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Tales from the Age of Monsters #1
Monster Island: A Prehistoric Thriller
Before the Age of Monsters, there was Monster Island. Top-secret habitat for genetically-resurrected dinosaurs.
But something has gone terribly wrong.
Somehow, the beasts have escaped – first there were scattered sightings worldwide – then people went missing.
But now a pleasure-cruise shipwrecked on a tropical beach has discovered an entire savage prehistoric jungle.
The Age of Monsters has just begun...
But something has gone terribly wrong.
Somehow, the beasts have escaped – first there were scattered sightings worldwide – then people went missing.
But now a pleasure-cruise shipwrecked on a tropical beach has discovered an entire savage prehistoric jungle.
The Age of Monsters has just begun...
149 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 28, 2024
Along with Michael Cole, John Lee Schneider may be one of the definitive authors of the contemporary resurgence of animals-amok and creature-feature subgenres of sci-fi horror popularized in the 70s and 80s. Here is the first book of his series of Jurassic Park rip-offs, but though I expected it to be just silly fan service, I could not help but get sucked into this world of hungry theropods and friendly giant apes.
To differentiate this story from others of its ilk, it will be necessary for mild spoilers. I feel like some details are necessary to help the prospective dinosaur lover decide whether this book will be for them. So if you want to go in completely blind, here's your warning.
Kaiju fans will likely notice the titular reference to the fictional home of Godzilla in the film "Destroy All Monsters," the proto-Jurassic Park island where all the Toho monsters are kept contained in a separate ecosystem from civilization until a security breach turns them loose on the world. That is essentially what we have here, only this is the first part of a series, the prelude to a dinosaur apocalypse, so the story focuses on the origins of the disaster and the first contact of feral prehistoric predators with a group of pleasure cruise passengers who have been shipwrecked on a remote Central American coast. As such, the story is less grand and epic in scale than you'd expect from a series dealing with global catastrophe. Chapters switch perspective back and forth from things going wrong at the facility on Monster Island to the stranded passengers from the sunken cruise ship. The narrative borrows elements from the original "Jurassic Park," of course, but also the H.G. Wells story "The Food of the Gods," and the movie "Titanic." Additionally, the bulk of the plot plays out like a slasher set on a tropical beach.
Is it derivative? Oh yes, but anyone interested in reading this will not care. Is it poorly written? I thought it would be, as the first few opening lines seemed awfully juvenile to the point that I got the initial impression this was actually a children's story. But it turns out that the book is written quite well, so that kids of all ages can enjoy it. Essentially, this is a contemporary pulp that takes its job seriously. It sets out to entertain and does it well. It also throws in a big twist to subvert expectations, and though I think that many readers will likely see the twist coming a mile away, it is a nice touch.
There are two reasons the book doesn't earn a higher score for me. First, you really have to suspend your belief in the setup. Prehistoric creatures are being bred in a tightly "secure" government lab. Tightly secure, my ass. It appears there are only two employees on the huge base teaming with vicious carnivores: an old scientist and his daughter. That's secure? How are they supposed to be expected to run a whole zoo by themselves? It'd be one thing if they had just a few pens of chicken-sized dinosaurs, but NOOOO. Out of all the dinosaurs they could have experimented with, every one has to be dangerous as hell, or huge behemoths, thus making them dangerous. On top of that, the base is built on a volcanic island, constantly in danger of destroying all their computer gadgetry that keeps the beasties at bay. Brilliant decision there. And what's worse, the old scientist, the "boss" of a high-liability project to say the least, is believed to be demented. So why did the government keep their head in the sand and him at his post? Well, on second thought, that's not too unbelievable. Sometimes reality IS stranger than fiction.
The second problem with the book is that it abruptly ends, making way for the next entry in the series. I don't take issue with that under certain circumstances. A trilogy, for example, can have an overarching narrative that does not conclude until the final book, but each entry can have well-fleshed out characters and sub-plots that reach their own semi-resolution or at least provide some stand-alone satisfaction. Such is not the case here. It is a rather short book, a novella really, but it feels more like the first act of a much larger serialized novel, ending in such a way as to try to psychologically force the reader to read the next book.
