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    Hell Island
    Hell Island
    Hell Island
    Ebook142 pages1 hour

    Hell Island

    By Matthew Reilly and Tyler Jacobson

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook


    Captain Shane Schofi eld and his elite team of marines is about to discover .     . .

    There is no hell like a man-made one.

    It is an island that doesn’t appear on any maps. A secret location where the government conducts classified experiments. Experiments that have gone terribly wrong. . . . When all contact with the mysterious island is suddenly and inexplicably lost, Captain Shane Schofi eld and four crack Special Forces units parachute in. Nothing prepares them for what they fi nd—the island is a testing ground for a deadly breed of genetically enhanced supersoldiers. You could say they’ve just entered hell, but this place is much, much worse. . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Books
    Release dateSep 28, 2010
    ISBN9781451627084
    Hell Island
    Author

    Matthew Reilly

    Matthew Reilly is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Four Legendary Kingdoms, The Tournament, The Great Zoo of China, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Six Sacred Stones, Seven Deadly Wonders, Ice Station, Temple, Contest, Area 7, Scarecrow, and Scarecrow Returns, as well as the children’s book Hover Car Racer and the novella Hell Island. His books have been published in more than twenty languages in twenty countries, and he has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide. Visit him at MatthewReilly.com and at Facebook.com/OfficialMatthewReilly.

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    Reviews for Hell Island

    3.5/5

    218 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      its definatly a short read, fast and well paced, it was ok, i prefer longer books :)
    • 3/5
      I think that I would call this book the literary equivalent of a popcorn film. Not strong on substance but definitely full of action. A good escapist read.
    • 2/5
      Another Scarecrow novel, about the same as the rest.
    • 4/5
      Typical Reilly - fun read as long as you don't think to much and don't mind innumerable excited italics and 'cliffhanger' chapter endings.
    • 4/5
      am a huge Matthew Reilly fan, so I was interested to see how this novella would pan out compared to his novels. Although very short, with a totally absurd plot, "Hell Island" was still a fun, action-packed read. Matthew Reilly knows how to capture his readers and take them on a roller-coaster ride. It was great to have Scarecrow and Mother as the main protagonists. Along with Jack West Jr, they are my favourite Reilly characters and I love that I can always trust this author to write an entertaining, high-octane adventure. I just wish he was a more prolific writer.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars It was a fun, quick, action-packed read. If you are looking fora deep literary masterpiece you are in the wrong place. It's meant to be blood, guts and glory and that's what it is.
    • 2/5
      Another Scarecrow novel, about the same as the rest.
    • 5/5
      Classic Elite Troops dropped on an island to find out what happened
    • 4/5
      This is a great novella that bridges the gap between Scarecrow and Scarecrow and the army of thieves and allows for some characterisation of the main character. What's that you say? Characters in Matthew Rielly books?? Yes believe it or not this book gives us a nice look in Shane's state of mind after the terrible losses he incurred during the previous mission.

      It's the age old 'greater good' debate and when crusty military minds start breeding apes and grafting them with technology that allows them to be controlled the comes up with a substitute for sending American men and women off to die. As they are bred internally they are not damaging the wild population, the technology ensures they have no fear of losses or self preservation instincts, they can climb on walls and roofs all of which make them a pretty effective killing mission....that simply needs testing.

      Logic dictates you send some of the best soldiers you have to give the program a fair test. Regardless of his state of mind Schofield is one of the best but despite being prepared to fight his countries enemies he is pissed at being sent to fight it's newest fucking weapon.

