Given Decision to Live

Ten contestants were sent to a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, where they'd be left to fend for themselves for a number of weeks, as part of a new reality television show. After a quick weekend learning basic survival skills, these people were dumped on the island's shoreline with basic rations, basic tools and equipment they could use to document their journey. Also tucked in the supplies were radios with which to communicate with the show's producers if they needed evacuation at any point. The purpose of the show was simple: See if modern man and woman still had the skills to survive away from the comforts every day life now provided them...

... But when things go wrong they quickly learn that they're very much alone and part of a much, much darker reality television program.

THE ISLAND by Matt Shaw is a great suspense-thriller, but it is considerably tamer than the stories Shaw is infamous for. To be brutally honest, the author scares the crap out of me with the stories spewed from his dark mind. I felt the need to ease into Shaw's violent creations, and this novella is a terrifying but safe way to get familiar with his writing style.

The plot reminds me a little of the movie, The Condemned, but the turn of events are not as predictable as you might think. I love the fast pace of the action and I'm glad the author didn't waste a lot of space on the character's thoughts and feelings. I knew it would be a mistake to get attached to any of the contestants.

The format of the story deserves a special round of props. Shaw did an amazing of job of creating the sensation of watching an actual television show, without being gimmicky about it. The very ending had me screaming bloody murder and downloading more of Shaw's stories.

I highly recommend Matt Shaw to horror fans, but only the serious ones. If you're just a casual visitor to the horror genre, stay far away from Shaw...no joke.

As always,
AstraDaemon