Island

Rating:
Summary: This book is horrible.
Review: I've read a lot of horror (including a number of Laymon's other books) and I don't think I'm particularly squeamish. But I found this book to be disgusting.

Laymon's best, such as Night in Lonesome October and The Traveling Vampire Show, are creepy, surreal, and yet somehow (in spots) charming. I thought this one was simply revolting and (in spots) ridiculous. The plot is just silly, but what really turned me against this book was the gruesome depictions of violence, rape, and torture. Laymon seems to always mix up sex and violence, but in this book he is way over the top and goes too far.

Some of the other reviewers suggest that there is an exciting twist at the end. I wouldn't know - I threw this book away (literally - I threw it into our kitchen garbage can and promptly took the trash out) when I was about halfway through.

I'd strongly recommend skipping this one entirely. But some of Laymon's other books (like the two mentioned above) are great.

Rating:
Summary: Eye Candy For the Horror Lover
Review: Second only to "In the Dark", Laymon's novel "Island" is pure entertainment at it's finest. This is chock full of everything an enjoyable horror novel should have. As with most Laymon stories, I was unable to function until I finished the book. Be warned, this is not for the faint of heart.

Rating:
Summary: Laymon continues successful formula
Review: Richard Laymon seems to have two types of audiences: those purely uninhibited souls who are not shocked one bit with his gratuitous sex, violence, and graphic storytelling and those (like me) who consider his books such a guilty pleasure, that I'm continually looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is looking at what I'm reading. Often times, during a session of reading Laymon novels, I feel like I should go hose myself off because his content makes me feel almost smarmy!

Those who enjoy the works of the dearly-departed Laymon, will surely revel in "Island". This is a story about a group of castaways trapped on a desert island with a killer who is systematically trying to eliminate them. The catch is that most of the survivors model Laymon's typical view of women: voluptuous pin-up types who drive men wild. The "man" in this book who is being driven wild is Rubert Conway, a very randy, oversexed 18-year old who can't really decide if he wants to be rescued and have his fantasies stopped.

Before it sounds like I am actually panning this novel, instead of praising it, let me say that the only thing that's really out of line in this book is Rupert's approach to the murders that occur early in the book and his real motivation in trying to keep HIS "women folk" alive. The rest of the book is really quite interesting and full of action. Character development is strong as usual and most of the characters are rather likeable. All of Laymon's books "read" fast and "Island" is no different. And, though the novel weighs in at a hefty 500+ pages, it reads like a book much smaller.

Without giving away too much of the plot, let me just say that the castaways find survival a daily problem and violence and mayhew await on nearly every page. The book is written from Rupert's point of view and Laymon does a great job telling the story from an 18-year old's frame of reference and mindset. There aren't any real great secrets to the plot and even the ending is pretty much expected. Don't let that deter you from purchasing or checking out "Island" - it's a real "guilty pleasure"!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I found this novel to be a new "Lord of the flies" with a sadistic masochistic composure. With some of the most truly disturbing scenes i've ever invisioned. To tell the truth, the ending was such an unbelievable twist, that it still leaves me with doubt as to whether I interpreted it correctly. This book was truly nothing less than a masterpiece. The story was narrated by the protangonist(very debatable)Rupert Conway and delivered in journal form. I was very dissapointed by kimberley's death and downright angry and confused about Rupert's actions at the end of the novel. whats really going on here?????

Rating:
Summary: Laymon in fine form here....
Review: For those of you new to Laymon be warned; he pulls NO punches. He does not conform to what is socially acceptable and is a brilliant storyteller, but says it much more concise than "the grand master King."

Laymon piles on the violence and sex in his novels and he shows why he is a hit overseas. Overseas people have less inhibitions with sex and violence, they live a much "freer" society when it comes to these two things. It isn't quite as taboo. He writes in an easy to understand style and is straight-forward with his prose.

Having said that, he is making quite an impression under Leisure Horror, who has re-published a lot of his works in Stake, In the Dark, Island, Among the Missing, etc. In death, he is experiencing his greatest success and popularity in the United States.

The plot involves a group of people stranded on an island when a psycho blows up their boat. Let the good times roll! Plot twists and turns abound with almost every chapter. Oh yeah, the narrator is a ...boyfriend of one of the girls (typical Laymon)and the narration moves along smoothly, told in a journal style notebook.

The book is long, over 500 pages, but it reads like it's only 300 or so. It is a classic "summer beach read" and can be finished within a couple sittings.

... Leisure plans on releasing a "new" Laymon every six months.

Rating:
Summary: Needs Cold Shower and a Paper Shredder
Review: This book is of the "slasher" horror genre. A horny teenager is marooned on a seemingly deserted island with 3 beautiful women. Things go awry as they are targeted by a madman and his wife who wish to satisfy their depraved lusts with the women and kill off the young man. At first the constant and at times inappropriate sexual musings of the youth is hilarious, but as the book takes a darker turn it becomes downright creepy.

