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Monster #3
Hero
Monster. Villain. Hero.
Four years after the Perdido Beach dome went down, the alien virus that created it is still wreaking havoc, and virus-infested rock has created a new set of humans with mutant powers.
Rockborn gang members Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, and Francis are fresh off their defeat of Dillion Poe and in need of answers to some very pressing questions about their own powers: who are the Dark Watchers? And what is this Fourth Dimension that only Francis can access?
But heroes don’t get down time. When the alien-virus infested rock hits New York, a new foe, Bob Markovic, rises amongst the newly rockborn. Markovic’s arrogance and lack of a moral compass already made him unbearable. With his newfound power to inflict a deadly disease, he could send all of humanity into a living hell. As they try to find their footing on morally gray grounds, the Rockborn Gang will have to make some tough decisions if they want to save the world.
Michael Grant bids farewell to the globally bestselling Gone universe with the finale to the Monster trilogy. Old friends and new foes come together in this battle for humanity. The mind-blowing and existential ending will make you rethink: What does it take to be a hero?
Four years after the Perdido Beach dome went down, the alien virus that created it is still wreaking havoc, and virus-infested rock has created a new set of humans with mutant powers.
Rockborn gang members Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, and Francis are fresh off their defeat of Dillion Poe and in need of answers to some very pressing questions about their own powers: who are the Dark Watchers? And what is this Fourth Dimension that only Francis can access?
But heroes don’t get down time. When the alien-virus infested rock hits New York, a new foe, Bob Markovic, rises amongst the newly rockborn. Markovic’s arrogance and lack of a moral compass already made him unbearable. With his newfound power to inflict a deadly disease, he could send all of humanity into a living hell. As they try to find their footing on morally gray grounds, the Rockborn Gang will have to make some tough decisions if they want to save the world.
Michael Grant bids farewell to the globally bestselling Gone universe with the finale to the Monster trilogy. Old friends and new foes come together in this battle for humanity. The mind-blowing and existential ending will make you rethink: What does it take to be a hero?
448 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
245 people are currently reading
6141 people want to read
About the author
Michael Grant
55 books11.3k followersCo-author with Katherine Applegate of Ocean City, Making Out, Summer, Animorphs, Everworld, Remnants, Eve and Adam.
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
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October 1, 2019oh malik you absolute idiot, this is all your fault
June 21, 2020
I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I absolutely hated this spin-off trilogy and am so glad it’s finally come to an end. There were way too many new characters to constantly keep track of the changing perspectives and I only stayed on to see what would become of the originals.
The ending was also the most extremely unsatisfying plot twist ever.
The ending was also the most extremely unsatisfying plot twist ever.
January 14, 2020
This was heading toward 5 stars, until that ending... that was the lousiest cop out of an ending since The Chronicles of Nick. I can’t rate an unfinished book 😡
I changed my mind. I am going to rate it. Such a let down of a great series.
I changed my mind. I am going to rate it. Such a let down of a great series.
January 4, 2022
3.5 Stars
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I 100% think that Michael Grant is capable of just destroying the whole of the human civilisation, so the series can go out with a bang. Best we not think about it...
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If Michael Grant doesn't release a short story after this is published with Dekka happy, at home, with a cat and a girlfriend, I'm going to riot.
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Getting prepped to reread these before this comes out!
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I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN IS IT COMING OUT??????
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I 100% think that Michael Grant is capable of just destroying the whole of the human civilisation, so the series can go out with a bang. Best we not think about it...
------------------
If Michael Grant doesn't release a short story after this is published with Dekka happy, at home, with a cat and a girlfriend, I'm going to riot.
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Getting prepped to reread these before this comes out!
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I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN IS IT COMING OUT??????
January 14, 2020
You Dallased it. You actually Dallased the gorram ending.
And you know what? I would have been disappointed, but still fine. It would explain why the writing is so disjointed at times and how nothing the government was doing made any logical sense (even if you assume its with our current president). And how the characters never felt real.
But then that letter. The letter which basically admits you KNEW you were giving us subpar work and you didn’t care because you figured some people would like it. It’s nice you support fan fiction authors but to basically write yourself into a corner and tell us fans “eh, you guys figure it out, okay byeeeeee” is a slap in the f***ing face.
I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt! I genuinely believed the issue with this story was poor editing choices and that lying on the cutting room floor was a masterpiece. You were the chosen one!! You were meant to save us from lazy authors, not join them!!
See? I can rip off stuff, too.
Speaking of, never invoke the name of Stan Lee ever again.
Now I need to go watch more kitten videos to quell this rage.
By the way, twenty gallons of industrial glue and fifty bags of sugar would’ve ended this without all the casual murder. ME AM SMALL BRAIN AND EVEN I FIGURED THAT OUT!!!!!
Okay, cat videos. Cat videos.....oh kitty, you’re too big for that tiny box......so silly O.O
And you know what? I would have been disappointed, but still fine. It would explain why the writing is so disjointed at times and how nothing the government was doing made any logical sense (even if you assume its with our current president). And how the characters never felt real.
But then that letter. The letter which basically admits you KNEW you were giving us subpar work and you didn’t care because you figured some people would like it. It’s nice you support fan fiction authors but to basically write yourself into a corner and tell us fans “eh, you guys figure it out, okay byeeeeee” is a slap in the f***ing face.
I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt! I genuinely believed the issue with this story was poor editing choices and that lying on the cutting room floor was a masterpiece. You were the chosen one!! You were meant to save us from lazy authors, not join them!!
See? I can rip off stuff, too.
Speaking of, never invoke the name of Stan Lee ever again.
Now I need to go watch more kitten videos to quell this rage.
By the way, twenty gallons of industrial glue and fifty bags of sugar would’ve ended this without all the casual murder. ME AM SMALL BRAIN AND EVEN I FIGURED THAT OUT!!!!!
Okay, cat videos. Cat videos.....oh kitty, you’re too big for that tiny box......so silly O.O
October 28, 2019
What an ending Mr Grant! Absolutely loved the Gone series, and Hero brings the ‘sequels’ trilogy to a close. Absolutely brilliant, highly recommended, so many memorable characters and all so flawed and perfect and fragile and empowering and diverse and STRONG in every sense. Do yourself a favour and binge read them all in sequence 💕
October 2, 2019
The Rockborn Gang face a new horrific monster as the terrifying trilogy races to its action packed finale.
...well. That ending is going to be very divisive. I can see wars erupting online over this one.
There's not a lot I can say about this without spoiling that ending. There are a few more of the original characters, a couple of new ones, as usual for Michael. The horror rachets up another rung, but it's almost cartoonish now, it's so awful. We've passed the level where it's understandable.
I applaud Michael for continuing this series, and for publicly endorsing fanfiction based on it - he's almost begging people to write for it, and it's great that he's giving them that official backing. But for me, the Gone series finishes with the first six books. This new trilogy, while enjoyable and exciting, is just a stretch too far for me.
...well. That ending is going to be very divisive. I can see wars erupting online over this one.
There's not a lot I can say about this without spoiling that ending. There are a few more of the original characters, a couple of new ones, as usual for Michael. The horror rachets up another rung, but it's almost cartoonish now, it's so awful. We've passed the level where it's understandable.
I applaud Michael for continuing this series, and for publicly endorsing fanfiction based on it - he's almost begging people to write for it, and it's great that he's giving them that official backing. But for me, the Gone series finishes with the first six books. This new trilogy, while enjoyable and exciting, is just a stretch too far for me.
October 13, 2021
I have finally got to the end of this wonderful series. Quite sad that I’ve finished it but, I can re-read them again. It was a great ending to a very exciting and compelling series. Highly recommend these books.
March 18, 2020
This book was good to start with. I liked the plot and the characters. However it was ruined by the ending.
SPOILERS:
The fact that it turned out they had been in a simulation all the long just ruined it for me. Up until that point it had been a fun book that had got dark at some moments. But, by turning it into something so philosophical, it completely changed the feel of the whole thing. It made every book seem different, all the way back to ones in the Gone series. And on top of that, it ended on a cliffhanger. Michael Grant couldn't even give us an answer as to what the rockborn gang did. I just think the book should have stayed in the sci-fi/fantasy realm, rather than trying to explain how every thing had happened. It really ruined the whole series for me as everything seemed like it didn't matter anymore.
