The Isle of Thom

by Richard J. Miller

After a day of hot-air ballooning is ruined by a recurring quarrel, Jake and Rinah Richardson drive head-on into a fierce summer squall on Long Islands North Fork. Blinded by the flash storm, Jake inadvertently veers onto a narrow road to a small out-island, where they become stranded for the night. Already furious at him, Rinah adds this blunder to a growing list of offenses. Soon, they realize that the island is not an island at all but a living thing that is slowly taking them out to sea. Now Jake has to call on his cunning and creative resourcefulness to figure out a way to escape before the Isle of Thom takes them to a deep and watery grave.

148 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2016

Reviews

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Castaway" meets "Lost" with a dark twist.

The book is about a middle-aged couple who, on the way home from a ballooning trip with friends, finds themselves in a rain squall and must detour onto a road that takes them to an island. The next day, however, proves confusing, as the road, which should have reappeared with the ebb tide, is nowhere to be found. In addition, there are strange things going on on the island, and they soon find themselves in a desperate and very strange situation. Their experience gets stranger as they go, as they desperately attempt to get off an island that seems to have other plans for them.

The book is suspenseful, well-written, and packed with action and a well-thought-out plot. Events are spooky without straining credulity; the relationship between husband and wife adds a tension and dynamic to the story that does not detract from the main plot. The McGyver-ish details are fun and wild without, again, being unbelievable. It's just a fun ride. I agree with another reviewer that this would make a great movie.

This is a very entertaining, suspenseful, quick read of a novel. Dr. Miller, you have found your second calling! Please keep writing.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy.

[Jackie Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was one little scary book. Who would think such danger could occur on a island. The husband and wife are lost in a storm and end up on the Isle of Thom. While there they must work together to save their lives. Is filled with adventure and scary doings. Well written. Thanks to Goodreads and Mr. Miller.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a great read. It was so suspenseful I could not put it down. This book would make such a great movie-----PAY ATTENTION MOVIE PRODUCERS!!!!!!!! This book would make a fantastic movie. Thank you, Mr. Miller, and I look forward to reading more of your books.

[Leothefox · Rating 3 out of 5]

By picking up this self published book at a book sale at work, I was throwing caution to the winds and grabbing something far outside of my normal sphere of reading (that being, people who have been dead for a century or two). I'd resolved to read more living and self published people, and this time I was not burned for my trouble!

Over 138 fast moving pages, Richard J. Miller of Long Island weaves the tale of “The Isle of Thom”, which pits an older couple, Jake and Rinah Richardson, also of Long Island, against the island of the title. After a fight at a ballooning excursion, they are driving home in a storm, and end up going up a road that is not a road onto an island that is not... normal. We wind up getting closer with these two as they are forced into a strange struggle for survival.

Some reviewers compared this book to “Lost”, which might just be their way of saying that it can be both compelling and strange. There is a surreality to some of what goes on, but all to a defined purpose. In fact, little is wasted here, since details do often prove to be important down the line, as extraneous as they may initially appear. Reviewers also point out that this might make a good film, and it is cinematic at that, in fact, the teaser chapter at the start seems to hint at the monster movie genre.

I am not exactly writing a love letter to this book. I will say that I am deeply grateful that it turned out better than the self published opus I read before it, but almost anything would have been better than that.

Miller is writing what he knows, and part of that involves some borderline insufferable people. The Ricahrdsons spend time with old friends at the start where we learn about their time in Vietnam and how Jake came to meet his Israeli born French Canadian wife. You see, she ticks the exotic box and she can complain in French when her husband upsets her. Perhaps this is safety valve to avoid a typical “nagging spouse” voice in a disaster story, but I did roll my eyes at it a bit. The men gave me a little too much of a “man's man” vibe and their interests, which specific, where also believable in a dull sort of way. The dude wrote what he knows, for good or ill.

The island itself, a source of mysterious menace, has messy unpopulated houses on it and a shop the promptly collapses. The couple have to sleep under a shelter they make themselves and forage for garbage with which to survive. There is some welcome gross weirdness to the setting, although I think I would have liked it better with more mystery. We do get clues from a dream at one point, though. I guess I can't fault Miller for keeping his adventure grounded, at least in a fundamental sense.

“The Isle of Thom” is a solid read and quick. Miller keeps the suspense coming in the last act, setting the ticking clock more than once. My hat is off to his handling his craft with grace.

This is not the type of book I would normally pick up by any means, but for a gamble this reckless, I'm glad it turned out as well as it did. Now I'm off to read something old.

[Peter Bacotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, hope the author writes more.