Gone (Book One of Gone), by Michael Grant

Gone
Book One of Gone Series
Written By Michael Grant

“It's vital to keep a sense of humor when the world seems to have suddenly become a very strange place.” -- Gone, by Michael Grant

It's no surprise that I love dystopian novels. Since The Hunger Games I've read every dystopian book I can get my hands on.

The premise in Gone is pretty unique to me, a slight variation on the religious apocalypse where all the kids under 15 are left behind. It reminded me in some ways of Lord of the Flies, because civility breaks down almost immediately when a group of children are forced to try and survive in a world without adults. There are some other interesting religious aspects just touched on in the story which may become more developed in the following books.

I liked the format of the book, each chapter counting down to the end of the book and the timeline for a major event scheduled to happen in just 399 hours. Grant did a great job of keeping the story moving as he bounced between the different characters, always giving multiple points of view without being repetitive The characters were each unique and well constructed to help move the plot along.

The ending wasn't completely unexpected, but there were facets of it that did manage to surprise me. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next for this motley crew of kids in the next book, Hunger.