Customer Reviews

Island Life

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When was the last time you listened to that little queasy feeling in the pit your stomach that told you not to go digging into places you really knew nothing about? The off-islanders in William Meikle's book, woven around a small, sparsely populated island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, would have none of it. They paid little attention to the "ravings" of the old light-house keeper. He tried to warn them and the Islanders too, but no one would listen. His stories were old, whispered about centuries ago, when none would venture out into the black of night, but this was the 21st Century, and they were young, excited student archeologists from the mainland on their first dig. What was there to fear?

And the Islanders? Well that was just old Tom, part of the island's folklore that brought in the Tourist trade.

An "unholy mist" permeates the far end of the island. Unwittingly, as the young archeologists begin their excavation into a portentous knoll, they unleash the fury and devastation long imprisoned in the bowels of the mound bringing unimaginable horror to all within its grasp. As the mist slithers across this tiny island, engulfing all within its range, its dark shadows hide its carnivorous messengers of death and destruction, terrorizing even the most stalwart who ventured forth.

William Meikle's characters jump off the pages at you. You know them. They are your neighbors, your friends and you worry for their safety. Island Life will keep you turning the pages and holding your breath.

Reviewed by: Elena Dorothy Bowman, Author of: Sarah's Landing Series, The House On The Bluff, Time In A Rift

Do not let the pink cover fool you. This book is frightening and it can have you conjuring up all sorts of images in your head.

Island Life by William Meikle is a Scottish tale of terror that hooks the reader from the very beginning and reels them in further with each ensuing chapter.

Follow the local inhabitants of a small island off the coast of Scotland through their worst nightmares as an ancient evil is awakened and it wants revenge.

Meikle masterfully tells his tale of ancient religion, current folklore and a modern horror, which is hard to tear yourself away from.

The story revolves around Duncun who has returned to the island to continue his research from the previous year. A budding romance between Duncan and the local pub owners daughter Meg could be in jeopardy if the horror that the old Lighthouse keeper Tom believes in is true.

What kind of animal has been killing off John's sheep? And what have the archeology students uncovered in their dig up by the old mansion? Learn all the dark secrets that lie beneath that mysterious mound and why Tom was against that dig in the first place.

There truly are more monsters in Scotland than just those in Loch Ness. Meikle's monsters are not something one would wish to go hunting especially if all you were armed with was a camera. One would certainly want more protection than that, much more. Meikle's descriptions of these unholy beings from another time bring up images of aliens, Golum and the Creature from the Black Lagoon (some of which he even uses as comparison within the book itself).

Americans may find some of the terms and phrases to be unknown to them, but this reviewer felt they added more to the realism of the setting of a Scottish Island and welcomed the unfamiliar terms.

Be forewarned as your imagination grips you and you are swept out to sea in the terrifying tale of ancient and unspeakable evil.

When was the last time you listened to that little queasy feeling in the pit your stomach that told you not to go digging into places you really knew nothing about? The off-islanders in William Meikle's book, woven around a small, sparsely populated island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, would have none of it. They paid little attention to the "ravings" of the old light-house keeper. He tried to warn them and the Islanders too, but no one would listen. His stories were old, whispered about centuries ago, when none would venture out into the black of night, but this was the 21st Century, and they were young, excited student archeologists from the mainland on their first dig. What was there to fear?

And the Islanders? Well that was just old Tom, part of the island's folklore that brought in the Tourist trade.

An "unholy mist" permeates the far end of the island. Unwittingly, as the young archeologists begin their excavation into a portentous knoll, they unleash the fury and devastation long imprisoned in the bowels of the mound bringing unimaginable horror to all within its grasp. As the mist slithers across this tiny island, engulfing all within its range, its dark shadows hide its carnivorous messengers of death and destruction, terrorizing even the most stalwart who ventured forth.

William Meikle's characters jump off the pages at you. You know them. They are your neighbors, your friends and you worry for their safety. Island Life will keep you turning the pages and holding your breath.

"Monster" novels are unlike anything else you will read. They do not follow classic literary structures, they are not written with the intention of teaching, and they are not in depth studies of the human psyche. What they are... is pure unadulterated entertainment; penned to make your mind run wild with creepy images and scare the panties off of fully grown men.

"Island Life" by "William Meikle" was most definitely a "Monster" novel.

Living on an island is supposed to be peaceful, but when the residence of a small Scottish town start disappearing...or better yet, turning up in multiple pieces, rest and relaxation aren't exactly at the top of anyone's list. An archeological dig site suddenly becomes the mouth of hell, fog becomes a blanket of impending doom, and when what residence once thought were nothing but "crazy ramblings from a crotchety old lighthouse keeper" start to make perfect sense...it's suddenly to late to listen. What happens when one very pissed off, very hungry spawn of Satan decides to wake up? What is it exactly that he's looking for, and... are those human puppets?

"Meikle" created a fantastic story of monsters vs. humans, but unfortunately during the actual telling of it a few things got in it's way. 1. The chapters that focused on the folklore aspect of the story were a little long, and misplaced. I understand the necessity of these chapters, because they explain the history of the monster, however the sudden appearance of them broke the plot. Here is what I mean... "Meikle" was spinning his web, setting up characters, showing their fear and starting to expand upon their upcoming challenges when BAM! all of a sudden your are 5000 years in the past listening to a story that had relatively no set up, made no sense (at first) and drug on for so long that I almost forgot what I was reading before I was whisked away to another time. I think this entire issue could have been (easily) resolved by adding a chunk of the history into the prologue and then waiting for slower points in the plot to expand upon them (aka...don't interrupt a chase scene.) 2. The character development was impressive (even giving a voice to the dog) but at one point there were so many perspectives in narration that they started to get confusing. It's ok to have multi-narration but it's important to not crowd the plot.

