User:Trevaun23/sandbox

= Major themes = Book reviewer Kevin Brophy stated that bullying is not the only theme in the novel Gone. Jane Henriksen Baird, another reviewer, lists the themes of violence, death, and implied sexual intimidation.

= Style = Static Multimedia says Grant "[combines] equal parts Left Behind, X-Men, and Lord of the Flies, Grant weaves a tale that is compelling from beginning to mysterious end." Grant gets a rush when he has five running plot lines and 15 characters with no clear idea how it will all tie together. He describes it as "jumping off a bridge not quite sure whether the bungee cord will yank you back up in time."

= Background = A motivator for Grant was to get the reader to not only pick up the book and become engrossed in it, but to become so engrossed that they are "unable to put it down until they read every word. I want that reader to forget everything else going on around them." When the reader is finished with the first book, Grant wants them to "need that next book desperately." He doesn't want to know what's going on because it would be boring to him. He "like[s] the level of anxiety and fear that comes from sitting down at my computer each day and thinking 'How am i going to do this? What's going to happen?'" Grant explains that the "anxiety feeds what I do." During an interview, Grant says that he never knows where a story is going. He doesn't plan. He doesn't want the readers figuring it out in advance. He "want[s] them to be surprised and the best way to accomplish that is for me to be surprised myself everyday." Grant wanted to show realistic reactions to terribly traumatic situations. He tells interviewers he had more freedom and responsibility than most teenagers, giving him a better idea of what kids are truly capable of.

= Plot = Grant provides a story for an idea that countless children have pondered: "Adults have suddenly disappeared and kids have free reign." With a 20-mile radius around Perdido Beach, CA, children under the age of 15 must battle "hunger, fear, and one another." Children see the "terrifying powers that some of the kids are developing, not to mention the rapidly mutating animals." Children are terrorized not only by the local bullies, but also by the kids from the "special" school on the hill above town. As things gradually become chaotic, a brave band of friends rise to put an end to the carnage. With his "girlfriend" being held hostage, and the betrayal of his best friend, Sam Temple, the main protagonist, must find a way to stand up to his equally super powered evil brother and end his reign of terror.

= Reception = Grant's novel has received a mixture of positive and negative reviews. One thing they do have in common, however, is that multiple reviewers draw connections and comparisons to William Golding's Lord of the Flies and the writing of Stephen King. Kirkus Reviews says Grant "blend[s] David Lubar's Hidden Talents with Lord of the Flies." Ian Chipman describes the novel as "intense, marvelously plotted, paced, and characterized."