I don't think the story was well served by making it a "journal" of the boy's experiences. I was distracted every time he wrote about the rudimentary necessities of keeping up the journal; like running out of paper. It also rang false that anyone, much less this character, would keep such a detailed record of thoughts and conversation in the midst of such mayhem.

I rated the novel three stars because it is indeed a page-turner but the book should have ended about half way through. The plot and the dialogue disintegrates (particularly between the two teenaged girls who have been repeatedly abused), and the action becomes increasingly preposterous all leading to an appalling ending.

Rating:
Summary: In the jungle, the mighty jungle...
Review: Eighteen-year-old Rupert Conway accepts his girlfriend Connie's invitation to spend some time with her family on a yacht in the Bahamas. This is supposed to be an anniversary gift for her parents, Billie and Andrew. Connie's half-sisters Thelma and Kimberly as well as their husbands, Wesley Duncan Beaverton III and Keith, are also along for the trip. Picnicking and swimming on a deserted island, this little group watches in horror as their yacht goes up in a fiery blast, taking Wesley with it. They soon realize that something much more sinister is happening as each of the men is killed off one by one. Who is on the island with them? What does he want with the women?

Rupert tells this story to us through the journal he keeps during this adventure. He fantasizes about having it published once they are all rescued, so he makes sure to include every detail about each day they are on the island.

This book is pure Laymon. There are twists and turns, sinister plots, blood and gore, and tons of suspense. Rubert is 18 and trapped on an island with beautiful women, so be prepared for some adolescent observation about sex and breasts (this is Laymon, after all; he is not for the prudish). I started reading this novel late one night and couldn't put it down until I finished it the next day. This is a great read. It's quick, and Rupert's narration is sometimes touching, sometimes amusing, and sometimes downright hair-raising. I dare you to finish this one and not come away with a sense of unease. The final two sentences alone are worth racing through this 500+ page novel. So, slap on the suntan lotion, grab a cold one, and prepare to explore the Island.

Rating:
Summary: Page-turner!
Review: If anyone is interested, the extent of page-turning is in the next paragraph. However, the bottom line is that I could not put this book down. This is a very well written piece of fiction in the horror/mystery genre. The premise was interesting and the way in which it was delivered was masterful. It is written in the form of a journal that chronicles the tribulations and horrors that befall a group of people who become stranded on a deserted island. The twists and turns are delicious and the final twist (DO NOT LOOK AT THE LAST CHAPTER - IT WILL SPOIL THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE) is a study in irony. I've never read any books by this author before, but I certainly will in the future. This book, however, is not for the faint of heart. You have to be comfortable with reading books that include sex, violence and violent sex in order to enjoy the book. I didn't read many of the reviews, but saw that some were "sickened" by the acts detailed in the book, and I would have been as well, except that they are fiction and the whole irony thing would not have worked had the author not written it exactly as he did. (NOTE: I don't think the following is a spoiler, because I saw something similar identified in another review, but if you don't want to know anymore, stop now and go to the next paragraph). Being a married, heterosexual female, I did not identify with all of the titillation that the "protaganist" felt at being stranded on a desert island with beautiful women, but it was in-line with the character, and that is what counts when reading fiction.

I found this book at my brother-in-law's home while visiting on vacation last week. He had not yet read the book; it had been given to him by a cousin. I happened to pick it up and thought the premise was interesting, so I began reading it during some "down-time" in the vacation and I could not put it down. A comment was made that I "must not think the conversations are interesting" because I kept reading while others were having conversations or sneaking off to read the book.

Rating:
Summary: Kinda Makes Me Feel Bad About Being a Guy
Review: It's a very well-written book and it keeps you wondering what could possibly happen next. The story is told from a horny young male's point of view and his interest in sex borders on the obsessively perverse. Throughout the story his point of view is virtually always about glimpsing a peek at the female castaways bodies. Titilating as it is, the familiarity of such thoughts and tendencies made me blush in embarrassment for the amount of testosterone in my body. There are some shocking and shameful moments, particularly a gruesome scene involving child sexual abuse that made me want to throw the book away, but I held on to see if the character could in any way redeem himself. I should've thrown the book away when I had the chance.

Rating:
Summary: Second to the last sentence....
Review: Like some of the reviewers here, I was extremely put off by the narrator's constant detailing of the female characters' anatomies and various stages of undress even during scenes of grim violence. There is even a scene of the sexual and physical brutality of a minor that causes the narrator to become excited that I found sickening. I almost threw the book away.
I'm glad I didn't. Because, you see, the joke that is on the reader doesn't become clear until the second to last sentence. Then it all makes sense; as is usually the case in reading a book, you try to relate to the protagonist, but in this case find yourself rooting for him in one scene and appalled by his observations in the next. I promise you, if you have any sense of irony, you'll get a laugh that you were duped into being an accomplice and into caring about the protagonist at all!