Light by Michael Grant, and the end of a reading era.

So I just finished reading Light.

When I say I just finished it, I mean I finished it an hour ago, and have spent the time since then staring at the wall trying to absorb the fact that it’s all over, and contemplating everything that happened.

Cause of death…

First of all, some serious congratulations are in order for Mr Grant.

I’m sure he knew from the start, but to think up such a complicated plot, and then to end it so spectacularly, that basically everything was cleared up, that takes skill.  Plot wise, the book was pretty much perfect. I mean there really wasn’t a slow moment, and everything was made clear without overwhelming the reader.

The characters were quite something. The character deaths were something else. I knew there were going to be deaths, heck I even knew there were going to be main character deaths, but that didn’t mean I was prepared. All I’m saying is that if you’re yet to read Light, and you’re as invested as I am, have the Kleenex on stand-by. You’ll most likely need them.

But I’m not complaining. I understand that Light was never going to be a Breaking Dawn, where every single main character walked away at the end- Grant is far too good a writer for that. I understand that the deaths were necessary. I don’t have to like them, but the story is probably better because of it. So I can mourn the characters in my head, I can reread the previous instalments, and I’ll live.

As for the ending, I don’t think I can stress how perfect I found it. As I said before, pretty much everything was cleared up, and in a way that made sense too. Grant avoided pulling a Hunger Games on it, and he ended an amazing series with an epilogue that was actually good. Or aftermath, or whatever you want to call it. It could have been disastrous,  it could have been absolutely brilliant up to the end, and then fallen with a sub-par epilogue. But it didn’t. Personally, I think it ended in the best way it could.

As for the rest of my thoughts on the story, I really don’t think I can make them at all coherent, so I think I’m going to end this here.

Light was a spectacular ending to an exceptional series. It ticked all the boxes, and I genuinely don’t have a bad word to say about it.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Light deserves five stars, as does the Gone Series in general.

And I’d like to take another moment to thank Michael Grant, for writing such an incredible story.

Finishing the Gone series comes with the same feeling that finishing the Artemis Fowl books did. Or The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Even Harry Potter. The Gone books have been somewhat a constant in my life over the past few years, and now that the series is finished, I feel like there’s a small void within me that was previously filled with anticipation for the next part of the story. I have fond memories of the first time I read Gone – sitting in one place for most of Christmas day until I finished it, and going out the next day to get Hunger and Lies. I remember reading Plague on a long, cramped plane journey. I bought Fear the third time I went to see the Hunger Games, and devoured it the second I got home. Basically what I’m saying is, it may sound a little sad, but these books have been a part of my life over the past few years, and I’m really sad that they have to end.

But everything has to end sometime, right?

And Gone ended spectacularly.

A message to Michael Grant

So tomorrow I’ll finally be able buy and read Light.

And to be honest, I’m both curious and terrified.

I have absolutely no idea how anything is going to play out. Everyone else seems to have theories on how everything is going to end, and ways they hope the story will go. Me, I have no idea. I literally cannot think of one way you could end this series – there are so many loose ends to tie up, so many aspects of the story to be taken into consideration, and so many things fans want to know that probably won’t be included in the story – namely what happens after the FAYZ (if there is an after that is). Which is fine I might add.

I mean how on Earth would the kids (can we still call them kids after all they’ve been through?) settle back into normal life? Would normal life even be an option? Would the army roll in and take them all off to be tested on? How the heck do people view them outside the FAYZ? They saw what looked like Sam burning a baby girl, next to a dead body and in the midst of a battle, and then the girl stood up and walked away again! How on Earth are they supposed to make sense of that?

Is Sam considered a criminal in the outside world? Is he a sort of messed up hero? Do the outside world have any idea of what actually happened inside the FAYZ, with the powers and the like?

So that’s the curious part. Now for the terrified…

I really like most of the characters. As in I really really really like them. Even the so-called villains.

They may not be the nicest of people, but I still don’t want Caine or Diana to die. Even Drake, I would prefer to see alive. I mean I shed a tear when Howard died, there’s no way I’ll be able to deal with a beloved character death!

Which brings me to my main point.

I have a list of three characters that I really would prefer if they lived to the end. (But then again, this is you we’re talking about Mr Grant, maybe death would be preferable to whatever happens in the end).

• Lana
• Dekka

and to a lesser extent

• Edilio

Can they just live? I could deal with everybody else dying if these three lived.

Please?

Feel free to kill off Astrid.

Not that the book is already written and on sale or anything, and there is literally no way to change anything, pfft no!

So apart from the fact that I’m absolutely terrified about what’s going to happen, and who’s going to die, and about the fact that the series is going to be over, I’m genuinely looking forward to finally finding out what happens in the end.

Which brings me to the last part of this message.

Thank you.

The Gone Series has been one of my favourite series over the past three years or so since I started reading it. I’ve devoured each new instalment as they came out, and have loved every one (with Plague being my favourite). I’ve introduced several friends to the series, and have spent hours talking about what would happen if my town was in the FAYZ. I’ve made friends with some wonderful people through your books. I’ve spent the past few months counting down to Light by re-reading the other five books, reading other people’s thoughts on Tumblr and the like, and just generally looking forward to what I presume is going to be a brilliant ending to an amazingly creepy series.

So thanks.

Genuinely.