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Plague - Michael Grant
by carl_lazarevic
Plague is a disappointing entry into Michael Grant's 'Gone' Saga set within the confines of the F.A.Y.Z (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). The F.A.Y.Z is a 20 mile section of an American coastal town that was one day entombed within a strange barrier. Everyone over the age of 14 vanished, and the kids inside started to develop strange new ... powers.
Plague is set directly after the events of the last book Lies and sees Astrid struggling to comprehend the meaning behind the momentary disappearance of the F.A.Y.Z wall when her little brother Petey lost his concentration. Now everyone in town is beginning to suspect what Astrid already knows; that this autistic child may be the most powerful freak in the F.A.Y.Z and that his powers may have caused the dire situation in the first place. Some people even begin to speculate that killing Little Petey could bring down the F.A.Y.Z wall; one act of murder to save so many lives.
Meanwhile Sam has been sent on a mission into the local mountains to find a fresh water source before the lake they have been using runs dry. Water is desperately needed as the flu season has arrived, but; this being the F.A.Y.Z, the flu has mutated into a deadly new disease that few could survive. Little Petey is one of the victims of this disease, and so lies helpless as others contemplate his fate.
Matters are further complicated when a new species of bug is discovered that grows inside; and then eats its way out of, any human unfortunate enough to be bitten by one of them. These bugs have adapted to life in the F.A.Y.Z and as such have developed a hard shell that can reflect even Sam's killing rays.
As a story itself Plague has a lot of potential. Once again it becomes an emotional experience as Dara struggles to cope in her role as the town Doctor. She's been given a medical book and expected to cope as children start dying around her. It is an interesting new development that adds to the drama of the F.A.Y.Z nicely.
Other characters are further developed as Caine and Dianna settle down and contemplate their future on an isolated island together. Astrid contemplates her own morality and begins to question the strong faith in God that has held her together during the F.A.Y.Z, and Sam struggles to balance his need to be a hero with his growing hormones and desire to be left alone.
One character that I was particularly interested in through this book was Little Petey. As he lies in his near comatose state you are treated to chapters dedicated to Petey and his autistic view of both the F.A.Y.Z and his battles with the Gaiaphage. I was hooked in these chapters and personally can not wait to see where Grant takes the characters.
So overall I was pleased by a story itself that grew its characters well, featured another scary showing from Drake, and developed some unique themes for the kids of the F.A.Y.Z to explore. So why do I describe it as disappointing?
The answer is simple enough. Plague is; at times, a very violent book. There have always been unpleasant things occurring within the F.A.Y.Z, but in this entry Grant takes things way too far. I don't necessarily mind any of the ideas introduced, but Grant's portrayal of them goes a little too far. He describes things like kids being cut in half, or bugs bursting out of them, with the kind of sadistic glee that I would normally associate with someone like Quentin Tarantino. It reached a point where I very nearly gave up on the series as a whole; if not for the fact that I researched it and found that things should calm down a little in the last two books, as I found parts of the book so unpleasant.
I'd be lying if I claimed that the characters, story, and action packed narrative are not as much fun as ever. They are! Plague is another intense adventure in the world of the F.A.Y.Z, but one that is hurt by an unnecessary obsession with being dark. It's just too gruesome for a young adult novel, and that really does spoil the entertainment you can take from the book!
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Bayou Moon - Ilona Andrews
by ladybracknell
Cerise Mar and her family all live in the Mire, a swampy region of the Edge, that place sandwiched between the Broken where magic exists only in fairy stories, and the Weird where everything is controlled by magic. For 80 years the Mars have been feuding with the Sheeriles, another family living in the Mire but when Cerise's parents go ... missing and the problems with the Sheeriles begin to ramp up, it seems that Cerise must lead her extended family into battle. Things aren't as clear cut as she would like, however, as it seems there is a traitor in the family and worse still, the Sheeriles have a dangerous ally newly from the Weird.
