Hunger (Gone, 2)

Was a little bit concerned when found out this wasn't a trilogy, runs to six books or something and isn't done yet. Actually did think - Gone/Lost - kind of similar titles, and we all know what drivel Lost turned into - too many plotlines and they didn't know where they were going, couldn't tie them up rationally so resorted to the old favourite - everyone's already dead and it was some kind of purgatory. Pretty well the old kid-writing-at-school fall-back 'then I woke up and it was all a dream.'But no, this book is if anything even more high adrenalin, roars along with hurricane force, completely addictive.Apart from the strong plotline, thoroughly worked out through different threads which do all seague together most satisfactorily, we have any number of bad guys here: the evil twin with his Achilles heel the beautiful, scornful Diana; the psychopathic sadist Drake Whiphand; the monster gaiaphage lurking and scheming under the earth; plus all the ordinary human nitwits out to wreck the town, starting up would-be purges/pogroms/ hatreds/intolerances between 'Freaks' and 'Normals' - creating internal conflict and looking for someone to blame, and to enhance their own petty power politics, of course, when the real enemies are without not within. In this episode, Sam is overwhelmed by his leadership role, and the township of Perdido Beach is facing starvation. Plus evil twin Caine is planning to seize control by shutting off the power, and the healer Lana has to resist the power of the gaiaphage who is seeking her for its own dark purposes.The prose is workmanlike but more than equal to the task of presenting believable characters of increasing depth and complexity, and rip-roaring action in a sci-fi Stephen King Tommyknockers sort of way - only didn't like Tommyknockers and love this, think because so much more invested in characters.Actually find the imagining of this microcosmic world with no adults, and the way in which the kids handle themselves and come to grips with this new reality, pretty well as interesting as the action stuff. Though no doubt the constant threat of horrid monsters popping out here and there adds a seriously dramatic dimension, as does the whole kids with powers thing.Have read some criticism of Sam's character - that he's the archetypal hero, reads more like fifty than fifteen, too good to be true. And that there aren't enough strong girls in the mix. Well, don't get much spunkier than Brianna or Dekker, but I'm actually just past number four (Plague) now - started this review then couldn't wait and raced on - so opinion might be coloured by subsequent reads. Hope those readers who felt the lack of a Buffy or Katniss are satisfied by now. In any case, there are enough guys in the books who wimp out - Albert's no superhero, nor Quinn, nor Howard - plenty of the main male characters are deeply flawed.Even Sam. He gets manipulated into taking responsibility - which he hates doing, but hasn't the smarts to see what Astrid's doing - and then is a pathetic organiser when it comes to rationing food, getting people to take on a share of the workload for harvesting (or just about anything else), or making the hard decisions when it comes down to it. He's a crisis boy, not a day to day leader. And then he does crack, big time, under the weight of responsibility.Hardly an archetypal hero.Great read, and there are some weightier ideas being explored behind here, too, as will consider in my next review - of Lies.See more of my reviews at [...]

After finishing Gone, by Michael Grant, I was grateful I had already stocked the second book in the series, Hunger, so I could start it right away. These books may seem unnecessarily large, but it is hard to put them down, and you find yourself flying through them like nothing. By the end I am not quite sure why the story took almost 600 pages to complete, but I know I wasn't bored for one single page.After the big showdown between Caine and Sam that destroyed a number of buildings in Perdido Beach, things haven't gotten any better. More and more kids are developing supernatural powers, food is becoming more and more scarce, and Caine and the Coates Thugs are becoming more and more desperate. Sam has tried to organize the kids to harvest food from the fields, but between the kids' lack of motivation to do anything but play video games and watch movies and the terrifying worm mutations in the fields that can devour a kid in less than a minute, the food stays in the fields rotting away.The food situation isn't the scariest thing facing the kids in the FAYZ, though. The deep, scary darkness in the mine shaft that gave Drake Merwin his whip arm has its grip on both Caine and Lana. Now its hungry and wants Caine to help it. That involves a fuel rod being taken to the mine shaft from the power plant and all the consequences you can imagine. Now Sam is involved in the fight of his life and has to stop Caine and the others from destroying the power plant and all the kids along with it. If only the gaiaphage- the mine shaft creeper- didn't have such a control over the minds of the most powerful kids.This was a great follow-up to the first book in this proposed six book series. These kids have been left to survive, and some are rising to the occasion and maturing too quickly, but others are just kids. They want their mothers, they want to be taken care of, and they don't understand the concept of taking care of themselves. Most importantly, they can't imagine having to work in order to eat- especially when Sam, Astrid, Edilio and the others have worked so hard to keep them fed. They are just kids, and they act like they are just kids.The best part of this book is that it gives kids a chance to really see how they would react to a situation like this. Some of the other dystopias and PA young adult fiction out there makes it a bit difficult for kids to imagine themselves in a similar situation, but the Gone novels give them a chance to figure out which kid they would be. Would they be a leader like Sam, a thinker like Astrid, a right-hand man like Edilio, or an opportunist like Quinn? Would they get up and go pick cabbages instead of playing their PS3 or Wii's? Would they be controlling like Caine, logical like Diana, or terrifying and monstrous like Drake? How would they feel if they developed powers and their friends didn't, or vice versa? This book is filled with questions that make for incredible comparisons and discussions. And it will leave you craving more. I have already started the third book, Lies, and am disappointed to wait months for the fourth book to be released!

I was very happy that the grandsons were pleased to get it, and read it!

Plutôt pour jeunes adultes, il y a des sujets un peu lourds pour enfants...beaucoup comme hunger games.

My daughter loves the series.

Wow! Another great book by the author of Gone, Michael Grant. This book is the sequel to the beloved Gone book. After all the adults disappear and a mysterious, master-of-illusion dome drops down on the fictional town of Perdido Beach, the children stuck inside have another trouble, they're going to starve to death! Is the dome going to come down? Maybe, you'll have to read it to find out! Praise for Gone

Amazing. Even better than the first one. Definitely reccomend to everyone. Already hunting for the next book. Really happy with it.