Gone

//Gone//

** Setting: **
==== The novel is set in the small town of Perdido Beach, California. The town is set on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. On the edge near the beach and aside from some cliffs, there is a power plant, which, in the 90's, was crashed into by a meteor. This is how it got its nickname; Fallout Alley. In the centre, there are 4 blocks, with about 12 houses on each. On the edge of Perdido beach is a school on a cliff called Coates Academy where, though you do not find out until about half way through the book, the kids with "powers" go. There is also another school called Perdido Beach School, which is where the main character Sam Temple goes with his friends [Read below to find out more about Sam and his friends]. There is also a hotel called the Clifftop, of which the 'force field' cuts through the centre of. There is also the plaza in the centre of the town. ====

** Characters: **
==== Sam Temple (AKA School bus Sam) : Sam is the main character in the book and is found to be very good at handling difficult situations. He has a power but does not tell anyone until close to the middle of the book. He can shoot green/white beams out of his hands that can burn through flesh and bone, but he can only use it when he is either sad or angry. He is 14 at the beginning of Gone and 15 at the end, but by the end of the whole series, (Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear) he is 16. In a difficult situation, he is very good at keeping calm. An example of this is when he originally got his nickname; School bus Sam. The bus driver had had a heart attack and 'Sam had pulled the man out of his seat, steered the bus onto the shoulder of the road, brought it safely to a stop, and calmly dialed 911 on the driver's cell phone.' He has issues with trusting people, especially himself, since a situation gone bad with his step father. At the beginning of the book, Sam fancies Astrid but believes that she is "out of his league". At the end of the book, they are together. ==== ==== Astrid Ellison (AKA Astrid the Genius) : Astrid is the head of the class, in advanced classes [or AP classes] and taking online university courses. She supposedly has the answers to all questions, so when all the people over 15 start disappearing and she has no answer, Sam and best friend Quinn start getting nervous. She is very good at staying calm and collected and making sure everyone else is OK before she is herself. She is logical and thinks everything through and can come up with a resolution to a problem very quickly and even when she is on the spot. Her brother is little Pete (AKA Little Pete-tard). He is autistic and he has the power to do things with his mind; he can choke someone with just his thoughts and he can teleport. She is very determined to keep him safe and the first thing she does as soon as all the parents go missing is try to find him because she realises he would be alone if her parents had disappeared. She ends up in a relationship with Sam. ==== ==== Quinn Gaither: Quinn is the best friend of Sam. Both Sam and Quinn are 'surfer dudes'. He and Sam fight at the start and because of this, Quinn leaves, joining the kids from Coates Academy in their attempts to become the heads of the 'FAYZ' (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). After joining them, Quinn is told to go up against his former best friend to prove himself to the Coates kids. In the end, he traps Sam, but releases him when their backs are turned. He then returns to being Sam's best friend. He is not very reliable and he is very iffy about where his loyalties stand. In a tough time, he attempted to take the easy way out, but ends up being left behind. Throughout the book he continually tries to convince Sam to surf with him, even though there are no waves.==== ==== Edilio Escobar: Edilio is a new student at Perdido Beach School. He is from Mexico and had already been spotted as a potential friend of Sam and Quinn and, later, he becomes a lot closer to them both. He lives with them in the old firehouse. He is very good at coping with difficult situations. We learn that he knows how to drive a car and so is given the job of digging the graves of the deceased with a mechanical digger they find. ==== ==== Charles Merriman (AKA Orc) and Howard Bassem : Charles, or Orc, as he is referred to in the book, is the year 9 bully. He is very stupid and dim witted. Howard uses Orc as his protection because " if you messed with Howard, you'd get a fist in your face from Orc". Everyone knew this and Howard was quite a bit smarter than Orc, so they were tough bullies and semi-smart bullies, too.==== ==== Lana Arwen Lazar, Patrick, Pack Leader and Darkness: Lana is a teenage girl who can heal herself and other people or animals. She does not know this until the 'poof' happens (as described by Quinn, Chapter 1, page 2) when all the people over 14 disappear. She is being driven to her grandfather's isolated farm when he 'poofs' and the truck is flipped onto the side of the road. She is lain on the side of the track with blood and bones in places they shouldn't be. She is threatened by a mountain lion, but her trusty golden retriever, Patrick, attacks it. Though he wins the fight, he is left with fatal injuries, a fate that Lana is sure she will follow. She falls asleep with her hand on the bite on Patrick's neck and when she wakes up he is healed. She tries this on herself and after a few hours, she is able to walk on her now non-broken legs. Then she meets Pack leader (a talking Coyote) and his pack. They take her to Darkness who tells her to teach the coyotes to be Human. She escapes and meets Sam, Quinn, Edilio and Astrid. Darkness and the pack are featured in a few of the sequels. ==== ==== Caine Soren, Diana Ladris and Drake Merwin: Caine is a Coates kid. He is the main Coates kid. He leads the kids in a car to the plaza (where all the kids are meeting). He spoke and attempted to convince people to ration food supplies and he deposited jobs. He is elected as the 'Mayor' of the FAYZ. All the people from Coates have powers. This is where Sam's mum worked as a nurse. He finds the secret to not 'poofing' (as the official term) at the age of 15. His 'side kicks', Diana and Drake are always there. Drake does not have a power, though he is very tough and willing to 'pull the trigger'. Diana, on the other hand, has the ability to read the level of power each person has. Sam is a four, as is Caine. She believes that little Pete is a five. The average is a two. Diana and Drake are nemeses. Caine is in love with Diana, so she uses that to manipulate him to do her bidding. Caine's powers are the ability to move objects or people with his mind. ====


