View source for Lies (Gone) by Michael Grant

{{infobox1
|title=Lies (Gone)
|author=Michael Grant
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Teens
|summary=Continuing adventures in the FAYZ, a town sealed off from the outside world in which all the adults have disappeared and horrors wait around every corner. Page-turning stuff with echoes of Stephen King and Heroes.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=432
|publisher=Egmont
|website=http://themichaelgrant.com
|date=September 2010
|isbn=1405254297
|cover=1405254297
|aznuk=1405254297
|aznus=0061449091
}}

Sam is tired of being heroic. Tired of being relied upon. But he resents being sidelined by his own girlfriend. Astrid's Town Council is busy bringing bureaucracy and officialdom to the FAYZ, but will it ever do anything other than procrastinate? Sam doesn't think so and he's painfully aware that danger lurks around every corner. Zil's band of freak-haters are gearing up to cause some damage, Caine is down but not out, and food is still in short supply. Tensions are growing and the Town Council isn't up to the job. And what's worse is that Sam doesn't think he is, either...

''Lies'' is the third book in this very strong series about the struggle for survival in Perdido Beach, after Little Pete created the FAYZ, sealed it off from the outside world, and made all the adults disappear. It's as much of a page-turner as the first two books in the series, and the writing is as brisk, efficient and visual as ever. Events in this book take a turn for the chaotic as various plot threads work their way through - there's possession, breakdown, starvation, cannibalism, and zombies for the FAYZ residents to cope with in ''Lies'' and sometimes it really is quite scary.

More than ever, it reminds me of Stephen King's ''The Stand'' - an apocalyptic world in which a large cast of characters play out their destinies until the eventual resolution. Of course, it also taps into many other contemporary references, especially in the Heroes-like way some of the FAYZ children have developed special powers - some, of course, use their powers for good and others do not. The interest comes in the age-old balance of power between good and evil.

There's a huge cast of well-rounded characters to choose from - no cardboard cutouts here. The heroic kids are tortured by self doubt and the terrible choices they're forced to make. There's a glimmer of good in even the kids who've gone bad. Personally, I'm rooting for Edilio (no powers but a great guy), and I'd like to punch Astrid on the nose. Twice. But most of all, it keeps you reading. It's exciting and tense - a real high-octane reading experience. They'll enjoy ''Lies'' as much as they did [[Gone by Michael Grant|Gone]] and [[Hunger by Michael Grant|Hunger]].

My thanks to the good people at Egmont for sending the book.

There's a super website for this series, at www.gonebook.co.uk - if they're fans, they'll love it.

I think they'd also enjoy [[The Enemy by Charlie Higson]], an action-packed future catastrophe novel with chases, Lord of the Flies rivalries and gloriously gross shuffling zombie adults. [[Everlost by Neal Shusterman]] might also appeal. It's a fantasy adventure set in a kind of afterlife limbo for children. Exciting and pacy, the final pay-off is superb.

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[[Category:Confident Readers]]
[[Category:Dystopian Fiction]]