"Lies, A Gone Novel:" Just when you thought it couldn't get weirder...

I read the third book in Michael Grant's thrilling series in five days--just a little over the amount of time that lapses in the book. Boy, was it difficult to put down. The same attributes that made the first two books so addictive are present in the third installment, as well: mounting tension and violence, breezy chapters that leave you poised at the edge of a cliff, and engaging characters. Even though some events in the second book sort of repeat themselves in Lies, it's a story all its own.

Like in the previous books, the events unfold very quickly in a short time frame. Orsay is garnering several followers by speaking of her visions, which she usually gets by touching the FAYZ wall--or in her dreams. At the same time, dead girl Brittney has risen from the grave, the Human Crew plot to terrorize the town, Caine invades an island, and the Town Council falls apart. What's more, a mysterious girl, Nerezza, appears as Orsay's disciple, a flu is going around, and Drake is back from the dead. Sam and Astrid also demonstrate some seriously flawed thinking, with Astrid lying about Orsay's dreams, and Sam frustrated with not being able to do what he wants and having to deal with every little problem himself. New characters come into the fold, such as the inhabitants of the invaded island and illusionist Penny, while others leave us for good: Orsay through death, Mary through taking the jump on the "Big One-Five." The ending is tragic and messy (in an awesome way), with many issues far from resolved. However, many characters--Sam, Astrid, and Diana, most notably--have learned and grown from these additionally harrowing experiences. This novel has as much violence, gore, and pain as the previous installments--with the villains of Caine, Drake, and the Darkness (yes, it's baaaaaaack) more malicious and deranged than ever.

In spite of all the chaos and craziness that ensues, the characters come off as real and flawed human beings. Mary, who had stepped up to take care of the littles in the beginning, even though she suffers from eating disorders, has had enough of the burden, and even though she is basically giving up the kids for chance, we can understand why she decides to leave the FAYZ the only way anyone knows how--through the poof. Astrid and Sam make frustrating choices, but they realize their mistakes and we're assured that they're not infallible heroes. I even sympathized with Diana in this one, as she realized how monstrous Caine had become. Throughout this series I've enjoyed learning more about the Beta characters and watching them grow into their own.

Of course, the story has its flaws. First of all there was the very basic question of how long after the FAYZ this all takes place. I gleaned from the first book that it began in early November, as it starts about two weeks before Sam's birthday, which is the 22nd. Lies says it's been seven months--so, it we were to say it's been seven whole months, then that would mean late May/early June, right? But Lies takes place over the three days leading up to Mary's birthday, which falls on Mother's Day this un-numbered year. Usually, Mother's Day is early May, so technically only six whole months have passed. May is six months after November (think of it this way: November-born kids celebrate their half-birthdays in May, and vice versa). So, it's close, but not quite. People might disagree with me on this, but I stick by it. Nit, picked.

Then there are some events that I think are just forced and random, just to reveal information to the reader or move the story in a particular direction. An example of that is a completely random conversation between Lana and a drugged-out Mary. We get a little of what Lana thinks about Orsay, and Mary, but she could have talked to just about anyone.  I also have a hard time believing that they took so long to make some rules, and all of a sudden in one night they have rules?


I also noticed while reading that (almost) all the girl characters have someone they like, it is important enough to mention, but all the boy characters don't--or at least it's not important enough to mention it. So the girls are all about luuurve, while the boys are mostly all business. Again, a gender divide that I'm sure was not intentional, but still managed to sneak through. And what is up with the Asian chicks and unrequited love? First Taylor likes Sam, and now this Penny person likes Caine? And they're both half-Jewish white boys, to boot.

Can I just say, though, that I love Edilio? He is basically the best character in this whole series so far, always ready to step up and yet still struggling with the unreal realities around him, so it's not like he's a Mary Stu or anything. If I was an unfortunate inhabitant in this realm, I would totally have a crush on him. I was so scared when he almost died in the last book. My favorite girl characters, on the other hand, are probably Brianna and Dekka--I kind of hope that they do end up together, somehow. (especially since we see how much Dekka thinks about Brianna) I'm sure there's plenty of fan fiction about them.

So, while the book is far from perfect, Lies is just as good as the first two, and I will definitely be reading the next book. (at a somewhat later date, though, since I want to take a break from this series for a while--for one, the last book isn't out yet, and I don't want to be left hanging) General rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Oppression rating? 3. If you're not hooked after reading this book, I don't know what it'll take.