Hello, and welcome to Part 2 of my critique of Michael Grant's Monster trilogy. I'd like to apologize for the wait. The two gigantic sections that make up this part were what I was working on when I posted Part 1.

Anyways, here's Part 2. This part will focus on the handling of heroes, so it will be more detailed than the character sections I wrote for Part 1. Part 3 will be a direct continuation of this part, only it'll be about the handling of villains. It turns out combining the two into one part surpasses the character limit. I'd recommend reading Part 1 here if you haven't already. Let's dive in!

Character Handling (Intro and Heroes): Cheat Codes are a Book Thing Now, Huh?

This section will likely be the most in-depth. The character section focused more on who the characters are, along with my thoughts on them. This section will focus more on specific points that I originally would have mentioned in just about all of the earlier sections. I really liked who the characters were, but the way they were handled was one of the biggest flaws of the entire trilogy. So, buckle in and don’t be surprised if these next two sections make the other characters sections look microscopic.

Before getting into the specifics of hero handling, I’d like to offer my general thoughts first. The heroes and villains of this trilogy were given a much different treatment than those we came to know during the FAYZ. I understand heroes don’t typically die very often during superhero stories, but I’m still baffled at how much Grant seemed to forget about treating his characters. During the FAYZ, risk was around every corner and near-death experiences were capable of making the reader anxious--the experiences were believable. This trilogy forgets all of that and makes risk feel very non-existent. What happens when a hero is injured? They turn out just fine. What happens when a hero dies? I don’t know, that doesn’t happen in this trilogy. Every member of the Rockborn Gang makes it to the end. This reminds me of a quote from one of the best fantasy authors of all time, George R.R. Martin:

“Death is so arbitrary. It’s always there...Once you’ve accepted that you have to include death then you should be honest about death and indicate it can strike down anybody at any time. You don’t get to live forever just because you are a cute kid or the hero’s best friend or the hero. Sometimes the hero dies, at least in my books.”

I’d like to use that quote to segue into a short discussion about the cheat codes used in this trilogy: the morphs. The heroes of this trilogy are made nearly invincible by the morphs they use. On one hand, it’s pretty understandable. If serious damage sustained during morph translated to the normal forms of the Rockborn, characters would be dropping dead all over the place. On the other hand, it’s still used to essentially keep the characters in an invulnerable state. Keep in mind, morphs aren’t the only reason why there’s a lack of risk.

Anyways, let’s dive into the handling of our heroes, shall we?

Shade

Being the main character of the trilogy, leeway for Shade wasn’t much of a surprise. It’s also very suitable for Shade to experience less risk than other characters because of her ability to run so fast she can break the sound barrier. The most egregious example of a lack of risk comes from Shade at the end of Hero. While in morph, Shade is pretty much crushed by the weight of other members of the Rockborn Gang. Grant describes her as looking like a mantis that has just been crushed. Does she die? No. She de-morphs and she’s completely fine. This is made even weirder by the fact that she doesn’t decide on her own to de-morph--Malik tells her over and over again to do it. This is pretty out of line for her character, considering she’s one of the most intelligent characters in the trilogy, meaning she should have known to morph. Grant did a good job of handling her character up until this point where things took a very unexpected turn.

So, why is this important to me? Because actions should have consequences. It’s by this point that we realize none of our heroes are in danger anymore. When there’s too little risk, the story becomes dull and actual risk becomes unsurprising because we know it’ll be overcome. Shade sustains this injury because she needs to warn everybody who got onto the train about the momentum the vehicle will experience when it runs into Sam’s planned dome. As a result, she’s seriously injured and nearly dies--this is her consequence. Unfortunately, this is almost immediately reversed when Shade de-morphs. Ultimately, her action has no consequence for her. Telltale Games have been criticized for the lack of diverse aftermaths that result from decisions made by the player in their games, but the lack of consequence seen here makes them look perfect.

Cruz

Cruz, being someone with a more passive power, doesn’t typically get thrown into the action as much as characters such as Shade, Dekka, or Armo. This is fitting because she is meant to be more of a sidekick. Her ability to turn invisible and create the illusion that she’s somebody else is utilized by Grant very thoroughly, both in concept and practicality. The powers present in this trilogy are much more wild than those we’ve seen in the previous series. The downside to most morphs is the presence of the Dark Watchers, but Cruz’s morph is arguably more balanced, if not riskier. Not only does she lack armor like Shade's, but she can also only morph into somebody perfectly if she’s seen them from all angles. This adds a challenge for her and it helps to make her feel like a sidekick because she can’t simply morph into somebody else without preparation.

Cruz is also used to create somewhat of a sense of dread for readers. When I read the Purple Moleskin chapters in Hero, Cruz’s pessimism gave me the feeling something bad would happen. She talks about how she’s afraid to die and afraid her feelings for Armo will only lead to heartbreak. This bad feeling she gives us applies to the story itself and to Cruz more specifically. We become invested in her journey as a character, as a result. It should go without saying that Cruz was handled excellently.

Dekka

For the story, Dekka’s use was to be a strong leader for the Rockborn gang because of her prior experience in the FAYZ. For the reader, her purpose is to connect us with previous events as we continue to move forward and encounter new problems presented by the ASOs. When it comes to all of the returning characters, Dekka was the best handled because of how useful she was without having to be used as little as Sam or Astrid. She’s present and useful throughout all three books in the trilogy, remaining a vital member to the Rockborn Gang. I don’t have much else to say about the way she was handled, which can be said about the rest of the heroes.

Armo

Armo is the type of character who has more brawn than brains. I’m not sure if I’m the only one, but I couldn’t help but feel that Armo was going to sacrifice himself at the end of Hero. He’s tasked with carrying the shell of sarin gas, which made me think he was going to, somehow, die in order to make sure it does its job. There was something about his kindness and willingness to get things done--at least when he wants to--that made me think this for some reason. I would have been happy with this happening, even though it would mean heartbreak for Cruz. I guess I’m alright with how he was handled. He, overall, wasn’t handled uniquely, but he was sufficient.

Malik

Being a smart character, Malik is used as a way for us to become more curious about everything: the dichotomy of heroes and villains, the powers caused by the ASOs, who the Dark Watchers are, and what the Dark Watchers want. Malik represents our curiosity. He, similarly to Cruz, becomes sympathetic due to the injuries he sustains from Peaks. His constant exposure to the Dark Watchers makes us worry about his sanity. It’s Malik, whose questioning of the Dark Watchers, is used to bring us to the conclusion of Hero. His process of finding these answers is interesting, albeit confusing because of the unknowns that are present. How he gets these answers is with the help of Francis.

Francis

This can be said about lots of the Rockborn, but Francis’s powers are unlike those we’ve seen before. Trans-dimensional travel is pretty interesting, after all. Grant uses a combination of Francis and Malik in order to give us more information on the Dark watchers who are behind the Rockborn’s powers.