      Great quick read
    • 5/5
      For a story filled with this much action…it is extremely short…only 120 pages. If Matthew Reilly wasn’t such a great writer with this kind of story it probably would leave the reader confused and saying “what happened”. Fortunately… that never happens here. Just to give you an idea…this is from the book… “It slammed into Haynes, ramming him back against the door. His head hit the steel door hard, the blow stunning him but not knocking him out. And as he slumped to the floor and saw the creature draw a glistening long-bladed K-bar knife from its sheath, Haynes wished it had knocked him unconscious, because then he wouldn’t have to witness what it did to him next…” My only regret is that this wasn’t carried into a full blown novel. 120 pages can only whet the appetite. Oh yeah…you‘ll just have to read the book if you want to know exactly what the creature did to him next.
    • 4/5
      Hell Island was a short story written for the "Books Alive" promotion held in Australia annually. It is the fourth book in the Scarecrow series. It was a little far fetched with psycho killer gorillas, but was a very easy book to read.
    • 4/5
      The introduction to the book explains that [Hell Island] was written for an Australian literacy program and was given out for free. Reilly explains he set out to write a very short, action packed story that would appeal to Australian youth.Think Commando meets Planet of the Apes. The story starts out with a group of Marines being mysteriously and violently attacked and takes the reader through a fast paced tale of survival and military strategy. The lead protagonist is Shane Scofield, a battle tested military man with a shadowy past.The 106 pages along with illustrations detail Scofield's survival strategies in a truly entertaining way. Don't let the length fool you; this is a great summer read.
    • 4/5
      This was an intense action novel. It is a relatively short one, as it was completed all in one sitting. From the moment Shane Schofield "Scarecrow" opens his his parachute as he lands on the tarmac of an aircraft carrier to the moment he slams the last magazine into his MP-7 this novel never loses pace. Matthew Reilly's books have become brain candy to the action adventure reader, when you just want to read something that just doesn't take a turn down boring street.
    • 4/5
      A good short (120 pages) read. I especially enjoyed the author's explanation for writing this book.
    • 1/5
      Really? Highly trained US forces land on an unmapped island only to face....apes with high tech weapons who have already wiped out over 500 soldiers.I'm afraid this is argument 107 in why I don't read sci fi. And the nicknames for the main characters...a lead female character is 6'2", shaved bald, and nicknamed "mother". If this is the future of the human race, I'm punching my ticket in 3...2....1....
    • 1/5
      This was a free book issued in conjunction with the 2005 Books Alive program. A little bit micky mouse.
    • 3/5
      Hell Island is a book written for Quick Reads in Australia, a program to get people interested in reading. As such, it is a short novel, but don't worry, it is as crammed full of action and bloodshed as Matthew Reilly's other books. Again, this book features Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield, and it is a good enjoyable read that won't take too long! Anyone who is a fan of Reilly's will like this book.

    Book preview

    Hell Island - Matthew Reilly

    "For stay-up-late, can’t-put-down ability,

    Reilly is the master."

    —Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author

    Reilly novels should come with health warnings.

    —The Daily Telegraph (Australia)

    Reilly makes you feel like a kid again; it’s a blast.

    —Booklist

    In his latest ROCKET-FUELED

    (Publishers Weekly) adventure series featuring

    fearless hero Jack West, Jr.,

    MATTHEW Reilly has perfected the Indiana Jonesian quest novel

    (St. Petersburg Times). . . .

    THE FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS

    Rip-roaring. . . . there are thrills and spills galore. . . . Outstanding. . . . A blinding read. —The Sun (UK)

    "Fast-paced. . . . Readers won’t be disappointed with this ‘boy’s own’ page-turner. . . . Reilly’s round-the-romp is full of mystery and promise. . . . It has a kind of movie formula that reads like a novelization of a Hollywood blockbuster, but for readers who enjoy pure adventure, impossible missions and good old-fashioned heroes, then The Five Greatest Warriors is an exhilarating ride."

    —The Independent Weekly (Australia)

    The titles in the Jack West, Jr., series are also

    available as eBooks

    More praise for Matthew Reilly’s

    page-turning adventures

    THE SIX SACRED STONES

    [A] video game in print. —Kirkus Reviews

    "The wildly imaginative Reilly has taken inspiration from comics, video games, thrillers, and Code-style puzzle novels. . . . Thrilling." —Publishers Weekly

    Whisk[s] you through wave after wave of nonstop action on a cloud of exuberant improbabilities.

    —Booklist

    [T]his fast-paced international adventure will keep you turning pages. . . . Just sit back and enjoy the ride. —The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)

    Non-stop life-threatening action . . . not for the fainthearted. It’s a wild ride.

    —The Daily Telegraph (Australia)

    Another winner. The interwoven combination of action and mythology . . . makes for the perfect winter beach read. —Library Journal

    SEVEN DEADLY WONDERS

    "An absolute bone crusher of a thriller! Seven Deadly Wonders had me turning the pages so fast I had blisters on my fingers."

    —Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author

    A work of sheer exhilaration. . . . As exciting and entertaining a story as you’re likely to read.

