Gool

The Salt Trilogy #2

by Maurice Gee

The gool cannot be seen, not properly, but Xantee, Lo and their friends sense its evil presence. It lurks in the jungle in rock clefts, an enemy from outside nature. And now, a fragment of Gool holds Hari by the throat, draining the life from him. They can hold it back with the force of their minds, but for how long?

Xantee, Lo and Duro set out on a perilous mission to find the Dog King Tarl, Hari's father, and the ruined city of belong. Can he help them find the source of the gool? Will they find it in time? And do they have the strength to destroy the mother Gool and rid the world of this life-sucking force?

Gool, the thrilling sequel to Salt, is another extraordinary fantasy adventure from the master writer Maurice Gee.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens

Paperback

First published June 2, 2008

About the author

Maurice Gough Gee was a New Zealand novelist. He was one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and having won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the UK, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, the Robert Burns Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. In 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which presented him with an Icon Award.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.

Reviews

[Jennifer Kahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first book in the Salt Trilogy, I was not 100% convinced, but convinced enough to continue reading into the trilogy. Although, by most, I would no longer be described as a "YA", I tend to prefer YA reads because the simplicity of the writing allows me to relate more to the characters. This is one of the things that I really enjoyed about Salt, and now Gool. Gee has a way of writing, but not writing so much that he leaves me lost in the story. [return][return]In Gool, we meet a new generation of characters who are on a quest to destroy the Gool who is sucking the life out of the world. My only problem with this is that I get so attached to original characters, that whenever I read a sequel, I always find myself disappointed when the focus of the story is no longer what I hoped for. To give the author some credit, this is more of a personal preference then a fault of his. I did give it a try, but unfortunately this new generation lacked something to draw me in. I found myself skipping through the book, just to get to the end to see what happened. [return][return]Perhaps for readers who do not get caught up in the characters as I do, this will be a better read. It definitely has the potential, and I probably would have been happier if I didn't read Salt beforehand.

[Tibby]

Normally the middle book (or movie) in a trilogy is terrible. Just a means for moving the overarching story along. And I LOVED Salt, the first book in this trilogy, so I was excited and hesitant to read this installment. There was no reason for me to be worried.
The book was just as dark, suspenseful, and captivating as the first. The character development is so good and so is the writing. The world building is excellent too. You get to see more of the world from Salt, which is really cool. I can't recommend these books enough. I suppose I should say they would be most appreciated by the fan of dystopian fantasy. I think they are also very accessible for those that might want to give the genre a try. They aren't entirely plot driven, but there is enough suspense and action that it keeps you hooked.
This book could easily have stood alone. There is some reference to characters from the first book. I guess it's nice to know how they got where they are, but it is in no way necessary. The story takes place one generation on from Salt so Hari, Pearl, and Tealeaf and peripheral in this story.

[Caden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book and I wanted to read the second book. Now there aren't quotation marks for dialogue you can still tell it's dialogue. I find the no quotation marks interesting and you can still tell it's dialogue since they're entered down.

The book's plot is something I wonder. They just let the kids go and the twins break off to go to the city. It feels a little messy but in this setting of course nothing is fully planned out. And getting to Tarl. They just assume he can help because they were told, I never saw a reason on the trip to Tarl why or how he could help.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Find my review here: https://saffronsirenreviews.wordpress...

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

During a routine scouting mission, Xantee and Lo, the children of Hari and Pearl who appeared in the first book of the Salt trilogy Salt save their father from a terrible creature, but a piece of the creature will not leave their father, and he is slowly dying. The siblings along with their friend Duro set out on a journey to find Hari's father and discover a way to rid of the world of the mother "gool" which is the only way to save Hari.

While I enjoyed revisiting the characters from the first book I was not as attached the children and the premise as I was to the parents and their own journey. There's not a whole lot of conflict here, and practically no romance. Instead it's a fast paced journey book with a little mystery thrown in. There's an excerpt from the third book The Limping Man at the end that starts in the Burrows and does not seem to have any characters from the first two books, possibly a prequel?

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book, alot. So far, this is not letting me down. I'm kinda upset because, at the point where I am now, it is always in Xantee's point of veiw, once in Hari's. I want a new perspective already........ There were a lot of things that left me hanging from the first book, mostly the sickness that scarred Hari and Tarl and killed Hari's mother. I really want to know about it, but I don't think I'll find out in this book, or ever. Still, I'm keeping an open mind.

Meh...I didn't like this one as much as the first. I didn't like how it was only from Xantee's point of veiw, as I didn't like her very much. Also I wanted somethings that weren't explained in the first book to be cleared up in this one, but that didn't happen. The battle between the Clerk and Keech was really good though, I liked how that was written, but still...meh. The battle with the mother Gool was pretty good, but Xantee acted really Mary-Sueish during that scene...I just didn't like it as much as the first, but it was still a good book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a little hard to get into for me. The second installment follows Pearl & Hari's children as they go off to find and destroy a gool. If they don't suceed, Hari will die. The journey takes them through the jungle in search of Tarl who has now become the dog king and then back to Blood Burrow. In Blood Burrow, they must search out and destroy the gool to save not only Hari, but everything else that's good in the world.

