Susan V. (nrlymrtl) reviewed on 11/27/2013 + 297 more book reviews

If you have a bend towards biology and odd life forms, this book was an action feast of what isolated evolution might produce over a few million years. I absolutely loved the flora and fauna the author came up with. The deadly and weird collided with pincers and shells and toxins on Henders Ilse. Watching the fragile humans discover this niche of life, and fall prey to it, was immensely entertaining.

The sub plot of the reality TV show threading through the story was also interesting. You have folks who are merely interesting in ratings and staying employed in the entertainment business. These folks often collided with the scientists, leading to various publicity stunts that didnt end as planned *cue evil laughter from this reader*.

While a little odd, Warren Fahy brought in some characters later in the book, such as the dueling scientists Jeffery Benswanger (careful & precise) and Thatcher Redman (loose & seeking sound bites). Each of these men has a different take on what little has been broadcast by Sea Life concerning Henders Ilse and both are in for surprises. I enjoyed the conflict between these two, which added to the overall tension.

While I found Nell a strong, thoughtful, intelligent main female character, I also found her too nice. Yes, thats right: too nice. She didnt have a negative thought in her head. All the other characters found her nice too. This tended to make her a bit one dimensional. Never once was I concerned she wouldnt make it out alive because she was the only lead female and because she was simply too nice to kill off.
Towards the end, there was a twist that I wasnt expecting. It was excellent and definitely upped the stakes for our heroes. There was one little aspect that I found unbelievable concerning the weakness of the island critters, but I was easily able to tell my logic center to shut and enjoy the ride.

This book is full of fascinating factoids, most of them concerning marine life. There was a little jaunt into a lab that was collecting blood from horseshoe crabs for medical research. There was also plenty of theoretical discussion about marine evolution. Yes, this book not only satisfied my Action Junkie, but also my Science Nerd.

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