SPOILERS:
The fact that it turned out they had been in a simulation all the long just ruined it for me. Up until that point it had been a fun book that had got dark at some moments. But, by turning it into something so philosophical, it completely changed the feel of the whole thing. It made every book seem different, all the way back to ones in the Gone series. And on top of that, it ended on a cliffhanger. Michael Grant couldn't even give us an answer as to what the rockborn gang did. I just think the book should have stayed in the sci-fi/fantasy realm, rather than trying to explain how every thing had happened. It really ruined the whole series for me as everything seemed like it didn't matter anymore.
August 17, 2020
I didn’t think this series could disappoint any further but the ending was so bad. This last book even manages to bring down the Gone series, its brilliant predecessor, by implying none of it was ever real. That’s a terrible way to end a story, it reminds me of Rosemary’s Son ruining its prequel Rosemary’s Baby by saying everything was just a dream. So I must agree with the general opinion that this trilogy is just the author exploiting his earlier successful work. Not worth the read.
March 4, 2022
It was good. I like/hate the ending. No spoilers tho
March 25, 2021
Where to begin. I was honestly super excited for this trilogy and yet, by this last book I came out disappointed and by the last 3 or 4 chapters or so, I was bored. I was sooooooooo close to DNF'ing the book, but I didn't want to cause there were some previous cameos of a few Perdido Beach characters show up and I wanted to see what happened to them at the end of this one. And yet, when something that was supposed to be the big reveal of what was really going on and who these "watchers" were, this is what I was really doing and the sheer stupidity of an ending that I wasn't impressed with in all brutal honesty....
yeah, it's a laughing matter and all I could think of by the end which seemed like Michael Grant didn't know how to end this one or just stopped writing or had some kind of block and decided, "Let's just leave it." It had me thinking....
Seriously though, that ending and finale was beyond boring and a repeat of the first two books basically and nothing new. Can we talk about the end and what Ron Swanson there says? What the heck just happened!? That's it!? Are you freaking kidding me? I LOVED the Gone
series sooooooo better than this trilogy which after this so called
ending, I find they weren't that necessary after all again being brutally honest here. However, I did like book two Villain but I felt like the titles for books 1 and 2 need to be switched and then we're good to go. Other than that, I cam out disappointed with this spinoff even though I'm glad it gave me an excuse to revisit Perdido Beach and the FAYZ after all these years so at least that was worth it.
Okay, unpopular opinion and if you want to judge me or unfriend me for what I believe in, go for it. But it's how I felt when reading/listening to this spinoff. I found this way too political with some characters and their thoughts and even dialogue like a trans or all the LGBT stuff. As a Christian, I don't support the community but I do RESPECT also I have a gay friend who I absolutely adore despite our views on some things. And yet, I would support someone in the community if they were treated wrongly because they're still human beings. But it's a lifestyle I just don't support, though I do RESPECT like I said. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind any of this being in books but to talk about it and make it sound like it's shoving down my throat or mind, I can't do it if it sounds too political because it takes away my own personal reading experience of trying to enjoy a good book and even story.
For example: Cassandra Clare's LGBT characters in her Shadowhunter Chronicles I can handle because they're part of the story and yet she doesn't overdo it. Michael Grant made this too much for me in a political sense and by this last book, it defeated the purpose of the actual story. Cassandra Clare's gay characters I do love and adore, but I felt like Michael Grant made it overly political at some points that didn't have to do with the story, but when he put it in the Gone series, it was like the way Cassandra Clare did it, not overly political. And yet, it seemed like he put it in the trilogy spinoff just to make a statement *eye roll*
So if one is going to make any kind of LGBT character(s), PLEASE do not make it political and just say they're gay or like the same sex and leave it at that and then focus on the story. We get it. You don't have to keep having the character play victim and keep talking about it. Just write the dang story. There, I said it. Make it like Cassandra Clare does and don't make too big of a deal from it.
Other than that political stuff to me, that still would've been a 2 or 2 1/2 star rating if not for the horrific and pathetic ending and the way he ended this one because the first two were the best endings ever and then this one had that one star drop hence it being one star. But if you've read the original series and want to read this trilogy, go for it and READ IT FOR YOURSELF AND FIND OUT IF YOU LIKE IT. By this last book I just had difficulty getting into it and as a story, it was boring, a repeat of book 2 but someone and mutation much worse, the ending was more than lame (understatement) and this finale just sucked compared to the first two.
sorry but not sorry to be that harsh and without the political stuff for me, I'd still rate it one star because of the very last few pages which I can't stop thinking about how stupid it was and trying so hard not to spoil it. If I had known it was going to end the way it did, then yeah, I'd have DNF'd it.....
Which is why I say read it for yourself.
October 15, 2019
I loved the gone series books 1-6 couldn't put them down , but the 3 follow up books just felt like the author was just trying to cash in on the success of them .
April 28, 2021
Well I hope you're all ready to read through another rant of a review because I have some bones to pick here and shall not stop. Also, spoiler alert, so you've been warned.
You can also check out the review on my blog here:
https://hassansbookcorner.wordpress.c...
So the original Gone series had six books and it was done and dusted there. But a few years later, the author decided for whatever reason (no what makes you think he wanted to milk his only successful cash cow, I didn't say that) to go back write a sequel trilogy. And this is the result. A bunch of characters that I don't care about, with a stupidly unrealistic story which is the same in every book.
Now the Gone series wasn't exactly the most believable story, but compared to this it definitely feels so. While every book was about fighting Caine, Drake and later Gaia, the books did feel somewhat different as the characters were exposed to different problems, be them the disappearance of adults, hunger, hate and lies being spread, a plague, a lack of light or finally trying to escape the dome. But here every book was the same. Big bad villain comes, absolutely no match for our heroes in a fight, but somehow at the end they win. Also, what's with the morphing into those monster/hero things? Like, come on, it just felt too much and a little stupid.
So, the only main character who has a prominent role in both series is Dekka, and, my oh my she annoyed me. It seemed all she did was cry over Brianna. Okay sure, I get that you loved her, but it was unrequited and Brianna never led you on, she made it clear she wasn't into you or girls in general, so get a grip and move on. It's been four years since she died, and you're still hung up? Dekka, for your own good, it's time to let go.
Also, how did Justin end up like this? Introduced as a sociopath with no moral compass, he is the first major antagonist in the series. He was willing to kill Shade and Cruz for literally no reason, but now is just a cowardly follower? Right okay sure that sounds like a normal progression.
Well that's okay, maybe the other protagonists are all likeable. Guess again. Maybe this was just me but I didn't feel anything towards them. I just couldn't like them or care for them. I'm no major Gone stan, but at least I didn't want the characters there to die, whereas here I couldn't care less. Honestly, give me more Sam and Astrid, I'm at least somewhat invested in them, who cares about Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, Francis or Simone? Also, whilst none of the main few characters died in Gone, enough important ones did that you didn't feel like sure these guys would survive. Here, they could be crushed, limbs bent at all kinds of weird angles and bleeding out but to survive just morph/demorph and Hey Presto! It's all good, injuries healed and we're back in action. Come on, how can you instil a sense of danger when you know these guys are invincible?
Right, at the end of the final Gone book, it was said that Drake died as he was unable to survive outside of the dome, as the modifications that helped him live didn't work when Gaia's power was gone. Taylor too, was shown to be unable to use her powers or do much anything, yet somehow they're both living their life four years later? They manage to keep their powers when no one else does? Great, really love it, makes a whole lot of sense? Who asked for Drake to still be here? No one wants him, he was a character I truly hated and I would have been happy to have him never appear again.
Throughout the series it was shown that Drake had a special hatred for Astrid. Right from Gone, all the way to Hero. These three books were basically building up to Drake vs Astrid The Showdown, with Drake constantly biding his time until he gets to destroy Astrid. Yes, we do get a “fight” but deary me, it was such a damp squib. It was so one sided and disappointing. All that hype, all the buildup just for Astrid to squash him as though he's nothing. Drake, the big villain who tormented the lives of everyone inside the dome, beaten within seconds? Oh okay, I guess that's just happened then.