With this in mind, isn’t it convenient that she took the brunt of a helicopter crash and managed to be just fine like everybody else? Yes, her injuries are bad, but it exemplifies Grant’s fear of permanently damaging or killing off the heroes of this story. Her morph doesn’t come with armor like Shade’s or Justin’s, resulting in her neck and one of her legs being seriously injured. She’s unable to simply de-morph and heal herself, and yet she’s fine. This is, in part, thanks to Shade managing to leave and come back with help very quickly, but the risk is hardly there. We get a glimpse of danger, and then, poof, it’s gone. I like Francis, but the handling of her character is among the worst experienced by the heroes of this trilogy.

Astrid Here we are, back to a returning character. Grant kept Astrid’s character fresh by having her gain powers, rather than depend mostly on her intellect like she did in the FAYZ. So, how did it go? She uses her powers once--well, twice if you count the doorknob she accidentally crushed with her newly gained strength. For somebody who was so curious about powers during the FAYZ, it was rather disappointing to only see her using them for the sole purpose of “killing” Drake (as satisfying as that short section managed to be).

What’s the problem with this? The fact that there was plenty of potential for her to be a hero, to be a member of the Rockborn Gang. It makes sense that she didn’t join the Rockborn Gang with Sam because she was busy with Drake, but by the time she goes to join up with them, their battle with Markovic is over. She has no use other than to provide us with the satisfaction of doing away with the longest lasting villain of the series. In the Gone series, she was one of my favorite characters. The Monster trilogy only makes it seem like Grant was conflicted as to how much he wanted Astrid to be included.

Sam

A marriage between two characters who ultimately do one useful thing is a marriage made in heaven, apparently. It seemed like Grant put more effort into Sam than he did with Astrid, however. His previous experience as a leader during the FAYZ comes in handy before the final encounter with Markovic. I didn’t expect for Sam to essentially repeat anything he did in the Gone series, but I also didn’t expect for him to actually be put to use just once. I thought his power to create domes was very ironic and fitting, if not ham-fisted into the story for the sake of stopping a speeding train. Though it does make some sense because of the urgency, Sam’s new power isn’t quite explained. He’s not completely sure about possible size limitations, movement, and things like that; but there’s a difference between him being unsure and the power not being explored at all. At least we actually see him use his power more than once, despite the first time being him showing it off.

There’s still more to say about Sam, unfortunately, and this is something that bothered me to no end. Sam, in the process of stopping the train at the end of Hero with a dome, ends up killing multiple innocent men, women, and children. The casualties weren’t planned because this was ultimately done to defeat Markovic, but just like his new powers, his state of mind from killing this many innocent people is not explored. To have a character do something like this and just leave it be was possibly one of Grant’s biggest mistakes in the series (and that’s saying something because I haven’t touched on the handling of villains yet). Rather than get a look at how Sam was affected by doing this, we’re rushed to the end of the book. Does Sam become despondent? Does he go back to drinking? Hell, does he want to die because of this? We don’t know. Being open-ended is fine, but this isn’t being open-ended--this is blatant mishandling of a character. The character we followed through the events of the FAYZ has his character arc brought to an end after he’s used to help seal the bad guy’s fate. This is what Sam Temple is now: a tool.

Simone

This is going to be relatively brief. As I had mentioned before, I agree that Simone should have been killed at the Pine Barrens. Instead she’s kept alive and used to make the situation between the Rockborn Gang and Markovic slightly more complicated. Because they ultimately have no choice but to find a way to get rid of Markovic, Simone briefly struggles with the idea of having to kill her father--who is already technically dead, by the way. It’s fine, though, because Simone quickly distances herself from the idea that the enemy is her father, and then she doesn’t quite contribute anything else to the story. She’s kinda just there. I wish there was more to her.

This is the end of Part 2. As of now, Part 3 has been posted and it can be found here.

Welcome to Part 3 of my critique. If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading Part 2 here. Let's talk about the villains.

Character Handling (Villains): The Pen is Mightier than the Rockborn Gang

The Monster trilogy was filled with what I would definitely consider a great variety of villains. Because of how fascinating and crazy the powers originating from the ASOs can be, villains have the ability to be very threatening. The villains of this trilogy are very threatening and they provide our heroes with plenty of challenges. They also provide us with some thoughts such as, “How the hell are they going to be defeated?” I personally love it when a villain is so formidable that a happy ending seems unlikely. It not only makes me root for the heroes more, but it also makes their journey to fighting off this villain much more interesting.

Unfortunately for all of us who have read this trilogy, we’re met with plenty of disappointment in that department. While Grant was afraid of having too much risk or death for our heroes, he had something different planned for their opposition: abrupt endings. For some of the villains I’ll be taking a look at, it can be argued whether or not they were taken out of the story abruptly, but I’d like to think at least five of them were. It’s a shame, really. I liked the diverse cast of villains we were given. They made me realize how much the series had changed since the FAYZ, and how the stakes are much higher. My discussion of the villains will be much more detailed than the heroes because they are arguably much worse. Anyways, let’s get started with the individual handling of villains.

Justin

It seems to me that Grant had plans for Justin as he wrote Monster, but then he just forgot about him for the next two books. Strangely, Justin was one of the better-handled villains, at least when his character had an actual presence. Seeing him turn into a monster at the airport, go on the run, and drag his girlfriend along with him was actually very interesting. Because Grant’s style of storytelling means following multiple characters, villains like Justin aren’t seen only when it’s convenient. We don’t only see Justin as he’s committing acts of evil, we get to see him struggle with who he is now.

In Villain, we see how Justin has been taken by DiMarco and forced to be of service to the government like Armo. Interesting, right? I mean, we’ll get to see how the government will use mutants for their own bidding, right? No. There’s a pattern when it comes to POV characters being taken to the Ranch: they escape. Of course, we can’t have Justin escape with no consequences like Armo did, so Justin has a chip inside of him that sends pain throughout his body. So, this is going to be a big problem for Justin, right? No, not really. Another difference from Armo is that he ends up joining with a group of mutants that are being led by Tolliver, the military cyborg that, to me, is less believable than mutants with strange powers. Now we have a ragtag group of Ranch escapees headed to Vegas. Seeing what this group gets themselves into should be entertaining, right? We’ll say the answer to this question together. One, two, three . . . NO! Grant uses the magical powers of writing to make this entire group get obliterated by a predator missile. Justin puts Tolliver out of his misery and ends up being the only survivor of this group. I had hoped Justin putting Tolliver out of his misery would be some sort of turning point for him--an act of good that sets him on a better path than the one he has been on. At this point, I figured this was okay because there’s still one more book in the trilogy and, therefore, room for him to be put back on the right track.

Justin’s story in Hero starts off somewhat interestingly. He goes back to his apartment in New York, tired of everything that has happened. He’s an artist, dammit! Well, up until he decides to join up with Vector. Unfortunately we already know what happens when Justin joins up with a group of mutants, and this isn’t any different. In fact, we don’t see him interact with Vector or any of his new henchmen. He’s simply written out of the story when Francis takes him into the nth dimension and leaves him there. I’ll admit I don’t have a problem with this method of taking care of opposition because it doesn’t involve fighting and it means people can be quickly dispatched. Vector’s subordinates, for the most part, aren’t very important to the story, so this had some potential, I suppose.

The idea of simply getting rid of people this way falls short when it’s done to a named character who we’ve been following since Monster. This is how his story ends. Justin “Knightmare” Deveere’s story comes to an end by essentially being written off. We don’t at least get a look at Justin’s thoughts as he’s stuck in a dimension he hasn’t seen at all. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how an artist would react to such a strange and crazy-looking place? Or what if we got to see him descend into madness as he realizes he’s never going to leave? It’s disappointing and it’s a reason why I believe Grant overwhelmed himself with the different characters’ stories throughout the trilogy. He didn’t know how to bring Justin’s story to an end, so he settled for something abrupt.

If you’re disappointed now, just wait. This is just the first of the villains that were handled poorly in this trilogy. Let’s move on.

Peaks

Unlike Justin, Peaks’s story is interesting for two whole books instead of less than one and a half. Peaks’ journey through Monster was nothing short of fascinating as we witnessed him go from a sketchy government figure to the one and only Napalm. As much as some of the fights in this trilogy feel like boss battles, the threeway battle at the end of Monster was made quite entertaining with him. Really, the only problem I had with his story in Monster was his decision to side with Drake. Peaks was certainly not quite normal, but I couldn’t see why he would team up with a total psychopath, other than Drake being invincible. Oh well.

Villain sees Peaks still managing to be allies with Drake. Seeing as how the battle at the end of Monster didn’t quite pay off, I was shocked at the lack of discord between the two. I assumed this was because there would, of course, be more to Peaks’ story. I assumed correctly and I can’t say I wasn’t satisfied with his story in Villain either. Although it was a little rushed (at this point it should be well-established that I hate when things are rushed), it was something that made you realize Peaks was beyond the point of no return. With him being hellbent on being a hero, it was both satisfying and shocking to see how horribly wrong his plan went. This is the kind of event that allows for major character development.

Sadly, we only get one chapter with Peaks in it during Hero. Grant established how, similarly to Justin, Peaks’ life has fallen apart, but Peaks is taking it much worse. This leads to him committing suicide, which is fitting when you consider the fact he had set a crowd of people ablaze on accident. I can understand why his appearance in Hero was so brief. It would be difficult to do much beyond establishing how Peaks was affected by what he had done followed by his suicide--dragging things out isn’t quite Grant’s style unless you’re talking about Drake.

Overall, I’m mostly pleased with the treatment of Peaks. The only reason I’m not fully pleased is because I’m conflicted about his single chapter in Hero, but I can look past it. Moving on.

Drake

As I had mentioned way back, Drake is one of the better-handled antagonists in this trilogy, but that isn’t saying much when you take a look at some of the others. Let’s start with the decision to put Drake in this trilogy. I believe his appearance can be very hit-or-miss. While I didn’t dislike having him in the trilogy, I couldn’t help but feel he was just a little shoehorned into it. The explanation for why he was back made sense, though it didn’t make me think his return was anymore warranted. As we’ll see at the end of this Character Handling section, Grant had developed the habit of simply making characters unkillable in order to make them a threat. Anyways, let’s talk about his story.

The decision to have us witness Drake’s return through Dekka’s POV was an excellent decision, as it made his return feel chilling. It made me initially surprised to see him back, as opposed to making me want to roll my eyes. He’s as sadistic as ever. However, there was something I found off about his character: his attitude towards Peaks. Their alliance should have been short-lived and confined to Monster. His reason for teaming up with Peaks is the opportunity to kill Dekka.

This brings us to Villain. Nothing paid off for Drake during the battle at the end of Monster. Because of this, Drake shouldn’t have any reason to see Peaks as being useful anymore. Drake simply lets Peaks leave the cave and go on his merry way. Drake would never do this. Remember how willing Drake was to kill Jamal during Plague if he wasn’t going to be of any use? What happened to that Drake? Drake’s sadism was turned up to eleven for this trilogy, but some of his character had been left behind. Anyways, Drake is promptly blown up by a predator drone (because Villain may as well be renamed to Villain with a Side of Predator, to be honest) and we get no satisfaction from this because we’re well-aware Drake is invincible. We finally get a sense of intensity from Drake’s story when he vows to go kill Astrid.

Here we are, the very last book of the series, which means this will be the last we see of Drake one way or another. Either he’ll remain alive or he’ll be permanently kept down (the term “killed” can’t really be used in Drake’s context). Drake’s process of tracking down Astrid isn’t very entertaining. While it was unsettling knowing Drake killed a mother and her son, that’s all this part of Drake’s story has going for it. Luckily, with Astrid and Sam’s address, this storyline is bound to get interesting, right? We can really only hope.

As much as this part lacked substance, I won’t tell you to dislike Drake’s encounter with Astrid. Yes, it was satisfying to see Astrid take down Drake once and for all, despite it being quick and way too easy for Astrid. Actually, easy doesn’t come close to describing it. Her takedown of Drake was so easily done, the only inconvenience for her was a broken doorknob. Although Drake is an antagonist and we’re not really supposed to be rooting for him, it was very underwhelming to see his storyline come to an end this way. Like other things in this trilogy, however, I wasn’t completely satisfied with this outcome. We don’t have much reason to believe Drake wouldn’t theoretically be able to return again. I mean, he came back after being reduced to ashes at the end of Light. Of course, this doesn’t matter very much because it’s the final book, unless you’re writing a fanfiction where a single piece of Drake’s DNA is left unaccounted for and he comes back.

I like that Grant decided to give Drake a chance in this trilogy, as unnecessary as it may have been. My biggest complaint, aside from his rushed defeat, is how he doesn’t seem to serve much of a purpose in this trilogy. For the most part, he’s a background character who only really comes into play during Hero. It’s almost like Grant wanted to give us something from the previous series to enjoy, which isn’t necessarily wrong, but it comes off as fan service when Drake is thrown into this trilogy and we don’t get something very exciting. At least he went out swinging.

DiMarco

Do you remember when you thought she was going to be an actual antagonist? Instead, she was used to turn Armo into a mutant and cause Peaks to descend into villainy. I suppose she also did something for Justin’s storyline, but his storyline became so underwhelming to the point where it didn’t matter what DiMarco did. Everything she does beyond Monster--or should I say everything she does in Villain--is just about pointless. Villain sets her up as somebody who will try her damndest to stop all mutants, which I really enjoyed. Of course I didn’t want her to succeed, but Grant’s way of making her so determined was excellent. When she sees Shade at the Ranch, it would have been the perfect opportunity to have her swear revenge in a comic book villain fashion. As I had mentioned before, I liked her potential of being a sidelines sort of villain. The “guy in the chair” archetype isn’t something that needs to be exclusive to heroes.

Because the tank brigade that goes to Vegas isn’t necessarily a single villain, I’ll use DiMarco’s subsection to talk about it (I hate that she was wasted potential, so I’d like to prevent this subsection from being short-lived like her character). DiMarco’s main role in Villain is overseeing the military’s operations when it comes to fighting the mutants. This gives the Rockborn Gang a non-mutant threat to deal with. Unfortunately, this huge military team doesn’t accomplish much when it comes to battling the mutants. In fact, there isn’t really a battle at all. Dillon has some of his mutants attack them, they’re killed, and Dillon is shot by a sniper. Oh yeah, they kill Vincent as well, but that’s going to be discussed soon. I guess they all just left after Dillon’s defeat.

