Fear (Gone Book 5) - Michael Grant

Title: Fear (Gone Book 5)
Author: Michael Grant
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2012
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
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Review:
“Fear” by Michael Grant is the 5th and penultimate Book in the Gone series. I was looking forward to reading this book as the Gone series has been some of the best dark, dystopian novels I have encountered in recent years. The book follows on from the event of “Plague” with Sam now working with others to run a settlement out by the lake whilst Caine rules over his own settlement in Perdido Beach as a King. The tenuous peace that now endures is threatened when the dome around them begins to blacken cutting out all light which threatens to finally finish off everyone within the FAYZ.

As with the other novels in the series, the book is a wonderfully well written, adrenaline packed adventure that had me hooked from the first page to the last. The story structure is very similar to what we have seen before, with Sam being central to the plot and the teenagers having to face off against each other in addition to some form of enemy sent by the gaiaphage. However, the main driving force behind this novel to me was character development. Grant really begins to delve into the psyche of the surviving characters who all appear to be suffering from various forms of post-traumatic stress. As we move towards the final novel it appears that Grant is determined to ensure the reader really knows each character and understands who they are, even those without special powers.

A really interesting addition to this novel is that Grant decides to finally let the readers glimpse a view from outside the FAYZ. The reader gets to follow things from an adult’s viewpoint which is a nice counterpoint to that of the teenage centric story we have had so far. This adds an enjoyable and fresh feeling to the novel as we get to see how the various parents and the military have been responding to the situation as it has unfolded.

In summary, this is another enjoyable novel in this exciting series. With this novel I specifically appreciated that Grant has tried to give us something new with the view of outside in addition to the further development of the characters. There is not much more to say other that next up in the series is “Light” which is the finale and I really can’t wait!