    —Chicago Sun-Times

    Fun. . . . Reilly keep[s] the action coming.

    —Kirkus Reviews

    Ancient history, heart-stopping booby traps, and wild adventure . . . a perfect book to jump-start your vacation beach reading. —Library Journal

    A nonstop roller-coaster ride. —Publishers Weekly

    ICE STATION

    Some of the wildest and most sustained battles in an action thriller in a long time. . . . Nonstop action, lots of explosions—and a little bit of conspiracy.

    —Chicago Tribune

    Nonstop, brain-freezing action from page 1.

    —The Tulsa World

    TEMPLE

    Reilly’s book has adrenaline in super-sized quantities.

    —Orlando Sentinel

    The action is relentless. —Charleston Post and Courier

    AREA 7

    Reilly’s . . . most suspenseful blow-’em-up. The jet-boat chase through the blind chasms of Arizona’s Lake Powell puts the Bond books to shame.

    —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

    title page

    INTRODUCTION

    It may surprise some people, but of all the books I’ve written, Hell Island has been the most rewarding. Allow me to explain.

    As many readers will notice immediately, it is a lot shorter than my other novels. But there’s a reason for this.

    Hell Island was originally written for an Australian Government initiative called Books Alive, the objective of which was to get Australians into bookstores and reading more. I was approached to write a short novel, no longer than 110 pages, that would be given away to Australians for free for a month. I thought this was a fantastic idea and jumped at the chance.

    I wrote Hell Island.

    More than that, I set out to write 110 pages of the most kick-butt, over-the-top, blindingly fast action I could. It’s not often you get a chance to show your stuff to the general population for free, so I seized the opportunity with both hands.

    Anyway, the initiative was a roaring success, with over a quarter of a million copies of Hell Island given away. (While Australian readers received the book for free, within days of its release, copies of the book found their way onto eBay, where Aussies were selling them to my American fans for fifty bucks!)

    In the time since Hell Island’s original release, though, something strange has happened.

    When I do book signings, I often ask my readers, So, which was the first book of mine that you read? The most common replies used to be Ice Station or Contest.

    But these days, it’s Hell Island.

    And I think the reason is: It’s short.

    My books have a huge success rate with getting reluctant readers (especially teenage boys) into reading. And when you offer a reluctant reader a short novel, they think: Okay, it’s only 110 pages, I can manage that.

    And since Hell Island is a non-stop rampage of all-out action from start to finish—with special forces soldiers going up against an unstoppable and pitiless enemy—the reluctant reader gets into it, enjoys it, and goes on to try a full-length novel. And thus a new reader is created. This is why Hell Island has been so rewarding for me.

    Hell Island was an absolute blast to write and the response to it has exceeded my wildest expectations—so much so, in fact, that I’ve actually written another short novel recently.

    But that’s enough from me. Now, on with the show . . .

    MR

    Sydney, Australia

    Fallback

    PROLOGUE

    THE LAST MAN STANDING

    TERRIFIED, WOUNDED and now out of ammo, Lieutenant Rick Razor Haynes staggered down the tight passageway, blood pouring from a gunshot wound to his left thigh, scratch-marks crisscrossing his face.

    He panted as he moved, gasping for breath. He was the last one left, the last member of his entire Marine force still alive.

    He could hear them behind him.

    Grunting, growling.

    Stalking him, hunting him down.

    They knew they had him—knew he was out of ammunition, out of contact with base, and out of comrades-in-arms.

    The passageway through which he was fleeing was long and straight, barely wide enough for his shoulders. It had gray steel walls studded with rivets—the kind you find on a military vessel, a warship.

    Wincing in agony, Haynes arrived at a bulkhead doorway and fell clumsily through it, landing in a stateroom. He reached up and pulled the heavy steel door shut behind him.

    The door closed and he spun the flywheel.

    A second later, the great steel door shuddered violently, pounded from the other side.

    His face covered in sweat, Haynes breathed deeply, glad for the brief reprieve.

    He’d seen what they had done to his teammates, and been horrified.

    No soldier deserved to die that way, or to have his body desecrated in such a manner. It was beyond ruthless what they’d done to his men.

    That said, the way they had systematically overcome his force of six hundred United States Marines had been tactically brilliant.

    At one point during his escape from the hangar deck, Haynes figured he’d end his own life

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