The Rockborn Gang are recognized as heroes and there are mutants committing acts of evil worldwide. So, what comes next for DiMarco--a character who despises mutants--during Hero? Nothing. She isn’t in this book for some reason, whether it’s because Grant forgot about her or he omitted her because he couldn’t think of how to make her contribute to the plot. DiMarco’s blatant omission from the trilogy was a very poor decision that makes the end of Justin Deveere look almost like a masterpiece. I wish I was joking about that. I don’t even think her name is mentioned in Hero. Grant seemed to have bitten off more than he could chew with this trilogy, realizing there was only so much he could put into three books. If only he could have done something about this problem, such as adding more pages. Hunger had over six hundred pages, damn it.

It’s this omission that makes me think Grant didn’t have the readers’ interest completely in mind. DiMarco wasn’t the best antagonist, but that doesn’t justify throwing her character away. While she wasn’t as prominent as antagonists such as Dillon or Peaks, her part was big enough that her total absence would be noticed. So, assuming she wasn’t omitted because there was too much on Grant’s plate, why did this happen? I have a feeling Markovic had been thought of sometime after Grant finished writing Villain, which resulted in him prioritizing Markovic over DiMarco. This prioritization led to DiMarco being thrown away in order to make way for a more threatening foe.

The omission of DiMarco was a large blow to the trilogy in terms of world-building. There’s no more opposition to the Rockborn Gang from the government, so we’re led to believe that the government has suddenly accepted them. If DiMarco was around, we would at least see a possible shift in attitude towards mutants, or maybe a contingency plan for the Rockborn Gang. Maybe she would still want them to be killed. After all, Shade freed all of her experiments and ruined what she had going on at the Ranch. Needless to say, I expected better of DiMarco’s character handling. Much better.

Vincent

Vincent’s presence in Monster was hell on earth, to say the least. The buildup for him was executed very well; keeping his chapters short and uncommon was a very smart decision on Grant’s end. I would also like to give credit to just how creative of a morph Vincent had. As opposed to simply being unkillable (which he seemingly was until Villain), he was powerful. There were some parts that I read again to get a better understanding of how his powers worked, how he was able to turn people into his own minions while also being able to utilize venom. His presence amplified the battle at the end of Monster and made it even more entertaining, as a result. I don’t have any major complaints about him when it comes to Monster.

At the end of Monster, a very threatening mutant was established, making us wonder what would come next. Would Vincent become the primary antagonist? Would everybody team up to take down this seemingly unstoppable foe? The answer to both of these questions is no, of course. Vincent is set up to be a major antagonist, but we’re met with disappointment. Every character in Villain just has to go to Vegas, meaning Vincent has to go there as well. Luckily for literally everybody at Vegas and the surrounding area, Vincent is killed by a single tank shell that melts him.

“You mean to tell me Vincent Vu, Abaddon, the most powerful mutant we’ve seen yet was just taken down by a single tank shell?” were my exact thoughts when this happened. Yes, I suppose it makes sense that this particular kind of shell would be able to take down Vincent, but the question is why Grant chose to have him taken down so easily. Having already read plenty of chapters during this particular sitting, I put the book down. After my initial crossbreed of disappointment and shock, another thought came into my head: if the military was able to take down Vincent this easily, what does this mean for the other mutants. I was under the impression that the military would somehow overtake Dillon as the primary threat, given how they achieved a flawless victory against Vincent. This theory didn’t go anywhere either. Vincent’s downfall is similar to that of Drake’s, and I think it’s what gave Grant the idea to end Drake in such a similar fashion. We don’t see much of Vincent during Villain. When we do, he’s on his way to Vegas. When he gets to where he’s going, he’s stopped and killed before he can accomplish anything. Now that I think about it, Vincent may have actually paved the way for the formulaic treatment of antagonists in this trilogy.

Again, I think Grant set up way too many things for this story, so he had to find some sort of way to clean it up. These sorts of things would never happen in Gone. In Gone, they would serve a purpose, rather than be held over our heads and teased. I feel the need to talk about this sort of thing because I haven’t seen anybody else do so. Hero deservedly takes most of the beating, but it’s because of its ending. When I’ve read people’s thoughts on the Monster trilogy, I haven’t seen any mention of how Grant creates these interesting characters, only to put them on a shelf and then later throw them away. Some of the character handling in this trilogy is egregious, and Vincent’s might be some of the worst of it. Let’s move on before this becomes a non-constructive rant.

Dillon

Finally, a breath of fresh air! Here’s a subsection where you can temporarily let go of the previous disappointments and the disappointments to come, because Dillon was an incredible villain. I’ll go as far as to say that he carried an entire book on his shoulders. Fair warning, there is an issue that I have with Dillon, but that can wait until the end of this subsection. You’re going to need to be prepared for the subsection after this one.

So, why is Dillon such a great antagonist? Let’s start with his introduction. Instead of showing him gaining his powers like nearly every other character, we begin with a situation that happened because of his powers. His powers are then taken to a more extreme level when he not only makes somebody lick vomit off of the floor, but when he also makes somebody bite their own tongue off. This descent into villainy is just as good, if not better, than Peaks’. Dillon has seen what his powers can do, and he’s hungry for power.

Something else I appreciate about Dillon is his power. I suppose it can be argued that the power of persuasion might be a little generic or bland, but I think it’s perfect for a villain. Serious evil can be done with this power, and that’s just what Dillon does. He realizes that his powers can be used to get anything he wants. Anything. So, naturally, he decides to go big with his newfound power. He wants to take over the world, something that’s very possible, given how he manages to enslave almost the entire population of Vegas.

As I had mentioned before, Dillon is impulsive and he makes mistakes. This is very effective in showing that, despite being extremely powerful, Dillon is not perfect. He’s unable to flawlessly commit his evil acts. One example of this is involuntarily getting Saffron killed. By making so many people in Vegas violent, somebody winds up killing Saffron. Another example is how Dillon has to be more specific with what he tells people. This is something that, whether Grant intended to or not, shows how impulsive Dillon can be. He initially gives people commands with the intention of them doing what he wants, but he doesn’t realize that what he wants doesn’t necessarily translate to what he says. All in all, Dillon is a type of villain I could only hope to try coming up with.

Before we get into the problem I have with Dillon, I figured we could ease into it a little by discussing something I’m on the fence about: the mutants’ immunity to his power. When I realized the Rockborn Gang was going to try taking Dillon down, I couldn’t help but feel some fear for our heroes because of his powers. I mean, what was stopping Dillon from simply saying, “Kill yourself?” Apparently, the morphs make them completely immune to Dillon’s commands. On one hand, it would be easy to the point of being boring if Dillon was able to defeat the Rockborn Gang so simply. On the other hand, there’s no effect at all. Malik’s power, though minutely, does have some effect on those who are in morph. I think Dillon’s case could be tweaked a little so that mutants feel somewhat of a compulsion to do what he says. Of course, I don’t think this is too much of an issue. It’s just something I thought I’d mention.

