I already finished the book....
So the Story goes like this: (Updated)Paul Stein wakes in a prison cell with no idea of what's the reason why he's imprisoned. The only thing he knew is that he feels terrible with bruises and wounds all over his body. He's insisting that he did nothing to be imprisoned. And that, he's innocent from any violations or so. He can't even recall how he got there. The warden, Strawberry-nose (Paul made this name), hasn't helped him either on recalling details about his case. All he can understand is that he's being sentenced to death in three day's time. So maybe, he made a terrible action to be scheduled to die. As hours passed, a priest visited Paul as if he knew him. He talked to Paul comfortably without any doubts. But Paul can't even recall his name, or anything. It's like his mind is blank. But then his memory went back like flashes of past. Paul said that he's an astronomer working for NASA. He's guarding the telecommunication for inter-galactic communications where they are discovering life outside the Earth. When suddenly, he heard a sound trying to communicate with him then as they crack the clues, they found out that aliens (the N'lani) is coming to Earth and so, they need a portal for them to enter the planet. This information spread through until some countries also built a portal. This issue made Paul Stein famous that even media is always bothering him especially his family (his wife and daughter). Then the day came, the portal is now ready to be opened. There's this event happened for ribbon cutting. But bad thing happened. The portal worked as they did not expected it. Everything is in catastrophe and the last thing he could remember is that is daughter, Vonnie, is pointing at the portal but when Paul looked behind, he felt like air is coming out his lungs and his wife screamed his name. Then he told the priest that he's Paul Stein. The priest is calling him Max not Paul. So he asked for a mirror (a looking glass, the priest corrected). His wish was granted but when he saw the man in the mirror, he can't recognize himself. Was Paul in a different body? He can't even recognize the place, it's as if he's in the same planet but different time. Paul became so confused but he just can't stand-by there and just wait for his time to die. So Paul planned for his escape using some materials that he found in the infirmary (where he was left by the priest). He used some concrete nails, chemicals (flammable) and etc. When the time came, the place will explode but he will be safe because of what he did on the mattresses that he found on his bed. Then his plan worked. He run outside his cell and into the hallway. Trying to defeat the "still-martyr" guards who still do their job even though their body's on fire. Paul ran so fast because the time is not enough for him to be saved, he should go out the building before the whole structure will be burned. He also freed some prisoners. Then finally, Paul got out the building. There he found the whole place outside, abandoned. Cars were parked and some are still on the streets, windshields broken and some has person inside, dead. Some buildings are broken some are well but abandoned. He's now alone in this world. He walked through the streets and found the library, there he saw newspapers about the event on the portal that he made and he read that it says that "Paul Stein is missing..." But he can't find anything that will inform him where his daughter and wife were. The whole place made him sick because he found weird animals like big insects that crawls. Then he met Jasmine whom he saved from the huge Spider. Jasmine introduced Paul to the people in the tunnel where she and them stays. It's as if they know Paul very much. Then Paul planned to go out the the tunnel and find some materials like guns, vehicles and etc that will help him. He asked Jasmine to join him. Then they went inside the stores for weapons (since there's no one on every stores everything is free!) Paul got the guns and he got the motorcycle. Jasmine is ignorant about those things, everyone is. Paul asked Jasmine to ride with him on the motorcycle. While on their way, Jasmine is afraid, holding Paul really tight. But as they go farther, Jasmine became comfortable. Paul and Jasmine is driving somewhere. to Paul's home, his real home...
They finally got to Paul's home. Everything is like a nightmare. There's no one. The whole place is old and some was ripped off. There, Paul found a journal written by his wife, Sara. Through that journal, he discovered that during the time he was gone, everything is in a catastrophe, accusing Paul that everything is his fault (that they are blaming him for the N'Lani invasion here on Earth). Sara said that he doesn't believe them. And as the notes went farther, Sara became so confused. She was like infected by liquid Alzheimer's for she was forgetting how to write in proper spelling. But still she continued writing. At the end of the journal, Paul found out that the people were transferred to Neverland. And so Paul and Jasmine went to Paul's neighbor. There they stayed. Benefiting on what's left in the house. After he got some sample blood from Jasmine to check in his lab, he left her. Then Paul went home again to check the blood in his house where his lab is located. Jasmine is not infected. How is that? Is she immunized? Then Paul went back. Jasmine is not there. He saw a half scorpion thingy and defeated but was infected by its venom. He, for days, suffered but through his mom, (Max's mom - because Paul's inside Max's body) he got cured.
When he woke up, he realized that they are with Jasmine. And she told Paul where she've been. Looking for him. She said that she wandered around. Then she helped a little Throwaway from being burned then gave it a decent burial (even though it was an alien). She was caught by some Throwaway then pulled down under water. She was found at the side of the river by Jon, a little kid. Then Jon told his Grandma about Jasmine then they helped Jasmine. When Jasmine woke, she thought that she saw Max (Paul) but then he was not Max, he was Dolan. They are all Max's family. Then they looked for Max and found him just in time before he became fully infected.
Max (Paul) stayed with his family, still struggling from his own identity, from being Paul to Max. He discovered that Max's mother is Vonnie (his daughter) and so he was trapped inside his grandson's body. So in conclusion, he was in a different time, future. Throwaways, found where Max stayed and killed every person in the small community (a tribe). He saw Vonnie being killed with recorder on face saying that Max should surrender, Max didn't gave up. He went to Neverland with Jasmine and Dolan, Jon is missing because N'Lani caught him. Then during their journey, they saw Jude and his group (people from the tunnel). They had some conflicts but in the end, they grouped together to defeat the N'Lani forces, the aliens.
They reached Neverland. The place is different. Buildings are alive and breathing and the wall is like a skin. There, they separated to search for the children. Paul or Max went inside some of the building. Then when he went out, Jasmine is calling him. (Someone's whispering not to come with Jasmine) Then it's true, Jasmine sold Max/Paul to the N'Lani just to get the children in return. Max was caught. He was injected by tons of wires and little by little he's forgetting who he was but Jasmine came back to rescue him. There she helped him and they decided to see the portal. To destroy it. Max reached the portal. Someone's whispering to him to get in but he doesn't want. The person who's whispering is Paul, both of them is inside the body. And little by little, Max is dominating from Paul. Max obeyed then he went in. He was caught by N'Lani commander. Both of them struggled to defend themselves, the commander from being destroyed and Max from being attacked. Max finally reached the control and little by little there is no air. He's gasping for air. Bigger gravity and he's becoming heavy. Then started the control. Everything is like being eaten by a black hole. Little by little, N'Lanis, Throwaways and some creatures were eaten by the black hole. And so everything was swept, the buildings, trees, and the Earth. Max can't breath. And everything went black. And like flashes...
He was standing in the portal. Trying to open it. Paul returned to his body. He was on the day the portal is going to open. The day where the Earth is still alive. Paul went back to his time. It's like premonition, he saw what future lies ahead. But destiny has it. He started again the portal.
Then everything was like a nightmare again.
Then Paul Stein woke again in the prison cell, with no idea of what's the reason why he's imprisoned.
The story goes again. To Chapter 1.
So there's the story. I really was shocked by the end of the story because everything went to start again. And it's like a nightmare at the same time a cycle. Everything is repeating, and you can't get out.
By the way, the novel is based on a TV hit series. And I tried to search about this book and they got tons of it (on different episodes). This book of mine is like a Novel-Length Tie-Ins.
This blog will feed you information regarding the book