One thing I found totally deplorable were the constant allusions to World War Two. Right, okay this is a little fantasy novel, and nothing means anything, why do you keep comparing the situation in certain places to concentration camps, why do the Rockborn say the feel like soldiers who have on D day? How can you bring up one of the worst genocides in history and say the plight of some random people (like a two hundred tops) who are picked up and experimented on, or rounded up is the same as an entire race being persecuted? No I'm not having that.
Some characters from the Gone series just get a mention here or there, others get a scene, Dekka is a main character in all the books and Sam and Astrid pop up consistently too, but the one that got me was Edilio. In the original series he was the best character in terms of morals and doing the right thing, so I will admit when he was mentioned I was grateful to have a character that I could maybe root for. Oh but I was wrong. Basically, Edilio is Honduras for the majority of this series and barely garners a mention. But when trouble strikes and Dekka wants help, she calls on him to leave his peaceful and relatively safe life with his mother, and come onto the front line of their fight, and join the battle, he is all too happy and willing to drop everything and run into the face of what should be certain death. Cool makes sense.
But why oh why does Edilio joke about surviving the dome, when a fair few of his friends died, some at his command? Doesn't feel very Edilio-esque to me there. Then a few pages later his modesty was said to be his big plus point? Right okay let's just move on to my next gripe. Where was he during the Vector fight? He doesn't have powers so cannot morph so when Vector attacks the helicopter he should have died, just like the pilot. But seeing as he didn't, where was he?
Also, Francis can move into a different dimension and can take people with her. When testing it with Malik she accidentally leaves him stranded there momentarily, and Malik is left all alone unable to do anything during that time. But none of the Rockborn thought of using that other dimension as a weapon? Are they all really that stupid and only Edilio has the brains to think of that? It's not that they're above killing, so it just annoyed me that none of them thought of it.
Speaking of, the Rockborn are all teenagers. They're not soliders, they're not even adults, but they're thrust into a fight where the other guy isn't using rules and none of them freak out. They just decided to go against what they're taught and are willing to take lives if the situation requires it and can manage without any mental trauma? Come on, am I expected to believe that's what would happen? Well I guess we left believability a long time ago now that we're talking about some weird X-men wannabes. You might say that I'm being harsh, and I shouldn't be treating it like it's realistic, and that would be valid but for one thing. It's revealed that almost all the survivors of the dome had some major trauma and didn't adjust well. A high proportion turned to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism, including original protagonist Sam Temple, some end up in psychiatric hospitals, and others commit suicide. But these few, no issues with them. Consistency is lacking here and that's a big problem for me. Either go all in with mental trauma or don't mention it at all, no picking and choosing please.
Eventually, almost certainly as a form of fan service, Sam Temple gets powers and joins the Rockborn gang. All is seemingly lost, hope is gone and Sammy comes in to save the day, and he starts by giving a motivating speech. Except, is it really motivating? His whole point is he couldn't even beat weaker bad guys when the stakes were lower? Oh great speech mate, I now have the confidence to take on Vector. Sign me up next time you're in town.
It was all very convenient that all the major villains died before the Rockborn needed to truly beat them. When they fought Tom Peaks/Napalm, they had to retreat. So it was great to see that they managed to beat him. No, not a cunning plan or a heroic sacrifice, Tom Peaks randomly grows a conscience, feels bad at the damage he's caused and shoots himself. What an ending! Bravo! Just what I wanted to see. Oh, and that Vincent Vu who was stronger than Tom Peaks and was nigh on unstoppable? Yeah the army shot him in the previous book so he just dies a quick death that is little more than a footnote. Don't you just love it when the big villains are killed off like that? Who wants to see a fight, we'd all rather the villains just die. But they have to cause havoc, show they're stronger than the heroes, and only then can they die a pitifully pathetic death, not before.
Finally, that ending. Wow. How stupid. Seriously? It's all a simulation? Really? Come on what a cop out. I read nine whole books all for that? What a waste of my time. That's basically the same as ending the series “and they woke up and realised it was all just a dream.” Er sorry, but did your teacher never tell you you're not allowed to do that? Such a stupid way of ending the series. Everything everyone did was all for nothing, just the entertainment of the watching crowd. On top of that, the Rockborn gang decide to vote on whether to turn off the simulation? A group of teenagers get to control whether life as 7 billion people know it will end or not? No not having that. Sorry not sorry but this is quite possibly the worst ending I've ever read to anything.
And breath. Rant over. Wow, I had a lot of issues with this book as you can clearly tell, but oh well at least you go to read my ramblings. I've probably missed a few things that annoyed me, but I think we can agree this is enough for now.
The verdict: With very little if anything to like about the book, a totally unnecessary sequel trilogy comes to a fittingly poor close
You can also check out the review on my blog here:
https://hassansbookcorner.wordpress.c...
So the original Gone series had six books and it was done and dusted there. But a few years later, the author decided for whatever reason (no what makes you think he wanted to milk his only successful cash cow, I didn't say that) to go back write a sequel trilogy. And this is the result. A bunch of characters that I don't care about, with a stupidly unrealistic story which is the same in every book.
Now the Gone series wasn't exactly the most believable story, but compared to this it definitely feels so. While every book was about fighting Caine, Drake and later Gaia, the books did feel somewhat different as the characters were exposed to different problems, be them the disappearance of adults, hunger, hate and lies being spread, a plague, a lack of light or finally trying to escape the dome. But here every book was the same. Big bad villain comes, absolutely no match for our heroes in a fight, but somehow at the end they win. Also, what's with the morphing into those monster/hero things? Like, come on, it just felt too much and a little stupid.
So, the only main character who has a prominent role in both series is Dekka, and, my oh my she annoyed me. It seemed all she did was cry over Brianna. Okay sure, I get that you loved her, but it was unrequited and Brianna never led you on, she made it clear she wasn't into you or girls in general, so get a grip and move on. It's been four years since she died, and you're still hung up? Dekka, for your own good, it's time to let go.
Also, how did Justin end up like this? Introduced as a sociopath with no moral compass, he is the first major antagonist in the series. He was willing to kill Shade and Cruz for literally no reason, but now is just a cowardly follower? Right okay sure that sounds like a normal progression.
Well that's okay, maybe the other protagonists are all likeable. Guess again. Maybe this was just me but I didn't feel anything towards them. I just couldn't like them or care for them. I'm no major Gone stan, but at least I didn't want the characters there to die, whereas here I couldn't care less. Honestly, give me more Sam and Astrid, I'm at least somewhat invested in them, who cares about Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, Francis or Simone? Also, whilst none of the main few characters died in Gone, enough important ones did that you didn't feel like sure these guys would survive. Here, they could be crushed, limbs bent at all kinds of weird angles and bleeding out but to survive just morph/demorph and Hey Presto! It's all good, injuries healed and we're back in action. Come on, how can you instil a sense of danger when you know these guys are invincible?
Right, at the end of the final Gone book, it was said that Drake died as he was unable to survive outside of the dome, as the modifications that helped him live didn't work when Gaia's power was gone. Taylor too, was shown to be unable to use her powers or do much anything, yet somehow they're both living their life four years later? They manage to keep their powers when no one else does? Great, really love it, makes a whole lot of sense? Who asked for Drake to still be here? No one wants him, he was a character I truly hated and I would have been happy to have him never appear again.
Throughout the series it was shown that Drake had a special hatred for Astrid. Right from Gone, all the way to Hero. These three books were basically building up to Drake vs Astrid The Showdown, with Drake constantly biding his time until he gets to destroy Astrid. Yes, we do get a “fight” but deary me, it was such a damp squib. It was so one sided and disappointing. All that hype, all the buildup just for Astrid to squash him as though he's nothing. Drake, the big villain who tormented the lives of everyone inside the dome, beaten within seconds? Oh okay, I guess that's just happened then.
One thing I found totally deplorable were the constant allusions to World War Two. Right, okay this is a little fantasy novel, and nothing means anything, why do you keep comparing the situation in certain places to concentration camps, why do the Rockborn say the feel like soldiers who have on D day? How can you bring up one of the worst genocides in history and say the plight of some random people (like a two hundred tops) who are picked up and experimented on, or rounded up is the same as an entire race being persecuted? No I'm not having that.
