When Ana and Rachel take a trip to Thailand, they want to use the time away to heal old wounds and reconnect as sisters. But it’s never going to be that easy is it? The sisters find themselves stranded, surrounded by the islands hostile inhabitants and there’s something else, much much worse that lurks deep within The Forgotten Island.

Main protagonist Ana, is a fantastic character who I immediately connected with. Her dialogue sparkles with humour (sometimes self-deprecating) and wit. David Sodergren thankfully gives Ana time to breath and come alive before the main story kicks off. Some may want to get to the meat of the story a little quicker but for me it was perfect. Ana is an absolute joy, and together with her sister and sister’s partner we have a trio of characters that you are more than happy to go on a journey with.  And boy, what a journey it is.

This is a book where you should not really know anything about what is actually on the island. Sodergren offers hints in a wonderful initial slow burn and via that wonderful book cover. You think you may have an idea after reading the gripping prologue, but believe me, nothing is going to prepare you for the mayhem Sodergren throws at you once he shows his cards.

The Forgotten Island is a love letter to those horror movies I watched as a kid on grainy old VHS. It plays to a few of the classic old tropes but Sodergren throws so much originality into the plot and makes his characters so believable that I was hooked. It’s no word of a lie that the pages are dripping with gore and slime. The Forgotten Island will make you smile and make you want to be ill in equal measure. There are things that repulsed me (appendages with leaky tips!) equally as much as I enjoyed jumping from one brilliantly curated set piece to the next. This isn’t gore and violence for the sake of it, everything is perfectly pitched. Characters are absolutely battered on The Forgotten Island with strong females taking the lead and kicking ass.

Wonderfully rich characters that you will love (and some you won’t) feature in a novel, packed with old movie references, gore, violence, humour, wit and originality. David Sodergren’s a talent, he can write and after this stunning debut I am very much a fan.

The Forgotten Island is bloody brilliant!

Star Rating (out of 5): 5*

KR: Follow the link to read a fantastic guest post by David where you can discover what his Ten Under-Rated Video Nasties are.

When Ana Logan agrees to go on holiday to Thailand with her estranged sister Rachel, she hopes it will be a way for them to reconnect after years of drifting apart.
But now, stranded on a seemingly deserted island paradise with no radio and no food, reconciliation becomes a desperate fight for survival.
For when night falls on The Forgotten Island, the dark secrets of the jungle reveal themselves.
Something is watching them from the trees.
Something ancient.
Something evil.

Combining the cosmic horrors of HP Lovecraft with the grimy sensibilities of the Video Nasties, The Forgotten Island is an outrageous old-school horror novel packed with mayhem and violence.

You can buy The Forgotten Island from Amazon UK & Amazon US