The Island

by Michael Bray

What if the next generation of reality show had your life as the prize? The island is the largest man made structure ever constructed. Within its two hundred foot high steel walls are savage dinosaurs created for one purpose. To hunt man. In addition, of those who are chosen to enter the island, only one can leave and claim the prize.

As television screens around the world tune in to watch, the six contestants form an uneasy alliance as they battle nightmarish beasts beyond comprehension. When a secret is uncovered which could bring down the entire Lomar Corporation, the contestants find that some men are worse than monsters, and some corporations will stop at nothing to protect that which they tried so desperately to hide.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Survival, Dinosaurs

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2015

About the author

Michael Bray is a bestselling author/screenwriter of more than twelve novels and numerous short stories. Influenced from an early age by the suspense horror of authors such as Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert & Brian Lumley, along with TV shows like Tales from the Crypt & The Twilight Zone, his work touches on the psychological side of horror, teasing the reader’s nerves and willing them to keep turning the pages. Several of his titles have been translated into multiple languages including a major bookstore distribution deal in Japan and his biggest selling title, Whisper, has, on numerous occasions topped the overall horror charts for Amazon titles in both the UK and US with thousands of copies sold.

His work has been featured in anthologies alongside such horror greats as Clive Barker, Adam Nevill, Shaun Hutson, Brian Lumley, Paul Tremblay, Ramsay Campbell, Ray Bradbury and many others and he continues to be an active and popular member of the horror/suspense genre.

A feature film written by Bray based on his co-written novel MONSTER starring Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street), Daniele Harold (East Enders) & Rod Glenn (American Assassin / World War Z) was shot in January 2018 whilst another of his titles, MEAT is currently with a leading Los Angeles based production company with a view to production in 2019.

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My IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm8960144/?r...

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Where to find Michael Bray online



Official website: www.michaelbrayauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelbrayauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelbrayauth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaelbrayauthor

Google +: www.plus.google.com/michaelbrayauthor







Where to find my books



Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Bray/...

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Bray/e/...

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To discuss publication or television / movie rights to

any of my work, or for any other queries, please

contact me directly at darkcornersbook@gmail.com

Reviews

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Amazing

So filled with drama, action, adventure, and betrayal, I could hardly put it down, and when I did I was still thinking about it. Twists and turns beyond belief along with awesome characters I loved to hate! Highly recommended to all fans of modern horror, but also a book almost anyone would enjoy!

[Mark Tilbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Island is the location for a reality TV show of the future. A mix of Jurassic Park and Big Brother, it's contestants are taking part to win what is billed as the ultimate prize - anything they want. Little do they know what they have really signed up for.

Set in the no-so-distant future where pollution has got really bad, and people struggle to survive and care for their families. Chase applies to take part in the new TV show for a reason that gets you routing for him for the start. As more contestants are introduced you see that some people don't have the best intentions.

There is a good mix of personalities within the characters and the author has done a great job of exploring everyone's thought processes. The descriptions of the environment and what everyone has to face are excellently done, and there's just enough of it to help your imagination create a mental picture of what is happening.

If you enjoy horror/thrillers then I suggest you give this a try - be warned though, it is graphic and not for the squeamish!

[chucklesthescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

For several years, a secret game show took place on a mysterious island, and a mortality rate of 100%. Now the game has been resurrected to entertain a television audience and offer more desperate people the chance to win whatever prize they dream of. Chase is well aware that without medical help his daughter Elsie is going to die of cancer and he has no money to buy the cure. Hearing about The Island, Chase decides that this is the only chance for his family and signs up along with five strangers who all have their own prize in sight. What none of them are prepared for is the reality of what lives on The Island, the deadly dinosaurs that they have to get by to get to the exit. But soon they realise that in order to win, the other five need to die and a moral dilemma starts to eat at Chase. What is he prepared to do for his daughter's life?