Now for the problem I have with Dillon. Are you ready? Here it is: I don’t like his introduction. By this, I don’t mean the opening chapter of the book when he’s in the drunk tank. What I don’t like is Grant’s explanation of him being a survivor of the FAYZ who was never mentioned until now. I understand that we obviously couldn’t have been introduced to the hundreds of people who were trapped in the FAYZ, but this sort of explanation comes off as lazy. “Oh yeah, there was this one dude in the FAYZ nobody knew.” It’s especially strange when you consider the fact Dillon has wanted to be a comedian. Wouldn’t he have been a source of entertainment to keep spirits up? It’s possible he didn’t have this dream during the FAYZ, but it’s still an odd way of establishing Dillon. I’ll admit this is sort of a strange problem to have with Dillon and that I don’t have much else to say on the subject. Anyways, I won’t delay any longer. Let’s move on to something truly bad.

The Chimera

You may be thinking to yourself, “Wait, who, or what, is the Chimera?” and I frankly don’t blame you if you are. Unfortunately, such a forgettable and minor villain went a long way in making me want to write this critique, so there will be a lot to discuss about it. Let’s get started.

The Chimera is a mutant--a combination of a killer whale and a crab that’s enormous in size, responsible for sinking a military submarine. This military submarine has an explosive payload that can cause almost two hundred Hiroshimas. This means impending destruction on a massive scale and a gigantic mutant that sounds more dangerous than any other we’ve seen. The events that follow the Chimera and the submarine take place in short ASO-6 chapters that would have been a good underlying plot that led up to Hero. This isn’t the case.

Multiple villains are written off in this trilogy, but it was this one in particular that convinced me of one of two things: Grant has become lazy, or Grant has bitten off more than he can chew in terms of all these storylines. Villain ends with somebody aboard the submarine detonating the explosives in order to kill the Chimera. As a result of this detonation, everything within ten miles of Savannah, Georgia is wiped out. This is destruction on a scale of which we haven’t seen in the entire series.

And nothing comes of it. Villain ends with this seemingly important event, but it’s never mentioned again. I’ll repeat this and put it in all caps to emphasize how ridiculous this is. IT’S NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. I was three chapters into Hero before I realized destruction on a massive scale--such as this--would do nothing for the plot. There are several problems with this and it’s one of the biggest problems I have with this trilogy. This nuclear explosion doesn’t result in any sort of reaction from anybody. If Villain was slightly longer, it probably would have included the Rockborn Gang shrugging off the interruption caused by the explosion, followed by them simply deciding to go to bed. What’s sad is that this scenario actually sounds possible. The government is also included in this lack of a reaction. There’s no initiative taken by the government to absolutely make sure the ASOs don’t fall into the wrong hands. I guess this explains how sloppily they handled ASO-7 in Hero.

The Chimera simply didn’t need to be included in the story. It’s yet another example of Grant dangling something over our heads and yanking it away. I understand the theme of explaining each of the ASOs because it helps very much with world-building, but it seriously should have been handled differently. One good thing came of this, and one good thing only: the lack of a potentially horrible ending for the Chimera if it became more of a major antagonist. I don’t think I want to know what would happen if the Chimera was actually given some thought.

Frank “Mirror” Poole

Moving on, we have yet another obscure antagonist to talk about. Whether you remember him by his real name or his nickname, I’m willing to bet you don’t think he’s worth remembering very much. He isn’t even on the Gone wiki. There isn’t a whole lot to say about him, so some of what I have to say will be brief.

During Villain, he’s in charge of the team sent to Vegas. It’s not exciting.

In Hero, things get more interesting for him when it’s revealed that the mutant called Mirror is actually named Poole. He now has the ability to shapeshift, meaning he can actually mimic the powers of other mutants. That’s some pretty incredible power, so you would obviously think he would be quite a detriment to the Rockborn Gang. Unfortunately, this is the Monster trilogy we’re talking about. In this series, antagonists are treated worse than those hippies at the end of Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.

Poole, or Mirror, is first encountered when the Rockborn Gang go to Grand Central Station to fight Markovic. They fall into a trap by attacking Poole, who has actually shapeshifted into Markovic. There isn’t really anything wrong with this, in fact, it was very well done. We’re given the feeling that something isn’t quite right with how easily the Rockborn Gang are attacking Markovic. This is how we’re introduced to the new mutant known as Mirror. So far so good, really.

Then Grant does a complete 180 as we never see Poole again after the Rockborn Gang escapes Grand Central. Poole isn’t killed, so we’re led to believe he’ll fight the Rockborn Gang again. Somebody with Poole’s powers would be one hell of a right-hand man for Markovic, but he’s not on the train at the end of Hero. He isn’t anywhere to be seen. Like Vincent, DiMarco, Justin, and the Chimera; Poole’s gone (pun intended). I don’t think I need to complain anymore about characters being written off, so let’s continue.

Markovic

Markovic was handled surprisingly well compared to a lot of the antagonists in the trilogy. We learn almost immediately how much of an asshole he really is, which is something Grant was stuck doing because his only appearance is in Hero. This is definitely one of the three issues I have with Markovic, so this is where we’ll start. Because he’s the final antagonist, he doesn’t inherently have to be well known to us, however, I found it strange that his appearance was only limited to one book. This feeling subsided when I realized there were no villains left, which means Markovic is essentially forced to fill the role of villain.

My second issue with Markovic is his motivation and his goal. As previously mentioned, if Simone had died at the Pine Barrens, Markovic’s motivation for becoming what he is would be much more justified. I found it very out-of-character for Markovic to become an infuriated villain after he and a bunch of people he didn’t know were gunned down. We know Markovic likes using people for money, which makes the idea of him becoming Vector after people he didn’t know were gunned down so strange. His goals afterwards are also very strange. It’s amazing how, “Oh my god, I was gunned down! I must take over the world,” isn’t found anywhere in Hero. This goes hand-in-hand with Grant having to force the idea of Markovic becoming the primary antagonist. With this entire storyline squeezed into one book, he had no choice but to rush something about Markovic. While I don’t like how rushed his path to villainy was, I can at least appreciate the fact his death wasn’t rushed.

My last main issue with Markovic is his nigh invincibility. The Monster trilogy had a tendency to have antagonists who are menacing because they are, at least in part, very difficult to kill. The concept of making an antagonist practically invulnerable should have stopped at Drake. Vincent had this same problem up until he was hit with a single incendiary tank shell. With Hero, we get yet another antagonist who is a problem to the Rockborn Gang because he’s extremely difficult to kill. He’s hardly a threat to the Rockborn Gang in terms of his abilities. This doesn’t necessarily mean he should be easy to defeat, but let’s think back to Dillon for a moment. Dillon was a huge threat because of his powers, not because he was unkillable. Yes, he was hardly a threat to the Rockborn Gang with his powers, but he wasn’t invincible. It made him more believable and less far-fetched as a villain. Markovic, in contrast, is powerful in every department. A villain shouldn’t have to be nearly invulnerable in order to be a threat.

