Review: Lies

Lies (Gone, book three)
By Michael Grant
Published 2010 by HarperCollins

Spoilers ahead for the earlier books in the series. Read my reviews of books one and two.

Just when the kids think the FAYZ can't get any weirder, it does. A girl they buried now walks again among the living. A prophetess claims that they can get out of the FAYZ and their parents are waiting for them on the other side. And the boy with the tentacle arm, the one Sam is sure was killed, has been seen again. What is really going on? Can the kids uncover the truth?

As I said in my earlier reviews, I am not the norm when it comes to this series - most people I know who've read it devoured it as quickly as they could (including my fiance, who has been very frustrated with my slow progress through the series). BUT! I've read books two and three now this year and once again have the next one already checked out, so I'm really intending on finishing out the series before the year is over.

I had been a bit hesitant about this entry in the series - my fiance told me it was his least favorite and, since we obviously have very similar tastes, I worried that I would feel the same. Thankfully, I didn't, though of course I haven't finished the series yet. But, I liked book three more than I liked book two.

What I liked in this book was the exploration of what true desperation will lead you to do. From the lies that Astrid and the council feel compelled to tell the rest of the kids, to the number of FAYZ residents who fall under the sway of Nerezza and the prophetess, to both Lana and Mary's struggles with what is real and what isn't, it's clear that Grant is not messing around with this series. He is exploring some deep and dark issues in these books and I continue to be impressed by the combination of compulsive readability and thought-provoking content.

Similarly, once again, Grant has introduced new characters in this volume and I'm impressed that I don't find this at all irritating or gimmicky. It was a bit convenient this time around, but I'm intrigued to discover how these characters are going to fit into the rest of the series. Again, Grant made it very clear what the next volume of the series is going to focus on and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Perhaps my favorite part of this book was the exploration of what the FAYZ might look like from the outside - is the world really going on as normal outside the bubble? Are their parents really just waiting for them? If they accept the poof, will they truly reappear outside the FAYZ, essentially no worse for the wear? I can't wait to find out all the answers as I finish this series. I've made it halfway through now - I'm very much invested and looking forward to reading the rest.