"Plague: A Gone Novel": the FAYZ continues

To call the Gone series a dystopia is a misnomer, at the very least. A dystpoian tale conjures up the likes of Brave New World and 1984: stories that take place in the future, predicting a forseeable technological and societal upheaval that bears the mask of a utopia, but is actually quite a terrible place, devoid of such Enlightenment values as freedom and reasonable debate. Yet this is what it is called on the dust jackets of the first edition, probably to capitalize on the dystopian trend at the time. And it does appear a utopia (from a kid's point of view) for a fleeting moment in the first book: no more adults. And...that's it. Plague, perhaps more so than the other volumes, shows that this series is not "dystopian," but a supernatural horror story, with some aliens thrown in for good measure.

These kids still look too good to be from the FAYZ

Among the growing atrocities in Plague, a parasite that eats kids from the inside out--and can transfer itself to another host via green goo--that eventually grow into six foot long mutant insects terrorize Perdido Beach; two individuals who cannot die and share the same body (Brittany and Drake from the previous book) are sliced into pieces and put themselves back together multiple times; and a freak flu strikes in which the infected can literally cough out their insides. If you thought the craziness of Lies was bad, things get much, much worse in this installment.

*mild spoilers may follow*

Even with all the shocking and stomach-churning events that transpire over the course of the novel, Grant remains true to the characters, who keep growing and changing throughout the novels. Astrid finds herself in a dark place, and commits the previously unthinkable, riddled with guilt afterwards. Sam, tired of being a leader, begins to regret his choice as things just keep getting worse. Edilio, now mayor of Perdido Beach, sees what made Sam shrink away from leadership and is in a bind with terrible choices to make. Lana opens up slowly to one of the kids from the island, Sanjit, and on the island, Diana works at keeping Caine with her, but when he returns to Perdido Beach at another chance for glory, she leaves him in the end. Each of the characters we follow in Gone's diverse cast is distinct and complex, continuing the trend of the previous books.

My main criticism? People seemed to get from place to place suspiciously quickly. While it's tough to keep track of the time frame when so many things are happening at once and the perspective changes every other time, the bulk of the story takes place over a mere three days. Would Drake have reached the bottom of the cave so quickly? Would Quinn really have reached the island and come back in time? Would Sam and his water posse have made it back so soon? It's hard to say.

As with the swiftly moving, action-packed plot, the interesting characters keep the reader engaged and leave you hungry for more. Oh, I am definitely seeing this series through 'til the end. 4 stars out of five.