Rating: 
Summary: Descriptive and Riveting
Review: Reality television is perhaps one of the most controversial forms of entertainment going on today. Shows like Survivor and Big Brother, shows that you either love to watch, or love to hate. It was only a matter of time before someone took the bull by the horns and showed the world what humanity can really be like. Jim Brown is the man who did it, with this incredible mystery/thriller that won't let you sleep until you have reached the last page. Then, you won't be able to sleep due to the implications racing through your mind.
It would be hard enough to live in the public eye for 24 hours, much less longer. No privacy whatsoever, everything being scrutinized by hundreds of strangers around the world. There are those who enjoy being the center of attention to that extent, but the majority of the population would rather watch than "perform." Let's face it, we are a civilization of voyeurs. Sadly, the worse a situation, the more we want to get a good look at it... gruesome car accidents always hold a sick fascination for the public. Admit it - you have slowed down or stopped to get a good look!
When the tables are turned on a new game, things become computerized and the challenges are lethal! Twelve contestants stranded on a lush and inviting tropical island, an island with a haunted and ugly past, face the unknown and their own mortality. This isn't what they signed on to do; however, there is no escape from Vassa Island. There's only two ways off. Die, or win the game. The prize is a whopping two million in cash, and the dream of a lifetime fulfilled. The stakes weren't so high before the final contestant arrived on the island, just the usual ones of surviving being voted off by the public. Simple.
It is incredible how well portrayed the general public is - slavering beasts awaiting the death of another person, viewed online or via cable. A person whom the general public vote for, and literally condemn to death. The contestant with the highest number of votes is exiled from the Island, and that means a horrific and disfiguring death of extreme pain. A death that is wanted every day, a death which thousands vote for, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop the terror.
Jim's writing is descriptive and riveting, it pulls you along like an undertow. You don't want to read anymore, but you just can't help yourself, because you know that someone else is soon to be voted off and will die. There are innumerable mental challenges along the way for the readers as well as the contestants, you don't just read this work of genius, you get to live it in a surreal manner. 24/7 is the next logical step for a sociopath who loves reality television - if this doesn't scare you silly, nothing will. It could happen... and that is the scariest aspect of all.
Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com
Rating: 
Summary: I'd give it 11!
Review: This book was awesome! I can't remember the last time I read such a thrilling book. The characters kept you captivated and the plot twists were both unpredictable and exciting. Fans of reality shows may not like this book, since it downplays them...but i would give it 11 stars. I've suggested this book to many family members who, after reading it, ahve told me how much they liked it.
Rating:
Summary: Game Show Scenario Turns Deadly Real!
Review: To my knowledge, broadcast-journalist Jim Brown is the first person to adapt the current rage for Reality TV into fictional form. His debut novel is not only a thematic trail-blazer, but an imaginatively-conceived, utterly chilling expose of the darker, more appalling side of America's obsession with vicarious thrills and violence. Its plotting and pacing are truly extraordinary; its characters, unforgettable; and its writing...absolutely first-rate!Loosely based around the overall concept of the "Survivor" TV phenomenon, he has envisioned a scenario wherein the game situation suddenly becomes a life-or-death reality for its twelve players after a madman seizes 'Control' of their isolated island location while the TV cameras continue to operate 24/7. As the world watches in horror, the sponsoring network's entire technical staff is wiped out by an Ebola-type virus, and the contestants themselves are infected with a delayed version of the same deadly disease. The only way that they can stay alive is to receive a daily injection of a life-prolonging antidote. Control's dictum: that one-by-one decision shall rest entirely in the hands and votes of the viewing public. What immediately evolves into a frantic race against time and popular opinion for his protagonists is further complicated by an unusually effective twist in the plot (which also paves the way for its shocking denouement): if they can successfully accomplish a diabolically-individualized task wherein they are forced to face their worst fears under lethal circumstances, they will be rewarded with 'safety stones' which can cancel out a percentage of the negative votes that might be cast against them. Meanwhile their numbers diminish and their odds narrow as the government (at a loss for any other way to contain the unknown disease) hovers on the brink of a decision to obliterate the island. Cliff-hanger! In a nutshell, reality TV becomes the ultimate in reality reading, and Jim Brown has my vote to garner enough critical safety stones to take him straight to the top of the best-seller list!
|
