Monster Island is a rather dark zombie novel that ditches the usual quasi-scientific causes for a zombie apocalypse in favor of a more supernatural themed story drenched in blood and gore. This is written well enough to distinguish itself from the hordes of similarly themed novels that currently line the shelves of bookstores everywhere, but it never rises above being anything other then average for a variety of reasons.

The story opens with a former UN inspector, Dekalb, leading a group of Somali schoolgirls/child soldiers in the depths of New York City on a mission to recover medical supplies for a Somali warlord. With the city overrun with millions of undead, the mission quickly proves to be even more difficult then expected when the group encounters a sentiant zoMonster Island is a rather dark zombie novel that ditches the usual quasi-scientific causes for a zombie apocalypse in favor of a more supernatural themed story drenched in blood and gore. Although it was written well enough to distinguish itself from the hordes of similarly themed novels that currently line the shelves of bookstores everywhere, it never really rises above being anything other than average for a variety of reasons.

The story opens with a former UN inspector, Dekalb, leading a group of Somali schoolgirls/child soldiers in the depths of New York City on a mission to recover medical supplies for a Somali warlord. With the city overrun with millions of undead, the mission quickly proves to be even more difficult than expected when the group encounters a sentient zombie named Gary. Initially friendly towards the small group of foreign soldiers, the relationship soon goes sour when it Gary not only proves to be unable to restrain it hunger for human flesh, but also able to control other zombies with his mind.

I won’t go give anything else away, but the story proves to be fairly interesting, if a bit hokey at times. All the supernatural aspects of the story are a nice change of pace from the more traditional zombie fare; they also tend to be the story’s biggest weakness. While the author often goes into excruciating detail at times when it comes to the more medical aspects of zombification, there are just as many times when he just sort of glosses over stuff under the guise of “supernatural magic.” For example, I can accept that if someone dies while hooked up to an oxygen tank that their brain might not deteriorate after death, but once the newly undead individual removes the oxygen mask, shouldn’t their brain begin to decay just like anyone else’s?

Yes, I know. It’s a zombie book, but when you make a big deal in the book about the medical effects of dying and ways to circumvent certain problems, I damn well expect you to apply that logic consistently across the board rather than bothering with it when it’s convenient to the plot. Also, issues such as thousand year old mummies coming back to life despite having brains like a sundried raison, zombies that can grow ten feet tall just by eating a lot and super zombies that heal themselves examples of items that never really explained very well and just sort of fall under the heading of “weird shit that happens.”

Despite my gripes about a lack of consistency in the story telling, this wasn’t actually my biggest complaint with the book. No, my biggest problem with the book was the constant switching from a first person narrative and a third person one. Although the switching is explained in a half-assed way at the very end of the book, it still makes for a very jarring experience. On minute you’re looking at the world through the eyes of the UN inspector, Dekalb and the next you’re a disembodied spirit watching Gary the Zombie have super duper special huggy time with his fellow zombies. Thankfully, despite its flaws, Monster Island is an incredibly easy read that’s only marred by the occasionally awkward sentence or spelling errors.

Bottom Line:
Monster Island is a decent zombie novel that’s a worthwhile read for zombie fans, but don’t expect it to set your world on fire. It’s heavy on the supernatural and light on consistency and explanations. If you’re looking for an easy read, check it out from your local library. If you want something a bit more thoughtful and. well written, go read World War Z instead.

Final Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: LC1
Review Format: Paperback Novel
mbie named Gary. Intitally friendly towards the small group of foriegn soldiers, the relationship soon goes sour when it Gary not only proves to be unable to restrain it hunger for human flesh, but also able to control other zombies with his mind.

I won’t go give anything else away, but the story proves to be fairly interesting if a bit hokey at times. All the supernatural aspects of the story are a nice change of pace from the more traditional zombie fare, they also tend to be the story’s biggest weakness. While the author often goes into excrutiating detail at times when it comes to the more medical aspects of zombification, there are just as many times when he just sort of glosses over stuff under the guise of “supernatural magic.” For example, I can accept that if someone dies while hooked up to an oxygen tank that their brain might not deteriote after death, but once the newly undead individual removes the oxygen mask, shouldn’t their brain begin to decay just like anyone else’s?

Yes, I know. It’s a zombie book, but when you make a big deal in the book about the medical effects of dying and ways to circumvent certain problems, I damn well expect you to apply that logic consistantantly across the board rather then bothering with it when it’s conveniant to the plot. Also, issues such as thousand year old mummies coming back to life despite having brains like a sundried raison, zombies that can grow ten feet tall just by eating a lot and superzombies that heal themselves examples of items that never really explained very well and just sort of fall under the heading of “weird shit that happens.”

Despite my gripes about a lack of consistancy in the story telling, this wasn’t actually my biggest complaint with the book. No, my biggest problem with the book was the constant switching from a first person narrative and a third person one. Although the switching is explained in a half-assed way at the very end of the book, it still makes for a very jarring experiance. On minute your looking at the world through the eyes of the UN inspector, Dekalb and the next your a disembodied spirit watching Gary the Zombie have superduper special huggy time with his fellow zombies. Thankfully, despite its flaws, Monster Island is an incredibly easy read that’s only marred by the occasionally awkward sentence or spelling errors.

Bottom Line:
Monster Island is a decent zombie novel that’s a worthwhile read for zombie fans, but don’t expect it to set your world on fire. It’s heavy on the supernatural and light on consistancy and explanations. If your looking for an easy read, check it out from your local library. If you want something a bit more thoughtful and. well written, go read World War Z instead.

Final Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by: LC1
Review Format: Paperback Novel