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1* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
2** In both the fandom and the series, one of the most controversial questions is whether [[InsufferableGenius Astrid]] is a troubled but well meaning [[AntiHero heroine]] who tried desperately hard to be the good guy or a manipulative, sanctimonious {{Icequeen}} who thinks only of herself, as Sinder put it. [[spoiler: Like when she pushed her little brother out a window]] was she trying to save 200 children and bring back 200 more, or was it a selfish act when she should have been there for her defenceless little brother? Or did she genuinely love and care about Sam or was she just using him as protection? Did she think telling the whole town about Mary's bulimia was so she could get her some support and help and keep the littles safe, or did she do it because she saw Mary as a threat and wanted to distract from her own faults? Debatable stuff. Expect things to get nasty whichever side you come down on.
3** Did [[BigBad Caine]] genuinely love Diana or was he just a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative dick ]] who used her for sex? Who knows, as it's constantly being contradicted in [[UnreliableNarrator Caine's POVS.]] one minute he's thinking about nothing but how beautiful and smart she is and how he wants to marry her, etc, etc, and the next he's dismissing her as a object or pawn, so to speak, with no interest in her emotions or well-being. Either way, it's riled many heated fan debates, especially after the elusiveness of ''Plague''... ''Light'' answers this question quite overtly. [[spoiler: It would seem, yes, he sincerely did care for and love Diana.]]
4** Was [[AmbiguouslyGay Howard]] manipulating [[IronWoobie Orc]] to get him money and protection, or did he have genuine concern and understanding for [[IronWoobie Orc?]]
5** ''Fear'' spoilers; [[spoiler:Is Gaia the premature corpse of Caine/Diana's daughter being possessed by the soulless gaiaphage, or is she still human somewhere deep down who is simply a victim? The events of ''Light'' seem to indicate the former.]]
6** Was [[TeamMom Mary Terrafino]] [[spoiler:euthanized or the victim of divine intervention by the gaiaphage?]]
7** [[FridgeHorror ...Some fans believe that Diana pushed her mother down the stairs, and that it was not by any means a accident.]]
8%% * AngstDissonance: Sam Temple.
9* AngstWhatAngst: Deconstructed hard. While the end of ''Light'' ends on a positive note for most of the main characters. ''Monster'' reveals that many of the FAYZ survivors turned to alcohol and drugs, [[spoiler: including Dekka, Diana, and Sam]], some of them went into mental care [[spoiler: like Lana]], and others were DrivenToSuicide.
10* AntiClimaxBoss: In ''Villain'', [[spoiler:Vincent Vu, someone played up as a massive threat in ''Monster'' goes down after being shot by a couple of tanks without even seeing any real action or having the protagonists confront him again]]
11* BaseBreakingCharacter:
12** Try finding someone who's indifferent either way to Astrid Ellison.
13** There are only two types of people aware of Caine Soren; People who think he's a complete {{Jerkass}} and prayed he'd just drop dead in ''LIGHT'' and those who are completely obsessed with him and want his demon-babies.
14** Is Drake Merwin a genuinely worthwhile and threatening villain, or has he become [[VillainDecay more of a joke as the books progress?]] This question became the subject of much debate in the fandom, especially after the release of ''LIGHT''. People are also annoyed at his tendency to keep cheating death, [[spoiler: even coming BackFromTheDead in ''Monster'']].
15* BrokenBase: Whether you ship the [[UnholyMatrimony Caine/Diana]] romance is purely a matter of taste. It is by far the most popular ship in the fandom, with a exceptionally large, vocal and dedicated fan-base. It is also by far the most criticized and refuted. Many argue that it's a beautifully-written, moving, complex, intriguing and ultimately tragic ship which brings out the best in both components. Others argue that it's romanticized abuse which undermines Diana's independence and strength, and that the two were simply manipulating each other start to finish.
16* CargoShip:
17** Drake and his whip hand.
18** Petey/Gameboy is pretty popular too.
19** Toto and [[ProductPlacement Nutella]]!
