Here it is. Finally. Fear by Michael Grant. What did I think of it? Well, my first thought after finishing the book was that this series would make one hell of a movie. With all the supernatural powers, battles, craziness and romance- it's the perfect mix. Don't expect to see me in the theatre, though. I would probably be throwing up every other second. Wayyy too gruesome for my tastes. So the book: It was really good. I loved it! I think it all comes down to personal taste. As bendavis mentioned in his Fear review, there wasn't much action in this book. It was more of character development and carrying the story through; explaining things and delving into characters emotions and fears. If you get bored easily with this sort of thing, you will hate the book. If you like character development and "telling not showing", you will love the book. There were many things I particularly liked and disliked, which I will discuss in the rest of the review. And I will include a final rating on all of the books in this series (so fart) at the end of this review. Here is a more detailed breakdown of the book:
My biggest problem with this series has always been the excessive action. It is non-stop action, fighting and plot-twists. We never get a break! After a while, there are so many plot-twists that they stop being exciting anymore. There are so many Sam/Caine or Brianna/Drake fights that they aren't frightening anymore. I mean, we already know what the outcome is going to be. Thankfuly, Michael Grant took a different outlook with Fear. There isn't as much action- instead, we get more character developent and explanations for all the confusion from previous installments. Some say that this is boring and ruined the book, but I like that Fear is so different than the usual books in the series. Now that we have been given more developed characters and explanations (especially about what's happening outside the FAYZ), hopefully in "Light" Grant can return to the action and bring in a huge good vs. evil battle.
"Fear" is the fifth book in the Gone series, and like I said before, Grant took a very different angle with this book. He delved into his characters fears and insecurities, and tested their strength to the breaking point. This book really went down to the nitty gritty; Grant took the time to explore and develop his characters in a way he hasn't before. They became very three-dimensional and sharp for me, and my opinions on many changed quite a bit. For example, Diana. I always thought of her as the strong kick-butt antagonist. The one who is always going to be with the bad guys, the one who I will always despise. She was cold and calculating, very very intelligent, and heartless. How my opinion changed. In Fear, she is portrayed as an innocent little girl who lost her way and had the misfortune to end up on the wrong side. It's amazing how Grant can twist his words to make even the most hated of characters one of my favorites. She stays strong and true to herself and her child, even when subjected to the worst kind of torture. Another example is Astrid. She used to be one of my favorite characters. She was strong and smart, she was on the good side with Sam, and she cared for her autistic little brother: Petey. But in Fear, everything changes. She murders Pete, runs away on her own for 4 months while her world is crumbling around her, gives up her Christian faith and when she finally returns to civilization, immediately loses her virginity to Sam. Before even saying a word to him. ???????? Adding on to the development of characters, Grant also introduces new main characters in Fear. Sanjit is introduced as hilarious, but also very intelligent. Although it is a bit late in the series to be introducing a new main character, I like the addition of Sanjit to the story. He is the perfect character to lighten up the series a bit, drawing the attention away from the constant worries.
I love how Grant blurs the lines of good and bad. The antagonists in the beginning may be fighting with the good guys in the end of the book. The person we were so against before may just become the one saving the FAYZ in the end. This ties into what I said before about Diana. She was always on the bad side with Caine, and although she never loses her spunky personality, she joins Sam and switches sides. Caine was always thought of as the main antagonist, but he and Sam join together to fight the gaiaphage in the end. The constant changes keep me interested; it's not the same battles over and over again.
Of course, as with every book, there were a few minor flaws. So I will touch on the things I didn't quite like. This is more for the whole series than just Fear, but why does Michael Grant insist upon bring Drake back to life again and again? I mean, first you chopped his arm off and it was regrown as a giant tentacle. Then you kill him and he's reborn as some kind of sick half being, sharing his body with Brittany. Are you that desperate for antagonists that you have to reincarnate ones you have already killed off? And why don't the good guys ever die? You expect me to believe Dekka was half eaten alive, burned open from head to toe, mutant bugs pulled out of her stomach, and survived perfectly fine after? Really?? Another thing I had an issue with was that it seemed like Grant was trying too hard for diversity. Every other person is a homosexual or a minority! The book has turned into a mini-glee. You've got the black girl, the lesbian, the homosexual, the hispanic, the white kids, the fat one, the bulemic one, the depressed one. It's so unrealistic!
Overall, a fantastic book. I loved it just as much as I loved all the other books in the Gone series. As promised, a final rating of all books in Gone series.
Gone: 8/10
Hunger: 9/10
Lies: 7/10
Plague: 8/10
Fear: 9/10
And a final note. Does anyone know who the boy and girl on the covre are supposed to be? Curious :)