So if you are not prepared to commit to a much longer saga and just wanted a short, quick dose of dopamine to scratch your itch for some monster mayhem, this may not be for you. And as much as I enjoyed this book, I can't say I was that invested to feel compelled to pick up the others. The characters were okay, but nothing special, mostly stock characters like the rich jock narcissist bully with sociopathic tendencies that you can't wait to be made into hors d'oeuvres. So no character arc led me by the hand to get to the next revelation, or made me want to set aside my other plans for things to read this summer. However, I will likely revisit the saga later. Nothing particularly complex happens here narratively that I would need to remember before I decide to pick up the next one down the line.
So in all, this is a solid story that will conjure up cinematic images in the mind's eye of those creative readers who can't get enough dinosaurs. It's deeply flawed but wild fun, a perfect beach read for those of you on summer break--but I might suggest you not check it out while on a cruise ship!
SCORE: 3 baby T-rexes out of 5
To differentiate this story from others of its ilk, it will be necessary for mild spoilers. I feel like some details are necessary to help the prospective dinosaur lover decide whether this book will be for them. So if you want to go in completely blind, here's your warning.
Kaiju fans will likely notice the titular reference to the fictional home of Godzilla in the film "Destroy All Monsters," the proto-Jurassic Park island where all the Toho monsters are kept contained in a separate ecosystem from civilization until a security breach turns them loose on the world. That is essentially what we have here, only this is the first part of a series, the prelude to a dinosaur apocalypse, so the story focuses on the origins of the disaster and the first contact of feral prehistoric predators with a group of pleasure cruise passengers who have been shipwrecked on a remote Central American coast. As such, the story is less grand and epic in scale than you'd expect from a series dealing with global catastrophe. Chapters switch perspective back and forth from things going wrong at the facility on Monster Island to the stranded passengers from the sunken cruise ship. The narrative borrows elements from the original "Jurassic Park," of course, but also the H.G. Wells story "The Food of the Gods," and the movie "Titanic." Additionally, the bulk of the plot plays out like a slasher set on a tropical beach.
Is it derivative? Oh yes, but anyone interested in reading this will not care. Is it poorly written? I thought it would be, as the first few opening lines seemed awfully juvenile to the point that I got the initial impression this was actually a children's story. But it turns out that the book is written quite well, so that kids of all ages can enjoy it. Essentially, this is a contemporary pulp that takes its job seriously. It sets out to entertain and does it well. It also throws in a big twist to subvert expectations, and though I think that many readers will likely see the twist coming a mile away, it is a nice touch.
There are two reasons the book doesn't earn a higher score for me. First, you really have to suspend your belief in the setup. Prehistoric creatures are being bred in a tightly "secure" government lab. Tightly secure, my ass. It appears there are only two employees on the huge base teaming with vicious carnivores: an old scientist and his daughter. That's secure? How are they supposed to be expected to run a whole zoo by themselves? It'd be one thing if they had just a few pens of chicken-sized dinosaurs, but NOOOO. Out of all the dinosaurs they could have experimented with, every one has to be dangerous as hell, or huge behemoths, thus making them dangerous. On top of that, the base is built on a volcanic island, constantly in danger of destroying all their computer gadgetry that keeps the beasties at bay. Brilliant decision there. And what's worse, the old scientist, the "boss" of a high-liability project to say the least, is believed to be demented. So why did the government keep their head in the sand and him at his post? Well, on second thought, that's not too unbelievable. Sometimes reality IS stranger than fiction.
The second problem with the book is that it abruptly ends, making way for the next entry in the series. I don't take issue with that under certain circumstances. A trilogy, for example, can have an overarching narrative that does not conclude until the final book, but each entry can have well-fleshed out characters and sub-plots that reach their own semi-resolution or at least provide some stand-alone satisfaction. Such is not the case here. It is a rather short book, a novella really, but it feels more like the first act of a much larger serialized novel, ending in such a way as to try to psychologically force the reader to read the next book.