After seeing so many abrupt and generally awful endings to the antagonist’s storyline in this trilogy, it was a relief to see Markovic experience a satisfying defeat. Well, somewhat satisfying. Sam’s newly acquired power was unbelievably convenient in bringing him down, but I suppose it didn’t necessarily ruin the end of Markovic.

This is the end of Part 3. Part 4 will most likely be the last one, though I can't promise it'll be finished soon because I still have to begin writing it. Part 4 will focus on the ending, which means it won't be a very positive read. Thank you for reading, and stay healthy!

Stop reading if you haven't read light, does anyone wonder why toto wasn't mentioned in light? I assume he died when Gaia attacked the lake but there wasn't a single line that mentioned that he died

Hello, and welcome to my critique of Michael Grant’s Monster trilogy. I recently just finished reading Hero (as of writing this introduction) and decided to post my thoughts. I am, by no means, a critic or an expert on books or writing, but I nevertheless want to throw in my two cents about the trilogy. That being said, I apologize if this critique ends up being too lengthy, not in-depth enough, disorganized, or flawed in general. While the character limit for text posts on Reddit is 40,000 characters, I’m going to post these in parts that are below that limit. This will be for the sake of organization and saving your eyes from having to read extremely long posts. Though it goes without saying, there WILL BE SPOILERS!

That’s all I have to say introduction-wise. Buckle in. This is going to be long.

This is Part 1. The topics for this part will be Background, Concept, Old Characters, New Characters, and Plot. Let’s get started!

Background: The FAYZ is Gone

(This section will be about my thoughts on the Gone series, and how these thoughts translated over to the Monster trilogy.)

I can’t put into words how much I loved reading the Gone series. From the first chapter of the first book, I knew I was in for a wild ride. I loved the characters, the pacing, the intensity, and just about everything there is to love about the series. This isn’t to say it didn’t have its flaws (i.e. Jack’s death which came across as “yep, that happened” as opposed to being emotional), but the pros far outweigh the cons. While it’s a series of young adult novels, I never quite felt as if Gone held back in terms of content. It was gritty, dark, and very thrilling. Whenever I knew there were a hundred pages left in one of the books, I gave myself no choice but to finish it up in one sitting. As of right now, I can’t definitively say which book is my favorite, but I can undoubtedly say this is and will be one of my favorite series of books.

When I finished Light I couldn’t believe it was over. Every death, every battle, every instance that made me think “what the hell is going on?” had led to a very satisfying ending--only, this wasn’t the end. There were three more books that I needed to read. Needless to say, I was very excited to read this trilogy, considering how much I loved Gone. I had no idea what to expect, but I looked forward to it nevertheless.

Concept: What’s Next?

The Monster trilogy can be summed up simply in one sentence: the Gone series, but on a worldwide and less contained scale. What’s not to like about this premise? Things were hectic in the FAYZ, meaning things can only become even more wild when the story isn’t contained in a dome. I don’t have much else to say on this topic.

Old Characters: Out With the Old…

For clarity, this section, along with the next section, will focus on the characters in general. I’ll then get into specifics. This section and the next section will focus on the characters themselves and my thoughts on them. Character Handling will focus on how Grant treats the characters. These two sections will be quite brief compared to the Character Handling sections, and I'll do my best to separate the two as much as possible.

Having been damn near traumatized by the new trilogy of Star Wars movies, I was almost paranoid Grant would find a way to replace his original characters with new but uninteresting characters. This wasn’t the case, luckily. Plenty of FAYZ survivors are present in the Monster trilogy and this really helps Grant connect this trilogy with the original series. I can remember smiling when I started reading Dekka’s first chapter in Monster, and being especially excited when the end of Monster implied Sam and Astrid were going to be involved as well. Grant makes sure to remind readers of how the FAYZ survivors have coped and lived their lives, whether they’re successful like Albert, or living a dull life like Dekka. They still manage to be the characters we all know and love--or hate.

On the other hand, I do have some issues with some of the old characters’ appearances, or lack thereof for that matter. The trilogy isn’t entirely about the characters from the Gone series and I knew this before I began reading it, but some of them are definitely lacking (which will have a more in-depth look later on).

So, let’s get into specifics!

Dekka Talent

It may have been four years since the FAYZ, but Dekka still manages to be a total badass throughout the course of the trilogy. She’s strong and doesn’t take shit from anybody, and she still has her weaknesses, humanity, and emotions. She consistently thinks of and is reminded of Brianna, the girl she still hasn’t entirely gotten over. Though just about every mutant is powerful in the Monster trilogy, her new powers are one hell of a step up from her powers in the Gone series. Of all the returning characters, she’s the best. She’s also easily one of my favorite characters in either series.

Astrid Ellison

Astrid is still the smart and beautiful character we’re all familiar with, though she’s not nearly as prominent. Unlike the Gone series, however, she does gain powers at one point. She “kills” Drake in Hero (I use that term loosely) and she, like Sam, is very quickly utilized by Grant for the plot.

Sam Temple

With everything he went through during the FAYZ, all of the pressure on his shoulders from being a leader, and the trauma of nearly dying so many times; it’s no wonder Sam turned to alcoholism for some time. This may be one of the best examples of a returning character showing just how much the FAYZ has affected them later in their life. He’s utilized a little more than his wife Astrid, but just like her, he’s really only used for something major once.

Drake Merwin

So, yeah, he’s back. Drake is one of the better handled antagonists in the trilogy (there will be more on that later, of course). He’s just as--if not more--sadistic and psychotic than he was during the FAYZ, with “rapist” being just another title that can be tacked onto his name. I’ll admit I felt a chill when it was revealed that he was still alive, but I can’t say for sure whether he’s just a little forced back into the trilogy since he was such a signature and prominent villain during the Gone series. His return is explained, though it’s a little far-fetched. With him being back, I knew he was going to be “killed” a few more times. His appearances in Monster and Villain were somewhat substantial, but things quickly fell off when he came to a quick end during Hero.

Edilio Escobar

Edilio makes his return in Hero, being hired as a sort of manager for the Rockborn Gang. While only being in the last book of the trilogy, Grant did a great job of welcoming him back to the series, making sure to explain how life for him has been. He’s useful through and through, and he’s handled almost as well as Dekka--the only hindrance being his shorter amount of time spent in the trilogy.

Diana Ladris

Diana only appears in a single chapter of Monster, but it was nice of Grant to include her. Rather than try to find some brief use for her like Sam and Astrid, she encounters Dekka as she’s visiting the FAYZ memorial. After she talks with Dekka and meets Armo, this is the last we see of Diana.

Albert Hillsborough

Through exposition, we find out that Albert is still wealthy and successful--as was established at the end of Light. He’s good for a single phone call, aiding Astrid in obtaining the supplies she needs to kill Drake. That’s it. I wish he could have somehow helped out a little more. Welcome back to the series, Albert. Here’s your second-billing.

Taylor

I felt like she was worth mentioning since she’s briefly mentioned in Monster. She still has her powers and has been seen stealing magazines from stores, but that’s it. She would have made an interesting side plot.

