I always talk about Brian Keene in the highest of respects. He is one of my favorite horror writers and I always look forward to what ideas he’s going to type on paper next. CASTAWAYS, his next book to be released by Leisure Fiction in 2009, is based on a short story he wrote which has appeared in his book of short stories “FEAR OF GRAVITY” as well as “In Laymon’s Terms”. Speaking of Richard Laymon; Keene wrote this book and dedicated it to him and it is also an ode to Laymon’s Beast House series. CASTAWAYS is a different kind of story in a whole for Keene. I’ve read a lot of Keene’s books in my time, and this is unlike any other book he has ever written, one might say that the ghost of Richard Laymon was by his side when he wrote it. This is more than just a book about horrific monsters, it also focuses on the horror of the human mind as well.
CASTAWAYS has a pretty simple plot ripped right right from the reality television show SURVIVOR. It’s is, just that. A reality television show called CASTAWAYS is being shot on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. It seems that all is well, as the contestants battle one another for a million dollars and hope to be the last one left on the island. But a storm is approaching the island, a typhoon to be exact. As stated in their contracts however, the contestants must stay on the island during the storm, simply because that makes for good television. Little do they know that they are not the only intelligent beings on the remote island. A tribe of monsters lives deep within the islands cave system, a tribe on the brink of extinction, and they have a plan for their new visitors. Kill the men for food, and kidnap the women for breeding purposes.
Keene introduces us to many characters in this book all of which are extremely well written and detailed. Each character has a different personality and background. I’m not going to go into detail about each of the character as to preserve the mystery of each one for you the person who is about to go and buy this book. But just to give you a little taste you have your good and bad people in the book, as well as the creatures. The book is not only story driven, but character driven as well. Keene paces the plot with both details in the story and with his characters so there is a perfect balance between the two.
What I meant above by saying that this is a book that is unlike any other Keene book ever written before was mainly the little thing that stand out in the book about our world and society today. In the book of I have read of Keene’s I rarely noticed any revolving social issues within his stories. Sure some of the more obvious ones where in some of his books like TERMINAL and GHOUL. But Keene lets it all out in this one. He brings to light issues of consumerism, the inhuman condition, terrorism and even things such as cooperate greed. There is also this whole survival story in the mix, where you wonder who are the real ones trying to survive in this story, the people on the island or the monsters that inhabit it. Some people may think that I’m may be looking into this horror novel to deep, trying to find meaning. But the fact of the matter is that Keene is trying to do more than get a cheap scare out of you with this book, he’s also trying to enlighten and educate reader about real social problems. In fact you can look at this as being Keene’s DAWN OF THE DEAD in a sense. And in case you don’t understand why I’m saying this; George Romeo’s classic 1978 zombie flick had a lot to do with the many issues I listed above.
Overall, I not going to say that this is my favorite of Keene’s books because I do have a particular fond for GHOUL and TERMINAL, but CASTAWAYS is without a doubt one of his best written stories. It’s obvious that Keene not only poured his heart and soul into this one, but the fact that it was a tribute to his mentor and friend Richard Laymon I think really helped Keene rise to a new level. This is a book written with a lot of heart. Anyone can write a basic story with a plot like this but Keene made it more than that. He took his love for Laymon’s BEAST HOUSE Series, combined it with things that bothered him about the world, and his favorite reality television show and made into a great and powerful book. CASTAWAYS is a story that is more than a story, it’s mean, smelly and dirty, and I’m not just talking about the creatures in this book, but some of the characters as well. For Keene fans this one is going to be a real treat.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
