Review: Fear

Author: Michael Grant
Date of Publication: April 3 2012
Pages: 509
Source: Library

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Review:

OMG HOLY SHIT WHY JUST WHY AHH IT'S BURNING MY MIND WHY AM I READING THIS EWWW AWWW

That's what runs through my mind when reading Fear. This series is fucked up (and I mean this in the most positive sense). There are times where my jaw literally drops or I gasp out loud. I was reading a little bit of Fear in class and by the end of the class, my friends stopped reacting whenever I winced, grimaced, or during one DISGUSTING scene, closed the books and covered me eyes. The problem with books is that the image doesn't stop if you don't see it. The description stays in your mind and ohmygod that's possibly the sickest thing that could happen.

I don't know what I can say in this review that I haven't said for the other books in the series. Are they the creepiest, most terrifying, grotesque stories out there? Hell yes. The stories are disturbing as hell. I'm even starting to consider these books to be horror just because me, someone who is never squeamish when it comes to fake blood in movies and books, is a complete mess when reading some of the descriptions.

And I've probably already said that the plot is brilliant? Like, unputdownable. Everything blurs by and the side stories weave together to create this world that is terrible.

I genuinely am terrified of Michael Grant. I can't imagine anyone who can write more shocking, gruesome scenes. I watched The Red Wedding from Game of Thrones and through the tears, decided that at least that was the scariest fiction would ever get. And then I read Fear and um, the book is appropriately named. Very appropriately named.

The single scariest thing about Fear is that Michael Grant has mastered this world of his. The Fayz is terrible and ruthless and it's real. That's usually what either kills or makes a book like this that relies so much on setting and background. Michael Grant has made this world of nightmares a reality where terrible things happen because of both evil and carelessness, and somehow it's all plausible and makes perfect sense.

There's genius in writing the most disturbing scenes and scenarios and molding these events into a coherent story line that is always *just* about too much, without crossing the line.

And then there is the plot and characters. The plot is amazingly twisty. I literally have no idea what to expect, and there are always multiple twists and turns that take me by surprise. Somehow though, there is a cohesive storyline within each book and Fear was no different. It builds up and up till some explosive endings.

I also really like the characters. There are many of them and sometimes it was hard to keep track of them but in Fear, they were especially well presented and developed. These poor kids. I sympathize and pity and want to hug them and run away from them simultaneously.  There are some truly evil characters within Fear and there are some confused characters. There are heroes and kinda villains. The depth in characterization has always been a backbone of this series.

It's not just horror and fast plots, but the characters are oddly reflective of humanity. They have humanity. Each of them is relatable in some way and had their own issues to deal with. They consider important issues like whether it's worth moving on or if they're damned or not, and it's heart breaking. I love these guys
except for some of the villains, and those SOBs deserve nasty, brutal deaths. C'mon Michael Grant. Think of something especially awful for them.

...

Eek I sound like a psychopath! Ah! That's what these books are: twisted. There are morality questions and they challenge your outlook on life. I'll catch myself agreeing with a decision that objectively is awful, but within the situation feels right. That's a little scary.

I figure now may as well be the best time to end this review. Once again I feel like I didn't say very much. Somehow, it's hard to express myself coherently when it comes to Michael Grant. If there's one message that I want to get across it is READ THIS SERIES and watch your mind get blown. 5 hearts.

-P.E.

Oh, and if you didn't already think Michael Grant is awesome:

@TheSirenicCodex If you sleep peacefully with no nightmares, I have failed.
— Michael Grant (@thefayz) October 11, 2013