 * Story Line: **

// Beginning: //
In the beginning, Sam is at school, then his teacher (Mr. Trentlake) 'poofs', and so do all the other people over 14. Astrid walks in and she, Sam and Quinn look for any sign of adults. This is when they find out that 15 years or older is the age you disappear. Then they go looking for little Pete. They go to the Clifftop and find the 'force field' that cuts through the centre of it. Little Pete is not there. Then they go to where Astrid's dad works, the nuclear power plant, and find little Pete. They also find out that the 'force field' goes exactly where the radiation would go if there was to be a leak. They return to the plaza to find the Coates kids have taken over. We also meet Lara. In her chapter, she is on completely the opposite side of Perdido Beach to where Sam and the Coates kids are. Her grandfather's truck rolls over and she learns to heal [For more information, refer to character profiles, 'Lana Arwen Lazare, Patrick, Pack Leader and Darkness']

// Middle: //
In the middle of the book, Sam and co. have a meeting with the head of the Coates kids, Caine Soren. He tells them his plans to give jobs and ration food supplies. Next, we find out that Caine is actually planning on finding out all about the 'poof' and how to stop himself from 'poofing'. He attempts to keep all the kids with 'powers' from being around normal kids and covers their hands with cement so that they cannot use them. Meanwhile, Lana finds a shack and whilst looking for signs of civilisation, finds an old mine shaft instead. Pack leader and his pack of talking Coyotes lead her to Darkness [the name is self explanatory], where he informs her that she shall be teaching the coyotes how to be human. Then, Sam and co. go into the forest and find a shack, which has a person in it [Lana] and the Coyotes are trying to get in. After much waiting, Pack leader gets a burning stick and tries to burn down the shack. They run out and Sam uses his ability to shoot laser beams through his hands to attack the coyotes. They get away and are found back in the forest. // End: // In the end... Well, I don't want to give away the ending so I'll tell you intense stuff but not give away anything. They return from the forest to find that the coyotes are holding the preschoolers [or prees] in the daycare and, after running after little Pete, Astrid is now stuck in the half broken church. It is almost Sam's 15th birthday, meaning he has just a few minutes left before he 'poofs'. He faces Caine, and the rest of the now-saved people with powers get into battle stations to fight Caine's crew. That's all I can say, except to leave you with this one intense thought. Sam must face the 'poof'.

In this book, they use flashbacks to gradually reveal the truth about each character and unveil and answer questions that readers may have. It is told from quite a few perspectives, flicking through chapter to chapter. At some points, you see what's going on behind the eyes of 'Astrid the Genius', then you see what's going on in the mind of Sam and the next chapter, you are trudging through the desert as Lana.

Throughout the book, you are told how much Sam fancies Astrid. He sticks by her and, by the time the first 20 chapters are finished, they are thinking the same things. At the beginning of the book, Astrid is giving Sam spiteful looks, but by the end, they are very close. They don't fight. With Sam and Quinn's relationship, on the other hand, they are completely the opposite to Astrid and Sam; Sam has known Quinn forever and they are best friends at the start of the novel, seemingly inseparable. Then, as the 'poof' goes on for more and more days, they begin to fight over small disagreements and Quinn ends up joining the Coates kids. This does not last long as he is swamped with guilt and helps to free Sam from their clutches. Astrid's relationship with Little Pete is VERY strong. He is the first thing she thinks of as soon as the 'poof' happens. She knows how to calm him and keep him that way. She can get him to save her in difficult situations, even though he has difficulties comprehending what people are saying.
 * Relationships: **

I think that this book can NOT be put down in any way. It is pure fictional GENIUS! Every character is built up and you almost feel as though you are in the book and going on the adventures with them. This is one of those books where, when something sad happens, you just want to cry with the characters. You want to laugh with them, fight with them and be with them every step of the way. Truly amazing! I couldn't put it down, and I'm being serious. I didn't go anywhere without it and as soon as the time arose, I took it out of my bag and read it. Cannot wait to read the sequels!!! :)
 * Personal Response: **

In This Series; 1. Gone 2. Hunger 3. Lies 4. Plague 5. Fear // Coming in April, 2013; // 6. Light

BZRK
 * Other books by Michael Grant; **

// Magnificent 12 series; // 1. The Call 2. The Trap 3. The Key