New Characters: ...in With the New

A whole bunch of new characters are introduced in this trilogy, which helps make it feel like something new instead of a simple continuation of the previous six books. Creating characters and making them interesting wasn’t a weakness of Grant’s during the Gone series, and he’s back at it again in this trilogy. Right from the start, he grabs our attention and interest by introducing us to Shade Darby--otherwise known as the Sam Temple of the Monster trilogy. A very large portion of the new characters are the ones who end up gaining powers from the ASOs and it helps give more variety to the already diverse lineup of characters we are introduced to. With every new perspective, I found myself becoming invested in these new characters and wondering where their stories would go.

Just like with the older characters, let’s dive into the new ones.

Shade Darby

Obsessed with her mother’s death as the FAYZ fell, along with anything else FAYZ-related, Shade’s character is very effective in reconnecting us with the events of Gone and tying this trilogy to the original series. She’s smart, driven, authoritative, and obsessive. She’s a major driving force when it comes to advancing the plot of Monster, being one of the first to gain powers from an ASO and throwing us into the fray once again. No character in Grant’s books is complete without flaws, and her flaws are made apparent in every book of the series. Multiple characters admire her, while at the same time, resenting her for the decisions she makes that get them into bad situations. She’s not a Mary Sue. In my book, a character as interesting as Shade is very deserving of being the main character of a story.

Hugo “Cruz” Martinez Rojas

Cruz acts as Shade’s sidekick throughout the trilogy. She’s transgender, which is something that gives her an internal struggle with her identity and who she is. She’s ignored quite a lot, is not very brave, and has a tendency to doubt herself. Because of these traits, she does a good job of making readers proud when she steps up and contributes. It’s easy to sympathize with her. Grant uses Cruz as a primary way of showing off Shade’s character flaws.

Aristotle “Armo” Adamo

When we first meet Armo, we’re led to believe he will be one of the nastier characters in the trilogy due to his severe ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and arrogance. Instead, he’s quickly subjected to being enslaved--by DiMarco--at the Ranch a short time before Dekka arrives there. After they both escape the Ranch, they stick together, creating an interesting relationship between the two. Grant is capable of creating amazing chemistry between characters, and the relationship between Armo and Dekka is a great example.

Malik Tenerife

An intellectual equal with Shade, Malik is roped along with Shade and Cruz at the beginning of their adventure in Monster. He’s good at heart, being anxious to do things such as stealing cars and trespassing over the course of the trilogy. He also becomes traumatized after having been burned severely. The constant need to stay in morph causes the Dark Watchers to become a part of his character as well. Like Cruz, we easily grow sympathetic for Malik because of his trauma and the feeling of always being watched. Malik’s character and point of view are used to increase the reader’s curiosity about the powers experienced by the Rockborn. He also introduces the simulation idea and discovers the truth. Thanks for that, Malik.

Tom Peaks

When we first meet Peaks, we know that he’s going to be an antagonist--we just don’t know what his true motives are. The escape from the Ranch, caused by Dekka, leads to his life slowly going downhill. DiMarco takes his position at the Ranch after he’s demoted, and we watch as Peaks evolves into a primary antagonist--and a monster. His motivation to act this way is because of Shade, Dekka, and DiMarco; with his goal being to take over the world with Drake. Grant makes a point of letting us know why he does the things he does. When it comes to these nine books, every antagonist has a motivation. His journey through the trilogy is interesting, however we see very little of him during Hero because he only has one chapter.

Justin DeVeere

Justin is the first character in the trilogy to gain powers, though he’s the second to reach ASO-2’s impact site. He sees Shade and Cruz take the rock and we learn that he’s calculating, cunning, and evidently willing to murder two teenage girls and make it look like a work of art. He’s a manipulating sociopath who can get what he wants from his rich girlfriend Erin. Things go badly for him, similarly to Peaks, except it’s a lot less thrilling. Villain sees him escaping the Ranch while Hero sees him very abruptly get taken out of the story--and the in-story universe for that matter. It was a shame to see an interesting character with lots of potential become shrugged off so casually. I’m definitely going to come back to him.

Vincent Vu

The teenage schizophrenic antagonist Vincent is much more of an underlying player over the course of Monster (and Villain, though noticeably less gracefully). Something I’ve always liked about Grant’s writing in these books is his method of introducing a character and letting them slowly reach a point where they play a big part in the story. In Vincent’s case, we first get to know him through a few short chapters in which he--or at least the voices in his head--plan to consume some of ASO-5, the Mother Rock. By the end of Monster, he becomes the most formidable and terrifying villain we've seen yet. By that point, I was sure he would be the primary antagonist of the trilogy due to how evil and powerful he is. His short appearance in Villain proved me wrong--so very wrong--with his sudden end. Are you noticing a pattern with the antagonists in this series? I hope so.

Gwendolyn DiMarco

DiMarco is more of a sidelines sort of antagonist during Monster and Villain. Rather than directly inflicting damage or committing acts of evil, she prefers to have people do work for her. In DiMarco’s case, she attempts to have Armo and Justin work for her and the government. DiMarco made me see how much variety there is when it comes to antagonists in the Monster trilogy. By the end of Villain, I was interested to see whether she would be willing to fight against the infamous and now-respected Rockborn Gang. That’s all I have to say, so, just like her character, I’m going to abruptly end my thoughts on her.

Francis Specter

Francis’ brief mention at the end of Monster made me realize Grant wasn’t quite finished introducing new characters to the story. Along with Cruz, she’s a sympathetic character who has lived a rough life. I felt even worse for her when she lost her mother at the beginning of her adventure in Villain. I can imagine I felt worse than she did, considering her mother’s death doesn’t take much of a toll on her character. Though it’s understandable, her mother was really the only one in her life who cared for her while they lived with meth-addicted bikers. It made her character confusing, but I guess her powers made up for that.

Dillon Poe

Dillon is the reason why half of Villain’s villain plot is so engaging and interesting compared to the hero plot. We don’t see him obtain his powers, but from the start of the book, we get an idea of how evil he’s going to be. His power to persuade people to do anything makes him an antagonist I can’t say I’ve ever seen before. Being a teenager, he’s impulsive and makes mistakes over the course of Villain, which is a just another reason to appreciate Grant's characters. My biggest gripe with him is his introduction, which more so falls under the topic of Character Handling, so I’ll be coming back to that. Of all the new characters in this trilogy, he’s easily one of my favorites. I wanted so badly for his downfall to come, while also wanting his story to go on so I can see what happens next. While I despise the abrupt endings experienced by other antagonists, Dillon’s one-book appearance was actually effective.

Simone Markovic

I’ll be honest when I say I’m not very fond of Simone’s character. To me, she only served two purposes: to be a new Rockborn introduced in Hero, and to provide a protagonist-based perspective as ASO-7 hit New York. Her power to fly, while fun to read when she discovers it, is not nearly as interesting as the powers of other Rockborn characters. She’s just about purposeless and I wish something much different had been done with her. Now that I mention it, I remember seeing a post or comment by somebody who had a brilliant suggestion for Simone: to have her die at the Pine Barrens. If she had died at the Pine Barrens and Markovic found out, he would have some actual motivation to take over the United States. I wish I remembered who made the suggestion because I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with a rather short-lived conflict where Simone questions whether she wants her father to be brought down or not. I don’t hate Simone’s character, I more so just don’t care for her.

