X-isle by Steve Augarde
Rate and review X-isle! | What does everyone else think?
Synopsis
Ever since the floods came and washed the world away, survivors have been desperate to win a place on X-isle, the island where life is rumoured to be easier than on what's left of the mainland. Only young boys are in with a chance, the smaller and lighter the better. Baz and Ray are two of the lucky few to be chosen, but they soon discover that X-isle is a far cry from paradise. Ruled by Preacher John, a dangerous religious fanatic, it's a violent, unpredictable place where terrible things can happen at any moment. The boys hatch an extraordinary plan in order to protect themselves - the construction of a mighty weapon of defence. But can they complete this weapon in time, and are they really prepared to use it in order to secure their freedom?
Review
The Lord of the Flies is one of my favourite books; The Day After Tomorrow is a film that I have enjoyed watching many times. When I read that X-isle contained elements of both book and film I felt sure that I was onto a winner… and so it proved.
After overcoming initial difficulties with the lead’s name being Baz – who, in my head goes on to meet a girl called Sharon, they salvage a Ford Capri from the murky depths and sail the world in a car / boat – I quickly become engrossed in this intriguing tale of a group of teenage boys’ fight for survival on the brutal and unforgiving X-isle.
This is an excellent book; everything that Steve Augarde does is to a high standard. The characterisation, world building, narrative and pacing are all spot on and the result is a fantasy thriller that will appeal to teenagers all around the world.
The story itself is refreshingly simple. The world has been flooded, many have died and the survivors are left to fight it out over what little resources are left. There is an island (X-isle) on which the Eck family lives; they have access to deep sea diving apparatus which allows them to salvage submerged supermarkets for non-perishable food items - this puts them in a position of power, a position which they ruthlessly abuse.
One of my favourite moments from the book was when Baz had to deliver the evening meal to the reclusive, fanatical and very frightening Preacher John:
“The huge bulk loomed before him, awful in its silence. Then it began to alter shape, shifting, diminishing, as it moved back through the door frame. Preacher John’s face became visible, cracked and weather-worn, the orange hairs of his beard glowing like electric filaments in the flickering light.”
X-isle: Chapter 16
X-isle is an appealing and inventive book that constantly surprises, it never becomes formulaic and as such always leaves the reader guessing. The trials and tribulations of Baz and Ray enable you to genuinely feel and root for them whilst the way that the author portrays the adults and nasty older kids leaves you hoping that they get their deserved comeuppance. I won’t give too much away about what happens on the isle itself but one thing is for sure, it is no picnic. What do you think they do with the kids when they are too old, and too big to be controlled?
Augarde closes the book perfectly. If this is a stand-alone novel then you will be more than satisfied with how things are tied up… but the clever thing is that he also left it beautifully poised, with just enough unanswered questions and future possibilities, to leave us hoping that there may be more to come (maybe a Ford Capri will make an appearance in the sequel? I certainly hope so).
X-isle is a captivating and well written book of rare depth. Highly recommended for young adults, both male and female.
About the author
Steve Augarde was born in Birmingham, but spent most of his life in the West Country, working as an illustrator, paper-engineer, and semi-pro jazz musician. He has written and illustrated over 70 picture books for younger children, and has produced the paper engineering for many pop-up books as well as providing the artwork and music for two animated BBC television series. His first book for older children, The Various, won a Silver Smarties Award in 2003.
X-isle (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Steve Augarde
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 480
Publication date: 2009-10-01
Publisher: David Fickling Books
RRP: £14.99
Lowest new price: £1.00
Lowest used price: £0.95
Submit your own mini-review
Let people know what you think about X-isle. You can write your own mini-review and give the book the rating that you think it deserves. Your reviews will go towards giving X-isle its overall rating that will decide where X-isle finishes in the top 100 fantasy books of all time.
Books you may also enjoy...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Voldemort is and growing stronger as is his following and dangerous times are ahead for our hero and his friends. Dumbledore enlists Harry’s help, to convince his old friend and retired professor Horace Slughorn to return to his old teaching post at Hogwarts. ... read the full review
Summary: Excellent book, in fact I may just start reading it again!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Harry has left Hogwarts to dedicate himself to the quest for final Horcruxes, together with his friends Ron and Hermione. Harry is also searching for the answers he feels Dumbledore has left unanswered and his feelings for his beloved old headmaster veer from anger and bitterness to painful loss. Voldemort continues his rise and nowhere seems to be safe anymore. With three gifts, bequeathed by Dumbledore to our intrepid trio, they set off on their deadliest task yet and know that this could be the end of everything they hold dear, even themselves. With Voldemort ever closer our hero must not hesitate; the final battle is coming and no one knows what the outcome will be. ... read the full review
Summary: I feel a little sad that there will be no more Harry Potter books.
Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
When you put your mind to considering some of the greatest writers of the English language, it is a source of continuing pity that Isobelle Carmody’s name is not up there along with some of the greats like Tolkien, Lewis and Hemmingway. Though some of her work has been criticized, writing science fiction, fantasy, children’s and young adult literature, Carmody is probably most well known and praised for her work on the Obernewtyn Chronicles. ... read the full review
Summary: Obernewtyn is a pleasure to read.
Also in this sub-genre...
- Nation by Terry Pratchett
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
- Duncton Wood by William Horwood
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman
- Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
- The Gunslinger by Stephen King
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
- Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
- Duncton Quest by William Horwood
- The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
- Storm Front by Jim Butcher
- Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
- Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
- Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
- Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente
- The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford
- Hyddenworld: Spring by William Horwood
- Charlotte’s Web by EB White
- The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Return To Allapatria by Shelley E Parker
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
- The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
- Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
- Enchanters by David Bryan Russell
- Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
