Do NOT Give Keene A TV Show

They came to the deserted island to compete on a popular reality television show. Each one hoped to be the last to leave. Now they're just hoping to stay alive, because the island isn't deserted after all. Contestants are disappearing, but they aren't being eliminated by the game. They're being taken by the monstrous, half-human creatures that live deep in the jungle. 

The men will be slaughtered. The women will be kept alive as captives. Night is falling, the creatures are coming, and rescue is so far away...

Castaways by Brian Keene is a savage story showcasing the very best and the very worst of human nature as participants in a reality show are forced to battle another species for survival. Originally, the game contestants were just supposed to compete with each other for a million dollar prize on a television show, but the island is inhabited by a long-lost tribe which followed a very different evolutionary path.

The characters and their personalities are revealed much the way contestants are portrayed on shows such as Survivor, which elicited a similar response. However, instead of cheering for someone to move on to the next round, or be eliminated, I found myself hoping certain characters would make it to the end of the novel, while wishing death on others.

If you are squeamish or merely dabble in the horror genre, do not read this...you won't be able to stomach the violence and gore. Seriously -- Brian Keene is the author I turned to when I thought Stephen King went soft. Keene is so hard, his fans are often left feeling destroyed at the end of his stories. If you do read this novel, and you survive Castaways, I highly recommend Keene's work. All of it.

As always,
AstraDaemon