The series is dark and twisted with interesting characters, but the story seems to repeat itself from book to book with different characters as the center. Both Salt and Gool seemed to follow the same outline in storytelling, so they're a little predictable. I'll read the third but not sure I'd repeat this series.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd in the Salt trilogy by NZ author Maurice Gee and another fantastic read. Hari and Pearl's children try to save him from the Gool which is threatening to overtake their world. Xantee, Hari's daugter, and Duro, a friend, journey to the city, ceebeedee, to find the source of the infection. Along the way, Lo, Xantee's brother, is injured and has to be left to the people, while the cousins, Sal and Mond also meet misfortune on the journey. All ends mostly well for the characters, but only after they all find their inner strenght.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure that I liked this as much as Salt, the first in the series. For one, it seems to have shifted from sci-fi to fantasy. For another, I think that Xantee and Duro aren't as vivid as Pearl and Hari from a character stand-point.

That said, there's still a lot of good things here, and one can see the progression from Under the Mountain, an earlier, unrelated (if thematically similar) book of Gee's. His characteristic cool, clean prose is as refreshing to read as ever, and the underlying grimness of the setting is well-done without being over the top.

[Ricki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't read the first book, Salt, but I don't think that would have affected my review too much. While I liked how I was reminded of a mythological world while I read this, I found the scary parts to be not-so-scary. The book flowed beautifully and then would be interrupted with phrases like "gool shits." I will probably go back and read Salt because I've heard good things, but I don't think lovers of Salt will like this second book in the series.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like the way Maurice created a believable, rich fantasy world in so few pages. This wasn't like a second book in a trilogy, though. It was a standalone story about the next generation. As such, it didn't seem to really pull us into caring enough about the characters--they were off saving the world before we really understood them. That made me skim for the ending rather than walk the journey with them...

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS: Skip the whole review if you haven't read _Salt_ already.


Darker and more violent than Salt; the next generation must retrace their parents' flight back to the city of Belong in order to destroy a darkness that has evolved from the hate of the two rival factions left behind after the Battle of CeeBeeDee at the end of _Salt_.

Good for not trying to explain *why* things are- you just have to follow the story and accept that thing just ARE the way they are.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover might scare a few people away, but this second story was MUCH better than the first book "Salt". I ususally don't like it when a sequel pickes up years later with new characters, but "Gool" did a really great job mixing the previous story with a brand new one. And did I mention that the new one was better? I really hope book three is great too, 'cause there's nothing worse than a trillogy that ends badly.

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost get the feeling that Gee's editor or agent said, "Maurice, trilogies sell. Write another book to connect the other two you've written, and we'll have something, then!" -- I'll read the third book (if/when it comes out) to see if I'm right.... But this volume is disappointing. "Salt" had some potential, but this book makes the series uneven at best.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't decide on 3.5 or 4 stars. This book had scary monsters, evil bad guys, heartache, legends, mind powers, and a strong heroine. The writing style still struck me as odd sometimes, but it fit the world it was set in. It was a combination of both bleak and hopeful. Looking forward to the finale in the trilogy.

[Kira4Inu Kira4Inu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one, in my opinion. I hope the third one will be better than the first two. I wasn't too crazy about the idea behind the gool not too mention how the story ends. But it was pretty good, I'm not trying to say it wasn't.

[Brandee Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked the characters in this book more than I did the first in the series but the story just didn't seem to all connect for me. I will read the third in the trilogy to finish it up but it has definitely gone down hill.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but definitely not good like Salt was. I wasn't really invested in these characters like I was with the young Hari and Pearl. Still, I admire the well-constructed world Maurice Gee has built in this trilogy.

[Brad Ehlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harri and Pearls kids were playing in the jungle and an unknown creature attacked them . Harri had stoped the attack but part of the creature lives inside of him and is killing him. The kids have to go and find Harris dad who knows how to kill it.

[Safa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really interesting!
I liked that Pearl and Hari decided to name their children after people that they had encountered in the last book.
I'm super excited to read 'The Limping Man'.

The book was really vivid and I could picture the descriptions in my mind.
I rate it a 4/5!

[JohnP · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story distinct from the first book – almost an entirely new set of characters. A “bit” of a stretch (a blob that communicates with its parts across regions), but a lot of tension. Nice that it weaves fragments from the book 1 stories into this story.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gool was a decent book, but it wasn't as good or as interesting as the first book Salt, and I don't find myself having any particular need to read the forthcoming third book.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment! I really liked the world created in Salt although I thought it was a bit generic but this one? I didn't quite get it. And really, the gool was killed by pity?!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good follow up to Salt, intrigued by the evil nonbeing the author created as well as its reason for existence. Curious about the last book in the series.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Salt -- the characters didn't grab me as much. Still very enjoyable, though. Will definitely read #3.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok not as good as salt though.

[irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stayed til 2 am to finish this book.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written response

I decided to read the book ‘Gool’ by Maurice Gee because I had read the first book of the series's and liked it and wanted to carry on with the series.
I liked the book because it was exciting and there was lot of action and the book always painted a picture in your mind. I liked the stories they told to help you understand what the creature was or who the people were where they had come from.
Something I learned from the book was what if there were actually people who could talk and interact with each other or a group of people in there minds who are just hiding the secret from everyone else.
A character that was interesting in this book for me was Sal and Mond. These characters were interesting for me as they were twins and were able to ‘speak with one voice’. They could also ‘join’ their minds together to gain more strength.