Now... onto the positive side of the boat. The "intended" plot (when it wasn't being abruptly interrupted) was fast paced and expertly written. "Meikle's" visual descriptives left nothing to the imagination painting the reader a very clear (and very horrifying) picture of his creatures as well as the destruction they left in their wake, and like I stated before, his character development was spot on, allowing the reader to not only understand the characters ACTIONS, but to see into their minds and feel their REACTIONS.

All in all... it was a pretty decent tale.

There were blood covered campsites, pointy teeth, slaughtered sheep, tentacles, mysterious blue rocks, men afraid of stairs, and 1 very lost girl on the top of a cliff.

I don't think this book is for everyone, it is a novel that takes an extreme amount of concentration to keep up, but if you like monsters (and really freaked out people) I think you will find it enjoyable.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: fog + dead people = ??? Duh! we should all know this by now. RUN AWAY!

A group of archaeology students unearth a long buried secret on a tiny Scottish Island. Meikle's second novel sends chills down the spine as the islanders succumb, one by one, to the ancient evil that has been awakened. The story has the feel of a Lovecraft tale, and Meikle holds your attention as the plot unfolds.

Meikle has a horror trilogy in the works, and needless to say my advance order has been submitted.

Island Life was first brought to my attention when the author joined my writers site. He was a little shy around us, since most are romance writers, and thought we might not appreciate horror. Well, I am here to information him that those romance writers love horror, and I am thrilled to discover Island Life and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Being Scots, naturally the setting drew me. He captures the quaintness, quirkiness of the Scottish Isle, the dry humour, the wit, the slower pace. But into this tranquil setting, he weave a nightmarish tale of things that go bump in the fog.

I love horror, Robert MacCammon's 'Swan Song' being my all time favourite, because MacCammon understood there was a difference between true horror and the cheap, slock gore. This author shows he has that fine Hitchcockian/Serling feel for atmosphere and how what you cannot see is more fearful that what you do, and that sometimes the most nightmarish things in life is our own fears.

Imagine if you will a remote and idyllic Scottish Island in the midst of summer. Drawn here by commitment to a chosen profession you are quickly captivated by the local charm and indigenous beauty of both isle and natives alike. Eventually stranded not only by the weather but "something" else, your senses start to explore the boundary between reality and insanity. Watch that lighthouse up ahead. Next stop, William Meikles imagination.

Fortunately, that can be a very disturbing place indeed and with "Island Life" he captures the splendour and serenity of offshore Scotland and paints a tranquil picture of residential life before weaving in the discordant tones of the bizarre. He tells the story through the varied eyes of his characters, rendering a different perspective of the main events of the book. As always the plot is enthralling and resplendent with the characters appealing and realistic. That's one of the things about Meikle, he doesn't just write about any old Tom, Dick or Harry.

So, if you want to understand the pitfalls of a publican's life or the true perils of coastal navigation then grab a copy of "Island Life" and enjoy a long and treacherous climb up the cliff face of sanity.

by David Wilbanks

William Meikle is a talented storyteller who'll keep you turning pages, with ISLAND LIFE's rousing narrative, in order to find out what happens next to his sympathetic characters. And he is equally skilled at producing smiles or dread in a reader (be wary halfway through this book if you're afraid of heights!).

The story takes place on a foggy Scottish island where ancient evil erupts into the inhabitants slow-paced lives. Murders and disappearances perplex the characters who find out to their horror that they're dealing with terrible creatures and powers beyond imagining.

Any novel that contains short chapters from the dog's point of view earns extra points with me. If this type of story sounds appealing, grab it. You're in capable hands.

Island life has never been so horrifying. Closed off from the world, the residents of this tiny Hebridean island are left alone with an ancient evil that is determined to catch them one by one... Island Life has a great feeling of intimacy which makes the horror very personal. A fun read for those who like their fiction with shivers.

I say Terror Incognito because I almost didn't bother to read the blurb on this one. The title sounded like something off a PBS (or BBC2, if you prefer) special about women who knit quilts out of yak hair to sell to tourists or something. Well, titles can be deceiving and "Island Death" would have been nearer the mark.

The book deals with events on a lonely, misty, Scottish Island. The setting quite reminded me of the island in Ken Follet's "Eye of the Needle". All of the obligatory elements are present: Lighthouse (complete with old keeper and young counterpart), crusty unlikeable farmer, deserted mansion (complete with burial mound), students meddling with powers they don't understand by digging into aforementioned burial mound, bloody history, unlikely hero, beautiful young maiden (obviously modeled after a 16 year old boy's ideal mate), oh - and ancient monsters. Did I mention the monsters?

Ok, this is great stuff people. In my opinion this is some of Meikle's best pulp writing (so far), and he throws in a splash of Lovecraftian moodiness just to lighten things up. The book is written in multiple perspective (even the sheepdog has a go), and gleefully bounces you though the centuries to bring you up to speed on why the monsters are on the island and what they have been up to in the intervening years. The creatures are dutifully fearsome, supernaturally quick, fell-handed, and mysterious. The protagonists are suitably human, foolhardy, and fallible. Who will survive?

Read on ... it's worth the trip.

Langley McKelvy
Deep Nights