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Isles of Scilly: An Isolated Coastal Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
They do not shamble.
They coordinate.
They hunt.
A revolutionary cancer cure promised miracles. Instead, it rewrote human DNA, creating the Connected, infected who move as one, adapting, learning, spreading. Within days, Britain fell silent.
Sarah escapes with her children to the Isles of Scilly, gambling that twenty-eight miles of cold Atlantic will keep them safe. But on an island, isolation cuts both ways. Supplies run low. Trust frays. And the Connected are changing, becoming faster, smarter, harder to stop.
As the fragile community begins to crack, survival demands impossible choices. How much of your humanity can you sacrifice before you become the thing you are running from?
A tense, atmospheric British survival thriller set on the edge of the Atlantic, perfect for fans of The Girl With All The Gifts and World War Z.
RC Ellis is the author of Cornwall, a British horror bestseller, and brings his signature blend of visceral tension, sharp wit, and deeply human characters to the Isles of Scilly.
"Dry wit, unsettling moments, and a surprisingly emotional core." - L V Weegan
They coordinate.
They hunt.
A revolutionary cancer cure promised miracles. Instead, it rewrote human DNA, creating the Connected, infected who move as one, adapting, learning, spreading. Within days, Britain fell silent.
Sarah escapes with her children to the Isles of Scilly, gambling that twenty-eight miles of cold Atlantic will keep them safe. But on an island, isolation cuts both ways. Supplies run low. Trust frays. And the Connected are changing, becoming faster, smarter, harder to stop.
As the fragile community begins to crack, survival demands impossible choices. How much of your humanity can you sacrifice before you become the thing you are running from?
A tense, atmospheric British survival thriller set on the edge of the Atlantic, perfect for fans of The Girl With All The Gifts and World War Z.
RC Ellis is the author of Cornwall, a British horror bestseller, and brings his signature blend of visceral tension, sharp wit, and deeply human characters to the Isles of Scilly.
"Dry wit, unsettling moments, and a surprisingly emotional core." - L V Weegan
- GenresHorror
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2026
Isles of Scary...
Characters:
There wasn't really one main character in this story (not that I could tell anyway). I did feel that it started off with a good few characters (Sarah, her kids, Toby, and Mick), then it added the few islanders..and then more islanders, and more people, and more...and I started to lose track a little if I am honest. I think sticking to the main family and seeing people they interacted with could have worked really well, although I get that the change in perspectives painted the bigger picture. Furthermore, I do feel nobody really had much of a personality and it should have been ironed out a teensy bit more.
Storyline:
I really liked the initial story here for many reasons. The isolation concept just shows how even being less than 1% of the UK population does not mean you are safe. The instant terror that was felt by the characters, the way that the disease spread so easily without so much as a breath in between set it up right away to be fast-paced. I did find the first 50 or so pages great for that...then it chopped and changed between so many people that I felt the story kept having a lot of false starts. Around page 175 is where it properly picked up again, the danger became imminent, the characters were all entwined, and the horror was rampant. I must admit though that I was impressed with the ferocity of the horror and the way in which no character was safe.
Pacing/writing:
This is where the book loses a LOT of points for me - I had a lot of issues here. Firstly, it was not unreadable by any means necessary, and the story building was great...but... The continuous change between narratives within the same paragraphs was very jarring, it made it hard at times to follow what was happening. There was also a lot of misnaming people, one minute they were Valerie, the next they were someone else. There was also a lot of somebody asking a question and the exact same character answering them back. I know it is not easy to write a book (especially self-published) but maybe have somebody proofread it first. I do hope it improves as the books go on.
Ending:
I feel the ending was the strongest part of the book. It wasn't as erratic between viewpoints, it was quite heartbreaking, and it left the story in a place that can take many different roads. Not perfect but definitely worthy.
Emotional impact:
I didn't really feel for the characters for most of the book due to the constant change as I stated...but then the last 50 pages happened and I was very teary-eyed on multiple occasions after what happened, and the reactions from the characters too (Rupert especially) tore at my heartstrings. Using a dog will always have me slightly more invested.
An okay start to a series - with some fixes it has a lot of potential.
7/10.
Characters:
There wasn't really one main character in this story (not that I could tell anyway). I did feel that it started off with a good few characters (Sarah, her kids, Toby, and Mick), then it added the few islanders..and then more islanders, and more people, and more...and I started to lose track a little if I am honest. I think sticking to the main family and seeing people they interacted with could have worked really well, although I get that the change in perspectives painted the bigger picture. Furthermore, I do feel nobody really had much of a personality and it should have been ironed out a teensy bit more.
Storyline:
I really liked the initial story here for many reasons. The isolation concept just shows how even being less than 1% of the UK population does not mean you are safe. The instant terror that was felt by the characters, the way that the disease spread so easily without so much as a breath in between set it up right away to be fast-paced. I did find the first 50 or so pages great for that...then it chopped and changed between so many people that I felt the story kept having a lot of false starts. Around page 175 is where it properly picked up again, the danger became imminent, the characters were all entwined, and the horror was rampant. I must admit though that I was impressed with the ferocity of the horror and the way in which no character was safe.
Pacing/writing:
This is where the book loses a LOT of points for me - I had a lot of issues here. Firstly, it was not unreadable by any means necessary, and the story building was great...but... The continuous change between narratives within the same paragraphs was very jarring, it made it hard at times to follow what was happening. There was also a lot of misnaming people, one minute they were Valerie, the next they were someone else. There was also a lot of somebody asking a question and the exact same character answering them back. I know it is not easy to write a book (especially self-published) but maybe have somebody proofread it first. I do hope it improves as the books go on.
Ending:
I feel the ending was the strongest part of the book. It wasn't as erratic between viewpoints, it was quite heartbreaking, and it left the story in a place that can take many different roads. Not perfect but definitely worthy.
Emotional impact:
I didn't really feel for the characters for most of the book due to the constant change as I stated...but then the last 50 pages happened and I was very teary-eyed on multiple occasions after what happened, and the reactions from the characters too (Rupert especially) tore at my heartstrings. Using a dog will always have me slightly more invested.
An okay start to a series - with some fixes it has a lot of potential.
7/10.
January 20, 2026
I did enjoy this story. I did find a lot of similarities between this and The Undead world. If I’d read this before the undead it would of been a 5*
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews