Review - Fragment by Warren Fahy

Title Fragment

Author Warren Fahy

Pages 488

Year 2009
Reading Time 6 days (June 2010)

Rating 7.5 out of 10

I have always enjoyed books with strange phenomenons, odd animals that make ye wonder, mysteries and such.. so when I saw this book I knew it was a must have. I bought it and read it. This is a author to check out later.

The book begins with the introduction of several characters, giving us too much description and large background for all. I think it was unnecessary because some of the characters disappear around page 50 or 60. It was a little confusing with all the names and characteristics (most of it was not necessary). Then another set of characters appears and again we find ourselves in their life. Apart from two or three characters I found it hard to connect to them. Nell (our main character) was one of the few exceptions along with Geoffrey and Andrew. I also found Cynthia the show producer plausible alongside Zero the cameramen.

This tale begins with the discovery of an island that was isolated from all biological contact with the outside world. There a strange and unique forms of life flourish. One good thing, though is the menagerie of beasts that inhabit Henders Island. Spigers and Henders wasps are cool. Still, I kind of wish they hadn't almost all been arthropods, with a few exceptions seeming to be the "trees". Suffice to say that it was the most lethal ecosystem on the planet, where every living being, plant and animal, is hostile to one another. The environment he envisions is nothing short of terrifying, and the chapters in which the island is explored are easily the best of the book.

The crew of the show are drawn to the island by an emergency beacon from an abandoned sailboat. After the first bloody encounter prompting a naval quarantine and full-scale scientific expedition that uncovers many of the island's mysteries - and illustrates the threat they could pose to the world.

I think the author has gone lenghtly far to put into developing the inhabitants of his own little lost world. In the back of the book there are some drawings and explanations of some of the inhabittants. In his website we find several dozen sketches and drawings.

On the downside the rest of the novel didn't receive the same degree of thought and attention with two dimensional characters with few exceptions. Even the bad guys are not that good (?). The ending was what I expected. Something that gives you time to wonder in a sequel (if this book succeeds). If not the ending is satisfactory. (The ending was a hollywood likewise).

Now the science part... that's the hardest to explain. The author tries to give an scientific explanation like Crichton used to do. He gives us a history of island and inhabitants and how the evolution evolved. Some of the creatures are quite good as I said before but some are ridiculous (like the giant ones) in a small island. I know they evolved from a pre-historic continent but they should have died by now. But that was not enought for enjoying the explanation.