So if you are not prepared to commit to a much longer saga and just wanted a short, quick dose of dopamine to scratch your itch for some monster mayhem, this may not be for you. And as much as I enjoyed this book, I can't say I was that invested to feel compelled to pick up the others. The characters were okay, but nothing special, mostly stock characters like the rich jock narcissist bully with sociopathic tendencies that you can't wait to be made into hors d'oeuvres. So no character arc led me by the hand to get to the next revelation, or made me want to set aside my other plans for things to read this summer. However, I will likely revisit the saga later. Nothing particularly complex happens here narratively that I would need to remember before I decide to pick up the next one down the line.
So in all, this is a solid story that will conjure up cinematic images in the mind's eye of those creative readers who can't get enough dinosaurs. It's deeply flawed but wild fun, a perfect beach read for those of you on summer break--but I might suggest you not check it out while on a cruise ship!
SCORE: 3 baby T-rexes out of 5
August 9, 2025
4 stars
I love dinosaurs. And the dynamic of this plot involving dinosaurs getting off the island was kind of like Jurassic Park movies.
The pace was good. I liked it, but the advanced technology and the super-high intelligence of the dinosaurs creeped me out. Surely it couldn’t happen, right? Right?
I love dinosaurs. And the dynamic of this plot involving dinosaurs getting off the island was kind of like Jurassic Park movies.
The pace was good. I liked it, but the advanced technology and the super-high intelligence of the dinosaurs creeped me out. Surely it couldn’t happen, right? Right?
February 25, 2024
Dino apocalypse? Or Henry's dream world?
January 24, 2026
This is a fast paced dinosaur horror adventure. It's a short story only 150 pages and I devoured it in just a little over and hour. The characters are interesting you can't help hoping that they will survive and a few that you hope the dinosaurs will take out. It's a quick read and I enjoyed it. The concept for the dinosaurs was interesting. I'm very much in my monster thrillers and will continue the series.
December 1, 2024
Excellent imagination
Terrific story, strong characters, but too many errors for a 5-star review.. A!so, though I know this is a cliffhanger ending, there should have been more. It just suddenly stopped.
Terrific story, strong characters, but too many errors for a 5-star review.. A!so, though I know this is a cliffhanger ending, there should have been more. It just suddenly stopped.
November 2, 2023
4 Stars
Pretty good read. A cruise ship wrecks off the coast of Central America. Stranded on a beach the survivors are attacked by animals that should be long extinct.
Pretty good read. A cruise ship wrecks off the coast of Central America. Stranded on a beach the survivors are attacked by animals that should be long extinct.
July 6, 2024
Loved it!!
March 24, 2024
Way, way too short
The book is good as far as it goes, but the story is barely starting to unfold when it abruptly ends without resolution.
The book is good as far as it goes, but the story is barely starting to unfold when it abruptly ends without resolution.
December 14, 2025
This novel will appeal to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi horror that features extinct monsters. Suppose you enjoyed Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park or Steve Alten's Meg. In that case, Monster Island will entertain you with gratuitous scenes featuring hapless human characters ripped apart by ravenous dinosaurs.
The premise opens with a typical mad scientist and his daughter living on an isolated island off the coast of South America. Here they breed long-extinct animals such as tyrannosaurs. Although the American military monitors their activities from a special facility in the United States, the scientist and his daughter are largely left to their own devices.
But things start to go wrong when some of the saurian inhabitants of the island devise a plan for world domination and decide to unleash their more dangerous brethren on unsuspecting humans. The perspective keeps switching between the perspective of Shanna, the daughter of the scientist who has bred these dinosaurs, and the viewpoint of Mark, a shipwrecked survivor who has the misfortune to wash ashore on an island where some escaped dinosaurs have already established invasive colonies.
Monster Island delivers visceral horror in generous doses. With a couple of notable exceptions, the dinosaurs and other monstrous creatures are otherwise presented as terrifying threats that can emerge from the jungle in the blink of an eye to dismember their victims.
However, the novel doesn't explain how a pack of diminutive theropods successfully overthrew their human creators. The reveal at the end leaves the reader with more questions than answers, while the ending itself is abrupt. Additionally, the human characters are two-dimensional cutouts that exist only to move the plot along. The reader must also suspend disbelief when presented with a scenario where a doddering old man and his daughter are left alone by the U.S. military to manage an island teeming with dangerous animals.
My verdict: Three out of five stars. If you want gore and excitement, this novel possesses it in abundance.
The premise opens with a typical mad scientist and his daughter living on an isolated island off the coast of South America. Here they breed long-extinct animals such as tyrannosaurs. Although the American military monitors their activities from a special facility in the United States, the scientist and his daughter are largely left to their own devices.
But things start to go wrong when some of the saurian inhabitants of the island devise a plan for world domination and decide to unleash their more dangerous brethren on unsuspecting humans. The perspective keeps switching between the perspective of Shanna, the daughter of the scientist who has bred these dinosaurs, and the viewpoint of Mark, a shipwrecked survivor who has the misfortune to wash ashore on an island where some escaped dinosaurs have already established invasive colonies.
Monster Island delivers visceral horror in generous doses. With a couple of notable exceptions, the dinosaurs and other monstrous creatures are otherwise presented as terrifying threats that can emerge from the jungle in the blink of an eye to dismember their victims.
However, the novel doesn't explain how a pack of diminutive theropods successfully overthrew their human creators. The reveal at the end leaves the reader with more questions than answers, while the ending itself is abrupt. Additionally, the human characters are two-dimensional cutouts that exist only to move the plot along. The reader must also suspend disbelief when presented with a scenario where a doddering old man and his daughter are left alone by the U.S. military to manage an island teeming with dangerous animals.
My verdict: Three out of five stars. If you want gore and excitement, this novel possesses it in abundance.
May 31, 2024
Disappointing. It's clear the author hasn't done a lot of research (specifically on cruise ships and procedures). The writing was quite repetitive and not a lot happens in the storyline. It abruptly ends in an odd spot and the plot twist could've been predicted from the very early pages.
I also thought it was a little ridiculous how there was only two people on this island lol. No security, no backup and no real communication. I'd recommend an editor in the future because the concept itself was good.
I also thought it was a little ridiculous how there was only two people on this island lol. No security, no backup and no real communication. I'd recommend an editor in the future because the concept itself was good.
August 11, 2024
This book, although a very neat concept, was poorly executed with how hastily it was written. The characters felt incredibly flat and I hardly felt anything at all for them. Deaths and events were rushed to the point of being sloppy. I think I would have liked this a lot more had it been much longer and given the detail it needed to be good, but alas, I found myself skimming the last 40% simply to finish it because I just couldn’t bring myself to care. There was hardly any touch of emotion that truly makes a book a horror or thriller, and I was left deeply disappointed.
March 17, 2024
Oh my gosh. I can't even get past the first bit, the cruise. Don't write about things you don't research. It's self published, not edited, and full of cringe-worthy reactions. The author is a nit wit.
May 21, 2024
Monsters are hungry. Males are competing for women to death. Research team is unlikely girl and father, ape and bot like small reptile parrots. Just to trite so did not finish ... Unlimited read borrow. Chapter 10, dnf.
November 19, 2023
good
Read about dinosaurs being smart and duping their human . Read how they plot to escape into the wide world
Read about dinosaurs being smart and duping their human . Read how they plot to escape into the wide world
Read
January 13, 2024DNF 70%
September 23, 2024
Good story overall, writing could have been better
December 31, 2023
This book is so absolutely awful. I love a good dinosaurs-eat-the-humans kind of story. This starts off as a ripoff of Jurassic Park and the Titanic. The main scientist is an absolute dummy. So bad.
January 12, 2026
This was a quick read and a fun concept! I really enjoyed the dual timeline and dual POV aspect. I didn’t know going into it this was part of a series, so I am a bit confused where to go from here. I rate it 3.5 stars because it had my attention from start to finish, and the plot was interesting!
September 11, 2024
This book confused me. I preferred the side story about the cruise ship disaster instead.
The main story kinda bored me and really didn't care for the characters like I did with the side story.
I have not seen the proper names of Dinosaurs since I was in grade school.
The action was decent, but again this book was just not for me.
The main story kinda bored me and really didn't care for the characters like I did with the side story.
I have not seen the proper names of Dinosaurs since I was in grade school.
The action was decent, but again this book was just not for me.
August 28, 2023
Another epoch read By John Lee!! The guy has a gift. He keeps you on the edge of each page! I believe this is one of three in a series. Can’t wait for the next one.
Michael
Beaverton OR
Michael
Beaverton OR
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews