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A "profoundly creepy and creepily convincing thriller" of religious fanatics and hoax debunkers from the Edgar Award??winning author of Hanging Hill (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Journalist Joe Oakes makes a living exposing supernatural hoaxes, but when he visits a secretive religious community on a remote Scottish island, everything he thought he knew is overturned.
Following the trail of a strange creature caught briefly on film, so deformed it can hardly be human, Oakes crosses a border of electrical fencing, toxin-filled oil drums, and pig skulls to infiltrate the territory of the groups' isolated founder, Malachi Dove. Their confrontation, and its violent aftermath, is so catastrophic that it forces Oakes to question the nature of evil??and whether he might be responsible for the heinous crime about to unfold . . .
This latest entry from the acclaimed British author of the Jack Caffery novels "taps into the current fascination with all things supernatural and questions our assumptions about a number of subjects, from faith healing to cultish religious groups and society's definition of evil" (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review).
"[Hayder] remains one of our most adventurous, unpredictable and ambitious writers." ??The Guardian
"Hayder offers both a riveting story and a nuanced, distinctly modern look at secrecy and publicity, belief and skepticism, normal and taboo, (in)sight and blindness." ??Publishers Weekly, starred review
Pig Island. Mo Hayder. 2006. A young brash British reporter, Joe Oaks, reports on supernatural activities and “things,” and the people who perpetuate them. He is asked to come to Pig Island to meet with a strange religious community. He had come in contact with their leader, Malachi Dove. Pig Island is off the coast of northern Scotland and al creepy place without the present of the sect. Reports of apparitions and Satanism drew him. Once there, he is told that Malachi Dove has lost his mind and is no longer welcome in the group. Joe is determined to meet Dove and make his own judgment. Joe is almost electrocuted, the sect is destroyed and Dove’s daughter leaves the island with Oaks. This book is not for the faint hearted. There is lots of violence and some really gross scenes, It is certainly suspenseful and the ending was a real shocker. ( )
A thrilling mystery mixed with a dash of horror? At first, I wasn't sure, but my opinion quickly changed to, "Yes, please!" This is a novel by Mo Hayder, after all, who, true to form, delivers a brutal tale that pushes the boundaries - it even made me look away from the pages in disgust once, which is no small feat!
I stayed up late several nights reading this book at supersonic speed, and the ending did not disappoint! Read closely, and you'll even catch a pinch of the supernatural at the very end. Considering that one of the plot points of the book was to debunk the paranormal, this little inclusion, all too easily missed if you're not paying close attention, makes the piece even better. Although this is a stand alone story, fans of Hayder's Jack Caffery will probably love this one as well. 5 stars! ( )
This book took me a long time to finish. It had an interesting premise, but the actual story was not that compelling. The first part of the book was the most interesting. Joe investigates the secretive cult living on the island. Joe has become obsessed with the cult leader, Malachi Dove, and wants to get to the bottom of the mystery of what is living on the island.
After events on the island come to a head, the book moves into its second part. Now the book switches back and forth between Joe's point of view, and that of his wife, Lexie. Lexie is a very unsympathetic character. Very self serving. I couldn't care about the character, even when something unpleasant happened to her.
I would have liked a little more background on Malachi. An explanation of how he went from being a charismatic religious leader to a crazed loner would have improved the story. As it is, we just have to accept that he has spent many years hiding on one side of the island.
Towards the end of the book, Joe's obsession with Angeline also becomes a bit much. As Angeline grows stronger, he seems to grow crazier. Overall, this book was ok. I would give this author another chance, especially since other reviewers have noted that this is not her strongest book. ( )
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Met dank aan International Scripts in Londen voor hun toestemming fragmenten te gebruiken uit The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices (1992) op te nemen.
Publisher's editors
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
A "profoundly creepy and creepily convincing thriller" of religious fanatics and hoax debunkers from the Edgar Award??winning author of Hanging Hill (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Journalist Joe Oakes makes a living exposing supernatural hoaxes, but when he visits a secretive religious community on a remote Scottish island, everything he thought he knew is overturned.
Following the trail of a strange creature caught briefly on film, so deformed it can hardly be human, Oakes crosses a border of electrical fencing, toxin-filled oil drums, and pig skulls to infiltrate the territory of the groups' isolated founder, Malachi Dove. Their confrontation, and its violent aftermath, is so catastrophic that it forces Oakes to question the nature of evil??and whether he might be responsible for the heinous crime about to unfold . . .
This latest entry from the acclaimed British author of the Jack Caffery novels "taps into the current fascination with all things supernatural and questions our assumptions about a number of subjects, from faith healing to cultish religious groups and society's definition of evil" (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review).
"[Hayder] remains one of our most adventurous, unpredictable and ambitious writers." ??The Guardian
"Hayder offers both a riveting story and a nuanced, distinctly modern look at secrecy and publicity, belief and skepticism, normal and taboo, (in)sight and blindness." ??Publishers Weekly, starred review
"An adventurous, edgy, literate writer." ??Kirkus R
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