20* CompleteMonster:
21** [[EldritchAbomination The Gaiaphage]] is the being [[GreaterScopeVillain responsible]] for the FAYZ after nearly causing a nuclear meltdown. The Gaiaphage in attempts to escape the FAYZ create a deadly plague, create giant man-eating bugs and manipulate or MindRape people into serving it. After stealing the body of a newborn, the Gaiaphage sought to kill every last person in FAYZ [[WouldHurtAChild including all the young children]] before it could escape to assimilate most of humanity, leaving the rest [[{{Sadist}} for it to torment]].
22** [[AxCrazy Drake Merwin]] is a [[TeensAreMonsters monstrous fourteen-year-old]] who managed to earn [[TheDreaded the hatred and fear]] of everyone in the FAYZ. A psychopath even before the series began, he was sent to Coates Academy for shooting a boy with an air rifle, and was diagnosed by staff as a sadist. A few days after all the adults disappeared, Drake essentially became a PsychoForHire, first serving [[BigBad Caine Soren]] in his efforts to take over Perdido Beach, then switching his allegiance over to [[EldritchAbomination the Gaiaphage]] after it helped regrow his amputated arm into a [[CombatTentacles whip-like weapon]]. Drake's many crimes include preparing to [[WouldHurtAChild feed a daycare full of little kids and infants]] to mutant coyotes if they resisted him; threatening to cause a nuclear meltdown if Sam didn't allow Drake to torture him; commanding an army of mutant bugs to massacre Perdido Beach; and whipping and slave-driving a pregnant girl across a desert. Drake was also a [[StrawMisogynist virulent misogynist]], who victim-blamed his mother for her abuse at his stepfather's hands, insults every girl who crosses his path, and expresses an intent to torture, rape and murder Astrid, Diana, and even [[spoiler:the Gaiaphage after it stole a female body as its host]]. Drake's goal wasn't power, it was pain. He admitted that he tortured and murdered his fellow children [[ForTheEvulz because he enjoyed it]], because it made him feel powerful, and he believed that despite all the diagnoses psychiatrists had tried to give him, the word that best summed him up was "evil".
23** ''Monster'' & ''Villain'': [[InsaneAdmiral Brigadier General Gwendolyn DiMarco]] desires to make SuperSoldiers no matter the cost. To this end, she runs the classified military base "The Ranch" as second-in-command to Tom Peaks, and has [[PlayingWithSyringes horrific experiments]] conducted there, such as mutating people into [[HalfHumanHybrid human-animal hybrids]], leaving many in constant pain; forcefully turning people into cybernetic killing machines; keeping [[AndIMustScream alive and aware]] severed heads in jars to study them; and using the brains of infants to pilot suicide drones. When the horrors of the Ranch are exposed, [=DiMarco=] orders a battalion of tanks to attack Dillon Poe in an attempt to distract the public, unconcerned about civilian casualties.
24** ''Villain'': [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor Dillon Poe]] is a would-be comedian bitter that he never got powers. After gaining a CompellingVoice, Poe causes several massive riots in Las Vegas, killing hundreds [[ForTheEvulz for his amusement]]. Once the military intervenes, Poe would uses {{Human Shield}}s to ensure his own safety, finally drenching dozens of people in gasoline, threatening to [[ManOnFire set them on fire]] if anyone threatened him.
25** ''Hero'': [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Robert "Bob" Markovic]] was a predatory businessman before being mutated into [[TheWormThatWalks a sapient swarm]] of [[{{Plaguemaster}} plague-bearing]] bugs. Using his new abilities, Markovic attempts to take over New York City by infecting all of New York City Hall and Police Plaza with every deadly disease to exist, leaving everyone there in a state of [[FateWorseThanDeath twisted agony]] begging for death. Taking control of Grand Central Station, Markovic infected one man there as an example of what he can do. Markovic then hijacks a train, taking its passengers hostage as he heads to Washington to take over the government and attempts to kill the heroes--[[OffingTheOffspring including his own daughter Simone]]--as they try to stop him.
26* CrackPairing:
27** Siana gained speed in the shipping world after Sam and Diana both broke up with their significant others in ''Plague''. Never happened, but its popularity still prevails.
