Death Island

Joan Conning Afman
Camel Press (2011)
ISBN 9781603818490
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (9/11)


Set in the year 2020, “Death Island” is the fictional story of a reality TV show that centers on men who have been convicted of heinous crimes and have been sent to a remote island instead of to prison. Similar to the hit reality show “Survivor,” on Death Island the men must find their own food and shelter and make alliances in hopes of staying alive. The only hope these men have is to be lucky enough to be the one inhabitant the home viewers vote to pardon each year and send to freedom. The latest castaway sent to Death Island is Danny Manning who has been convicted of being a serial killer. Danny maintains he is innocent and must hope that someone discovers the truth before it is too late.

This book is intriguing in several ways. First, there is the social aspect. Each castaway must rely on untrustworthy people to help him survive. Everyone there has been convicted of wrongdoing and would probably prefer fewer people on the island so the resources would not be depleted as quickly. There is also the idea of whether this form of punishment is as bad as imprisonment. Instead of being locked up, they are free to roam around as they please. However, since there are no viable means of escape from the island and the people with whom they reside are dangerous, this is not a particularly lenient sentence either. Another aspect I find interesting, if not a bit alarming, is how the show’s viewers seem to take sport in the misery and suffering of the convicts, even going so far as to place bets on which one would be the next to die.

The characters in this book all have their issues and the author gives just enough information to allow the reader to understand why each behaved as he did. I found the ingenuity they used to try to assimilate a normal life to be admirable. 

The drama and action were well-mixed with the emotional aspects which resulted in an excellent book. “Death Island” will definitely be enjoyed by fans of reality shows, but it will appeal to adults of all ages.

Make comment on weblog

FTC Disclosure