In the late eighteen hundreds a British sea captain named Henders discovered the island, but at that time there was no obvious way to get to the interior of the remote isle, surrounded as it was by sheer cliffs. An attempt by a crew member to get on the island through a crack in the cliff ended in his death.

The decision making people on the staff of SeaLife decide that Henders Island should be their destination. They set up their equipment to broadcast live from the scene. Only a portion of their crew lives to see the result of their efforts. The island is inhabited and not by any sort of plant or animal species know to modern man. To make matters worse, the beings that live there are decidedly not friendly, hence the immediate loss of life of all but two members of the delegation sent to find a way onto the island.

Because Nell is one of the two people who have managed to escape the unfriendly place, she decides to chronicle what she saw on her brief visit. The creatures she encountered were unlike any she had seen in her life. Apparently life on this island evolved in a much different direction since this bit of solid land split off from a larger body a half billion years ago. Mindful of the fact that alien (foreign) species introduced into a new ecosystem can rake havoc with the delicate balance already in place among the existing organisms, Nell is cautious about making another attempt to gain access to the interior of Henders.

As is often the case when the media and the government get involved, rational thought tends to go out the window. Since it seems that the island is populated by species that are capable of dispatching people with expediency, the government would like to aid Mother Nature who has been offering up increasingly violent earthquakes on Henders. The word from the powers that be in Washington is a nuclear bomb should be detonated on the island as soon as possible. In this way no opposing government could use any of the existing species as a means of biological warfare. The scientists along on the expedition with the reality television crew are not so sure. They would like to learn a little more about the island ecosystem which, of course, won’t happen if the island is nuked.

What at first blush appears to be a crossover book connecting science fiction with thrillers has, in fact, more of a message. The book can obviously be read for its entertainment value, consuming more than a few hours on a boring plane trip,  However, what can be learned from a  ecosystem that has evolved so differently from our own might give one pause for more serious thought. Of course the “life” that exists on Henders Island boggles our minds, but the basic principle holds true.

Fahy has done a commendable job making his island world believable. He has answers for why no alien sea creatures have cohabited the land, or why long ranging birds are not found on the island. Scientists with extensive biochemical background may find inconsistencies in his descriptions, but a more detailed explanation would lose most of his lay audience after the first few paragraphs.

The characters in the novel are numerous, and initially it is difficult to keep them all straight. They are all pretty flamboyant, or eccentric, or egotistic. They seem to represent stereotypes, though I mean this in a good way. The focus of this book is on the activity rather than the people. The author seems to go out of his way to avoid pairing people up and creating romantic relationships. One notable exception is Nell whom we get to know a bit more about. What could easily have been a rather trite basic premise with the reality show concept evolved into a much more meaningful story. The value of isolated ecosystems should not be underestimated.

--Andy Plonka