Some characters from the Gone series just get a mention here or there, others get a scene, Dekka is a main character in all the books and Sam and Astrid pop up consistently too, but the one that got me was Edilio. In the original series he was the best character in terms of morals and doing the right thing, so I will admit when he was mentioned I was grateful to have a character that I could maybe root for. Oh but I was wrong. Basically, Edilio is Honduras for the majority of this series and barely garners a mention. But when trouble strikes and Dekka wants help, she calls on him to leave his peaceful and relatively safe life with his mother, and come onto the front line of their fight, and join the battle, he is all too happy and willing to drop everything and run into the face of what should be certain death. Cool makes sense.
But why oh why does Edilio joke about surviving the dome, when a fair few of his friends died, some at his command? Doesn't feel very Edilio-esque to me there. Then a few pages later his modesty was said to be his big plus point? Right okay let's just move on to my next gripe. Where was he during the Vector fight? He doesn't have powers so cannot morph so when Vector attacks the helicopter he should have died, just like the pilot. But seeing as he didn't, where was he?
Also, Francis can move into a different dimension and can take people with her. When testing it with Malik she accidentally leaves him stranded there momentarily, and Malik is left all alone unable to do anything during that time. But none of the Rockborn thought of using that other dimension as a weapon? Are they all really that stupid and only Edilio has the brains to think of that? It's not that they're above killing, so it just annoyed me that none of them thought of it.
Speaking of, the Rockborn are all teenagers. They're not soliders, they're not even adults, but they're thrust into a fight where the other guy isn't using rules and none of them freak out. They just decided to go against what they're taught and are willing to take lives if the situation requires it and can manage without any mental trauma? Come on, am I expected to believe that's what would happen? Well I guess we left believability a long time ago now that we're talking about some weird X-men wannabes. You might say that I'm being harsh, and I shouldn't be treating it like it's realistic, and that would be valid but for one thing. It's revealed that almost all the survivors of the dome had some major trauma and didn't adjust well. A high proportion turned to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism, including original protagonist Sam Temple, some end up in psychiatric hospitals, and others commit suicide. But these few, no issues with them. Consistency is lacking here and that's a big problem for me. Either go all in with mental trauma or don't mention it at all, no picking and choosing please.
Eventually, almost certainly as a form of fan service, Sam Temple gets powers and joins the Rockborn gang. All is seemingly lost, hope is gone and Sammy comes in to save the day, and he starts by giving a motivating speech. Except, is it really motivating? His whole point is he couldn't even beat weaker bad guys when the stakes were lower? Oh great speech mate, I now have the confidence to take on Vector. Sign me up next time you're in town.
It was all very convenient that all the major villains died before the Rockborn needed to truly beat them. When they fought Tom Peaks/Napalm, they had to retreat. So it was great to see that they managed to beat him. No, not a cunning plan or a heroic sacrifice, Tom Peaks randomly grows a conscience, feels bad at the damage he's caused and shoots himself. What an ending! Bravo! Just what I wanted to see. Oh, and that Vincent Vu who was stronger than Tom Peaks and was nigh on unstoppable? Yeah the army shot him in the previous book so he just dies a quick death that is little more than a footnote. Don't you just love it when the big villains are killed off like that? Who wants to see a fight, we'd all rather the villains just die. But they have to cause havoc, show they're stronger than the heroes, and only then can they die a pitifully pathetic death, not before.
Finally, that ending. Wow. How stupid. Seriously? It's all a simulation? Really? Come on what a cop out. I read nine whole books all for that? What a waste of my time. That's basically the same as ending the series “and they woke up and realised it was all just a dream.” Er sorry, but did your teacher never tell you you're not allowed to do that? Such a stupid way of ending the series. Everything everyone did was all for nothing, just the entertainment of the watching crowd. On top of that, the Rockborn gang decide to vote on whether to turn off the simulation? A group of teenagers get to control whether life as 7 billion people know it will end or not? No not having that. Sorry not sorry but this is quite possibly the worst ending I've ever read to anything.
And breath. Rant over. Wow, I had a lot of issues with this book as you can clearly tell, but oh well at least you go to read my ramblings. I've probably missed a few things that annoyed me, but I think we can agree this is enough for now.
The verdict: With very little if anything to like about the book, a totally unnecessary sequel trilogy comes to a fittingly poor close
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2020
Another 3.5 stars.
Were the high stakes moments earned in this? No. Was the character development cohesive and direct? Not at all. Did every bit paint a picture, including the completely heart pounding and mindful emotion? Hm. Let me think about that.... Not really.
The ending was ambiguous. Which I liked, because it meant that the author didn't bend his own rules. However, it also means that Michael Grant took a lazy way out because he knew he couldn't outsmart his readership. All of the angst, all of the emotion, the danger, the risk was for... nothing? Yeah. I mean, arguably it's not for nothing, because we saw some pretty awesome moments with these characters. And I think that's enough. For that reason alone, I round my rating up instead of down. That said, it wasn't really satisfying. Every single death of a villain in this book felt cheap (except Marcovic), some of the villains just aren't even mentioned, (what's with this Mirror person? Dimarco who?) and all the tension between the characters doesn't even fizzle out, it just stops suddenly.
I get it, I get it, Michael Grant wants us to continue it ourselves. But also, like, I'm a reader. I don't want to imagine what happens, I want to READ what happens. While the ending may be a bit fitting (because it's so pathetic), and while it may be interesting (and satisfying for that intrigue alone (if the Gone series is good for one thing it's action sequences slightly laced with intrigue), it doesn't conclude anything. This is the conclusion novel, and Michael Grant just didn't conclude his series. He just gave all his readers a big middle finger and said "but it's ok since you can do it yourself." It's like he got lazy and threw in the towel. And at this point in time, I believe it. He's a lazy writer. He has so many good ideas, and can really write some intense action, but he doesn't take the time to give these scenes purpose, direction. It's a halt of direction that makes the ending jarring. But if this direction was something set up for the characters to accept, something that could tie up their arcs, then it would be satisfying to the reader. His characters just sorta... exist. While sometimes they grow, most of the time they just keep going somehow. If there was a theme about that somewhere in the book, that woulda been fine, but there's not. So much of this sequel series was just action for the sake of action. I want to know what Shade's arc will pan out to, I want to watch Cruz grow, and I want to see Malik struggle to find his place with them. Instead, we got the next fifteen action sequences, a slew of ten extra characters, and a half-hearted return to demons that ended four years ago.
I really liked Dekka's character in the Gone series (well, mostly) but she just didn't pan out in this one. Because her character never went anywhere. Michael Grant's characters change, but they don't GROW the way readers really appreciate in stories. They could have with relative ease, a little more elbow grease on his part, really, since all the pieces were there, but they just didn't. They just fight the same thing over and over and over again because... readers buy it? I mean, it works. Good for you Michael Grant.
My main problem isn't really the lack of attention to his characters, though, it's that at this point, it's clear he's not trying. He may have with the Gone series. I think the ending of Light was pretty spectacular, and Caine's character was a prime example of an arc with a powerful (if not cliche) ending. Caine's death made me believe that everything he went through was for a reason, even if I didn't understand Caine's arc in full, Michael Grant did, and that was worth something. This series leads me to believe that his arc actually was meaningless, and Grant just sorta said... "well this end for Caine seems fitting I guess, though it doesn't much matter."
Y'know Michael Grant, I really wanted your story to matter. But it's fine cause you handed me a sandbox I never asked for, or something. I already have my OWN sandbox, don't act like you're a hero. On the taxonomy, I give Grant the "monster" title, because he's not a villain, but he's not a hero either, he's just like... out here causing mayhem and us WATCHERS really benefit.
Did he @ all the readers just by comparing us to the dark watchers in his book? Yuh. Maybe we shouldn't love chaos and suffering. But that's the thing, I don't if it's pointless. Your scenes, no matter how powerfully written they are, are only effective if the character development warrants it. And Michael Grant doesn't appear to believe he needs character development. It's fine though. It's fine.
Well I've rambled.
That said I do LOVE the Gone series because of all the memories it brings me, and so many good ideas spawn from it. Plus those action sequences. Whew, that action!
Anyways, this is the little sand castle I made with the sandbox Michael Grant gave me. So glad he was just SO generous!
Edit: 3 stars.
Were the high stakes moments earned in this? No. Was the character development cohesive and direct? Not at all. Did every bit paint a picture, including the completely heart pounding and mindful emotion? Hm. Let me think about that.... Not really.
