{Review} ISLANDS - THE EPIDEMIC by Patricia Smith

ISBN #: 978-1500404147

Page Count: 170

Copyright: June 29, 2014

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Book Description:

(Taken from back cover)

Six months into an experiment to prove self-sufficiency is possible at the bottom of the sea, a war breaks out, and soon after, the five hundred specialists lose contact with the surface.

Islands-The Epidemic is the first in the Islands Trilogy.

Charlene's Review:

As select individuals prepare to spend the next two years underwater in the "Sea Dome Project", those left behind on the mainland face food shortages and impending war. As things intensify, an airborne Ebola virus is released and is spreading quickly. When the Dome can no longer contact anyone from the surface, a handful of residents decide they must return to find out the fate of their loved ones, despite the threat of imminent death.

This is another cliff hanger from Ms. Smith. Similar in many ways to her previous novel, Distant Suns, there is the element of sci-fi and taming unknown lands, as well as a threat to life as we know it. Epidemic takes the suspense a bit further by introducing a topic that has recently been newsworthy. There is also a lot more detail amid the suffering, some downright cringe-worthy.

Once again, Ms. Smith has a tremendous talent for getting the reader to identify with the characters individual personalities. As she presents the fates of the characters loved ones, and inevitably, the characters themselves, I could truly feel the emotions present. She packs a powerful story in a compact edition. Being from England, her writing style is a bit different, and I had to look up "strewth" after seeing it in her work, repeatedly. I enjoy her stories tremendously, and felt it ended all too soon, and wait in anticipation for the next installment.


*A physical copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.