(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Light, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Gone novels.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

More than a year has passed since everyone over the age of 14 vanished from Perdido Beach, California.  Those left behind, residents of a domed area dubbed the FAYZ, have learned to fend for themselves—and not just for food, water and shelter.  They've had to battle a deadly plague; giant, bloodthirsty worms; feral coyotes; and, worst of all, each other.  While some have used their strange new superpowers to do good, others have caused only destruction.  Chaos is what The Gaiaphage—a horrifying, control-hungry monster—wants and that's exactly what it's getting.  Now that the dome has turned opaque, spectators can see what's happening in the FAYZ.  They're outraged, not just because there are children trapped inside, but because of what those children have become.

Despite the news helicopters buzzing around outside the dome, the fast food signs glowing in the night, and the hundreds of people gathered to peer inside, nothing much has changed in the FAYZ.  Sam's group is hunkered down at the lake; Cain and his cronies rule the town; Astrid's autistic brother, Little Pete, is MIA; and Diana's stuck with the psycho baby that emerged from her own womb.  Gaia's gaining strength by the hour.  She's bent only on destruction—of her nemesis, Little Pete; of the FAYZ and everyone in it; and of the world beyond.  Fighting Gaia is impossible.  The kids can't survive against her mighty power, especially if they can't learn to stand together.  Even if they do, even with their strongest mutants on the front lines, even then, there's a good chance none of them will make it out of the FAYZ alive.  And yet, Sam refuses to go down without a fight.  Can Sam and his friends foil the Gaiaphage and save the world or will their efforts all be in vain?

Call me a sadist, but I'm sad to see the FAYZ end.  It was inevitable, of course, and truly, I'm impressed at how Michael Grant was able to up the ante in each of the books until, finally, bringing the series to a dramatic, yet satisfying, conclusion.  I've enjoyed all the novels and Light is no exception.  It's got all the action, drama, suspense, and even humor that I expect from these books.  And while I didn't absolutely love the ending, it felt right.  

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Gone series [Gone; Hunger; Lies; Plague; Fear] by Michael Grant; as well as other YA dystopian novels)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find