28** Zil and Lance. [[HoYay If you]] [[AmbiguouslyGay Chose]] [[AmbiguouslyBi To]] [[HomoeroticSubtext ignore]] [[WordOfGay certain elements..]]
29** There are several fanfictions featuring Astrid leaving Sam for Caine, and Diana leaving Caine for Sam...
30** Dekka and Orc, despite their IncompatibleOrientation.
31* DracoInLeatherPants: Caine and ''Drake'', believe it or not. Even the author has expressed discomfort with the level of fangirling the series' resident psychopath gets.
32* EnsembleDarkhorse: Considering the series' amount of characters, it shouldn't be surprising.
33** Lana's dog, Patrick, for being the TeamPet.
34** Cookie (who only showed up a few times in ''Gone'' and ''Hunger''), for being a victim of Caine and his {{Adorkable}} worship of Lana.
35** The Artful Rodger, [[spoiler:Edilio's crush]].
36** Justin.
37** Edilio (likely due to being gay and a NiceGuy).
38** Dekka for being a positive Lesbian role model and a badass one to-boot. So much so, she was given a Deuteragonist role in ''[[SequelSeries Monster]]''.
39* EvilIsCool: [[BigBad Caine]], [[FemmeFatale Diana]], and [[TheSociopath Drake]] are all seen as this by the fanbase. They're especially more interesting to read about then [[VanillaProtagonist Sam]].
40* GrowingTheBeard: ''PLAGUE'', where the story began to have heavier consequences beyond the ever-decreasing quality of life.
41* HarsherInHindsight:
42** ''"All we have to fear is fear itself"'' would become pretty ironic by the release of the fifth book...
43** Also in the first book, when Caine ponders why his real mother gave him up, Diana guesses that she was "Just a messed up teenager" when she had him...Again, this becomes almost tragically bitter in the fifth book [[spoiler: When Diana becomes a more than messed up teen mother herself...]]
44* HoYay:
45** Caine and Drake.
46--> '''Caine:''' (leans close to Drake and whispers in his ear) Don't start thinking you can take me down, Drake. You're useful to me. The minute I start thinking you're no longer useful... (smiles and pats Drake on the cheek.)
47** Also [[spoiler: IncestSubtext]] with Sam.
48** Many of Drake's scenes can be [[ItMakesSenseInContext taken out of context...]]
49--> ''"Don't you know what I want Sam?" Drake cried. "Me," Sam said dully. "You want me." "That's the idea, Sam. And you're going to stand there and take it. Because if you don't..."''
50* JerkassDissonance:
51** Caine and Drake seem to have this effect.
52** Sam too, although it's most likely accidental.
53** Howard to a less irritating degree.
54* JerkassWoobie:
55** Diana Ladris has this trope down in ''LIES'', ''FEAR'' and Debatably the end of ''PLAGUE''.
56** Caine also has flashes of this in ''HUNGER'' and ''FEAR'', depending on [[BaseBreakingCharacter your stance on him...]]
57** A case could also be made for Astrid in ''PLAGUE'', though some fans argue that the jerkass bit overshadows the woobiedom.
58%%* MemeticBadass: John Terrafino.
59* MemeticMolester:
60** Drake. In ''Gone'' and ''Hunger'', it was mostly just a couple lines he says to/about Diana, but by ''Plague'', he's talking about Brianna enjoying nonspecific torture [[spoiler: he's pretending]] she received from him, winking at Astrid while threatening to "come up and play" with her, and fantasizing about what a long time he'll take with Diana when he gets to her. In short, downright creepy.
61** The Gaiaphage. Especially when you consider that he/it is entering a little child's mind and tempting him to come and play "games" with him...
62* MemeticMutation:
63** "I WHIP MY [[CombatTentacles HAND]] BACK AND FORTH"
64** "Marry me and live on a houseboat !", commonly used by the fans to express admiration toward somebody. It was originally said by Sam to Dekka.
65** "X? What X?", from Quinn's "Radiation? What radiation?"
66** "I had a [insert complicated word here] once. My doctor removed it."
67** Sanjit's "can't be vinced" line.
68* MoralEventHorizon:
69** Drake crossed it when he unleashed a pack of coyotes on [[spoiler: the daycare kids, who were no older than five]].
