May 2020 Group Read #2: CASTAWAYS, by Brian Keene

[Kimberly]

Our #2 Group read for May 2020 is CASTAWAYS, by Brian Keene.

Please remember to use percentage marks and spoiler tags when necessary.

Have fun!

[Kimberly]

I just read this one recently and enjoyed it. I can't wait to join in on the discussion.

[Zen]

This one wasn't on my radar, so I'm looking forward to it. The description has me very hooked!

[Olivia]

I also read this not too long ago, I’m a huge fan of Brian Keene in general and it will be nice to talk about one of his novels!

[Dawn]

Hi! I just finished this so will be very curious what others think!

[Kasia]

Read it a while ago, will pop in to see the comments :)

[Skye]

I’ve read Dead Sea by Brian Keene recently and was looking at reading another of his so this is perfect timing.

[Marie]

I have had this on my kindle for a couple of years - so this is perfect! I will be joining in on this read! :)

[Rob]

I read this some 2 years ago but will not disclose my thoughts at this stage. Eager to hear what fellow aficionados think😀

[Kimberly]

Rob wrote: "I read this some 2 years ago but will not disclose my thoughts at this stage. Eager to hear what fellow aficionados think😀"

Ironically, I read this one just a few months ago, so I am also interested in everyone's thoughts!

[Rodrigo]

I find Brian Keene an amazing writer of apocalyptic horror. So far I've read The Rising, City of the dead (sequel of Rising) , Conqueror Worm and Deluge:conqueror worms 2. All 5 star reading.
Too bad I'm currently involved in several projects or id join as well. Been in my to read list for a long time!

[William]

I’m in too! Excited for my first groupread.

[Pixelina]

I am already halfway through, I got it on audible and will most likely finish it in one sitting. Its gory, campy and killed off my fave person early.

[Robby]

Read this back in 2012. Loved it. Always compared it to Jack Ketchum's "OFF SEASON". Looking forward to reading the variety of opinions on this book. I know everyone will enjoy this one; why else would one be in this club but for reads like this...……..[ HAPPY NIGHTMARES ].

[William]

I'm curious how much Brian Keene actually watches Survivor. I'm still early in the book (no fit has hit the shan quite yet) but it's striking me just how well these characters match up with people who I remember seeing in the early seasons of the show, and the alliances that they're talking about forming. He really nailed the "Survivor: Season #3-10" vibe. None of the characters feel like paper-thin stereotypes so far, which is great.

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)]

That's hilarious. 😂 Maybe it started as Survivor fanfic.

[Marie]

Starting this either tonight or tomorrow! :)

[Zen]

20% in and the setup is complete. Let the games begin!

[Ana]

I’m loving this book. Reading it faster than I thought I would. Can’t wait to hear thoughts!!

[Zen]

Someone on Twitter mentioned we should have taken odds on the characters survival rates. I agree with them that the odds aren't good for any of them. Wow, this is a fast moving and fun read!

[Rodrigo]

Finished today!

Must say wasn't my favourite from Mr. Keene, but entertained for the couple afternoons it took me to read through this quarantine.

I can't say I was blown away by it - was just ok. Back in the 2000s I remember watching quite a lot of films about monsters and people trapped: the hills have eyes, wrong turn, the descent... to be point I got tired of this sort of narrative.

So maybe the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as others is because the whole setting and premise has gotten quite old for me. It's like reading the same story, but with different characters.

The whole book had a Richard Laymon feeling and the Authors Note at the end then shines a light as to the origins of this work, which I wasn't aware of.

Final mention to the character of Troy. My favourite since he first opened his mouth!

[Kimberly]

I thought the "Survival" reality TV premise was entertaining. It reminded me of when those first came out. (view spoiler)[ Only this one had a lot better action. (hide spoiler)]

[Josh]

I read (listened to) this 3 years ago and I still remember it! Might need to have a re-read seeing as I rated it only 3 stars (it feels like it should be a 5 star books).

My thoughts from 3 years ago: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kelly]

My copy came in today! I love the art style of the cover!
Can't wait to read it.

[Chandler]

I started yesterday and halfway through. So far, so good! It's fast-paced and exciting! It's surprisingly humorous at times and then I'm humbled by another brutal kill. Hoping to finish it tomorrow!

[Najila]

Just started reading this and it is super face paced like others have said. I’m one third of the way through and it’s keeping me at the edge of my seat. Will probably finish it by this weekend.

[Spyros]

I'm 60% into it and I must say I don't like it that much. I find the writing bad at times, the reactions of the characters to some incidents seem awkward to me. Also there are many "convenient" incidents taking place. More to come when I finish it.

[Zen]

Almost finished with this one. I can absolutely see why some of you have compared it to Open Season. There are a few scenes that are almost exact. Still, fun read and I want to see how this all ends.

[Marie]

53% into the book - what a romp of fun! Brian Keene knows how to write the fun stuff! :)

[Najila]

I’m on page 196, about 100 pages left. The book has me really queasy. It contains one of my absolute fears as a woman and because of that I’m not enjoying it as much as I thought I would be. It hurts my stomach and actually gave me nightmares. ☹️

[Spyros]

Okay, this just didn't work for me. I had so many issues with the writing. My full review below.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Marie]

This was another great read by Keene! Finished it yesterday! It definitely reminded me of reading a Laymon book! :)

[Tyler]

I have started it and just read the first chapter. I'm interested. I haven't watched Survivor at all, though I know of the show.