Back in 2018, Damien came up with the idea of an extravagant nature reserve for rich tourists to enjoy on a special island but his father, who ran the company refused to entertain the idea. Now in 2043, Damien is in charge. He built his island but turned it into a game zone with deadly dinosaurs, offering a prize to anyone who could survive and escape. After three full seasons, everyone taking part had died and it was decided to shut down the island. but Damien is back with a new plan-open up the island and offer desperate people another chance at the prize of their choice, but this time instead of the game and the island being shrouded in secrecy, he plans to televise the whole event to the general public. Call me twisted, but this is exactly the kind of thing I could watch on a Saturday night!

The other characters were interesting. There is Moses, a former hired killer who wanted to start a new life but his past keeps catching up with him. He is here to get his past forgiven so that he can finally move on. Perrie doesn't believe the hype or the mortality figures for the show. She is obsessed with being famous and has no clue what she has signed up to as she never bothered to read the contract. Alex is the calmest person in the group which makes the others wary and he seems to know what they are about to face. Ryder has a family of tough military men to live up to and he wants to prove to his father that he is the best of them, even if it means killing all of the competition. My one confusion about him is that he is introduced to the others as former Special Forces yet talks about how he is unsure if he can actually kill someone. I found that a bit puzzling. It then mentions that his dad rubs his nose in the fact that he and his other sons are all military. It left me confused if Ryder is military or not.

The first night where a huge roar is heard deep in the jungle unnerves the group, who decide to stick together to begin with until they see what they are facing. They approach a water hole which looks like the ideal place to rest, relax, drink and swim-but the group are about to get a lesson in what lives on The Island and the terrible danger that they are in. there are lots of dinosaurs on The Island to enjoy and a few very dangerous encounters with them. There is also a lot of interesting terrain to get through which requires teamwork, and everyone is painfully aware that there can only be one winner in this game. It leads to that moral dilemma of what you would do to win, something Chase is struggling with as his daughter's life depends on him winning. Others may not be as reluctant to do what needs to be done so everyone is very much having to watch their backs.

There is added drama in the form of Damien himself. He is not above trying to manipulate the game for his own personal interests. He takes an interest in Chase and why he is taking part in the game, and gives him a boost before the action starts. However as the plot develops, we start to see what has previously been going on on The Island, what secrets it holds and the lengths that Damien will go to in order to keep his secrets. I found that it added another interesting strand to the plot, with the people on The Island being more of a danger to each other than some of the dinosaurs are. It also looks at morality and what desperate people can do as well as exploring how some people are willing to lose their humanity to win while others strive to hang onto theirs.

I'm a sucker for a good dinosaur drama especially in the form of a game show like this. I love the idea of man and woman testing themselves against dinosaurs and each other. The dinosaur action is a lot of scary fun as you would expect, with death and near misses to keep the reader entertained. The added element of how human nature develops under the circumstances was certainly interesting. It dipped just a little for me with a bit of a messy ending but I have to say that overall I found it a lot of fun to read. I'll be looking at more by the author for sure.

[Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is engaging, hard to put down and exactly the type of book I wanted to start the new year with. It's a 4 star read, but I'm only giving it 3. I will explain why and hope that somehow the author get to read it and it can be fixed at least in the kindle version or on future books.

I get a little sad when a book doesn't get the attention it deserve before being published. It just takes a lot away from the impression and many will shy away from this one for that reason.

The most glaring mistake here is not checking that everything in the books ended up as supposed to. It is broken into chapters and they are supposed to take up half a page. But somehow about half or more of the chapters start with just the overhead in caps letters and nothing more, just like a paragraph. That just should not be! It gives an uneven ride that's hard to ignore since it's not just a grammar or something that occurs once.

Which brings me to corrections.. This is not the biggest problem, but the book would have benefited from being corrected for mistakes one more time.

I hope very much that it can be fixed. If it is I will change my rating to four stars. It was exiting and a great, quick read otherwise.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book! Fast paced, action packed and very easy to read. Wish there was another chapter or two saying what happened afterwards or even an epilogue but other than than, great read.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun concept and one that would probably be well received on tv nowadays.