The ending was ambiguous. Which I liked, because it meant that the author didn't bend his own rules. However, it also means that Michael Grant took a lazy way out because he knew he couldn't outsmart his readership. All of the angst, all of the emotion, the danger, the risk was for... nothing? Yeah. I mean, arguably it's not for nothing, because we saw some pretty awesome moments with these characters. And I think that's enough. For that reason alone, I round my rating up instead of down. That said, it wasn't really satisfying. Every single death of a villain in this book felt cheap (except Marcovic), some of the villains just aren't even mentioned, (what's with this Mirror person? Dimarco who?) and all the tension between the characters doesn't even fizzle out, it just stops suddenly.
I get it, I get it, Michael Grant wants us to continue it ourselves. But also, like, I'm a reader. I don't want to imagine what happens, I want to READ what happens. While the ending may be a bit fitting (because it's so pathetic), and while it may be interesting (and satisfying for that intrigue alone (if the Gone series is good for one thing it's action sequences slightly laced with intrigue), it doesn't conclude anything. This is the conclusion novel, and Michael Grant just didn't conclude his series. He just gave all his readers a big middle finger and said "but it's ok since you can do it yourself." It's like he got lazy and threw in the towel. And at this point in time, I believe it. He's a lazy writer. He has so many good ideas, and can really write some intense action, but he doesn't take the time to give these scenes purpose, direction. It's a halt of direction that makes the ending jarring. But if this direction was something set up for the characters to accept, something that could tie up their arcs, then it would be satisfying to the reader. His characters just sorta... exist. While sometimes they grow, most of the time they just keep going somehow. If there was a theme about that somewhere in the book, that woulda been fine, but there's not. So much of this sequel series was just action for the sake of action. I want to know what Shade's arc will pan out to, I want to watch Cruz grow, and I want to see Malik struggle to find his place with them. Instead, we got the next fifteen action sequences, a slew of ten extra characters, and a half-hearted return to demons that ended four years ago.
I really liked Dekka's character in the Gone series (well, mostly) but she just didn't pan out in this one. Because her character never went anywhere. Michael Grant's characters change, but they don't GROW the way readers really appreciate in stories. They could have with relative ease, a little more elbow grease on his part, really, since all the pieces were there, but they just didn't. They just fight the same thing over and over and over again because... readers buy it? I mean, it works. Good for you Michael Grant.
My main problem isn't really the lack of attention to his characters, though, it's that at this point, it's clear he's not trying. He may have with the Gone series. I think the ending of Light was pretty spectacular, and Caine's character was a prime example of an arc with a powerful (if not cliche) ending. Caine's death made me believe that everything he went through was for a reason, even if I didn't understand Caine's arc in full, Michael Grant did, and that was worth something. This series leads me to believe that his arc actually was meaningless, and Grant just sorta said... "well this end for Caine seems fitting I guess, though it doesn't much matter."
Y'know Michael Grant, I really wanted your story to matter. But it's fine cause you handed me a sandbox I never asked for, or something. I already have my OWN sandbox, don't act like you're a hero. On the taxonomy, I give Grant the "monster" title, because he's not a villain, but he's not a hero either, he's just like... out here causing mayhem and us WATCHERS really benefit.
Did he @ all the readers just by comparing us to the dark watchers in his book? Yuh. Maybe we shouldn't love chaos and suffering. But that's the thing, I don't if it's pointless. Your scenes, no matter how powerfully written they are, are only effective if the character development warrants it. And Michael Grant doesn't appear to believe he needs character development. It's fine though. It's fine.
Well I've rambled.
That said I do LOVE the Gone series because of all the memories it brings me, and so many good ideas spawn from it. Plus those action sequences. Whew, that action!
Anyways, this is the little sand castle I made with the sandbox Michael Grant gave me. So glad he was just SO generous!
Edit: 3 stars.
June 14, 2025
WHAAAAAT a conclusion!! 🤯🤯🤯
November 20, 2019
4.5
*minutes after finishing*
Oh
My
Gosh
....
Mind officially blown!
plot twist to the max!
.....
Oh my
Gosh!
....
I don't need my own copy of this book which is what normally warrants a 5 Star rating from me but oh. My. Gosh!!!! #speechless
*10 hours later*
So I had time to sit on this book and I still feel the same. Mind officially blown.
I don't even want to write anything else besides....
*minutes after finishing*
Oh
My
Gosh
....
Mind officially blown!
plot twist to the max!
.....
Oh my
Gosh!
....
I don't need my own copy of this book which is what normally warrants a 5 Star rating from me but oh. My. Gosh!!!! #speechless
*10 hours later*
So I had time to sit on this book and I still feel the same. Mind officially blown.
I don't even want to write anything else besides....
April 5, 2020
I have a lot to say about this book.
I didn’t like having Sam join the Rockborn Gang because I feel like he’s been through so much so why would he willingly take the rock just to cause himself more trauma???
The side plot with Astrid and Drake was good I did like the way she was cocky and took the rock to save Sam even though that sacrifice was pointless because Sam took the rock anyway.
Overall this serious was bad, this book was the best out of all of them though. The villains throughout the series were bad and Michael Grant killing them of quickly in this book just shows that he knows that too. Vectors power was interesting but I didn’t believe him as a new villain because he didn’t have a good reason to be bad. It was a good idea to have the conflict with Simone and Alger father but that wasn’t properly developed.
Now the ending, this I don’t know how to feel about, so your telling me there is no aliens and it was all a simulation. That was a pathetic excuse, Michael Grant wrote himself into a corner trying to explain the rock and the FAYZ and he couldn’t write himself out of it.
Out of all the characters I would rate them; Francis (but she was underused for such a big role), Malik (until the end), Simone, Astrid, Edilio, Dekka, Cruz, Sam, Armo and then Shade (who should’ve died when she got hurt)
When thinking of Gone I will never say these books are apart of the series.
I didn’t like having Sam join the Rockborn Gang because I feel like he’s been through so much so why would he willingly take the rock just to cause himself more trauma???
The side plot with Astrid and Drake was good I did like the way she was cocky and took the rock to save Sam even though that sacrifice was pointless because Sam took the rock anyway.
Overall this serious was bad, this book was the best out of all of them though. The villains throughout the series were bad and Michael Grant killing them of quickly in this book just shows that he knows that too. Vectors power was interesting but I didn’t believe him as a new villain because he didn’t have a good reason to be bad. It was a good idea to have the conflict with Simone and Alger father but that wasn’t properly developed.
Now the ending, this I don’t know how to feel about, so your telling me there is no aliens and it was all a simulation. That was a pathetic excuse, Michael Grant wrote himself into a corner trying to explain the rock and the FAYZ and he couldn’t write himself out of it.
Out of all the characters I would rate them; Francis (but she was underused for such a big role), Malik (until the end), Simone, Astrid, Edilio, Dekka, Cruz, Sam, Armo and then Shade (who should’ve died when she got hurt)
When thinking of Gone I will never say these books are apart of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2020
Well, what can I say? I am a huge lover of the "Gone" series, and it stands as one of my favourites book series I have read. When I discover Michael would write a three-part sequel I was excited. The first book delivered a strong and quite believable follow-up. The second one started to address unknown territory, but I loved its very dark side, like a mature version of "Gone". As for this third book, I can say I enjoyed it, however, I was expecting better. It's been like 10 minutes since I finished the book, but as of now I, sadly, have to say that I am not a fan of that ending. I will always love Gone, I love Michael's ideas, just not this one. Anyway, can't wait to delve into my next "Michael Grant" world.
January 1, 2021
I really enjoyed this final book in th Gone series. Well... Until the ending, that is. Wtf?!
July 23, 2021
I loved the Gone-series (even though, it's been years since I've read them)
unfortunately I couldn't connect with this sequel at all 😓😪
unfortunately I couldn't connect with this sequel at all 😓😪
May 17, 2023
Oh my god. This...this has to be a joke like the whole sequel series has got to be a joke I don't know how anyone publishes THAT as a follow up to their most successful series of all time and thinks it's a good idea... Where do I even begin with my issues with this book and series...
The portrayal of Dekka the entire time is the worst thing I've ever seen. She was so poorly written that there were even aspects of it that directly contradict what happened in the original series. Everything from her relationships with other already established characters (why does she hate Astrid so much she can't even have a civil conversation with her but feels nothing but sympathy for Diana?), her sexuality (I know he still claims she's a lesbian the entire time, but she spends all 3 books unconditionally loving every white man and hating everyone else so I don't know what Grant's problem is, but he clearly either doesn't see her as a lesbian or just is waiting for all lesbians to admit they secretly love men but white men specifically), and even Coates Academy was falsely portrayed in the series as a prestigious private school that people wanted to go to despite the original series claiming time and time again that it was a place for juvenile delinquents. Her writing was so bad it made the entire series awful.
Then we have Astrid who Grant clearly has some sort of personal beef with which I do not understand considering he MADE her so why do you hate her so much? But, you know when you first start Gone and the story has not been established yet and Astrid is boiled down to either an untouchable angel genius or A Bitch, yeah that's her portrayal in this series except this time she's just A Bitch for 90% of it. Or, much like in the original series, she herself is not being a huge bitch it's everyone else just viewing her that way.
Then there's Edilio who I will admit was already getting horrific treatment in the original series, but having him forced to just pop in and witness things worse than what he's already witnessed while STILL refusing to give him a power or any real protection or compensation is absurd. Edilio's entire existence is just trauma porn for white Americans. Grant does nothing to redeem himself from this, he only furthers this argument through this portrayal.
The misogyny continues with the new characters as well! Shade is at fault for certain things, but Grant takes it upon himself to have every character claim they appreciate her but at the same time just guilt her and blame her whenever it's convenient for them. She takes on this huge brunt of anger and blame and it gets so large that it almost becomes a stretch. I understand her actions were some of the first to have serious consequences, but he also establishes that this stuff was already going on anyway from both the government and nosy entitled people and obviously something was going to start happening whether Shade did something or not so I'm not sure why she has to be attacked every 5 pages and blamed for every move anyone else makes because "well I wouldn't have to do this if it weren't for you!" like chill. Chill.
Then there's Cruz who is thirsting after a white man with ODD (because you must remember, every minority character can only find true attraction to a WHITE man) who is supposedly the most controversial member because he's white and privileged and wealthy and rude. Yet, somehow, all of Cruz's friends, who are supposed to be noncontroversial and unconditionally love her, are the ones constantly spitting transphobia at her but Arno is just conveniently so woke he never makes a mistake once he is so accepting and amazing! I mean, even Cruz was more transphobic to herself in her inner monologue than this man who has ODD... right..... And at the end he was absolutely used as a savior to Cruz, she should be so thankful that this gorgeous cishet white man wants anything to do with her off-putting nonwhite trans self! It's sickening. Even as he is actively starting to take interest in Cruz, Cruz herself and her "accepting" friends are like "don't get your hopes up Cruz, you're still just a trans girl! not a real girl! he won't like you!" like what was the point?
And don't even get me started on the actual plot and ending. The plot was too big for Grant to handle, it all turned into a mess. Every single book had the exact same plot: some kid gets powers, the kid thinks the government is the enemy, the government IS the enemy... until some random adult/young adult man gets powers then he becomes the main enemy. And every time he just powers up the current "bad guy" with something even more ridiculous and overpowered than it was before.
All of this just to lead up to his ending that not only is none of this real but the entire Gone series was for nothing it wasn't real none of it matters it's all AI. Maybe the worst ending I have ever seen out of a book series. The ending to Gone already had me like "meh" but somehow he managed to go back and make it even worse and also ruin the entire series for me forever.
I am beyond heartbroken. Gone used to be my favorite book series of all time, I claimed it for 10 years at this point, and now... he killed any and all of my love in 3 books. I'm devastated.
The portrayal of Dekka the entire time is the worst thing I've ever seen. She was so poorly written that there were even aspects of it that directly contradict what happened in the original series. Everything from her relationships with other already established characters (why does she hate Astrid so much she can't even have a civil conversation with her but feels nothing but sympathy for Diana?), her sexuality (I know he still claims she's a lesbian the entire time, but she spends all 3 books unconditionally loving every white man and hating everyone else so I don't know what Grant's problem is, but he clearly either doesn't see her as a lesbian or just is waiting for all lesbians to admit they secretly love men but white men specifically), and even Coates Academy was falsely portrayed in the series as a prestigious private school that people wanted to go to despite the original series claiming time and time again that it was a place for juvenile delinquents. Her writing was so bad it made the entire series awful.
Then we have Astrid who Grant clearly has some sort of personal beef with which I do not understand considering he MADE her so why do you hate her so much? But, you know when you first start Gone and the story has not been established yet and Astrid is boiled down to either an untouchable angel genius or A Bitch, yeah that's her portrayal in this series except this time she's just A Bitch for 90% of it. Or, much like in the original series, she herself is not being a huge bitch it's everyone else just viewing her that way.
Then there's Edilio who I will admit was already getting horrific treatment in the original series, but having him forced to just pop in and witness things worse than what he's already witnessed while STILL refusing to give him a power or any real protection or compensation is absurd. Edilio's entire existence is just trauma porn for white Americans. Grant does nothing to redeem himself from this, he only furthers this argument through this portrayal.
The misogyny continues with the new characters as well! Shade is at fault for certain things, but Grant takes it upon himself to have every character claim they appreciate her but at the same time just guilt her and blame her whenever it's convenient for them. She takes on this huge brunt of anger and blame and it gets so large that it almost becomes a stretch. I understand her actions were some of the first to have serious consequences, but he also establishes that this stuff was already going on anyway from both the government and nosy entitled people and obviously something was going to start happening whether Shade did something or not so I'm not sure why she has to be attacked every 5 pages and blamed for every move anyone else makes because "well I wouldn't have to do this if it weren't for you!" like chill. Chill.
Then there's Cruz who is thirsting after a white man with ODD (because you must remember, every minority character can only find true attraction to a WHITE man) who is supposedly the most controversial member because he's white and privileged and wealthy and rude. Yet, somehow, all of Cruz's friends, who are supposed to be noncontroversial and unconditionally love her, are the ones constantly spitting transphobia at her but Arno is just conveniently so woke he never makes a mistake once he is so accepting and amazing! I mean, even Cruz was more transphobic to herself in her inner monologue than this man who has ODD... right..... And at the end he was absolutely used as a savior to Cruz, she should be so thankful that this gorgeous cishet white man wants anything to do with her off-putting nonwhite trans self! It's sickening. Even as he is actively starting to take interest in Cruz, Cruz herself and her "accepting" friends are like "don't get your hopes up Cruz, you're still just a trans girl! not a real girl! he won't like you!" like what was the point?
And don't even get me started on the actual plot and ending. The plot was too big for Grant to handle, it all turned into a mess. Every single book had the exact same plot: some kid gets powers, the kid thinks the government is the enemy, the government IS the enemy... until some random adult/young adult man gets powers then he becomes the main enemy. And every time he just powers up the current "bad guy" with something even more ridiculous and overpowered than it was before.
All of this just to lead up to his ending that not only is none of this real but the entire Gone series was for nothing it wasn't real none of it matters it's all AI. Maybe the worst ending I have ever seen out of a book series. The ending to Gone already had me like "meh" but somehow he managed to go back and make it even worse and also ruin the entire series for me forever.
I am beyond heartbroken. Gone used to be my favorite book series of all time, I claimed it for 10 years at this point, and now... he killed any and all of my love in 3 books. I'm devastated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2025
Le iba a dar dos estrellas, porque es literalmente lo mismo que los dos primeros. Un villano mid que no sirve para nada y poco más. La vuelta de Edilio, Sam y Astrid lo salva.
Le doy tres estrellas porque el final es la mayor fumada que me he leído yo en la vida. El autor ha decidido cargarse toda su saga y esta trilogía y se la ha pelado, se ha quedado a gusto. Sigue siendo malo, pero hay que darle crédito por eso
Le doy tres estrellas porque el final es la mayor fumada que me he leído yo en la vida. El autor ha decidido cargarse toda su saga y esta trilogía y se la ha pelado, se ha quedado a gusto. Sigue siendo malo, pero hay que darle crédito por eso
July 17, 2023
I’m happy Drake got what he deserved but the ending did not do it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2021
YOU
CAN
NOT
NOT
GIVE
US
AN
ENDING
AKAISHDBJSKZHSNAJAGSSHSHHS
HSKSKHDBDKZKHSBAMSJJZHSHANAKKAKA
CAN
NOT
NOT
GIVE
US
AN
ENDING
AKAISHDBJSKZHSNAJAGSSHSHHS
HSKSKHDBDKZKHSBAMSJJZHSHANAKKAKA
November 3, 2025
top 10 domste manieren om een serie af te sluiten: we leven in een simulatie
December 7, 2025
¿Dónde está el botón para eliminar una trilogía? Esto no debió existir. No se si estoy más triste o enfadada. Qué manera de cagarla, qué mal.