70** Most Horizons didn't get crossed until after the FAYZ erected, but Penny crossed it long before when she poisoned her sister because she was jealous of the sympathy she was getting for being sexually abused by their father.
71** The Gaiaphage crossed it when it tricked Orsay into believing that death was a way out of the FAYZ, leading a few kids to kill themselves.
72** Justin (thankfully, not the Justin from the FAYZ) crossed it in ''Monster'' when he destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge.
73** Peaks crosses it when he gives himself powers and [[spoiler: makes a deal with the newly revived Drake]] just to get revenge on Shade and Dekka for humiliating him.
74* {{Narm}}: The trailers are so narm-ish they should be [[IncrediblyLamePun accompanied with rice and curry.]]
75* NarmCharm: ...Or the trailers could come off as this.
76* NightmareFuel: [[NightmareFuel/{{Gone}} Has its own page.]]
77* NoYay: A lot of the things [[CompleteMonster Drake]] says, particularly to Diana, fall under this. And then there's the [[EldritchAbomination Gaiaphage]] and Little Pete. Actually, the Gaiaphage and ''everyone.''
78* ParanoiaFuel: Dillon Poe, the BigBad of ''Villain'', has a CompellingVoice. This wouldn't be such a big deal if his power didn't work ''exactly'' as well via audio signals, whether live or recorded. He gets wise to this pretty quickly, and makes every effort to get himself on social media or the news, knowing that a single viral video or well-placed phone call to a news network could put him in control of ''millions'' of people.
79* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: If it weren't for the fact that Dekka was a lesbian, she and Sam would have been a good couple. This was even Lampshaded at one point.
80* PortmanteauCoupleName:
81** Sastrid for [[OfficialCouple Sam/Astrid]]
82** Caina for [[BetaCouple Caine/Diana]]
83** Brekka for [[LesYay Brianna/Dekka]]
84** Computer Breeze for [[ToyShip Jack/Brianna]]
85** Quana for [[FanPreferredCouple Quinn/Lana]]
86** Lanjit for [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest Lana/Sanjit]]
87** Zance for [[OutlawCouple Zil/Lance]]
88** Cake for [[FoeYayShipping Caine/Drake]]. Don't ask how the fangirls find that hot. (Seriously guys, don't. We'd need a whole '''subpage''' to explain.)
89* RootingForTheEmpire: Given how occasionally bland, boring, and UnintentionallyUnsympathetic the main protagonists can be, a lot of fans are actively rooting for the much [[EvilIsCool cooler]] and interesting Caine, Diana, and Drake instead.
90%%* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Astrid in ''FEAR''.
91* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
92** Orsay had a pretty neat power that probably would have been useful after [[spoiler: Pete AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence]]. However, she [[spoiler: gets unceremoniously killed off only one book after her debut]].
93** In ''Light,'' Brittney pretty much becomes a non-entity since [[spoiler: Drake only reverted into her a handful of times]]. We don't even get to hear her [[spoiler: dying thoughts]], though you can argue that be for the better since [[spoiler: Drake did all the suffering]].
94** Jill is set up in ''Lies'' with an interesting power that plays a role in the climax, only for it to have no effect on the story due to Sanjit and his siblings' helicopter conveniently arriving, and for her to barely be mentioned again after that, even when Gaia is copying everyone's powers and Jill's would be a very useful one to have.
95* TheWoobie:
96** Honestly, who isn't one aside from [[TheSociopath Drake]], [[ItsAllAboutMe Penny]], and [[BigBad the Gaiaphage]]?
97** Even people that weren't in the FAYZ were affected, as shown in ''Monster.'' Shade witnessed Gaia's rampage from outside, her mother was a casualty, and she ended up getting an ugly scar from the stampede of kids escaping. She has since become paranoid about another Gaia appearing and tries to give herself powers to combat it.
98* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: The series is for young adults (ages 13-17) and yet contain quite a lot of graphic violence described in full detail, some sexual situations and TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior from quite a few characters (most of it induced by the premise) including Drake Merwin who is an absolute sociopath. Much like ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the series grew with the audience and got much darker with each installment.

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