Komodo

by John Lee Schneider

In the prehistoric parts of the planet, ancient ecosystems endure – lost worlds dominated by razor-toothed, flesh-eating dragons. The Komodo monitor – gluttonous, ravenous, cannibalistic – top predator on an isolated cluster of tropical islands. When the ragged group of castaways stagger ashore, they think they are saved. Instead they find themselves prey. But they are not alone in this lost world – and dragons are not the only predators. Reptilian savagery gives way to human nature – primal instinct becomes betrayal and murder – and they will all soon learn that sins of the past are never truly buried. But the lost world knows no judgment – and survival knows no sin. The dragons wait for them all. And they're hungry

Genres: Horror

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 17, 2020

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have almost exhausted my creature feature authors and that's been bumming me out. However, I am so glad to have found John Lee Schneider. This was a fast-paced action adventure, with a surprising amount of plot and character depth. It did take me a little while to get into the characters, but once I did, I was hooked. And don't ask me why, but I kept picturing Dr Burroughs as Geoffrey Rush. But the whole story had a good, consistent undertone of HG Wells Island of Dr Moreau, but with more action and obviously more modernized, too. The dragons were used, but not overwhelmingly so, and had provided the right level of threat. Anna was a sleeper hit as the star here, and I loved how Schneider had her take over the lead role little by little, leading up to her big break towards the end. And it wasn't just her toughness and resilience, but also her clarity. Her understanding of the dynamic between herself and Marcus, and Colin, too, and then her interactions with Taylor in the latter parts of the story. It just all came together nicely, and the story ended on a nice note, too. Taylor provided some fun moments, especially some of his dialogue which was brash and uncouth, but will make you giggle, even during moments where you probably shouldn't. Think of Robert Forster from 1980's Alligator. And for anyone who wants the obvious details on a horror end, there was plenty of Komodo gore. And a fair amount between the humans on this island, too, amidst the twists and turns and all the juicy drama. Anyway, this was a lot of fun and I'm excited to explore the rest of Schneider's titles.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there aren't a lot of characters in this book, there's a ton of chomping going on!

This is a fast and enjoyable read. The author took a lot of care in designing both his human characters, and his scaly ones...and I found the human ones slightly more terrifying!

Expect some real surprises in this one and expect to end the book with a very healthy fear of dragons!

An excellent read that was just pure fun!

[Deirdre · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐s Big Vicious Present Day Dragons
The book started out so mild-mannered about a couple on the verge of divorce and taking a trip to Australia to rekindle any still burning embers. They engage in many activities along the coast while accompanied by a couple of "friends". It seemed too calm and it was!

Suddenly crashing waves, sharks, drifting in the middle of the ocean, jellyfish and all the other dangers of being stranded in the ocean held occurred. An island was a godsend or was it?

Whatever you thought of Komodo Dragons you will be quite surprised by what you discover about them and this novel. They are intrical to the plot but it's the people and their interactions with one another that keeps you on the edge of your seat. When you throw in big and small Komodos with their nasty vicious dispositions and human flesh eating tendencies then this becomes a recipe for disaster, murder, and gore.

[Brayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn in by the cover and idea of modern day dragon savagery but sped through the story thanks to some fantastic character work. I related with the character Marcus so much. Schneider does an excellent job showing how the complacency and low confidence Marcus had in his professional life has bled into his personal life at the worst possible time in the worst place around the worst people. His relationship with his wife, Anna, hits a turning point much like several relationships do in this story that show how our self destructive nature might help us survive but will never make our lives better. The story features plenty of suspense, tension, and action. The dragons are a persistent threat once our characters reach the island. No matter the deterrent, they just keep coming. Truly terrifying.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a group of friends were thrown from a sinking boat, some made it to an island but found the island was not safe. Large reptiles inhabit the island, and they were hungry. Trying to survive, they found the owner of the island, but things are not as they seem. No Spoilers as this is a short horror book! I highly recommend it!

[james mccarney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

Very good book. I rarely give five stars for anything but this was a good story. A compact story that kept you interested. Twists and turns when you didn't expect it. Author was not afraid to get rid of main characters as needed like most of the books I have been reading. It kept me interested through out.

[S.David Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good But Not Great

Enjoyable read but much of the plot was predictable. It started off somewhat slow but the pace did pick up. I would recommend it as long as you keep your expectations in check.