En esta ocasión, el séptimo meteorito cargado de virus alienígena va a caer justo en Nueva York. El gobierno decide destruirlo antes de que impacte, provocando una lluvia de metralla que afecta a cientos de personas. Algunos de los afectados obtendrán poderes, y entre ellos un multimillonario se verá en posición de conquistar USAlandia.
Esto es un despropósito. Que esto sea una secuela/spin-off de Olvidados es un insulto a su saga más conocida. Señor Grant, ¿en qué narices estaba pensando? Al final de todo, dice que escribió esta secuela porque le apetecía. Oye, me parece muy bien. Lo único que tenías que hacer era no destruir tu obra anterior. Si querías tu propio universo de superhéroes, podrías haber escrito una saga nueva e independiente. Pero no, él y todo su equipo decidió darle luz verde a lo que sea que sea esto.
En fin. Desde el principio intenté montarme en el barco pero a mitad del segundo ya costaba sostenerlo. Estoy tan indignada. Diría que perdón por los spoilers pero como no recomendaría a nadie que se leyese estos libros me da igual. Lo único que voy a tapar son partes relacionadas con personajes de Olvidados, por si acaso.
En realidad, podría quejarme de muchas cosas. Cíborgs: lo mismo que dije en Villano pero añadiendo que en este ni se les nombra, así que para qué te metes en ese fregao. Aunque bueno, ni siquiera se llega a meter, confirmamos que era por meter más descripciones grotescas. Si no estuviesen nadie los habría echado de menos.
El ritmo también me ha fallado muchísimo, antes teníamos capítulos cortos en los que continuamente estábamos cambiando el punto de vista. Ahora cada uno se centra en un solo pov, con lo que se explaya mucho más en la introspección y pensamientos. Que ojo esto no es malo, porque generalmente te da pie a conocer mejor a los personajes, pero aquí eso no ocurre. Se nota un montón la evolución del autor y desde mi humilde opinión ha ido a peor.
Esto puede ser un tanto controversial pero ha sido una de las cosas que más me ha entorpecido la lectura. En Olvidados, las descripciones eran mínimas, sabías cómo era cada personaje sin tener que repetir en cada capítulo su color de piel u orientación sexual. Nosotros ya sabíamos que Dekka es negra y lesbiana, a lo largo de seis libros se recordó en varias ocasiones y no había ningún problema. Sabíamos también lo que esto implicada en su situación de una manera clara y directa. Un par de menciones y a seguir sobreviviendo. En esta trilogía se siente como una constante, cada dos o tres capítulos, vamos a tener un buen parrafazo de Dekka diciendo que es negra y lesbiana, y si no menciones de este tipo:
Es como ya basta por favor, nos enteramos la primera vez que lo dijiste, ha quedado claro. No solo con Dekka, también hay mucha mención a que no se quién es un blanco o un blanco cis heterosexual y... uf de verdad. Yo he venido a ver alienígenas y poderes y cosas, me da igual el color de piel y sexualidades de la gente si no tienen importancia para la trama. De verdad, me encanta que haya representación pero cuando lo repiten tantísimo es como ¡MIRA MIRA HE AÑADIDO PERSONAJES NEGROS! ¡HAS VISTO QUE ESTE ES GAY! ¡DAME MI MEDALLA! Y bueno, mi teoría es que si en los seis libros anteriores también teníamos representación de todo tipo y se trataba con total normalidad, porqué ahora tiene esa necesidad de que todos estén etiquetados con flechas luminosas. Para mi, fue más inclusivo al tratarlo con total normalidad en la saga anterior que aquí.
También tenemos a Cruz, nuestra chica trans-de género fluido, ella tampoco lo tiene claro. Al principio se identificaba con género no fluido con tendencia a sentirse mujer, y acaba pensando en que podría transicionar del todo. Al menos ha sido algo más fresco y novedoso, pocas veces encuentro personajes así y me ha gustado leerla. Aunque también me cansó un poquito tanto monologo interno en el que le daba la vuelta a lo mismo ochenta veces con los mismos argumentos. Está bien conocer a estos personajes, pero la verdad es que yo venía a ver aliens así que tanto debate interno filosófico pues me cansaba un poco. También puede ser que como se me estaba atragantando todo, me daba pereza hasta cuando respiraba.Hay muchos más personajes, pero paso. No merecen más tiempo. Hay muy poca evolución, si acaso los que más Cruz por este tema, pero no mucho. Y Shade aunque ella sigue sin caer bien.
Pero bueno, para qué van a querer evolucionar si luego nos encontramos con la guinda del pastel. Ese final de chiste. Me llevan presa. Resulta que Malik el malherido es un genio y quiere desentrañar el misterio de los observadores oscuros. Se pone a teorizar con que si software, simulaciones y informáticos y de televisión. Y yo: amigo por ahí no es. Amigo Michael, no me mezcles conceptos porque no tiene sentido, por mucho que sea tu mundo, tus reglas. Seré un ser humado decente y pondré el spoiler: PERO ES QUE NO CONTENTO CON ESO
En esta ocasión, el séptimo meteorito cargado de virus alienígena va a caer justo en Nueva York. El gobierno decide destruirlo antes de que impacte, provocando una lluvia de metralla que afecta a cientos de personas. Algunos de los afectados obtendrán poderes, y entre ellos un multimillonario se verá en posición de conquistar USAlandia.
Esto es un despropósito. Que esto sea una secuela/spin-off de Olvidados es un insulto a su saga más conocida. Señor Grant, ¿en qué narices estaba pensando? Al final de todo, dice que escribió esta secuela porque le apetecía. Oye, me parece muy bien. Lo único que tenías que hacer era no destruir tu obra anterior. Si querías tu propio universo de superhéroes, podrías haber escrito una saga nueva e independiente. Pero no, él y todo su equipo decidió darle luz verde a lo que sea que sea esto.
En fin. Desde el principio intenté montarme en el barco pero a mitad del segundo ya costaba sostenerlo. Estoy tan indignada. Diría que perdón por los spoilers pero como no recomendaría a nadie que se leyese estos libros me da igual. Lo único que voy a tapar son partes relacionadas con personajes de Olvidados, por si acaso.
En realidad, podría quejarme de muchas cosas. Cíborgs: lo mismo que dije en Villano pero añadiendo que en este ni se les nombra, así que para qué te metes en ese fregao. Aunque bueno, ni siquiera se llega a meter, confirmamos que era por meter más descripciones grotescas. Si no estuviesen nadie los habría echado de menos.
El ritmo también me ha fallado muchísimo, antes teníamos capítulos cortos en los que continuamente estábamos cambiando el punto de vista. Ahora cada uno se centra en un solo pov, con lo que se explaya mucho más en la introspección y pensamientos. Que ojo esto no es malo, porque generalmente te da pie a conocer mejor a los personajes, pero aquí eso no ocurre. Se nota un montón la evolución del autor y desde mi humilde opinión ha ido a peor.
Esto puede ser un tanto controversial pero ha sido una de las cosas que más me ha entorpecido la lectura. En Olvidados, las descripciones eran mínimas, sabías cómo era cada personaje sin tener que repetir en cada capítulo su color de piel u orientación sexual. Nosotros ya sabíamos que Dekka es negra y lesbiana, a lo largo de seis libros se recordó en varias ocasiones y no había ningún problema. Sabíamos también lo que esto implicada en su situación de una manera clara y directa. Un par de menciones y a seguir sobreviviendo. En esta trilogía se siente como una constante, cada dos o tres capítulos, vamos a tener un buen parrafazo de Dekka diciendo que es negra y lesbiana, y si no menciones de este tipo:
La familia de Dekka no tenía dinero, pero Coates contaba con una beca destinada a cubrir la diversidad, y Dekka, negra y LGBTQ, suponía un dos por uno.
