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Island King
Some secrets, committed to the ground by careful hands, need to stay buried.
Tien and Matt don’t care about that—they’re just fulfilling their obligations to the TV show that made them famous. They survived, vote after vote, as the game progressed. Now, they have to survive one more challenge, and the fate of humanity is at stake.
They have to prove one more time who is the Island King.
Tien and Matt don’t care about that—they’re just fulfilling their obligations to the TV show that made them famous. They survived, vote after vote, as the game progressed. Now, they have to survive one more challenge, and the fate of humanity is at stake.
They have to prove one more time who is the Island King.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2016
59 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Ike Hamill
54 books189 followersIke Hamill writes fast-paced horror novels with strong, relatable characters. His books have gained a steady following amongst readers who enjoy his blend of sci-fi, paranormal, occult, and suspense. Whether focused on a small family trying to survive the move to a haunted house, or following a band of angry rebels determined to withstand an apocalypse, his stories draw the reader into the lives of real people in crisis. Readers are always sad to leave the characters behind when the book is finished.
Reviewers compare Ike to Dean Koontz and Stephen King—two of his favorite authors. His narrative often jumps between interwoven stories, presenting readers with a fresh perspective and keeping them guessing until the last chapter. Most of Ike’s readers are repeat customers. Pick up one of his books to learn why.
Reviewers compare Ike to Dean Koontz and Stephen King—two of his favorite authors. His narrative often jumps between interwoven stories, presenting readers with a fresh perspective and keeping them guessing until the last chapter. Most of Ike’s readers are repeat customers. Pick up one of his books to learn why.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 30, 2016
Loved this book. Ike Hamill does it again. a real keeper for me. do yourself a favor and buy this book.
December 4, 2018
It pains me to give one of Hamill’s novels such a low rating but this book was just bad. The main issue was the complete lack of characterization which made me completely indifferent to what happened to them. I had basically checked out by the 50% mark and the plot going absolutely bonkers around 80% killed this one for me. Hamill’s The Vivisectionist is firmly in my top fifty novels of all time but this one did nothing for me. The man in black fled across the desert and I followed... Unfortunately.
May 7, 2020
Ike Hamill’s Island King is a fun little adventure with some interesting tongue-in-cheek humor about reality TV. (Unlike Fiero’s Pizza, the humor worked in this one). Matt and Tien were part of a reality TV show called “Island King,” and they’re returning to the island of Tapiberu for a reunion episode. Tien was the winner of their season, although Matt feels he should have won. When they arrive on the island, Tien is surprised that they aren’t greeted by a camera crew and the producers. Matt thinks this is just the start of whatever curve balls will be thrown at them and determines to immediately find shelter, food, and water. Meanwhile, Audra and Odell are looking for some sort of treasure, and they’ve found a scuttled ship that now holds… nothing. Odell is sure the treasure’s been buried on the island. When the captain of their boat gets a message that there’s some local unrest and says he’s leaving, Odell talks Audra into going to the island with him. On the other side of the island, on the neighboring, larger island, Brooke witnesses an explosion and a wave of people cutting off heads and capturing her fellow tourists. An athlete, she swims to nearby Tapiberu to try to get away from the deadly attack.
The question of whether any given thing was arranged by the producers goes on for a while; apparently the production company has a history of throwing monkey wrenches into things and even breaking the fourth wall occasionally. So when the various people come together, and encounter Don and Hillary and their camera crew, and witness what appears to be the destruction of the boat on which the rest of the TV crew was waiting, no one’s quite sure what’s real and what’s fake. Don and Hillary start suspecting each other of being in on something the higher-ups are up to. Matt seems to have gone a little bit ’round the twist, and views everything that happens as part of some sort of TV show plot. He’s sure that Brooke is an actress, and that the mysterious tunnels Audra and Odell find are there for him and Tien to explore. This is a lot of fun, even as you want to give Matt a shake and tell him to snap out of it.
There are tunnels with traps and puzzles. There’s a paranormal presence on the island that only eventually becomes clear. There are some sort of terrorists(?) running around making things much more dangerous. It makes for an intriguing adventure novel.
It feels a little loose around the edges. There are details that only kind-of get explained. We’re left wondering for quite some time why the bad guys seem to be so set on chasing down Brooke, to the point where they even ignore some of the other people for a while. The ending has a bit of a problem of scale, where something really large seems dependent on something really small (trying not to spoil anything here). Some of the details could have been tightened up a little.
Hamill’s books cover a wide range of subjects and formats. They vary widely in quality, but I keep coming back to them because his books are always interesting.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/05/r...
The question of whether any given thing was arranged by the producers goes on for a while; apparently the production company has a history of throwing monkey wrenches into things and even breaking the fourth wall occasionally. So when the various people come together, and encounter Don and Hillary and their camera crew, and witness what appears to be the destruction of the boat on which the rest of the TV crew was waiting, no one’s quite sure what’s real and what’s fake. Don and Hillary start suspecting each other of being in on something the higher-ups are up to. Matt seems to have gone a little bit ’round the twist, and views everything that happens as part of some sort of TV show plot. He’s sure that Brooke is an actress, and that the mysterious tunnels Audra and Odell find are there for him and Tien to explore. This is a lot of fun, even as you want to give Matt a shake and tell him to snap out of it.
There are tunnels with traps and puzzles. There’s a paranormal presence on the island that only eventually becomes clear. There are some sort of terrorists(?) running around making things much more dangerous. It makes for an intriguing adventure novel.
It feels a little loose around the edges. There are details that only kind-of get explained. We’re left wondering for quite some time why the bad guys seem to be so set on chasing down Brooke, to the point where they even ignore some of the other people for a while. The ending has a bit of a problem of scale, where something really large seems dependent on something really small (trying not to spoil anything here). Some of the details could have been tightened up a little.
