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?
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?
Read the full Fantasy Book Review of X-isle
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.