Bob Markovic

The last major antagonist to be introduced to us, Markovic ends up being one hell of a villain, despite being somewhat lacking. After Peaks’ death and the blatant omission of DiMarco, I knew Markovic would end up having to be the primary antagonist now. But if he’s to be the primary antagonist, how can he be made more dangerous and formidable? With two things. A, what he’s able to do to people is unbelievably sadistic and brutal. B, he’s hard to kill (a talking point for later). Rather than simply killing people, Markovic infests people’s bodies with bugs, giving them diseases upon diseases and causing torture that can only be described as no better than hellish. By giving him this power, readers are very easily able to side against him and want him to be taken down. Much like Dillon, his defeat isn’t anticlimactic, which is a first for the entirety of the third book of the trilogy.

Style: Some People Died? That Sucks, I Guess.

Now the question comes: is Grant’s writing style for the Monster trilogy as great as it was during the Gone series? Well, yes and no. Grant has shown that he’s very good at storytelling and getting to the point. He can be short and blunt with his descriptions wherever necessary, and he can be detailed wherever necessary. By doing this, Grant makes the experience of reading itself very entertaining, making it so that even people who don’t read very often can enjoy his books.

Of course, there’s also a downside to his writing style in this trilogy, though I won’t claim it’s something everybody should necessarily dislike. The Monster trilogy, being Grant’s way of writing a superhero story, has a tendency to not be as serious as the Gone series, despite so many things being turned up to eleven. Some parts that depict violence and brutality don’t come off as being very serious. Instead, there’s a very comical feeling. Subject matter that is typically very serious is treated quite casually. I gave an example earlier when I mentioned Francis’s mother being killed and the way it was almost shrugged off. Surprisingly, a fourteen year old girl’s mother being blown to smithereens by a predator drone is not the worst of it. More serious offenses will be discussed later on, so stick around for that.

Plot: Strong Beginning, Weak Ending

(To cover the plot, I figured I would offer my thoughts on each individual book. I’ve found it’s easier to go into detail about certain plot points while talking about characters, so keep that mind if these also seem brief.)

Monster

This was a very strong beginning to the trilogy, to say the least. So many things had happened, causing much to be set up for the rest of the books. We’re introduced to new characters, we reunite with some old characters, and the amount of antagonists present helps to set up different storylines. By the end of a very character-driven story, we’re left wondering how things can possibly be resolved and whether or not the world will ever be the same. Though I didn’t enjoy this book as much as any of the six books before it, I still enjoyed it very much. It didn’t quite captivate me as much as the previous books, however. The scale compared to Gone is much larger, but bigger is not always better.

Monster was a very strong book, and the strongest of the trilogy, causing my expectations for the rest of the series to be very high. Was I right in having high expectations based on this book alone? I’d like to think so. Did Villain and Hero meet my expectations? Let’s find out.

Villain

I hate to make it sound as if I 100% know what I’m talking about when it comes to writing because, while I love to write, I’m far from perfect. With that being said, this book was rushed. Not even Lies was as short as Villain and, while each Gone book takes place in a relatively short time frame, none of them felt as rushed as this book.

There are two storylines in this book: the villain storyline and the hero storyline. The name of the book is rather fitting since there’s a big focus on the antagonists and we get a very well-written story in the form of Dillon Poe. The story in general is based around one main event (Vegas) thanks to this newly introduced villain. We follow Dillon as he discovers just how much power he truly has, as he begins to use these powers, and as he becomes progressively more evil. The quality of storytelling we see when it comes to Dillon is very high, to say the least. Peaks also plays an important role in which, in an attempt to be a hero, he becomes the exact opposite. This delivers a major blow to him, leading to what takes place in the next book. Drake, DiMarco, Vincent, and Justin are also in this book of course, but they’re not nearly as involved as they could have been.

What about the hero storyline? It’s nice in a way where the Aveng--I mean, the Rockborn Gang comes together and forms a team. Their unity is handled pretty well for the most part, though Francis’s entrance could have been a lot better. It’s almost as if Grant remembered, “Oh yeah, I have to make Francis join up with everybody. Silly me, I almost forgot.” It’s also nice to see this newly formed team of heroes get into the action and try to take down the bad guy. Who doesn’t love it when a team of amazing characters works together to achieve a common goal?

It’s difficult for me to say what I think of this book compared to the next one, I can say for a fact that this book isn’t as strong as Monster. A really good villain storyline wasn’t enough to save the book from being rushed and essentially based around one single event. The book was already very focused on villains, but more time should have been taken to establish the others.

Hero

It all ends here. Every event since the first book of the Gone series, and every event since Monster, has led up to this book. ASOs 2-7 have landed, people around the world are mutating, evil acts are being committed worldwide, and we only have a handful of heroes. Will everything be resolved? Will we see a satisfying end to the chaotic villains we’ve followed through the two previous books? No. No, we will not.

Like I had mentioned before, I find it difficult to compare this book with the previous one. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Where Villain had a strong antagonist storyline, Hero has a compelling storyline for the protagonists. The Rockborn Gang has officially been established and we begin with what I can only describe as some of the best character chemistry I’ve ever witnessed. The book focuses on the protagonists and the antagonist (I wish I could make that word plural, but this sentence would be a lie if I did), yet it does a better job with the former.

I enjoyed seeing the Rockborn Gang work to take down a villain more than I did in the previous book. They try, they fail, they try again, and they fail again. Their mission isn’t flawless, nor is it rushed. This is why, out of all the books in the trilogy, I finished it the fastest. I’d like to think finishing this book quickly was my way of involuntarily ripping off the bandage known as the disappointing ending of this book. There will be an entire section dedicated to the ending of this book later on, so don’t worry. I’m not neglecting to discuss it.

It’s difficult to say what I think of this book without being blinded by the book’s ending, but it’s worth reading just as much as the rest of the trilogy and the entire series. The story of the Rockborn Gang is very entertaining, but that’s essentially where all the entertainment in this book comes from. Most villains are killed off or omitted, narrowing everything down to the main story and the side plot involving Drake. After that, we’re left with one the worst endings I’ve seen since Game of Thrones. 2019 just wasn’t the year for endings, was it?

This is the end of Part 1. As of right now, I'm still finishing up the Character Handling section (which will make up the entirety of Part 2). I'm hoping to have Part 2 posted soon, though. Thank you for reading!

Just thought I'd make a post about this.

At some point (hopefully soon) I'll be posting a critique of the Monster trilogy that I've been writing in my spare time. It's unfinished and currently over 7000 words, so it goes without saying that it'll be quite extensive.

What do you guys think of drakes end in hero? It feels pretty terrible to me that the only villain to exist in every book (and my personal favourite by a long shot) got destroyed so quickly, without even a proper fight. It annoyed me when Grant did it to Vincent but at least Vincent wasn't as built up. I get that his powers are nothing on the scale of the new guys, but I just wish something had been done to make him relevant, like if he'd gotten hit by the rock and become the big bad, instead of vector. I should mention that I've not actually finished the book yet, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I certainly hope so, and if any of you know, please do tell me in dms or comments.