[Tyler]

I've read the first 3 chapters for tonight. It looks like it'll be a fun read.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I thought the book goes over very familiar territory, but done well if judged strictly as a vacation beach read (hehe). I like more wit or satire in stories. For me this was a two star novel.

I have a large quibble (view spoiler)[ about the creatures wanting to rape the women. First, why would they stop at raping women and not rape the men, too? They are not human, but they like the apertures of people. Men have small apertures too. It really shows the author is very hetrosexual in his attitudes or he was aiming at male hetro readers only - don't forget these are non-human rapist creatures who like to rape humans before eating them. They absolutely would rape the men! Logically. (hide spoiler)]

[William]

Okay. Spoilers below, but I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book. The characters were ridiculous, sure, but if you've ever watched Survivor, then their absurd personalities do kind of fit with the types of people who end up on the show. (Keene calls the show Castaways, but we all know what's going on here). The beginning of the book built suspense really well, with the storm approaching and the cryptids moving in, and the first few kills were gory and fantastic to read. All of my problems just came from missed opportunities in the last third. Keene seemed to set up some big, fun twists, but didn't follow through with them.

Spoilers incoming, but be warned that I don't quite get how to do spoiler tags on Goodreads yet:

(view spoiler)[ Stefan and Matthew as human baddies felt wasted. Matthew got a couple of kills early on, then just went away. Stefan was near the chopper, dead-set on being the sole survivor, only to get ignored in the climax. Their disappearances just left me feeling bored and deflated.

(view spoiler)[ The cryptids kills got old after a while. Although the deaths on the beach were shocking and grotesque, by the end when Shonnette (?) got pulled limb from limb, it just felt like more of the same.

(view spoiler)[ AND WHAT WAS WITH THE ELDER GOD REFERENCES WITH NO FOLLOW THROUGH!? In the cave especially, the cryptids had drawings of octopus-headed bipedals, and I was on the edge of my seat looking for some sort of a higher enemy to rear its ugly head.

But all of those threads just got left behind, in favor of (view spoiler)[ everybody getting to the chopper and escaping. Which was a fine ending, it just felt like a lot got left on the table. I'd be interested to hear about Keene's writing process for this book. Were those red herrings that he had ideas for, but which got left on the cutting room floor? (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

William wrote: "Okay. Spoilers below, but I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book. The characters were ridiculous, sure, but if you've ever watched Survivor, then their absurd personalities do kind of f..."

Great job on the spoiler tags! I have to say, I agree with your comments there.

[William]

Kimberly wrote: "William wrote: "Okay. Spoilers below, but I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book. The characters were ridiculous, sure, but if you've ever watched Survivor, then their absurd personalit..."

That's a relief! I re-edited the spoiler tags about 10 different times, trying to make sure I didn't mess that up for anybody.

[Kimberly]

William wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "William wrote: "Okay. Spoilers below, but I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book. The characters were ridiculous, sure, but if you've ever watched Survivor, then their ..."

It took me FOREVER to figure those things out at first!!! LOL!

[Naomi]

25% in, I'm finding it tacky but fun. The writing is pretty basic. I like Troy.

[Tyler]

I've read 11 chapters and it's fun so far. Basic, but fun.

[Pixelina]

I read it in a sitting via audible and it was campy fun! Exactly what I wanted.

[Tyler]

I finished, and over-all really enjoyed it. I gave it 4.25 stars.

[Bo]

Read about the first quarter last night. The writing is unambitious for sure, but after Mothman Prophecies, it's nice to have a coherent narrative.

[Kasia]

Spyros wrote: "Okay, this just didn't work for me. I had so many issues with the writing. My full review below.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Totally agree!

[gjh7]

I won't mince my words. Utter tosh. Reads like it was written by an adolescent boy in the 80s. Horribly misogynistic, cliched beyond hope. Mercifully it was very short.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

gjh7 wrote: "I won't mince my words. Utter tosh. Reads like it was written by an adolescent boy in the 80s. Horribly misogynistic, cliched beyond hope. Mercifully it was very short."

Agreed.

[Rodrigo]

For anyone disappointed with this book - who is not familiar with Brian Keene's work, I strongly suggest looking at his apocalyptic books, especially the Earthworm Gods series.

Castaways was written as a tribute to Richard Laymon, so it's quite different in style and narrative from what Keene usually writes. I personally didn't enjoy it too that much - guess I've read and watched way too many book/films with this sort of premise that now it just falls flat on me.

[Kaity]

I didn’t love or hate it. I thought the ideas and basic story were fun. But, the ending I was not impressed with. The author’s note did do a lot of explaining on the points of why he took the story in a specific direction and where his thought process was, so I did appreciate that. It was definitely campy and like watching a B (or even C) horror film, which I thought was a fun change of pace for myself at least. But yes, I do agree that the writing was... not the best.

[Ana]

I agree with another group member, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it!! I’ve read Keene and love his writing style. I’d start out reading others especially The Rising!!