Seven friends who are supposed to be enjoying a glorious vacation are plunged into hell when they are hit by a ferocious storm at sea. With nothing but a raft too small to safely hold them, injured and lost, they wash ashore on a deserted jungle island with only the clothes on their backs and a will to survive. What could be worse than being stranded with no way to call for help? Finding out you aren't alone, and something on the island wants you dead!

Nerves fray and tempers flare when there is no food, shelter, or rescue in sight.

Savages is a monster/slasher, a survival horror, and a history lesson all in one. I found myself researching after reading this book to learn more about something ghastly that was mentioned, which turned out to be true. Apparently, my public education history class was lacking because this horrific happening was news to me.

Who will survive their time on this island? you'll have to read to find out.


*content warning-rape and gore*

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the review copy. ( )

This book managed to keep me intrigued until the last of its pages. well done, Greg! ( )

Finally, I was able to read this book I bought over two years ago!

I shouldn't have waited for so long. Survivors of a shipwreck wash up on an island that has never before been charted on any map. Then, one by one, horrible things start happening to each of them. What fun!

Time is a precious commodity for me right now, so this review is brief. I'm used to Gifune's work as being more quiet and atmospheric, but no worries, because this was entertaining as hell and just what I needed!

If you're not reading the work of Greg Gifune, you should be!

Highly recommended!

You can get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2KbjmjQ

*I purchased this book with my hard earned cash and this review is voluntary and honest.* ( )

No matter what other reviewers say about a particular author or story it may not be to my liking...and unfortunately, although I do normally enjoy the writing of Greg F Gifune, this was a rather poor offering. I usually associate his work with the darker side of relationships and family life( good examples being Saying Uncle and Gardens of Night) however I found Savages reminded me somewhat of" Predator" where a group of soldiers are sent on a rescue mission and a technologically advanced form of extraterrestrial life secretly strikes and hunts down the group. In Savages 7 friends are lost at sea when they encounter a small uninhabited island and hope that by resting here they can survive until the "cavalry" arrives. An entity decides that he does not welcome this intrusion and so this evil monstrous predator proceeds to remove those poor defenceless trespassers. A formulaic story, pleasant to read but totally unoriginal. ( )

Review copy

Reminiscent of the pulp fiction stories of the 30s through the 50s or perhaps the B-Movies popular at drive-ins in the 70s and 80s, Greg F. Gifune's new novel, Savages, is every bit as good as the best of that sub-genre.

Prior to the start of the book, the author quotes the 1920 film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it...

The story that follows is about a group of friends and acquaintances, shipwrecked, adrift for days, and washed ashore on a seemingly uninhabited island...and that's the good news.

Just days before they'd all been so happy and carefree, on vacation, so certain their lives were playing out just as they should, and that nothing could go wrong...and now this...

I really enjoy a good closed group story. People pitted against the elements...and each other. And in this case something even more unexpected and terrifying. The suspense in Savages is sky high and the tenseness builds slowly giving Gifune time to develop his characters fully before they have to face the inevitable.

Told with a bit of humor, and this works well to relieve the tension. A smart move because even with a few laughs along the way, as a reader I was left drained by the end of the story.

Savages will grab you, shake you, and leave you breathless. Recommended without reservation.

Also, kudos to artist, Zach McCain, who perfectly captures the feel of the old pulp magazines with his cover for this book..

Savages is available in both paperback and e-book formats from Sinister Grin Press.

From the author's bio - Greg F. Gifune has been called "One of the best writers of his generation" by both the Roswell Literary Review and author Brian Keene, He is the author of numerous short stories, several novels and two short story collections. Greg was educated in Boston and has lived in various places, including New York City and Peru. ( )