Plot. Oy. Ok, they made it across 200 miles of dangerous terrain in 5 days, sometimes without food? Yeah, no. The danger alone would entail a slow, cautious hike or more people would have died.

The others hardly mentioned what their prize would be which seems odd. And the offers of money had no cap; was it just 10 million or could they ask for more?

For the ending, wouldn’t that final act break the possibility of gaining what he wanted most? No more agreement, right? Doesn’t make sense.

Lastly, needed another round of editing. Aside from the capitalization issues, some sentences contradicted what they were supposed to mean. Annoying.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of a slow start but once it got going, I really enjoyed it.

[Vicki Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, interesting idea. A good pace. There were some holes, but a good book.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a book from an author that continues to improve his craft with each new novel he writes. The characters are superbly developed. You began to love or hate them fairly early on, as is intended. Not to mention the twists and turns this book has. You're kept sucked in, wanting to find our what's going to happen next. Well worth reading, and one you WILL come back to later.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

although I have read some others with basic idea, this one was by far the best one in a while. Keep reading this author. He never fails to keep you reading

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Battle Royale and Jurassic Park had a baby but they were such bad parents it was taken away from them and adopted by Soap Opera. That baby grew up to be The Island. Michael Bray has thrown a few ideas together and come up with a fast-paced and exciting novel that has its problems but is still very readable. His characters have little to eat and have endured repeated physical punishment yet can still travel over 200 miles on foot through dense jungle, cliffs and swamps in 5 days. Scenes continually end with the death of a character, only for that very same character to pop up again alive and kicking when required. Yes, it's completely ridiculous, but once you accept that you can't trust anything the author comes out with and just enjoy the ride it's not so bad. Disengage brain and suck it up.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild roller coaster ride of hope, desperation, betrayal and twists and turns galore. This is a emotionally charged, character driven story of contestants put on an island where only one can win, to be set financially for life you only have to survive. I loved this book because you think you know what's happening but find out you really don't. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the horror/suspense genre.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great action on the man made island. A little Jurassic Park a little Running Man, a lot of blood and death. The future looks bleak, people, and it's not pretty. Another riveting story from Michael Bray. I haven't read any that I didn't like.

[Josh Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no Jurassic Park... But.... It is the best dinosaur book/story that could be compared to Jurassic Park that I've read so far!

Michael Bray brought plenty of adventure, dinosaur horror and a great mix of survival elements for this story.

My comparison for this book is take The Hunger Games mixed with Jurassic Park and there you go. However, the Author does a great job at this.

This was also my introduction to Author Michael Bray to which I'm learning quite quickly that I'm a fan of his work as I've read a couple others as well.

[WendyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up being a bit better than I expected after a slow start.

[daffystjob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow starter for me but I enjoyed this book. My only negative is that the end felt a little rushed. The build up included a back story about the daughter's health which is completely left open. We know nothing of what happens as soon as he goes through that door, a little disappointing that. But overall the writing and the story had me wanting to read more.

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. Shallow characters (the main character didn't even have a character, if you ask me. He was useless.), boring plot, excrutiatingly cringe-worthy dialogue, the list goes on. It especially lost me when people who had been shot "dead" or pushed down steep cliffsides (these things happened mutliple times!) would just come back. Lazy. Writing. (I think perhaps this was the author's attempt at plot twists .... they were mediocre and uninspired.) Oh, and where the eff was the editor on this one? On top of the common grammatical errors, two of the characters had confusing similiar names (Riley and Ryder), and at one point the author refers to a herd of ankylosaurs as "...big, angry, carnivorous rhino..." Um, NO. They're herbivores, idiot. Also, I think the author lacks a fundamental understanding of what a vaccine is, just putting that out there. I'm sure if there had an actual editor for this book, then maybe the author wouldn't have seemed like such an ignorant ass. Oh, and in true terrible book form, it committed one of my biggest pet peeves: mentioning an awesome book in your shitty one (naturally, it was "Jurassic Park"). You, sir, are no Michael Crichton.

