"Lies (Gone #3)" by Michael Grant

447 pages

In the first two books of the Gone series, the coastal city of Perdido Beach, California, is suddenly enclosed in an impenetrable dome and everyone over the age of 14 disappears--and the kids continue to disappear at the exact moment they turn 15. What ensues is basically "Lord of the Flies" with some "X-Men" mixed in. Kids start turning against each other and some develop bizarre powers. In "Hunger, the second book, reluctant leader Sam Temple thinks he and his allies have defeated the gaiaphage (the evil supernatural creature with the power to corrupt minds) as well as inhumanly vicious Drake, but now in "Lies" it seems that the Darkness is stirring again. Brittney, who was killed and buried, has apparently risen from the dead. Kids keep claiming to have seen Drake lurking around. Meanwhile, Sam's twisted brother, Caine, and his cronies are hiding outside of town, running out of food, and getting desperate. To top it all off, a "Prophetess" has appeared and claims that all the kids who die or "take the poof" when they turn 15 will be reunited with their parents. As usual, everyone looks to Sam to keep things together, but this time it might be more than he can handle.

I'm getting more and more into this series despite my feeling that some bizarre things are thrown in just for shock value. However, it is certainly interesting. I like that although Sam is the leader, he needs his friends' help in order to make things work. The religious angle that came out in this one interests me, as I can't tell where it's going. As out-there as this series is, I am looking forward to finding out what happens.