William Hill knew his chances of avoiding the virus sat squarely between slim and none. With experts predicting a global pandemic, his choices boiled down to not if, but where he would die. While the rest of the world built barricades and set up distribution points for food, he chose a simpler end. The island had been one of the last and best times with his father. He couldn’t think of a better place to spend his final days.
He wanted sun and sand, fresh fish on the grill and cool nights by the campfire. He wanted feel-good days filled with oldies on the radio, days when he could hoist the sails and run before the wind. He didn’t set out to make enemies, but he did. He didn’t plan on becoming humanity’s last hope for survival, or watching over an old woman and an eerie little boy either.
To William Hill, the island seemed as good a place as any to die.
He just didn’t realize how good.
5 Star Rating
My Recommendation: It is only in ebook format, but if it ever comes out in hardback, buy it and keep it on your shelf!
Note: This review is for Book One Parts One through The Final Chapters
Recommended Age: 17+
This has been added to my "most favorite books" shelf. While this is not a new story idea - Virus decimates the population, then turns out to be supernatural in origin - the plot of the book definitely is. Michael Stark confines the bulk of the story to a tiny island, which somehow made the action more intense and the read became more intimate for me. The main characters are amazingly portrayed with realistic personalities and behaviors. The imagery was described so well that I actually opened my mouth to spit out when the author wrote "My mouth tasted of bile, putrid flesh, and rancid meat, the sensation so strong my stomach heaved in an immediate rejection ". Ahh...just spit it out already! SPIT!!! This book was very well written. It is not a quick read. Don't take that statement to mean boring prose that you have to read through before you get to the good stuff. It means get your mind ready, there is a lot of information in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed The Island; excitement from beginning to end.
Plot/Pace: Perfect pacing. There are a lot of things going on on the island but the author does not overwhelm you with them. The scenes are not long and drawn out. Michael Stark is able to setup the conflicts, pull you in with their descriptions, then resolve things just to a point where you are satisfied but anxiously waiting to see what happens next . While there were no real surprises with the plot, neither is it predictable.
Imagery: I must admit (sadly)...as much as I loooved this book, I did find myself skipping paragraphs. I just really don't need to know that much about boats and sailing! Unless, you are giving me these lessons because someones life will depend on it later, I don't need that much detail. I liked that the walks on the beach were detailed enough that I could see it happening in my mind, but sometimes it was too much information. BUT, with that said! I definitely found myself in movie mode with this book. The description of the grisly scenes, the fighting, the monsters....it was amazing! My face contorted into so many shapes during this book. Great is a writer that can make you involuntarily act out on your face what your are reading.
Romance: None. Now there was a sex scene..but romance? None to be had. This was not that kind of book.
Action: Was there action? Was...there...action? Uh, yeah! There were fights, battles and even fearful running away. Again, my mind went into movie mode reading these parts of the book. Sometimes I found myself reading really fast because I just had to know what was going to happen. Then I would go back and re-read the entire thing so I could experience it again slowly. The action was written so well. Settings described in such a way that you either felt anxiety at William being in a cramped space or hope since he had a chance to get away. Setting, timing and the details of the monsters he fought all combined to really make you a part of the action.
Characters: Very realistic. William did not turn out to be some impossible hero set on saving everyone. He was consistently a normal man with great leadership abilities. Still flawed in ways and still able to be frightened. The other main characters on the island were written just as realistically. Each having their own quirky personalities and behaviors. Not much development was done with the secondary characters. I found myself forgetting who a certain character was when they were mentioned. Who was Jessie again? How old was she supposed to be, what was her relationship with the other characters?
What Irked the Shiznit Out of Me: These only came in mini books!
What Blew Me Away: All of it. The level with which I got involved when reading the book. Unfortunately, I don't write spoilers, so I can't give examples of the several parts where the action, imagery and character dialog made you feel like you were there.
Goes without saying that this book is a keeper. One to be shared among friends and recommended to random people!
If you like this book, what else might you like???
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