Review: Much Improved Writing, With ONE BIG ISSUE
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2012
When I read the second part of The Island (Fallen Earth), I really believe the story is going somewhere.  Michael Stark spends much of this part exploring the island of Portsmouth, through the eyes of our hero William Hill, and his band of stranded bedfellows on this island.  Again, the author goes in great details about the places and things uncovered by these new visitors to the island.Pacing continues to be an issue, and this is the reason why I deducted one star for my review.  If you are Woody Allen, you can go off on tangent points and people think you are a genius.  But when indie writers (including myself) go off on tangents, it's considered "rambling."  I agree that it is not fair Woody Allen should be excused for his ramblings, but life isn't fair sometimes.  Allow me to illustrate EXACTLY what I mean.***SPOILER ALERT****At location 1134, the text reads, "The movie makers know it too. They know exactly how the thought of being ambushed and eaten alive strikes an internal chord. . . .When he finds the monster and turns to run, they all know he's got seconds to live and the end won't be pretty."  William is inside the cockpit of his boat, and his senses are telling him something is wrong.  Why is there a need to suddenly think about Hollywood horror films?  It is a tangent point that, to me, ruins the flow of the suspense and tension that William is feeling in the cockpit.The author is working hard setting up the encounter with the winged devil.  This was THE highlight of the entire book!  Michael Stark is asking his readers to suspend their belief in a contemporary modern day world, and asking us to transition to a fantasy world filled with horrific creatures.  Unfortunately, I think the author ruined the mood with his excessive rambling.  Instead, he should have allowed the reader to let their own imagination run wild.***SPOILER ENDS***Michael Stark's writing ability has clearly improved in Part 2 of The Island.  Now if only he would learn to incorporate the phrase, "Less is more" into his writing.