Castaways
Written by Brian Keene
Narrated by Maynard McKillen
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Brian Keene
BRIAN KEENE is the author of over forty books. His novel, THE RISING, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture's current interest in zombies. Keene has also written for media properties such as DOCTOR WHO, THE X-FILES, HELLBOY, and MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Several of Keene's works have been developed for film. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror Grand Master award, two Bram Stoker awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. He lives in rural Pennsylvania.
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Reviews for Castaways
145 ratings19 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sehr spannend und absolut lesenswert!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A fun horror read that, though a bit dated with the premise now, is wickedly brutal, unnerving, and entertaining.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I was extremely hesitant to read this book due in part to the reality show element of the story. I hate reality shows and everything about them. It was a reasonable enough plot device to to join with the cryptid element and craft a story from though, so I forgive Keene. This wasn't his best work in my opinion, though it certainly held my interest and was by no means a "bad" read. I admit I was hoping for more blood and gore. It felt lacking in that area, at least compared to say, Urban Gothic. I read Keene because I know I will be diving into something horrific and frightening. So many works are labeled as horror, and feel like anything but to me. So in that sense, I was again slightly disappointed in this work. The pacing was adequate and there was a fair amount of action. I really enjoyed Troy's character as well.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From the start, this book is very much an homage to Richard Laymon. The style, plot, and actions all follow what you would find in a Laymon novel. Keene uses the Afterword to explain some of the history behind the idea moving from short story to novel; you can read those details yourself in the book. I will state that as a fan of both Laymon and Keene, I loved the book!The story follows a reality show cast as they proceed through their daily challenges. Not realizing of course that their challenges are about to get more serious and involve a lot more reality. The show, naturally called Castaways, is a close copy of Survivor where contestants are put on a deserted island and then vote someone off every couple of days. The problem ends up being that the island is not that deserted. A tribe of devolved, more-animal-than-human creatures are already on the island and they view the contestants as food or procreation hosts.The action all took place in a 24-hour period which helped me to speed through the reading of the book. Things kept happening and I didn't want to put the book down. Maybe some of the minor characters weren't flushed out as much as they could be but they matched the same stereotypes that you would see in a typical reality show. In fact, one of the characters in the book even points that out and compares each character to their stereotype. You can't really get too much more specific about how the characters are supposed to act than that. A very fun read and one that should not be missed by horror fans.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was no Urban Gothic, but a fun read anyway. A group of people on a Survivor type reality show are about to be food for a tribe of humanoids that have been rumored to live on the island.Sufficiently gory and entertaining, I just didn't feel that the story was fleshed out enough. Of course, that makes sense when you find out, in an author note, that this is an expanded version of a short story Keene wrote. Worth picking up.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Castaways" is a "Survivor"-on-steroids novel that was written as author Brian Keene's homage to horror legend Richard Laymon. I enjoyed the book a great deal because it did have so many Laymon-like qualities to it. Solid characterization, gore, violence, lust, and sexual situations were all present, just like in Laymon's best. Keene certainly hit a home run with his attempt to model Laymon's style. Even those who don't consider themselves to be great Laymon fans should enjoy the pacing and ploting found in "Castaways". The chapters (like the book itself) are short and leave the reader hanging enough at the end to keep him or her turning pages. The despicable overshadow the honorable in the book which truly makes it a lot like what viewers would find on a Survivor-type show. Keene's vast following of fans will enjoy this book because it is also true to his style of writing. There are a sufficient number of changing plot points and twists that will keep readers guessing. There are a couple of surprises that most won't see coming either.Keene and Laymon fans should grab a copy of "Castaways" as soon as they can.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not liking reality TV made this book even better for me!