Gone Dark book cover by Amanda Panitch
Amazon customers: 4.3 out of 5 · 58 ratings

Gone Dark

Teen & Young Adult • Mystery & Thriller
Malware attack cripples the nation Zara's estranged father is a survivalist Journey across a chaotic landscape Group of friends band together Secrets from the past resurface

When seventeen-year-old Zara escaped her father’s backwoods survivalist compound five years ago, she traded crossbows and skinning hides for electricity and video games and tried to forget the tragedy that drove her away. A crippling malware attack on the United States electrical grids cuts power across the country and plunges society into chaos, forcing Zara to call on skills she thought she’d never use again.

With the safety of her estranged father’s survivalist compound her best chance to survive, Zara leads a growing group of friends on an epic, perilous journey across a crumbling nation. As resources dwindle and dangers mount, she must draw on a resilience she didn’t know she had—and decide whether she can face her father and the secrets of her past or remain hidden in the dark.

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Edition information

Book details

Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date
April 4, 2023
Print length
448 pages
Language
English
ISBN
9781534466326

Mystery & Thriller

Reader guide

What to Know Before Reading Gone Dark

Seventeen-year-old Zara must lead friends across a powerless United States to the safety of her estranged father’s survivalist compound after a malware attack disables the electrical grid. The central conflict hinges on survival during a national collapse and Zara’s internal struggle to reconcile the backwoods skills she abandoned with the life she built after leaving. Relationships include Zara’s bond with her traveling friends and the fraught connection to her father and the unresolved tragedy that drove her away. Major themes are resilience, leadership under pressure, confronting past trauma, and the costs of survivalism.

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G-NRIS™ story intelligence

Why readers connect with Gone Dark

A concise view of the book’s strongest literary signals and the reading interests shared by people connected to it on bks.social.

Story profile

G-NRIS™ identifies Gone Dark primarily as Young Adult, Dystopian, and Adventure. Its strongest themes include Survival, Resilience, Family and Estrangement, Leadership, and Confronting Past Trauma. Prominent narrative patterns include Post-Apocalyptic Journey, Reluctant Leader, Estranged Parent, and Skills from the Past Save the Day.

Reader connection

Readers connected to this book most often reflect Psychological Moral Explorer reader archetypes. Their strongest shared genre interests include Historical Fiction, Thriller, Self-Help, and Literary Fiction. They are commonly drawn to themes such as gaming, technology, Seeking Dark Psychological Tension, and Exploring The Fractured Self.

About the author

Amanda Panitch

Amanda Panitch

Amanda Panitch spent most of her childhood telling stories to her four younger siblings, trying both to make them laugh and scare them too much to sleep. Now she lives in New York City, where she writes dark, funny stories for teens, kids, and the pigeons that nest on her apartment balcony. You can follow her on Twitter @AmandaPanitch, and visit her online at www.amandapanitch.com

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