Supersize Island by J.J. Walsh is a book that was kindly sent to me by the people at Social Deviant. It came in a really cool package – it came in an American fast food to-go bag along with some other Supersize Island goodies such as a rubber burger, a ‘beware of the squirrel’ sign and some other little bits. But what is Supersize Island about?
Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products.
As stated above, Supersize Island was kindly sent to me by the team at Social Deviants in return for an honest review.
Augie, our main character throughout Supersize Island finds himself at a loss in life after he finds out his girlfriend has cheated on him and he’s out of work. He decides to sign up with this mysterious company offering a ludicrous salary for him to go on a secret mission. Little does he know this secret mission will not only risk his life but change it massively too.
Supersize Island plot – 4/5
For a lot of Supersize Island, Augie finds himself and other companions stuck on this remote island which was created by a lunatic billionaire a few years before but has since become uninhabited – or so they thought. Instead of humans, Augie and his new pals keep finding enormous animals, all of whom seem to want to eat them!
Whilst attempting to stay alive, they also have their suspicions about their employer, why they’ve sent them here and what’s happening on the Island that they’re supposed to be working out.
The book is a hoot – it at no point takes itself too seriously with every character either having a sense of humour or the plot adding comical elements to quite serious moments (deaths etc.).
The actual story itself is never really that gripping – it’s never serious enough for you to truly care what’s happening as it feels like it doesn’t ever really matter. It begins to get quite predictable and repetitive in the middle as new creatures keep emerging and they keep having to escape them and there’s a big lull in the middle where there doesn’t seem to be any real direction.
Don’t get me wrong though – there is an element of intrigue and if you can scrape through some of the slower parts, the latter third is really fun and rounds things up nicely.
Also, as I’ve pointed out, Walsh has woven some great humour into this book – sometimes it felt forced but most of the time it was quite funny. It almost felt like I was reading a Japanese cartoon with some of the over-the-top reactions and action.
Supersize Island characters 4.5/5
The absolute highlight of Supersize Island is the characters. Augie, our main protagonist throughout seems to have given up on taking life too seriously and so goes into every situation with a pinch of salt.
He’s then accompanied by other characters who are all a little bit crazy and begin to make Augie seem like the sane one.
Throughout the book, there’s always a sense that this was never intended to be a horror or that much of a serious thriller. They’re always joking, the characters are always making mistakes and even the narration makes jokes and light of the situation.
These elements make the characters some that I would genuinely be interested in reading about again. Due to his lightheartedness, I don’t feel like I ever made a true connection to Augie though. This is true also also of the fact he has a relatively sad back story – he never seems that broken up about it and so as the reader you struggle to feel that sorry for him (maybe I’m just heartless).
Supersize Island final rating – 4.35/5
Supersize Island is a fun read. It’s not going to blow any minds with its prose and it’s not going to cause anyone to have an existential crisis. But it may just be one of the most fun, easy-to-read, laid-back books you read all year. With a fun and joyful plot, characters whose senses of humour are a breath of fresh air and a story that has some fun secrets to try and unveil, Supersize Island is definitely a book to pick up if you’re looking for Jurassic Park with a sense of humour.
Pick up a copy of Supersize Island here.
If you liked the sound of Supersize Island, you may like these books too:
- Atlas and the Multiverse by Chandan Smith
- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
- The Lost World by Michael Crichton