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a campy, fun little science fiction piece. Don't take it too seriously. The writing style makes the reading easy. The story is very quick paced. Perfect beach book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Castaways or as I like to think of it, "Survivor: Gore Island" is a superbly gruesome book by Brian Keene. The premise of the novel is modeled after the reality series Survivor, only on this island an unknown "beast' race is the indigenous species and they are none to pleased with the island newcomers. The thought of winning the million dollar prize on this show falls to the wayside as these contestants fight for their lives. This was the first book I have read by Brian Keene and I am looking forward to reading many more.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ok this book had me guessing and wondering what is in the brain of Brian Keene. Well if you love gory creatures and running for you life read this. I was left wondering if the bad guy would get his and yes he did. Brian Keene is awesome and worth the time to read on his creatures. If you ever watched survivor island you will have an understanding of this book since it is set on an island that is filming a show like survivor but had nasty creatures running a muck. You have to read it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I didn't know who Richard Laymon was before I read this book and after reading his work, I can honestly say that this is better than the four Laymon novels I have read. Castaways has that very interesting foundation for a plot: It's Survivor during a storm with ancient beasts that add that much-needed suspense. There were some points, however, where I was disappointed just a little bit, especially when one of the characters was revealed to be something other than what the others had assumed, yet it wasn't really followed up with his character past a certain point. It was, however, used to great effect to explain what could have been a major plot hole, so I can't complain too much. I love Keene's work, and Castaways is no exception to this, especially when it still manages to have subtle tie-ins to other works of Keene. One of my favorite books of his.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Very upset with this book. I have read numerous comparisons of this author to Richard Laymon...not even close in my opinion. I started this book with with high hopes and read two thirds of it before giving up because it was so boring, and I gave this book several chances before doing so. I have read alot of Laymon books and all of them have been page turners. i would not buy another book from Brian Keene if your looking for Richard Laymon type reads. Sorry Brian...but the book just took to long to get to some Laymon type supense and action...the rest of the book may have been great, but couldn't bear to wait any longer before giving up.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Keene presents his own origin of the hairy brutal killers that appeared in Richard Laymon's Beast House trilogy. The narrative is similar too, featuring a cast of mostly unlikeable characters, numerous of promises of death, mutilation and sexual torment, and an easy to follow plot. The glimmer of hope for Castaways is the basic premise of the a TV reality show, akin to Survivor, which offers a fresh angle for a slasher novel. Alas the concept is never fully realised and after the early chapters Castways becomes just another gore-laden horror novel. Of course, Keene and Laymon fans will lap it up.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of Richard Laymon's books in many ways, then I read the author's note at the end that this book was actually inspired by and dedicated to Laymon. I thought it was very current for the author to write about a Survivor-type reality show, since that seems to be the big thing on TV these days. I will definitely be reading more books by Brian Keene.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another creepy,grisly tale from the inventive mind of Brian keene. Here is is paying homage to Richard Laymon {BEAST HOUSE}--I think he would have loved this dark tale. I did. Keene ROCKS!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a rip roaring, fast, gory, monster tale dedicated to the late, and always fun to read, Richard Laymon. There's not a lot of depth to be found. But, forgive me if I'm wrong, that's the point. That's the fun of reading a novel like this. You get blood, guts, nudity, sex (well, rape really), action and enough plot to keep the story going. Characters are fleshed out effectively to give you those to root for and those to root against. That is the very reason this is a fun read in the same vain as Laymon. Keene, as was Laymon, is a talented enough writer to pull this off and have fans asking for more.Plus, there is a reference to The Warriors, an excellent movie.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love this one , it keeps you on the edge of your seat. so sad its over.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I don't know if it was the story itself or the reader.(I listened to this novel) but I couldn't totally get into this book. The reader gave the same 3 or 4 speech patterns to everyone. I will probably not try anymore of Mr. Keene's books this is third one and I guess I just don't like his style. That's too bad because the premises of all his books appeal to me. Too bad the actual writing doesn't. :(
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Great book. One of my best from Keene. It has a take on Laymon's style of creatures and others I wont mention but not too drastic and only ever appears in a short piece i the book. You will know what I am talking about if you have read Laymon's books.