[A. Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Character driven winner.

Like a few other reviewers commented, spell check is (can be) your friend, auto correct isn't. Also, why do so many authors call the ground, the 'floor'?

I've been reading a lot of dinosaur books lately and can honestly say this is one of the best, with the caveat that it is more about the characters than the dinosaurs. The action is intense and non-stop after the characters get to the island with just enough dinosaur action to keep it from becoming just another survival story. The plot twists are numerous and woven into the story expertly with the exception of the two women. I also expected the couple who dropped out to reappear after the true nature of the game became clear.

I can't add much more to what other reviewers wrote except to say again that one last editing read would have easily made this a solid five star effort. On another note, because of the character focus this effort WOULD make an excellent movie in today's market because of the bloody action and just enough dinosaurs to not be a budget buster. Easy 4.5 rating.

[Rae Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so amazing and unique - I was intrigued by the synopsis and was not disappointed. This is absolutely a Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park with a twist of another movie that I won't spell out because it will spoil a significant twist. I can absolutely see this movie on the big screen, or maybe even a miniseries on the SyFy channel.
The characters were fully fleshed out and relatable - The Island brings together people there for very different reasons. Chase is the main character and we learn the most about him, but the supporting cast are fully realized.
The drama was tangible and terrifying - from the opening of the story, the author paints a picture of desperation which pushes the main character to make the decisions he does while on the Island.

I just wish more time had been spent on the editing, it can be distracting.

[Reeda Booke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The future is bleak and people are hard pressed to find a job. Most just try to survive day to day.
Enter the Lomar Corporation. They decide to run a contest on a very private island. The winner of the contest can have anything they want.

Chase decides to enter, against his wife's wishes, because he needs to save his little girl who is dying of cancer. He, along with 5 other contestants, have no idea what they are in for. And not everyone is who they claim to be.

A cross between Jurassic Park, Survivor, and Hunger Games, this was a very enjoyable and engaging read. Recommended.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story started off a bit slow, with some mostly unnecessary background details, but slowly the story became more interesting. The book could have been a post-modern version of "The Most Dangerous Game" but turned into a somewhat cliche B-movie toward the end. The island's secret danger was not really a surprise - and is something that has been used in movies, TV, and books plenty of times before, but at least it wasn't something utterly silly. But, after the third time that a character was "killed" but then miraculously survived, I grew tired of the story.

[Fiona Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book which took a few different things which are popular right now and put them together. Imagine reality television, the island from Jurassic Park, and The Hunger Games film combined and you get an idea of what this book is about.

The contestants must battle to survive in order to win. They have to not only survive the island itself, but also each other. Only the best one can win, and nothing is taboo on this island.

An enjoyable read.

[Jodi Colpitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate misspelled words!!

Awesome read, would have given it five stars, but all the misspelled words, and using England spelling, not USA, drove me bonkers! Whoever did the proofreading should be sent back to school... but, if your not anal about spending, and love a good, gory book, READ THIS!!!

[Helen Lancaster Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did give a review on this book, I put it on my I Pad for some reason it didn't come through. Anyway just want to say I loved it. Nail biting adventure. who will get to the end of the line first - or will they get murdered by the dinosaurs or even kill each other off. Well recommended. Thanks Michael Bray a great read

[Kimberlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get through this book fast enough, couldn't wait to turn each page to see what happened next. Absolutely loved it and wish I could erase it from my brain so I could read it for the first time again!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good premise but I felt like the ending was a bit of a throw away... Some of the twists were very good but they didn't have that wow factor I was hoping for. Only *** for me unfortunately but the book had a lot of potential.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me a bit of IRW's "Housemates" Also way to many grammatical and punctuation errors. Not Mr Bray's best effort sorry to say.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard techno-thriller with a mashed up plot circa Hunger Games and Jurassic Park. Nothing new or groundbreaking but entertaining.