William Wolf is a loner who has come to live in the Edge leaving behind his unhappy past in the Weird. He's a changeling and though he was despised by most of those who live in the Weird, he was raised from a child to fight on their behalf. He's known little of family or affection in his life and his one aim is to wreak his revenge upon Spider, an amoral and dangerous agent who now seems to be involved in a family feud for reasons which are unclear.
Cerise and William are going to need to join forces in order to rescue her parents, protect her family and defeat the vile Spider.
My opinion:
Having read and enjoyed the first book in this loosely connected series, I couldn't wait to get stuck into this latest story which turned out to be even better. In fact, of the four books in the entire series, this one was my favourite.
Although this book definitely comes under the genre heading of fantasy, it's difficult to categorise it further because the setting is pretty unique. It isn't urban fantasy (it's mainly set in a bog!) neither is it traditional fantasy and it's certainly not a romance, at least not in the accepted sense of the word. In fact, it's a blend of all those and more besides and I loved it. This has an even darker feel than most of this writer's work and some of the creatures which inhabit this imaginary land owe more to the horror genre than to fairytale or fantasy.
Although William Sandine, the hero - or more correctly the anti hero - in this book, appeared in the previous instalment of this series, it was as a relatively minor character. Here his personality is more fully described and he's a difficult person to get a handle on initially. William was born in Adrianglia, a land in the Weird. He's a changeling being able to shift from human to wolf form, and all such children born in Adrianglia are removed from their parents and taken into custody of the state who train them as soldiers; killers, who are regarded as little better than cannon fodder. As a consequence, William is somewhat disenfranchised and has great difficulty relating to others and maybe as a way of making up for his lack of any childhood, he has a fascination for plastic action figures, especially of the superhero variety.
When William is approached by the Adrianglian government to take on an assignment which involves going to that part of the Edge known as the Mire in order to prevent Spider, an enemy agent, from wreaking havoc, William jumps at the chance. He's encountered the cruelty of Spider before, a man who kills changeling children without a thought. This is William's chance to get his revenge and then retire from service to Adrianglia.
In many respects Cerise and her family are just as disenfranchised as William. They're originally descended from noble stock from the Weird but were exiled and now live a precarious existence in the inhospitable environment of the Mire. When Cerise's father and mother go missing, she has to take on responsibility as head of the family and her investigation of her parents' disappearance soon leads her to suspect that their enemies, the Sheeriles may be somehow involved. Cerise is young but she's determined to find her missing parents and protect her remaining family also. When she meets up with William, it seems logical for the two to join forces but what follows is a horrific adventure which could well end very badly for all concerned.
What I liked about this book was that although it's pretty obvious who are the main protagonists of the story, the authors (there are two of them) aren't afraid to include other equally dominant characters who manage to make their presence felt without in any way detracting from the main event. In fact, all the secondary characters in this novel are well defined and their actions believable, despite the fantasy setting.
This is a rather complex world having three distinct and very different areas; the Weird, the Broken and the Edge. The Edge itself is further broken down into different zones making it rather difficult to understand initially. As the story progresses, it all becomes much clearer, however, and the reader is then free to just sit back and enjoy the ups and downs of this very exciting adventure.
The first book in the series had strong fairytale elements to it and these are again present in this story but this is a much darker kind of fairytale, more akin to the Brothers Grimm crossed with a huge dollop of Stephen King and Clive Barker.
What romance there is in this book doesn't detract from the adventure elements and it certainly isn't the syrupy kind but is sweet nonetheless. It's a pleasure to see William learn to relate to other people in a more normal way and although Cerise is already a fully developed individual, she also has a few issues to come to terms with. The journey these two make to mutual understanding is sweetly told and never descends into mawkish sentimentality.
I've now read all four books in this short series and enjoyed them all but, for me, this was the standout one. I still prefer the authors' other urban fantasy series over this one but this will appeal not only to fans of fantasy but also those who enjoy horror, too. Some of the creatures of the Mire are definitely the stuff of nightmares.
This book is currently available in paperback and Kindle format with used copies selling for around 60p and the Kindle version for just over £5.
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