...
Entonces se enteraron de lo de la beca de diversidad en Coates, y Coates se encontró con que tenían una lesbiana negra auténtica (¡dos puntos!) y la mandaron para allá
Es como ya basta por favor, nos enteramos la primera vez que lo dijiste, ha quedado claro. No solo con Dekka, también hay mucha mención a que no se quién es un blanco o un blanco cis heterosexual y... uf de verdad. Yo he venido a ver alienígenas y poderes y cosas, me da igual el color de piel y sexualidades de la gente si no tienen importancia para la trama. De verdad, me encanta que haya representación pero cuando lo repiten tantísimo es como ¡MIRA MIRA HE AÑADIDO PERSONAJES NEGROS! ¡HAS VISTO QUE ESTE ES GAY! ¡DAME MI MEDALLA! Y bueno, mi teoría es que si en los seis libros anteriores también teníamos representación de todo tipo y se trataba con total normalidad, porqué ahora tiene esa necesidad de que todos estén etiquetados con flechas luminosas. Para mi, fue más inclusivo al tratarlo con total normalidad en la saga anterior que aquí.
También tenemos a Cruz, nuestra chica trans-de género fluido, ella tampoco lo tiene claro. Al principio se identificaba con género no fluido con tendencia a sentirse mujer, y acaba pensando en que podría transicionar del todo. Al menos ha sido algo más fresco y novedoso, pocas veces encuentro personajes así y me ha gustado leerla. Aunque también me cansó un poquito tanto monologo interno en el que le daba la vuelta a lo mismo ochenta veces con los mismos argumentos. Está bien conocer a estos personajes, pero la verdad es que yo venía a ver aliens así que tanto debate interno filosófico pues me cansaba un poco. También puede ser que como se me estaba atragantando todo, me daba pereza hasta cuando respiraba.Hay muchos más personajes, pero paso. No merecen más tiempo. Hay muy poca evolución, si acaso los que más Cruz por este tema, pero no mucho. Y Shade aunque ella sigue sin caer bien.
Pero bueno, para qué van a querer evolucionar si luego nos encontramos con la guinda del pastel. Ese final de chiste. Me llevan presa. Resulta que Malik el malherido es un genio y quiere desentrañar el misterio de los observadores oscuros. Se pone a teorizar con que si software, simulaciones y informáticos y de televisión. Y yo: amigo por ahí no es. Amigo Michael, no me mezcles conceptos porque no tiene sentido, por mucho que sea tu mundo, tus reglas. Seré un ser humado decente y pondré el spoiler: PERO ES QUE NO CONTENTO CON ESO
March 24, 2022
i'm actually really disappointed. firstly i do love the GONE series, it's my favourite series of all time, but i'm not here to fangirl over GONE. (includes spoilers at certain areas sorry!!)
For a series following GONE I really had higher expectations for this series. This series drew quite close to GONE because of Sam, Astrid, Dekka, Edilio etc, at first I loved how close it drew because I loved GONE, but then after reading all 3 books i just realised the plot was literally the same. it was just some maniac that would consume the powder, get powers, instigate mayhem, and the Rockborn gang would take them out. if you ask me, the plot progression wasn't actually there.
the first book wasn’t bad, honestly, probably because it was the introduction to the series, and there was more tension both romantically and with the plot, because you wanted things to happen, but as I read the second and the third one it was like the author was running out of plot and just instigating relationships for the sake of it. it was moving along quite stiffly. i understand this series is very plot-based and i love a good plot-revolving series but the plot progression was very uneven because of the amount of calamity each mutant drew. i know they're literally destroying cities and it's destruction everywhere, but it felt very exaggerated and the relationships weren’t extremely convincing. it was as if they were doing it? but at the same time they weren't. i couldn't figure it out, you know what i mean.
the ending was frankly the worst part, because I don’t know, but you literally can’t kill an entire train-full of people and then give me a vague and very unsatisfying ending for something that’s been built up for almost 9 books (beginning of GONE). it was honestly the biggest literary letdown i'd experienced before, and i'm still bummed because GONE was incredible.
for a book that would end a legendary 2 series worth of books, this didn't cut it, and i wish it had done something else, honestly.
For a series following GONE I really had higher expectations for this series. This series drew quite close to GONE because of Sam, Astrid, Dekka, Edilio etc, at first I loved how close it drew because I loved GONE, but then after reading all 3 books i just realised the plot was literally the same. it was just some maniac that would consume the powder, get powers, instigate mayhem, and the Rockborn gang would take them out. if you ask me, the plot progression wasn't actually there.
the first book wasn’t bad, honestly, probably because it was the introduction to the series, and there was more tension both romantically and with the plot, because you wanted things to happen, but as I read the second and the third one it was like the author was running out of plot and just instigating relationships for the sake of it. it was moving along quite stiffly. i understand this series is very plot-based and i love a good plot-revolving series but the plot progression was very uneven because of the amount of calamity each mutant drew. i know they're literally destroying cities and it's destruction everywhere, but it felt very exaggerated and the relationships weren’t extremely convincing. it was as if they were doing it? but at the same time they weren't. i couldn't figure it out, you know what i mean.
the ending was frankly the worst part, because I don’t know, but you literally can’t kill an entire train-full of people and then give me a vague and very unsatisfying ending for something that’s been built up for almost 9 books (beginning of GONE). it was honestly the biggest literary letdown i'd experienced before, and i'm still bummed because GONE was incredible.
for a book that would end a legendary 2 series worth of books, this didn't cut it, and i wish it had done something else, honestly.
November 2, 2020
I don’t usually write reviews, but I’m writing this in the hope that Michael Grant will read it, like he read (and tweeted about) my review for BZRK #3.
Michael, I am disappointed beyond words. The ending was so incredibly unsatisfying that it has almost completely ruined the entire Gone Series for me. The only reason it hasn’t completely ruined it, is because I’m trying to forget about and dismiss what I have literally just read.
I started reading the Gone Series when I was fourteen or fifteen, a decade ago. I’ve grown up with these books and, even though I did that a bit faster than the characters in them, I care deeply for them and would almost consider them friends. And this ending has almost ruined that for me. It is lazy, it is unsatisfactory, and quite frankly, it is bad. I feared that it was coming from the earlier hints and I have never been more disappointed to be right.
I cannot fathom why an author would spend at least a decade writing nine books only to end it like this. I almost can’t believe it. The only reason I’m giving this book two stars rather than one is because there are enjoyable moments in it (especially with Cruz and Armo) and because seeing Sam, Astrid, and especially Edilio again brought me joy. But the ending has left a bitter taste in my mouth that I suspect will linger for quite some time.
If anyone comes across this review before deciding whether to read the book or not: as a long-time fan of the series, I would strongly advise against it. If you still wish to read it, be prepared to be mightily disappointed.
To Dekka, Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Lana, Caine, Diana, and all the other FAYZ survivors: I am sorry. What you did mattered. You mattered.
Michael, I am disappointed beyond words. The ending was so incredibly unsatisfying that it has almost completely ruined the entire Gone Series for me. The only reason it hasn’t completely ruined it, is because I’m trying to forget about and dismiss what I have literally just read.
I started reading the Gone Series when I was fourteen or fifteen, a decade ago. I’ve grown up with these books and, even though I did that a bit faster than the characters in them, I care deeply for them and would almost consider them friends. And this ending has almost ruined that for me. It is lazy, it is unsatisfactory, and quite frankly, it is bad. I feared that it was coming from the earlier hints and I have never been more disappointed to be right.
I cannot fathom why an author would spend at least a decade writing nine books only to end it like this. I almost can’t believe it. The only reason I’m giving this book two stars rather than one is because there are enjoyable moments in it (especially with Cruz and Armo) and because seeing Sam, Astrid, and especially Edilio again brought me joy. But the ending has left a bitter taste in my mouth that I suspect will linger for quite some time.
If anyone comes across this review before deciding whether to read the book or not: as a long-time fan of the series, I would strongly advise against it. If you still wish to read it, be prepared to be mightily disappointed.
To Dekka, Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Lana, Caine, Diana, and all the other FAYZ survivors: I am sorry. What you did mattered. You mattered.
July 17, 2022
Look, the book was great. Lots of action, loved the characters and storyline but hate the ending.
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