X-Isle is one of those books that I liked much more in principle than the actual story itself. It's right up my alley -- in Steve Augarde's drowned dystopian future, London and much of the rest of the world is underwater. The disaster that sparked the great flood is never fully described - through the eyes of our narrator, 14-year-old Baz, the event is now insignificant. The desperate reality of day-to-day survival is what's important.
Starvation is a real threat. With so much of the world submerged beneath murky depths, preserved food from before the floods is scavenged and traded like currency. One of the best ways for a young man to ensure survival is to try to secure work on X-Isle, an island-based recovery and distribution operation run by religious zealot Reverend John Ecks and his savage pirate sons. Baz expects hard labor but knows that the exchange -- three hot, nutritious meals a day and escape from the brutalities of life on the mainland -- will be worth it.
Unfortunately, he finds the reality of X-Isle very different from its promised comfort. Along with fast friend and fellow new recruit Ray, he struggles to avoid the wrath of the cappos, to fight his fellow workmates for paltry scraps of food once a day and to survive the brutal physical work he's forced to do for hours without rest. But even with the best of survival skills, the spiraling psychotic decline of his captor and the constant power struggle of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world is a combination that Baz may not be equipped to survive.
There are things I enjoyed about X-Isle -- the general premise, the gloomy atmosphere and the subtle way the Big Twist plays out in the story, for example. There were also some things that really annoyed me about X-Isle, such as the vernacular used by the author and the homogeny of many of the boys on the island. But my main problem was, I couldn't help but feel I wasn't really the book's intended audience. This suspicion was hammered home around page 250, when the characters set out to build a fart factory to create a bomb in hope of escaping their slavemasters. Yes, you read that right. A fart factory. Points for originility, but gross.
X-Isle was overall a highly original story that seems poised for a sequel, and I might be tempted to read it because of the big twist at the end and my curiosity about how that might play out in the future. If you're looking for an uplifting or happy read, you may want to pass this by -- although X-Isle ends with a ray of hope after lots of pages of suffering and sadness, so I guess that's the payoff.
Starvation is a real threat. With so much of the world submerged beneath murky depths, preserved food from before the floods is scavenged and traded like currency. One of the best ways for a young man to ensure survival is to try to secure work on X-Isle, an island-based recovery and distribution operation run by religious zealot Reverend John Ecks and his savage pirate sons. Baz expects hard labor but knows that the exchange -- three hot, nutritious meals a day and escape from the brutalities of life on the mainland -- will be worth it.
Unfortunately, he finds the reality of X-Isle very different from its promised comfort. Along with fast friend and fellow new recruit Ray, he struggles to avoid the wrath of the cappos, to fight his fellow workmates for paltry scraps of food once a day and to survive the brutal physical work he's forced to do for hours without rest. But even with the best of survival skills, the spiraling psychotic decline of his captor and the constant power struggle of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world is a combination that Baz may not be equipped to survive.
There are things I enjoyed about X-Isle -- the general premise, the gloomy atmosphere and the subtle way the Big Twist plays out in the story, for example. There were also some things that really annoyed me about X-Isle, such as the vernacular used by the author and the homogeny of many of the boys on the island. But my main problem was, I couldn't help but feel I wasn't really the book's intended audience. This suspicion was hammered home around page 250, when the characters set out to build a fart factory to create a bomb in hope of escaping their slavemasters. Yes, you read that right. A fart factory. Points for originility, but gross.
X-Isle was overall a highly original story that seems poised for a sequel, and I might be tempted to read it because of the big twist at the end and my curiosity about how that might play out in the future. If you're looking for an uplifting or happy read, you may want to pass this by -- although X-Isle ends with a ray of hope after lots of pages of suffering and sadness, so I guess that's the payoff.
I'm not a fan of the dystopian genre as I find it too disturbing to read about what young kids are forced to endure just to survive. It just reminds me of news stories of people trying to survive in third world countries. It's just too damn depressing. In case you're wondering why I read this book considering my views, I needed a book that started with "X" and they are few and far between. That said, I must admit to enjoying this story of Baz and his survival against all odds on X Isle with crazy-ass Preacher John, Isaac, Steiner and Hutchinson.
The entire world was flooded (like New Orleans) from some kind of hurricane/tsunami combo and most people where killed/drowned. The remaining people are fighting tooth and nail to survive in this world without even the most basic of supplies. (Heck they use dry pasta as money!) X Isle is the only surviving area that is above water and there is a free-for-all trading gambit to get your child onto the island. They only accept scrawny boys (because they are cheaper to feed) and the families basically bribe the Eck brothers to get their kid on the boat. When Baz wins his way on board (with two boxes of bullets), he is ecstatic because he thinks life is going to be grand, heck they get three meals a day on the island...or so he thinks. There is another boy that gets selected that day as well, Ray (he used a box of cornflakes). Of course, nothing is what they expect. There are only a few boys on the island (though many have gone before and not returned) and the bosses, Steiner and Hutchinson are brutal and petty. They are expected to fight for their food (once a day) and are locked in their rooms (all together) every night.
Preacher John is the father of the Eck brothers and crazy as a loon. Since Preacher John owns the island, they all take their orders from him and every Sunday, they are all subjected to fanatical religious preaching which get scarier and scarier as the weeks go by. It is more a prison that a refuge and Baz and Ray figure this out real quick and immediately start plotting a way off the island with the help of the other boys. The Fart Club is a typical boy creation and it is surprising what they eventually are able to accomplish with this simple youthful endeavor.
The entire world was flooded (like New Orleans) from some kind of hurricane/tsunami combo and most people where killed/drowned. The remaining people are fighting tooth and nail to survive in this world without even the most basic of supplies. (Heck they use dry pasta as money!) X Isle is the only surviving area that is above water and there is a free-for-all trading gambit to get your child onto the island. They only accept scrawny boys (because they are cheaper to feed) and the families basically bribe the Eck brothers to get their kid on the boat. When Baz wins his way on board (with two boxes of bullets), he is ecstatic because he thinks life is going to be grand, heck they get three meals a day on the island...or so he thinks. There is another boy that gets selected that day as well, Ray (he used a box of cornflakes). Of course, nothing is what they expect. There are only a few boys on the island (though many have gone before and not returned) and the bosses, Steiner and Hutchinson are brutal and petty. They are expected to fight for their food (once a day) and are locked in their rooms (all together) every night.
Preacher John is the father of the Eck brothers and crazy as a loon. Since Preacher John owns the island, they all take their orders from him and every Sunday, they are all subjected to fanatical religious preaching which get scarier and scarier as the weeks go by. It is more a prison that a refuge and Baz and Ray figure this out real quick and immediately start plotting a way off the island with the help of the other boys. The Fart Club is a typical boy creation and it is surprising what they eventually are able to accomplish with this simple youthful endeavor.
