I came across this looking for a book on the historical penal colonies of Australia, but found the concept described in the blurb of a modern day equivalent, set on an island off the Cornish coast and controlled by satellites and every security device afforded by the technological advances of our age too intriguing not to read and I’m so glad I did! I thought the author did a brilliant job of presenting it in a believable light, having considered all aspects and come up with a unique model; it could have so easily been dull and boring with little imaginative input. Herley’s knowledge has to be given credit for its part played in creating a convincing environment and story, though at times I felt he could have got away with describing things less without losing the reader. However, I admit everything was very ingeniously worked out and I wonder whether a male might take a different perspective on this point, plus I’m sure the minute details would interest people who work in fields related to the subjects in question. The choice to make the protagonist an innocent man sent there through a miscarriage of justice was a wise one in my eyes, as it allows the reader to put themselves in his shoes and imagine how they would cope if it happened to them. This is also aided in times of reminiscence, where one is able to see how completely average and similar to many of our lives his had been, while showing the stark contrast to where and how he must now live. It allows the reader to reflect on mainland ‘ordinary’ life and society and appreciate how much is taken for granted and how little a human needs in order to survive in an animal sense. The book brings in to question what would survive, be able to be rebuilt and recovered and what would discontinue if people are stripped of all they own. It also shows via the two separate communities how co-operation can advance a society, making it prosper.One aspect that did throw me off a little was the parallel undercurrent to biblical scriptures. For me, this took some of the believability factor away as it began to feel more like a contrived story than a real life scenario; I felt it was only necessary to take it as far as it being the perception of the antagonist, providing a reason for his actions. I can see for some this provides a welcome added dimension, but I felt the book may have been better standing alone in its own right as a story and one entirely separate from any previous tales.
Ok as for plot. Extensive descriptive language building up a world that never actually plays out the bad and evil but the reader is in no doubt that the bad and evil exist and to what a degree. For this alone the book should be getting 5 *. I am not an idiot. I know what a brutal murder and rape looks like and does not need to read it over and over again. So the fact that the author created a world in which I knew exactly what he means, talks about or alludes to without dragging me into that muck is amazing.On the other hand. The descriptive writing is looooong. It is very intense and wordy and tends to get a bit more than the average reader would like to cope with.The editing etc.Again worth 5 *. Expertly done.The premise.Not quite unique but the author sure knew how to put his own unique stamp on things and in that I think he did a brilliant job.The characters. Now here is where this author lost me. He wrote all of this to show how our main protagonists grows as a human. He puts him through trials etc and it all sounds amazing and romantic but it is not for this character got on my nerves from page one and as he grew he grew more and more annoying not less. By the end of the book I figured he deserved his fate and even though I am not tooooo clear on why the IRA was mentioned I actually wished he would drown and die. Now that said. Even though I could not stand the guy I stuck with the book. I started it, finished it and did not put it down for another. That is due to the authors ability to make you care for a human not the man. I find that amazing. WaAr
WOW what a book.It's set in the future and the main character Anthony John Routledge is sent out to the colony on Sert which isn't like mainland prisons.His wife was away and he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up getting charged with rape and murdering a woman.After been dropped on Sert via helicopter in the dead of the night, he awoke to be in a strange place and feeling fuzzy from been drugged.He is sent out from the village to fend for himself in the wilderness where other criminals live and barely survive.He nearly gets raped by some men he comes into contact with but accidentally die, after surviving this he then gets captured and taken to one of the other places where other criminals live. He is like a prized possession and all the other men who have taken to buggering each other which was a forbidden thing to be allowed to re-enter the village.Anthony manages to escape and manages to bide his time until the bell is rang for his time to get to the gate and be taken before the father to discuss whether he is worthy of a place in the village. He is allowed to stay and becomes an integral part of the village and works his way up and they find uses of his skills.I won't tell anymore as don't want to spoil it for anyone as this is a really great book and was very gripping but have to say for me the ending was a bit lacking.
—Janine
This wasn’t a bad book but, having read the high praise from several other reviews, I think I must have missed that “special something” that made this book stand out for other people. The story is centered on a man who, imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit, is dropped off by a helicopter on an island-based penal colony. Nobody else inhabits the island except for other prisoners who were put there because they were the worst of the worst. There are some worthwhile themes in this book. The ingenuity of the characters in the book in surviving and improving their lives under harsh conditions without modern comforts is impressive. The book also deals somewhat with the folly of prejudice and judgmental attitudes toward others. However, these themes are hardly unique to this book. The premise sounded interesting, and the story did hold some interest for me, but it didn’t grab me strongly. I also never really warmed up to any of the characters.I don’t think this book aged well. I hadn’t been reading very long before I started to wonder, “When was this book written?!” I’ve had this book on my Kindle for quite some time now, so I didn’t remember or check the publication date when I decided to read it. I was actually surprised when I looked it up and saw that it had been written as recently as 1987. I think it was mostly the attitudes of some of the characters that made the book feel dated to me. I think this is also the reason why I didn’t warm up to the characters. The main character was quite prejudiced, particularly earlier on in the story, and he also came across as having a naiveté that I found annoying. Although the book shifted focus to other characters occasionally, the majority of the book was spent in the point of view of the main character. There were some other characters that seemed interesting, but we never really got to know them very well.The ending felt rushed, and it lacked the level of detail that was given to the events leading up to the ending. I would have liked to know more about what happened in the end.
—YouKneeK
Penal Colony is the story of a falsely convicted convict Routledge who is sentenced to a remote island Sert, 25 miles off the north Cornish coast for life. Once there, his worst fears are realized, as the island is far worse than any maximum security prison. There are three groups in control of the island. The peaceful rule-abiding followers of the Father in the village, the men who live in an old lighthouse, and the men who live in Old Town.Routledge decides he wants to stay in the Village, but
—Serene
