Barbara S. (barbsis) - , reviewed on 3/5/2011 + 1076 more book reviews

This is Warren Fahy's debut novel and it is fantastic! It's kind of a cross between Jurassic Park - you know where eminent scientists go to the island and find prehistoric animals that try to kill them - and Aliens where viscously bizarre creatures kill them left and right. Well this book follows a reality TV show called SeaLife which is currently on a 12 month round-the-world odyssey to investigate unknown islands and people and animals. Thankfully the TV show part of this is in the background and other than the overly dramatic director, you'd hardly know it was a TV show. They follow a distress signal to an island so small it's not even on a map. It turns out that this island is beyond prehistoric and has existed since time began. All the creatures are unbelievably violent and the lives of the scientists as well as the crew are immediately in terrible danger. Remember, everything they encounter is broadcast on live television and once the footage of the first deadly encounter is sent, the US government converges on the island with a media blackout and the US Navy. Once a few eminent scientists reach the island (at the President's request), the action really heats up.

The story is so horrifying, creepy, dangerous, bizarre and almost ghoulish that it's hard to put down. With all things like this, there are good scientists and the assholes. I just had to know when (and how) the assholes were going down and how the good guys prevailed. In the beginning of the book, there are some rather technical scientific discussions that were totally over my head but I got enough of it to understand the ramifications of this disaster. Regardless of this tedious stuff, this is a serious page-turner.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details