All action all the time! I still prefer the originals. But there will be more so maybe it will get better for me. ( )

Sequels are the price we pay for loving a story and its characters. Even though I was most definitely not in the demographic for Michael Grant’s YA dystopia series, GONE, I really enjoyed those books, which were a modern day variation of LORD OF THE FLIES. The plot concerned the ocean side town of Perdido Beach, California, where, in the middle of the day, a dome descends over the town and the immediate surroundings, and everyone over the age of 15 vanishes, leaving the remaining children to fend for themselves. More than that, some of the kids develop super powers, and become aware that there is an evil entity inside the dome with them. A war of survival, fought on many fronts, ensues.

The final book in the series, LIGHT, appeared to wrap it all up well, but in 2017, Grant put out a new series that picks up the story a few years later. It seems that there are more meteorites filled with a mutagenic virus on the way to earth just like the one which caused all the problems back in Perdido Beach. Only this time, they are landing all over the earth, and causing a new rash of mutations, affecting people both good and evil. This completely separates the two series, the former being a classic teen dystopian horror story with scifi overtones, while the sequel is most definitely a super hero universe origin story. If fans pick up the first book of this new series, MONSTER, expecting the old magic, they may be in for a disappointment.

First of all, MONSTER contains few of the characters from GONE; Dekka Talent being an exception, and for reasons not quite satisfactorily explained, uber villain Drake Merwin (whom we saw disintegrate in the finale of LIGHT) also makes a return. Drake was a big fan favorite, so I understand why Grant might tweak things to make his appearance possible. Which brings up the second thing: the new characters, some of whom lack the instant likability of the original cast; right off the bat, we are introduced to Shade Darby, a young woman who though not a member of the FAYZE, has a definite and tragic connection to the events at Perdido Beach. The problem with Shade is that she is something of a YA fiction trope: the headstrong, smart and determined young woman who goes and gets what she wants. Try as he might, Grant never quite makes her that compelling. The opening chapter, where we meet Shade and her trans Latinx new friend, Cruz, involves a lot of unpacking, and explaining, as though everything was written carefully as so not to offend. It does not get the book off to nearly as fast a start as the original series. Grant is much more successful when introducing other characters such as Armo, a spoiled kid of Hollywood who has a bad case of ODD and who becomes part of a government experiment, and his villains who begin as Justin DeVeere, Tom Peaks, and Vincent Vu, messed up humans who become very big and bad and very nasty monsters. It does feel that Grant is going all in on diversity box checking with his characters, and some will find that his treatment of minorities leaves something to be desired. It is worth noting that nearly all of his antagonists suffer some kind of mental and/or emotional illness, or personality disorder, which I think Grant uses as character defining shortcuts. It is also worth noting that it is all but impossible to write about race, gender, or any form of disability, be it mental or physical, in fiction today and not rub someone the wrong way.

Which brings us to the third thing: a superhero origin story has to have a great moment of transformation, where the human becomes superhuman or man becomes monster. I’m thinking of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON; or Bruce Banner being doused with Gamma rays and bursting through his cloths to become The Hulk; not long ago, I read Stephen King’s DESPERATION, which had a demon possess humans and physically swell their bodies to gigantic size. Such scenes can make a book or movie, and to be honest, I felt Grant’s metamorphosis’s were lacking somewhat. Grant describes his transformations, which almost all of his characters undergo, as “morphing,” and writes them in a way that makes one think of a CGI effect. Bodies that grow and change, sprouting tentacles and claws in the process, should not sound quite so mundane. And certain details should be consistent: a character who has just transformed back into a human after going on a rampage in the form of a giant starfish monster would be stark naked in the middle of the street, yet he is waved aside by the arriving police as though nothing is unusual. Furthermore, Shade, Bekka, Cruz, Justin, and the others appear to master their new abilities and bodies almost instantly; even Peter Parker had a learning curve.

Another noticeable change from the first series: the kids are older here by several years. Maybe Grant wanted to make sure the junior high boys and girls who fell in love with GONE back in the early 2010s would relate to these new books now that they were about to enter college.

But despite all my criticisms, I was satisfied with MONSTERS when I finished the last chapter. As a GONE fan, it was still a kick to go back into that world, and the book has more going for it than just nostalgia. After the slow beginning, the action kicks in, and Grant’s skills at writing a compelling narrative take over the story, delivering a couple of great action scenes, including a battle on the Golden Gate Bridge with the transformed Justin that plays out like something James Cameron would direct. The finale, where all the heroes and villains come together at last to take part in a battle featuring a couple of Godzilla sized creatures laying waste to the port of Los Angeles, is Michael Grant at his best. And Grant does not forget his flair for inserting large amounts of gore into his books. The parts dealing with a secret government agency determined to get possession of the meteorites and create an army of monsters of their own is a trope right out of the X-Files, but Grant makes it work, especially in a chapter where Bekka and Armo escape an underground facility filled with horrifying creatures.

As a the first book in a new series, MONSTER ends with the stage set for the next installment, with plenty of plot threads dangling. That is how it should be, and I am looking forward to VILLAIN to see where Michael Grant takes his characters next. And fans of the old series that might not be sold on this new one, keep reading to the last page, you will be rewarded. ( )

Another classic Michael Grant book. Very different from the Gone books but in a new way. Glad to have started this new trilogy.

Action packed, good characters. There are some pieces that made me laugh out loud in a not great way, but other than that it was very enjoyable. ( )

Another classic Michael Grant book. Very different from the Gone books but in a new way. Glad to have started this new trilogy.

Action packed, good characters. There are some pieces that made me laugh out loud in a not great way, but other than that it was very enjoyable. ( )

As a big fan of the Gone series, I had to truly wonder if Grant could make things any crazier than they got the kids in the FAYZ. And the answer is...YES! I have to admit, the book got off to a bit of a slow start but when the action starts rolling, it's like being back under the dome in Perdido Beach all over again. Dekka and Drake are back along with a cast of crazies, monsters, and heroes to make Monster a thrill ride from start to finish. ( )