Review by Lisa19643 -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

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Lisa19643
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Review by Lisa19643 -- Island Games by Caleb J. Boyer

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Island Games" by Caleb J. Boyer.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Island Games: Mystery of the Four Quadrants is a fun and mysterious rollick and coming-of-age adventure for two teen-age boys, best friends Matthew and Ryan. The boys awaken on a sandy beach of an unknown island with no memory of how they got there or much about their own lives before that moment. They are disoriented and uncertain about what to do, but then notice a rusty boat stacked with wooden crates tethered by a rope not far off shore. Without other options, the boys head out through cold ocean water to explore the boat, which triggers their first of many survival challenges on the island. The boys quickly learn that working together is imperative if they are to survive and win the game and earn a way off the island.

This first novel by 12-year-old Caleb J. Boyer contains elements of The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, the classic 17th Century allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Like The Hunger Games, the teens have of life-or-death challenges placed in front of them to be solved or overcome, but in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the players knew who their puppet masters were and why they were tossed into the arena to win or die. Island Games, therefore, is more along the lines of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner because the boys don’t know what is happening to them or who is pulling the strings from beyond their perception, or why. Matthew and Ryan can only try to put the pieces together from dreams, visions, the challenges they face, and flashes of memory. The author permits the reader glimpses of who the “game-makers” might be behind the scenes through dreams and visions, but the answer remains elusive. The author leaves readers wanting to know more about the situation.

Matthew and Ryan have many “Indiana Jones” type experiences, from climbing out of pits and traversing dangerous stone temples on vines, to racing across rickety rope bridges that could collapse any minute. Similar to Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress, Matthew and Ryan learn and grow from their experiences on their journey. Christian headed toward the “Celestial City,” while Matthew and Ryan moved toward escape from the Island and to the lives and loved ones they missed. Lessons learned include the importance of teamwork, friendship, helping others and accepting help, appreciation for true needs versus wants, and gratefulness for the simple things they had that enabled them to survive. Matthew and Ryan grow in confidence and courage throughout their journey.

What I liked most about the book is the way the action drew me in from the beginning, which started with the description of Matthew and Ryan lying on the unknown beach. The book was sprinkled with moments of riveting action and realistic description. For example: “He choked on clumps of sand and salty ocean water as he began to awaken. He looked to his right and saw his best friend Ryan lying unconscious… He struggled to get his bearings to stand, as he was so weak and dizzy. Pushing hard against the sand on hands and knees, he failed to move and collapsed from the weight of his own body. He just could not find the strength.”

I also enjoyed the character development. I felt like I knew Matthew and Ryan after the first few chapters. The fair-haired Matthew was the thoughtful, cautious and rational leader, while the dark-haired Ryan was the more impetuous one and a bit more skilled with video games, climbing out on tree limbs, and using a bow and arrow. Reverse the color of their hair and eyes, and Matthew and Ryan reminded me of amateur sleuths Frank and Joe Hardy from the classic mystery series by Franklin W. Dixon, The Hardy boys. Similar to Matthew and Ryan, the dark-haired older brother Frank was the logical and rational one, while blond-haired, blue-eyed Joe raced into danger without thinking and frequently needed rescuing.

Matthew, at first, spent more time saving Ryan’s life, but by the end of the book, Ryan had ended up saving Matthew many times, as well. The boys each learned to step out of their natural traits and habits when needed. Matthew and Ryan learned through their adventures to think before leaping into unknown territory, stay calm like a “wizard” while in the “eye of the storm,” and become the focused, courageous “warrior” when needed to slay the beasts ,and never give up. The beasts that appeared from time to time in the story line were metaphors for the negative attributes in their past lives that the boys needed to slay to achieve growth.

The author displayed a vivid imagination in the elements of his beautiful and exotic island creation and fast-paced plot. Adults and young adults alike would enjoy the story with its hints of magic mixed with realism and mystery. It held my interest from beginning to end; the suspense and cliff-hangars between scenes were just right to keep me turning the pages.

There were a few elements that bothered me, but these rough edges didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the story. I felt like I needed more description of some items in the story, such as the clothes the boys found on the boat, the water bottles and food packets. What did those mysterious clothes look like? What kind of shoes were they wearing? The pants were called “worn out” at one point. Were the water bottles made of plastic or metal? Were the food packets in a plastic baggie? Also, as the reader, I was curious about “Reggie the rooster,” a domesticated animal normally a sign that someone nearby is raising chickens. The boys showed no curiosity about the potential owner of Reggie or of trying to find possibly a farm. This seemed to be a loose end.

The book was professionally proofread with few noticeable errors. I found a typo on page 70, third paragraph, second sentence, where the intended word was “listened” rather than “listen,” and on page 76, the word “where” is missing in the sentence “…you should have told me [where] you were going.” Some heavier copy editing could have improved some word choices, eliminated some wordiness, and smoothed some awkward or unnatural dialogue that didn’t seem to be what typical teen-aged boys would say. The word “further” was used on page 1 in the third sentence when “farther” was the correct term to reflect physical distance. Further was also used by mistake later on page 92 when Ryan was moving “farther” out on a tree limb like a “worm dangling on a fishing line…” Also, the word “creep,” in various forms, was used frequently; a synonym might prevent monotony. By page 28, creepy had been used about four times: “…and better yet, a way off this creepy island.”

Additionally, there seemed to be too much detail provided through dialogue that would be better told through narration or demonstration. For example, on 34: “ ‘Let’s get back to business here and figure out what we are going to do to get through the night and survive tomorrow in the jungle while we scavenge for food and fresh water.’ Matthew said…” It seemed unnatural for the character to verbalize the narrative in long sentences. In some scenes, it would seem more natural for the boys to communicate non-verbally such as with a shrug of the shoulders or a head nod rather than several complete detailed sentences. One quote stood out as creative teen-speak; I laughed when reading Ryan’s exclamation on page 51: “Wow! The whole ground looks like a unicorn farted rainbow flowers all over it. This is so amazing.”

I would have liked more sparing dialogue—used only when the characters really needed to communicate with each other. I would have enjoyed more believable “teen-speak” throughout. Some of the character dialogue had words that sounded too adult, like the word “certainly” spoken by Ryan on page 9: ”I can certainly think of better ways to wake up than having to look at you.” I can’t picture young teens using that word, or the word “forgo” which Matthew used on page 95: “I think we should forgo beast hunting for now.”

Because the book was an enjoyable and imaginative adventure with just a few rough edges and some longwinded dialogue, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I believe author Caleb J. Boyer will have a long and fruitful career in fiction writing. I look forward to the author’s next books, and maybe even a movie and sequel to Island Games.

******
Island Games
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inaramid
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Post by inaramid »

I can definitely see the similarities to those books you've mentioned, The Maze Runner especially. The problem in the dialogues seems a bit strange, considering that the author is nearly a teen himself. But as you say, he has all the time in the world to develop his craft. I think I've had enough of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner type of books at the moment, so I'd give this one a pass. Thanks for this detailed review.
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Lisa19643
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Post by Lisa19643 »

You're welcome. One thing I didn't mention is that Island Games is less violent and gruesome than The Maze Runner or Hunger Games. If someone out there likes this type of adventure, but Maze Runner and Hunger Games are too much for you, check Island Games out.
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AbbyGNelson
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Post by AbbyGNelson »

I completely agree that the story told too much of the plot and should have shown it better. Also, I couldn't tell how old the characters were because of how changeable and disjointed their dialogue was. Anyway, I also reviewed this book so I'd love to know what you think of it!
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