Review: Time to Clean House
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 18, 2012
The big finale to The Island ( Fallen Earth) series by Michael Stark is finally here.  Before I go into the book I want to congratulate the author on finishing this serial, because oftentimes writers are unable to finish for whatever reason.That being said, I think part four was the apex, and a VERY tough act to follow.  It would be a daunting task for even experienced writers to maintain such a high level.  So I was expecting a bit of a let down in the Finale.My expectation was met, but for an unexpected reason.  You see, the cover art shows a mythical creature.  It is a tease, a promise to the reader that this creature would finally appear in the book.  It finally shows up in the last installment of The Island.  Alas, the encounter was brief and rather disappointing.  It goes out not with a bang, but with a whimper.  Michael Stark could have milked the encounter for every word he could have possibly tossed in.  Yet the author chose not to do so.  Instead he rushed it in order to set up William Hill's encounter with an evil creature, who offers a deal to save William's life.In his rush to reach this turning point, the author tosses aside the cast like discarded rag dolls.  Where were the funeral ceremonies for the dead comrades?  The pacing issue again rears its ugly head in the finale, albeit the pace was too FAST rather than slow.Overall The Island has been an entertaining series, even for a reader like myself who doesn't read horror stories.  The author's love of nature and outdoor is evident in this series, and occasionally he gets carried away discussing the finer points in fishing, boating, camping, etc.  My grade for the Finale is four stars, and my overall rating for The Island series is also four stars.