Helix: Blight of Exiles

by Pat Flewwelling

Perfected by nature. Twisted by science. A miracle cure gone very, very wrong. An abandoned forest resort should have been paradise for a creature like Ishmael. Isolated from civilization, so far removed from human eyes, Ishmael could have reveled in his true nature without threat of discovery. But he had been abducted, drugged and marooned there without a word, sent into exile by the cryptic Wyrd Council. And he’s not alone. In this unholy quarantine, Ishmael is just another mouth to feed. And he’s no longer the apex predator.

Genres: Canada

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[J.A. McLachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read paranormal books, but I heard this author (Pat Flewwelling) speak at a conference and decided to give her book a try. These impulses often end badly, but this time it really paid off - what an intriguing and well-written story! The characters, not only the lead character but many of the secondary ones, are well-rounded, interesting and unusual; the plot moves at a good pace, with plenty of suspense and surprises which kept me interested in the story, and there is some very thought-provoking science involved. This isn't your usual ho-hum werewolf-romance tale, it's a thoughtful as well as involving story about characters you come to care about. If you like paranormal stories about werewolves, this is an exceptional one; if you don't like werewolf stories, this one might be the exception.

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Where’m I?”
She caressed his shoulder. “You’re in hell.”

Have you ever read something that changed you as a person? Do you want to know what it feels like to be undone and then remade - different, better? Read this series to find out.

Just... HOLY SHIT. READ THIS SERIES, EVERYONE. IT'S SO GOOD I DON'T EVEN HAVE WORDS.

I could not stop reading this book. And this was just the beginning.

* The atmosphere is dark, with a looming sense of doom and wrongness. I felt like I was there with the characters (which would not have been a nice experience). So many things in this book are creepy, disturbing, or outright terrifying. I'm usually not a fan of single narrator books but in this case that works perfectly to create just the right amount of mystery.

* The characters are wonderfully crafted. I want to protect them all and I know I can't, which breaks me. Ishmael is a great protagonist who's easy to root for (I love him to pieces) but it's as much him as the supporting cast that really make the book shine. Even some of the zombie-like creatures get actual characterisation in this book - I literally got misty-eyed at that last scene with Icepick, it touched me so much. The author poses some intriguing and difficult questions in the way she sets up the world. It's great stuff, truly. For a novel so relatively short? That space is used wisely.

* The mystery never loses suspense. The revelations come out slowly, and as they do, you start to get the feeling of just how fucked up everything is. The plot twists are AMAZING. I really didn't see them coming.

* I adore that this book is genuinely funny. It's something I really don't get enough of in the books I usually read, which is why this was such a delight.

* My only complaint would be that I was very confused a lot of the time. I had a hard time really visualising anything, and action scenes often left me questioning my ability to read with comprehension.

Whatever I can say about this book, two things are always going to be true about the series:
1. the sequel absolutely destroyed me in every way possible and became my new favourite book,
2. the ending to this series is absolutely perfect. 11/10.

Blight of Exiles feels like a prologue to the rest of the series, in a way. Here, in this mysterious place, the goal is simple: survive. In book 2 the scope expands dramatically and machinations come out of the shadows. The intrigue, the backstabbing, the dirty games. And then, the dirt starts to come out - and it's not pretty.

Another thing about this series I really enjoyed was that every installment is different. Blight of Exiles in my opinion feels most like a horror, Plague of Ghouls is a murder mystery, and Scourge of Bones reads like a thriller.

2. Plague of Ghouls review
3. Scourge of Bones review

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Helix: Blight of Exiles” blends science fiction, the paranormal and mystery with finesse and begins when Ishmael, a network analyst and hacker abducted and abandoned by the Wyrd Council on an island struggles to escape a pack of shapeshifting zombies determined to kill and eat him. Searching for answers to his dilemma he all too quickly learns about an immoral quarantine and an experiment gone wrong as he wrestles not only with his own change but surviving the elements and hunger as well as the fast, devious, and flesh-eating “Lost Ones” and Dr. Foster and her pack.

Chaotic at first as you try to understand the undercurrents propelling the suspense and action, the power and mystery of the story builds with Ishmael’s questions about Dr. Foster’s research, the experimentation and search for a cure as well as the Wyrd Council’s involvement as supplies dwindle and hostilities with the Lost Ones increase. Skilfully written with detailed fight scenes and the transformations of the shapeshifters, the nightmarish horror and fears of those on the island grows. Slow at first as the author lays the groundwork of the story, the twist and turns quickly multiply keeping the reader on the edge of their seat in a roller-coaster ride that moves swiftly and smoothly to a fiery climax that begs for a sequel.

Pat Flewwelling has created believable characters that are complex, tough and engaging like humane and compassionate Ishmael; thoughtful, penitent and self-aware Padre; the lumbering Shuffle; the responsible but aggressive scientist Dr. Foster; and the vicious, patient, goal-oriented Icepick. These personalities and others bring this imaginative story to life fueling it with tension, excitement and high-energy.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Helix: Blight of Exiles” and look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

[Robert Bose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and enjoyable with a great take on lycanthropy. Once I got into it, I ended up reading through half the night. Now on to Plague of Ghouls!

[Carly Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow! Wow! WOW! This is such a great book! I'm not a big fan of the shape-shifter romance types of books and this one is definitely NOT that type of shape-shifter story. Instead it's a kind of cross between an action packed mystery, a survival type of book AND throw in some zombie-ish shape-shifters! And when I say action packed, I mean seriously action packed. The fight scenes are amazingly well described, so much so that I was all tensed up each time one was going on. The whole story is just so well crafted and as soon as I finished this one I purchased the next book and if it's anywhere near as well written then I've got a new author to keep track of and a series I know I'll be rereading.

This book is a part of a book bundle called "Survivors: 6 Novels of Dystopian Science Fiction." If you can't find this book by itself, then I recommend getting the whole bundle just for this one book (It's the 3rd story included, I didn't finish the 1st book in the bundle, wasn't wowed by the 2nd one and haven't read the other 3 yet)

[J.P. McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Twist on a Classic Theme

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a writers’ festival and as soon as I read this book’s description, I had to read it. Helix: Blight of Exiles introduces a modern twist on the classic lycanthrope or werewolf story line. From the first page through to the last, Flewwelling doesn’t let her foot off the gas. Every time you think Ismael’s situation can’t get worse, it does.

If you enjoy a fast-paced story with a modern and unique twist on a classic theme, you’ll enjoy Flewwelling’s Helix: Blight of Exiles.

[Cara Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will also start that I know Pat as we have worked together for years. I read the book 2 years ago but didn’t remember it when I went back to read book 2. I enjoyed it the 2nd time around better as I do with most books. It is a very different take on were creatures than most stories I have read and I found that quite interesting. Getting ready to jump into the next book.

[Nanci Pattenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started slow, but ended up riveting.

[Brandy Ackerley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. A bit confusing at times, but good enough that you don't want to put it down.

[Rebecca House · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story and kept me intrigued as it built to a climatic end that made me want to read the next one. Wonderful novel!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really need the sequel.

I got a little confused during the science talk, but the sassiness of the characters made up for it. I really enjoyed reading this book, and every time I put it down it wasn't out of choice.

[Jennifer Rahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nuts. An absolute crazy ride, and it doesn't say Book 1 of however many on the cover, so if I hadn't bought book two at the same time, I would have gone insane.

I had some difficulty following the politics in the first few chapters, and was somewhat nonplussed at how Ishmael had no idea what he was doing "in exile", yet kept dropping hints that he did know a great deal about some big secret, making him come across as rather disingenuous. However, as I kept reading, I realised this was intentional, as more information is gradually fed to the reader until the whole, complex conspiracy is revealed. I also found the ambitious science on the clunky side (i.e. you wouldn't isolate antibodies from someone's blood to create a vaccine against a disease unless you were going to raise the anti-idiotype, and that's just way too much work). That aside, the writing is vivid and solid and was more than enough to draw me in and keep me reading. By the time I got to the end, my head was spinning with a really well-told, convoluted, political war among werewolves, their genetically engineered cousins, and...well, a few other things.

Overall, highly entertaining and highly recommended by this reader. Now I have to go start Book Two because I need to know what happens next!!!

[A.A. Jankiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those novels where I was not sure what to expect at all, based on both cover design and back cover blurb. What I did find inside the pages was a paranormal thriller the likes of which I have never read before and with a host of characters that despite trying to maintain a distance from (one thing A Song of Ice and Fire has taught me to do) I could not because they were that well written. No matter how minor their role, the author managed to give each one a distinct personality and to give the reader an understanding of who they were.

As a plot connoisseur I was hooked from start to finish. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to dive into a book and not want to go to sleep until I’ve finished the chapter. In fact after having finished the book I sat for a few moments in silence feeling a little sad it was over but thankfully I knew the next book was already out.

Due to the nature of the character’s stay on the island, I was also partially reminded of The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, so if you’re a fan of either of these I highly suggest you check this book out.

That’s all I have to say and I can’t wait to read Helix: Plague of Ghouls!

[Dale Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helix: Blight of the Exiles, to be quite honest, started a little slow for me. I loved the concept and that is what kept me reading and I'm glad I did.
This book puts a scientific name to the werewolf process and then turns it on its ear in a good way. About halfway through, the story grabbed me and dragged me through to the end, blood, fang and all.
This is one case where the idea that one should only give a book 30 pages to captivate the reader should be ignored. This book is why I always finish a book I start.
Helix: Blight of the Exiles is a book that feels like a hybridization of the classic zombie infestation and a werewolf cautionary tale with some clever nods to the classics.

[Penin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! It was exciting, the characters were unique, the story line was different and very refreshing! It's so great to find a novel that's not a cookie-cutter version of those in the similar genre. Predictable, it certainly isn't!

[Pat Flewwelling]

Listened to the audio version. My full review here: http://www.ninedaywonder.com/2015/tal....

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-stop action in this one, and you have to like the were-panther protagonist snatched from his posh corporate world of control into a hard-scrabble maelstrom of increasingly out of control shape-shifting with a zombie apocalypse, mad-science vibe. Many characters, each intriguing but sometimes dished up in heaps instead of a strip tease so hard to keep sorted at times. However, I wish the heroes well in the sequels they still have to get through to fix their broken world of civilized lycanthropes.