Fear (#5 Gone), by Michael Grant

As PLAGUE drew to an end with Little Pete vanishing, Astrid taking off, the semi-truce between Sam’s Lake commune and Caine’s town dictatorship, and Drake/Brittney still on the loose there is plenty of stuff going on in FEAR.  Grant continues to provide us with more of the non-stop action that we’ve seen pretty much since the FAYZ’s inception, but Grant does still manage to deliver some surprise twists that shocked me. 

I have to say that Grant has done a superb job of making sure to give me just enough hints to keep me from getting angry and giving up, while being just vague enough that I’m never sure if I’ve guessed right.  But I suppose with only one more book to go, Grant is going to dangle a few bones to make sure that we tune back in when LIGHT releases in 2013.  By far, the most thrilling part of FEAR is that Grant is finally answering the questions that have been plaguing my mind since GONE.  He’s beginning to fill in the holes of what we know, with actual facts, rather than just innuendo and suspicion. 

FEAR has been my favorite book in this series.  Finally finding out how the FAYZ began and why, what the gaiaphage is, and just what these kids are capable of has been amazing.  I am on pins and needles waiting for LIGHT to release; I may have to read something else of Grant’s in order to keep me from going crazy waiting.