Fragment

Starred review from March 23, 2009
Fahy’s imaginative debut puts a fresh spin on the survival-of-prehistoric-beasts theme popularized by Jurassic Park
. When members of the cable reality show SeaLife
, aboard a ship in the South Pacific, respond to a distress beacon from Henders Island, several of the show’s scientists wind up slaughtered by bizarre animals on the remote island. In response, the U.S. government blockades Henders Island to contain the serious biothreat its unique fauna could pose to humanity. The ship’s botanist, Nell Duckworth, joins the investigative team, which quickly finds that arthropods on the island have evolved into sophisticated and ferocious life forms. Particularly memorable and frightening are the creatures Nell dubs “spigers,” which have eight legs and are “twice the size of a Bengal tiger.” Exciting debates on topics like the role of sexual reproduction in the development of life on Earth provide a sound scientific background.

May 1, 2009
The cast and crew of a TV reality series get more than they bargained for when they land on a remote, unexplored Pacific island. Within minutes, they are attacked by lethal superpredators unknown to science, creatures that appear to have evolved in a completely different direction from all other life on Earth. Is the island's ecosystem threatened by human contact? Actually, it's more likely that these creatures will bring catastrophe to the rest of the world. Though hardly subtle in plot or characterization, this debut thriller effectively combines bone-chomping, blood-spurting action-adventure mayhem with intriguing (if improbable) scientific speculation. The subject matter and the author's acknowledgments may inspire some readers to explore the late Stephen Jay Gould's "Wonderful Life" and other nonfiction titles about the early evolution of life and the many bizarre shapes it has taken. Suitable for anyone who likes fast-paced action adventure with a speculative scientific edge.Bradley Scott, Brighton Dist. Lib., MI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2009
Imagine a lush tropical island in the South Pacific teeming with bloodthirsty animals and plants. Henders Island is not your traditional vacation getaway. Its an isolated enclave where evolution has taken a radically different route for the past 500 million years. Jungles of bloodsucking trees teem with two-ton beasts that are a cross between tigers and spiders, the grass exudes sulfuric acid, and flying insects can bore through polycarbonate windows. A research vessel crewed with young, attractive scientists in the employ of a popular reality TV show, Sealife, happens upon the remote island, and the crew decides to go ashore and see the sights. Unfortunately for them, and to the shock of the couch potatoes viewing from their living rooms, the sights are quite vicious and quite hungry. The blood really flows in this page-turner, so dont get too attached to the characters as they wont be around for too many more pages. Fragment closely follows the patented Michael Crichton style, where stuffy scientific theories are extrapolated into an outlandish yet strangely fascinating plotline. Highly recommended for all popular collectionsa perfect read for poolside this summer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)