Hell Island

am a huge Matthew Reilly fan, so I was interested to see how this novella would pan out compared to his novels. Although very short, with a totally absurd plot, "Hell Island" was still a fun, action-packed read. Matthew Reilly knows how to capture his readers and take them on a roller-coaster ride. It was great to have Scarecrow and Mother as the main protagonists. Along with Jack West Jr, they are my favourite Reilly characters and I love that I can always trust this author to write an entertaining, high-octane adventure. I just wish he was a more prolific writer.

For a story filled with this much action…it is extremely short…only 120 pages. If Matthew Reilly wasn’t such a great writer with this kind of story it probably would leave the reader confused and saying “what happened”. Fortunately… that never happens here. Just to give you an idea…this is from the book… “It slammed into Haynes, ramming him back against the door. His head hit the steel door hard, the blow stunning him but not knocking him out. And as he slumped to the floor and saw the creature draw a glistening long-bladed K-bar knife from its sheath, Haynes wished it had knocked him unconscious, because then he wouldn’t have to witness what it did to him next…” My only regret is that this wasn’t carried into show more a full blown novel. 120 pages can only whet the appetite. Oh yeah…you‘ll just have to read the book if you want to know exactly what the creature did to him next. show less

From Amazon:

Captain Shane Schofield and his elite team of marines is about to discover . . There is no hell like a man-made one. It is an island that doesn’t appear on any maps. A secret location where the government conducts classified experiments. Experiments that have gone terribly wrong. When all contact with the mysterious island is suddenly and inexplicably lost, Captain Shane Schofield and four crack Special Forces units parachute in. Nothing prepares them for what they find—the island is a testing ground for a deadly breed of genetically enhanced super-soldiers. You could say they’ve just entered hell, but this place is much, much worse.

My Thoughts:

121 pages...the book description is nearly longer than the book. I will show more have to say that it is 121 pages of non-stop action as I have found all of Matthew Reilly's books are. It was a well thought out plot and came together very well. on't expect a lot of character development ... almost no one in his books except "Scarecrow" and "Mother" live long enough to worry about development. However...if you want a story that moves at nearly the speed of light, there isn't a writer alive who can match Reilly on that score. show less

I’ll be honest: I picked this one up because I was looking for some light reading and I had a coupon and enough money from a Borders promotion that meant I got this book for free. This is a short (110 pages or so) novella in large font with an additional ten pages or so of black and white line drawings. The author’s note mentions that the story was originally contracted by the Australian government as part of an initiative to promote reading, particularly among adolescent boys, and I can see that this is certainly a quick, exciting read that teenagers who think they don’t like to read might enjoy.

I should also note that this is actually the fourth work in Matthew Reilly’s Shane Schofield series (which I didn’t realize until show more after I read the book). That wasn’t a problem, as the protagonist and his comrades are only hastily sketched out and continuity/backstory for the characters is only briefly hinted at.

Plot spoilers follow.

A small team of Marines is sent, along with several other ill-fated special operations forces teams, to investigate a seemingly abandoned U.S. aircraft carrier that is docked at a secret island in the Pacific that has been used as a site of military experiments. The Marines soon find themselves the only survivors fighting against a horde of genetically-modified and cyborged gorillas who are armed and extremely dangerous. There are, inevitably, a couple final twists and turns, as things aren’t quite what they appear to be. The book is full of fun imagery and it’s a pure action movie kind of book. It’s an extremely quick read and essentially no thought is required. In fact, I could easily see this plot being the subject of one of those action movies that doesn’t do terribly well in theaters but is shown on cable for years.

I give this one 3 stars out of 5, because it does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s light reading, and pure, non-stop action, in some ways a video game described in prose form. If that’s the kind of book you’re looking for, this might be a good choice, but just be warned: you’re going to need to take along a second book with you on the plane or to the beach because you can finish this one in an hour. But the book isn’t worth $6.99. As I mentioned at the start of this review, I ended up receiving this book for free. It’s worth a couple bucks, maybe $2-3 because the illustrations are pretty good and add to the story, but a single hour’s worth of light reading material isn’t worth more than that.

Review copyright 2010 J. Andrew Byers show less

I think this book is poorly written, but it is so short I read it anyway. It's a relatively typical thriller about special forces on an island battling a strange enemy. But it was written in such a sensationalist style it ended up being sounding ridiculous. Style elements included far too many exclamation marks, text in italics and onomatopoeia like Blam! and whoosh. Sadly it wasn't in a self deprecating style at all. It read like an old batman TV show.

This is a great novella that bridges the gap between Scarecrow and Scarecrow and the army of thieves and allows for some characterisation of the main character. What's that you say? Characters in Matthew Rielly books?? Yes believe it or not this book gives us a nice look in Shane's state of mind after the terrible losses he incurred during the previous mission.

It's the age old 'greater good' debate and when crusty military minds start breeding apes and grafting them with technology that allows them to be controlled the comes up with a substitute for sending American men and women off to die. As they are bred internally they are not damaging the wild population, the technology ensures they have no fear of losses or self preservation show more instincts, they can climb on walls and roofs all of which make them a pretty effective killing mission....that simply needs testing.

Logic dictates you send some of the best soldiers you have to give the program a fair test. Regardless of his state of mind Schofield is one of the best but despite being prepared to fight his countries enemies he is pissed at being sent to fight it's newest fucking weapon.

Great quick read show less

Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death.

Four elite military units are dropped onto Hell Island, where they face a relentless adversary. Only Scarecrow and his team are able to survive. Non-stop action, but the premise is silly. More of a novella, than novel. Hope the next book is better.