Review by Diane Matson

CASTAWAYS - 2009 by Brian Keene Publisher: Leisure Books PB $7.99 ISBN: 0-84396089-2

CASTAWAYS is about a reality TV show that’s like “Survivor.” On a tropical island, a group of contestants compete against each other in various challenges, decide who to vote off, and the winner gets one million dollars.

The book starts in the middle of a challenge, as Becka wonders if she should let herself drown, rather than fight the waves and continue the long swim back to the beach. She’s got girl-next-door looks, a pleasant personality, average life, and ultimately refuses to give in when the going gets tough. Her struggle to shore gets easier when she’s assisted by Jerry, another contestant.

“Love thy enemy” takes an interesting twist as Becka and Jerry discover they’re attracted to each other. Jerry’s fairly good-looking, smart, and happens to study cryptozoology (the study of unknown animals and creatures).

Then there’s Troy, a mechanic from Seattle, who uses the F-word at least once in every sentence. If this sort of thing annoys or offends you as much as the characters in the book, you probably should pass, since he adds plenty of “color” throughout the book. But under his foul mouth and quick temper is a decent heart; he’s simply not one of those quiet, mulling types.

Troy doesn’t get along well with anyone in particular, especially Stefan, an incredibly attractive, athletic, intelligent Brit. Stefan’s goal is to win, no matter who he steps on as he works his way to victory. Troy and Stefan severely rankle each other, and aren’t shy about expressing their mutual dislike.

Chapter two thoroughly introduces the island’s native inhabitants. These 4 foot tall, half-human, furry, sharp-toothed Neanderthal-like creatures have remained hidden, scrutinizing the noisy newcomers that make their meager food sources even harder to come by. The natives plan to eat the males, rape the females, and hope “the new stock” will produce healthier offspring. Why did Brian take away the mystery? I wish he’d made me wonder what bizarre thing was behind the attacks, before describing the monsters and their goals.

To his credit, Brian added to the chaos with the approach of a major cyclone. By chapter four, I thought I’d figured out the plot for the rest of the book: the cast and crew die because of the natives or weather, and the lovers are the sole survivors. I know the bad guys, the good guys, and how the story unfolds. So why continue reading? Because I was wrong.

The story took off, and I enjoyed myself, aside for one other tiny frustration. Some of the chapters end with a dorky sentence, which makes them really stand out, since the rest of the chapters are written so well. Sometimes the chapters end in a one sentence summery of what will happen next. “Stuart gripped the camera and waited for all hell to break loose. And eventually it did.” Well... duh. “The night had teeth” is another one that had me rolling my eyes. I wanted to throw my book at the wall (and then pick it up and keep reading, because, overall, the book was really interesting.)

I thoroughly enjoyed following the contestants battling for survival in ways they definitely didn’t anticipate. There’s even one scene that had me leaning away from the book because it was so awful. The only other time I experienced this was reading Stephen King’s Misery (if you’ve read the book, you know which scene I’m talking about, and I really wish the executives hadn’t modified it for the movie.).

Basically, I think Brian just needed a better editor. A few changes would have raised the clunky aspects to the ripping ride. My heart fell when I read Brian’s note about how Richard Laymon inspired the book - such wonderful dedication to a worthy writer. Now I’m really mad at the lazy editor, because this book should have been perfect!

3 Bookwyrms

This review copyright 2009 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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