Hero

The 9th book in the Gone Series and the third and final book in the Monster Trilogy set 4 years after the end of the Gone Series. It was released on the 5th of November 2019. Michael Grant believes that this will be the final book in the series.

New Characters

 * Bob Markovic/Vector - Can transform into a group of insects that he can manipulate in different ways, such as splitting himself into groups of insects. The insects carry diseases in their sting that can cause massive amounts of pain and big blisters which disfigure and discolor the skin of anyone infected by it. Trying to administer medicine to anyone that is infected with the diseases will only increase the amount of pain they have.
 * Simone - Morphs into a creature that can fly.
 * Detective Bitch Boy

Plot
Various ASOs have landed across Earth, to the point where most countries are becoming overwhelmed by the emergence of destructive Rockborn. Stricken with guilt over his role in Dillon's massacre, Tom Peaks commits suicide at a Big 5 store. To prevent a particularly large ASO from obliterating New York, the government fires nuclear missiles at it to break it up, but this still results in many shards hitting New York, killing or infecting much of the city. Many of those infected are abducted and massacred by government forces, but businessman Bob Markovic and his daughter Simone escape using their morphs: Markovic becomes a gestalt swarm of insects capable of inflicting horrific and agonizing diseases upon humans while rendering them unable to die, while Simone becomes able to fly in the form of a blue humanoid with many tiny wings. The power-hungry Markovic, now calling himself "Vector", infects New York's government and seizes control of the city, recruiting a small army of Rockborn to assist him, including Justin Deveere.

Knowing Drake will hunt her down, Astrid ingests the ASO rock Dekka sent her, becoming Rockborn. When Sam, her husband finds out, he ingests the rest of Shade's ASO. He becomes able to create domes of various sizes resembling the FAYZ dome, while Astrid can morph into a Hulk-like form with super strength and invulnerability. Sure enough, Drake finds their address and ambushes Astrid, but Astrid easily overpowers him with her new abilities and cuts him up and dissolves him in hydrofluoric acid. Forming an uneasy alliance with the US government, the Rockborn Gang, with Dekka as their official leader, travel to New York to stop Markovic, joined by Simone, Sam and Edilio, whom they have recruited as a sort of manager. Francis strands Justin, who has traveled back to New York, and some of Markovic's other Rockborn in the fourth dimension, which she dubs "Over There".

Markovic tries to reach Washington DC on a train to conquer the government, which leads to the Rockborn chasing him on a helicopter. Francis teleports herself, Armo, Dekka, and a shell containing poison gas (v.i.a "Over There") onto Markovic's train. Shade realizes the difference in reference frame between the moving train and the stationary helicopter, and joins Francis at the last second to save them. She manages to with her super speed but is almost killed in the process. Most of the Rockborn gang is injured at this time, and just as Markovic is about to kill them, Francis teleports them back to the helicopter (minus the gas bomb). Sam surrounds the train with a dome 1/8 miles in diameter (transparent) with his power, preventing Markovic from fleeing. The train crashes into the barrier, killing some hostages, and the bomb detonates, releasing the gas and killing those who have survived and Markovic's insects, whom have tried to flee.

Cruz and Armo begin a relationship, and Simone becomes romantically interested in Dekka. General Eliopoulos helps Dekka, Shade, Cruz, Malik, Armo, Francis, Sam, Astrid, Simone and Edilio take refuge at a secret bunker, and they agree to consider helping deal with other villainous Rockborn.

The conclusion of Hero reveals the truth about the entirety of the universe depicted throughout the nine books. Malik accompanies Francis in a series of excursions to Over There, and he and Shade theorize that their reality is a simulation created by the Dark Watchers. Malik and Francis' final excursion brings them in contact with a future version of Malik, who confirms his younger self's suspicions and notes that Pete was the only other person to discover the nature of their reality. The older Malik explains that the FAYZ universe was created by an MIT team led by him and Shade 26 years in the future using artificial intelligence and based on their own memories. Although the older Malik acknowledges the suffering felt by those in the simulation, he explains that it cannot be altered, but can be switched off, ending their universe. Malik refuses to make the decision without unanimous approval of the Rockborn Gang. The series ends with the Rockborn Gang about to vote, with the ultimate fate of their universe left unknown.