Hamill’s books cover a wide range of subjects and formats. They vary widely in quality, but I keep coming back to them because his books are always interesting.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/05/r...
December 30, 2016
Another excellent book by Ike Hamill!! An unlikely group of people (a crew of a 'survivalist' type TV show called ISLAND KING, an athlete, a couple of scientists, and a couple of the 'survivalist' TV show cast,who are stranded on an island come together in a thrilling adventure with lots of supernatural twists and turns. When it started, I thought it was going to be a story similar to his book, INHABITED, but it was totally different. It was a fast read, because you never knew what was going to happen next. After you read Island King, go back and read some of Ike Hamill's other books if you haven't read all of them yet!
August 16, 2020
Loved the Plot
I loved the plot. It mixed multiple storylines, that came together for one central theme. It makes you wonder if this hasn’t mirrored reality at some point. I got invested in the characters and wanted to follow them beyond the end of the story. Some of the things I like about Mr. Hamill, is he is unpredictable and not afraid to take out a primary character. His points tend to start out slow; but then I can’t put them down, towards the ending. I continue to be impressed with this author; and am looking to read everything he has published. I like the way he shares after the story; about how he came up with his ideas.
I loved the plot. It mixed multiple storylines, that came together for one central theme. It makes you wonder if this hasn’t mirrored reality at some point. I got invested in the characters and wanted to follow them beyond the end of the story. Some of the things I like about Mr. Hamill, is he is unpredictable and not afraid to take out a primary character. His points tend to start out slow; but then I can’t put them down, towards the ending. I continue to be impressed with this author; and am looking to read everything he has published. I like the way he shares after the story; about how he came up with his ideas.
September 16, 2020
I wasn't exactly sure what this story was about until I was at least 1/3 of the way in, when I began to realize things were not quite what they first appeared to be.
Well written with interesting characters, and the mystery and intrigue kept me guessing and wondering right up till the end. Actually, I still can't say I know exactly what had just happened right before I closed the book on the final chapter. I enjoyed it very much, and I guess that is all that really matters. It was fun and interesting while being a little bit tricky. I think most that like this type of story would enjoy it.
Well written with interesting characters, and the mystery and intrigue kept me guessing and wondering right up till the end. Actually, I still can't say I know exactly what had just happened right before I closed the book on the final chapter. I enjoyed it very much, and I guess that is all that really matters. It was fun and interesting while being a little bit tricky. I think most that like this type of story would enjoy it.
December 23, 2016
This was another great novel by Ike Hamill. This story takes place on a small, tropical island where two treasure hunters/ scientists, a reality show crew and two former contestants shooting a reunion special, and a woman on vacation who was running away from terrorists on the nearby bigger island all run in to each other. Ike Hamill does create interesting characters and in this novel, there are a lot, but not too many to keep track of. This is a great story for anyone who likes adventure and is a fan of reality tv.
May 30, 2018
Exciting and fun
If you like reality shows, or Indiana Jones, or supernatural stories, you'll love this book. I love reality shows so I couldn't wait to get into it. It pulled me in pretty fast, I read it in just a few days, anytime I had a free minute I opened it up. It moved at a good pace and kept me interested from beginning to end.
I feel like I got to know all of the characters and enjoyed the drama between them. The puzzles were engaging and it was fun trying to work through them. I look forward to reading more from this author.
If you like reality shows, or Indiana Jones, or supernatural stories, you'll love this book. I love reality shows so I couldn't wait to get into it. It pulled me in pretty fast, I read it in just a few days, anytime I had a free minute I opened it up. It moved at a good pace and kept me interested from beginning to end.
I feel like I got to know all of the characters and enjoyed the drama between them. The puzzles were engaging and it was fun trying to work through them. I look forward to reading more from this author.
October 18, 2022
Spooky
Awesome spooky tale! As I continue to read Ike Hamill, the more he reminds me of my first favorite author, Stephen King. Ike has the imagination of the younger Mr. King and can make the reader unable to put the book down. I think it’s neat that two of the best horror writers are both from Maine. Is there something in the water up there?
Awesome spooky tale! As I continue to read Ike Hamill, the more he reminds me of my first favorite author, Stephen King. Ike has the imagination of the younger Mr. King and can make the reader unable to put the book down. I think it’s neat that two of the best horror writers are both from Maine. Is there something in the water up there?
May 3, 2020
Hmm interesting
There's a lot of zigging and zagging with this story. You think ok this is where it's going then it goes somewhere completely different. Overall an enjoyable mystery/sci fi /horror novel.
There's a lot of zigging and zagging with this story. You think ok this is where it's going then it goes somewhere completely different. Overall an enjoyable mystery/sci fi /horror novel.
February 26, 2022
Tantalizing Horror
Not surprising, author Ike Hamill hits a home run with Island King. Horror at it's best. A fantastic plot with a myriad of characters. A great story that will certainly keep you turning the pages from beginning to end.
Not surprising, author Ike Hamill hits a home run with Island King. Horror at it's best. A fantastic plot with a myriad of characters. A great story that will certainly keep you turning the pages from beginning to end.
February 9, 2024
The beginning premise of former contestants returning to the island where their reality TV show was filmed was clever. I know Ike's books "get weird" and have supernatural elements but this one was a little too far out for me.
November 26, 2020
Really Really Good
This was a very interesting story! Ike has outdone himself with this one, and I am looking forward to reading more of his stories!
This was a very interesting story! Ike has outdone himself with this one, and I am looking forward to reading more of his stories!
June 7, 2021
Island King
Island King was very enjoyable. I liked the take on Survivor. Interesting how some characters refused they were not still playing the game.
Island King was very enjoyable. I liked the take on Survivor. Interesting how some characters refused they were not still playing the game.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews