Monster, (Gone #7) by Michael Grant ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

LGBT, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Suspense, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to Edelweiss and Katherine Regan Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 17th, 2017

576 Pages

Synopsis: In the stunning follow-up to the globally best selling Gone series, Michael Grant continues the story of the teens who morph into superheroes—and supermonsters—when they ingest an alien virus.

Four years after the events of the FAYZ, New meteorites are hitting Earth, and the whole world is exposed to a strange alien virus that gives humans unique superpowers.

As some teens become heroes and others become dangerously out of control with their new powers, the world will become more terrifying than the FAYZ—and only a monstrous battle between good and evil can save them.

I’m a huge fan of Michael Grant’s Gone series and was disappointed when it came to an end. I’ve been anxiously anticipating Monster since I heard about it a few months ago. I was a little nervous that it would be an unnecessary extension of a hugely popular series that wouldn’t live up to the previous books. What was I thinking? This is Michael Grant. Of course it’s brilliant! 

For anyone not familiar with these books, the Gone series introduced readers to a world where an enormous dome suddenly appeared over the town of Perdido Beach and everyone over the age of fifteen disappeared. And as a further complication, some of the kids left trapped in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone), developed these strange supernatural powers. Some use them for good, others, not so much. It’s sort of a combination of Under the Dome, by Stephen King and Lord of the Flies, with superpowers thrown in. Monster picks up four years after the dome has come down. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but you’re missing out if you don’t read the previous books.

Kudos to Michael Grant for making everything flow seamlessly together to create this brutal and gory apocalyptic world. The action begins on the very first page with the dome falling, only this time we see it from the perspective of the people outside of it. Then there’s a small time jump by a few years. Now the same sinister space body that created the FAYZ, is sending asteroids crashing down to earth that cause mutagenesis in anyone who comes in contact with them. And naturally, many of the wrong sort of people get a hold of them, including the government.

Let’s start with the characters. They are a large diverse cast of teens, adults, sexuality and races. There’s two familiar faces that play major roles in the action, but for the most part these are all new players. Which leads me to my one and only criticism. There are so many people here with different perspectives, I didn’t feel as though I got to know them as well as I would have liked. Everyone one of them is dealing with some sort of issue. One is coming to terms with being gender fluid, another has schizophrenia, another battles with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, etc. I did mention diverse right? I absolutely loved this, but because there were so many, there didn’t seem to be enough time spent with each of them. But, honestly, this is a very minor complaint. 

The superpowers and transformations are so visual that they seem to pop off the pages. I also found fascinating how each character’s power tied into their genetics, personality, and even things like what they had recently eaten. And the fight scenes. Oh my God! Exciting and amazing doesn’t even begin to describe them! I swear my jaw was aching by the time I reached the ending because I had my mouth open almost the entire time I was reading. Needless to say the pace was insanely fast, and despite the book being almost 600 pages long, I finished this over the course of two nights.

In my opinion, Monster is an absolutely thrilling continuation of the Gone series that will please fans, and attract new readers. Please be warned. Like the previous books, Monster pulls no punches, and there were some scenes that even made me a bit squeamish, especially a couple involving children. Michael Grant has created a world full of brutality and breathtaking ruthlessness, yet there is also hope, because where there are villains and monsters, there are heroes who sacrifice everything to fight them. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to older teens and adults who love superhero books and movies. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

 

 

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Happy Belated National Coming Out Day!

Tags

Inspirational quotes, National Coming Out Day, President Barack Obama

Gah! I can’t believe I missed this yesterday! Anyway, I’d like to wish all my LGBT friends a Happy National Coming Out Day…one day late. Sorry!

When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.

~ President Barack Obama ~

Mr. Trump vs. the First Amendment

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Mr. Trump, The First Amendment

I apologize. This is going to be ANOTHER rant. As many of you probably already know, Mr. Trump issued an ill-informed threat this morning against NBC News. It seems his feelings were hurt over a story which reported that he had pushed his senior aides back in July to dramatically increase our nuclear arsenal. Supposedly it was this request which prompted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call him a “moron” after the meeting. Despite NBC verifying three White House officials as anonymously confirming this, Mr. Trump predictably screamed “Fake News!” But then he took his tantrum one step further, tweeting:

With all the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!

When asked about his tweet later in the day while reporters were covering his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he seemed to back down a little. Responding to the question of if he favored limits on what the media should be allowed to say he said, “No. The press should speak more honestly.” But in a complete turnaround, earlier this evening he sent out yet another tweet concerning the issue.

Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to the public!

Fellow Republican, Senator Ben Sasse had the decency to issue this statement:

Mr. President: Words spoken by the President of the United States matter.

Are you tonight recanting the oath you took on January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment?

This is a good question. You see, while it’s tempting to brush his rhetoric off as more empty, deranged bluster designed to set his supporters hearts a-flutter, it’s possible this could become a real issue. Legal experts call his threats empty, pointing out that the F.C.C. doesn’t grant licenses to networks, and they also cite a historical precedent. In 1973, allies of President Nixon attempted to revoke individual licenses of television stations owned by the Washington Post Co. during their investigation into the Watergate scandal. Although a businessman who was a Nixon supporter filed papers that challenged the Washington Post’s ownership of the stations, and the Justice Department also filed antitrust charges against ABC, NBC, and CBS, ultimately they were unsuccessful. So, we have nothing to worry about, right? Well, according to a New York Times interview with Tom Wheeler, who was Chairman of the F.C.C. under President Obama, Mr. Trump’s seemingly idle threats could actually be a message to Trump supporters that he needs them to take up his cause. Mr. Wheeler states:

This sounds to me like another dog whistle for folks to file against the license renewals. Clearly it would be a bridge too far for the Trump F.C.C. to move on their own initiative. But if some conservative groups were to take this as their marching orders, it would be an interesting situation to see what the Trump F.C.C. did.

Whether his words are meaningless or not, Mr. Trump’s continued attacks against free speech, as in the case of the NFL protests and freedom of the press are chilling, and must not be allowed to stand unchallenged. Republicans consistently and vigorously defend the Constitution when it comes to the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, even as we face more and more mass shootings. Are there any others besides Senator Sasse, willing to publicly denounce the President and defend the First Amendment as passionately? I don’t know about you, but I’m not holding my breath.