Book #12 – Hell Island

Delaney had mentioned this as another Matthew Reilly book and while I was traveling, I stopped by a Barnes and Noble and found Hell Island. I read it on the plane home, and it was a fun, though short and predictable read.

It takes place between Scarecrow and Scarecrow returns. A decommissions aircraft carrier stops off at Hell Island, an Island that doesn’t appear on any maps, having been used by the US as a research station after WWII. Scarecrow’s team is sent in, along with a Seal Team, a Ranger squadron, and the Air Force’s 182nd.

We can guess that something strange is happening. The 182nd leader assumes charge, arrogantly and doesn’t listen to Scarecrow. The groups are all killed, torn apart by some strange enemy. Scarecrow realizes that the radio transmissions are a problem and orders his team to switch to a new frequency and channel.

We quickly realize this is an experiment gone wrong, and Scarecrow just manages to escape, with just Mother and a few others.

This book was written for Australian schools, as a way to get kids interested. Only a little over 100 pages, it’s short, quick, not much development of characters. Still, if you’re wondering what happened here (it’s mentioned in Scarecrow Returns), read it.