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Blue Devil Island (Five Star Science Fiction and Fantasy Series) (Five Star Science Fiction and Fantasy Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Mark Rainey
Publisher: Five Star (ME)
Category: Book
Buy New: $25.95
New (4) Used (11) from $10.41
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 1160254
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 302
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 1594144427
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781594144424
ASIN: 1594144427
Publication Date: January 17, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic! October 15, 2007
Virginia Reader
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm not an expert on the Pacific aspect of WWII by any means, but this novel was so well written and so engaging, I was drawn right in and never felt "left behind." The characters were sympathetic and gritty, fighting the enemy they knew and could see and then facing a horrific, supernatural enemy they could only imagine. A great read for readers into WWII military tales as well as those looking for a very creepy horror novel.
great war novel with sci fi monster thrown in August 12, 2007
J. Dar (ithaca, new york USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
this book was recommended by the magazine g-fan which covers all things godzilla. it's an excellent novel about a fighter squadron on a pacific island during world war 2 with many mysterious happenings including a sub species on the island and a possible monster who lives in a volcano. i'm not usually one for war novels per se, but this was very engaging and quite a page turner and really has a wonderful wrap up with tragic deaths and a wild revelation. if you like things similar to godzilla you might really want to check this out.
 What a waste of a good flying novel... April 24, 2007
T. E. Vaughn (Chattanooga, Tennessee USA)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
That the author has more than a passing familiarity with World War II aviation is apparent. There are lots of details here about flying and fighting in the Solomon Islands. The air combat scenes, which abound, are reminiscent of the pulp fiction of writers like Arch Whitehouse. In fact, if it weren't for the adult language (which was how the combatants of the Greatest Generation actually spoke) this could have been a graphic novel or something for young adults.
The horror tie-in doesn't occur until almost halfway through the book and the rest of the novel alternates between the war in air against the Japanese and the war on Conquest Island against the man-beasts and the monster of the mountain. Sorry, but it just doesn't work for me. Comparisons between Rainey and H.P. Lovecraft are frequently made and they're probably valid, so if that's what you like, then read this book.
Thanks, Mr. Rainey for the flying scenes and seeing literary tips of the hat to the likes of Tom Blackburn and VF-17, but as for the rest, well, as I said, not for me.
One of the best Sci-Fi books I've read in a while... February 14, 2007
Matthew G. Melton (Thomasville, NC)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I love reading about the WWII era and fighter planes, I also love Sci-Fi, and this book delivers both in healthy doses.
Mr. Rainey conveys his deep passion for fighter combat in a way that draws you into the lives of the pilots and makes you feel as if you are there with them on the island, and on patrol with them in the air.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes Sci-Fi and/or the WWII era, it is absolutely engrossing and enjoyable. A fantastic read.
reminiscent of the black and white terror novels of the 1950's February 3, 2007
Harriet Klausner
9 out of 16 found this review helpful
The year is 1943 and Lieutenant commander Drew McLachlan along with his pilots who are flying in their new F6F-3 Hellcat land on their new base of operations on Conquest Island in the Solomon Island chain in the South Pacific. Their mission is the push the Japanese off Bougainville and the patriotic Navy pilots run many necessary and down many enemy aircraft.
They should feel joyous because they are not losing too many men or planes but conditions on Conquest are slowly deteriorating. The men hear noises in the jungle yet flyover shows no tribe has ever lived there. In the cave where the aviation fuel is stored, a rumbling is heard. Beast men attack the marines and pilots and a monster is seen on top of the mountain. It is getting into the military men's thoughts and Drew believes it is intelligent and evil just like the beast men with their clawed hands, unusual jaw formation and other abnormities but are intelligent and in league with the monster. Between the Japanese attacking the island and the native monsters on it, Drew wonders if any of the men will make it out alive.
This is a horror novel reminiscent of the black and white terror novels of the 1950's. Stephen Mark Raines pays homage to Lovecraft in BLUE DEVIL ISLAND, an action packed thriller that slowly reveals the truth about the beast-men and the monster. The patriotism and courage of the military stationed on the island enables readers to understand why the Greatest Generation enlisted and were willing to die for the ideals their country stands for; the audience hopes they can defeat the enemy from within and without.
Harriet Klausner
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