hadde jeg dødd av skrekk innen den første dagen, men disse fjortenåringene er veldig modige. Jeg fikk egentlig følelsen av at alle var mye eldre enn fjorten og yngre. Jeg var ihvertfall ikke så moden på den alderen! Gleder meg virkelig til å lese Hunger.

Photo of Luna
Luna@lunaslibrary
4 stars
Dec 4, 2021

i think this is proof that 2010 YA authors must’ve been on something because this shit is wild

Photo of Toniy Knight
Toniy Knight@itstoniy
5 stars
Nov 25, 2021

Gone is one of the best books I've ever read. It's like Lord of the Flies meets Children of the Corn meets Sci-fi. It will get your heart pounding and your blood boiling. Even as the action increases there are funny scenes. It provokes a lot of important questions such as 'Is there a God?' and 'What separates good from evil?' With it's vast collection of characters it's easy to find someone you can relate to. (Just be prepared for them to get killed of.)

Photo of Jade Flynn
Jade Flynn@jadeflynn
4 stars
Nov 20, 2021

*4.8 stars. “Ninth graders with machine guns: its hard to make that a happy story.” I have no idea why I didn't pick up this series sooner! This is the kind of book you either love or you hate. I happened to LOVE it. I feel the need to say this but - 'ASTRID, YOU GO GIRL' & I have 'Hunger' on my bookcase ready to be read ASAP!!!!!! (That's all I'm going to say. I just can't express in words how much I loved this book).

Photo of Laurie Abrial
Laurie Abrial@lau_reads
3 stars
Nov 18, 2021

Ma chronique : https://motsinsatiables.wordpress.com...