What do you picture when you think about islands? Most people imagine white sand beaches, grass huts (with satellite TV), hammocks, and rendezvous in pristine waterfall-fed lagoons. But not everyone has such a pleasant outlook when it comes to nature’s gift to introverts. Take me for example. My newest book, Island 731, is based on the heinous human experimentation carried out during World War II by the Imperial Japanese Army’s R&D group, Unit 731, and it asks the question, “What would be the result if Unit 731 was never stopped?” Limb replacements. Rapid Freezing. Vivisections. Cannibalism. Fun stuff like that.

As you can see, not every imagined island getaway is a destination worth spending your vacation—or even ten minutes—unless being eaten by a crocodile with tentacles is your idea of fun. So, in celebration of Island 731’s release, I’d like to take a look at the five freakiest fictional islands that continue to inspire (read: give nightmares to) authors like me.

Disclaimer: Some of the islands on this list are unnamed. In that case, I will simply name the work in which they appear.

5. FANTASY ISLAND

Remember when I accused you of fantasizing about who you would like to be marooned on an island with? Well, the writers for the late 70s/early 80s TV series, Fantasy Island, dreamed up a variety of sultry, violent and downright strange scenarios for an ever-changing group of visitors. But you know nothing good can come from a place where your rich, enigmatic host drives around in a cherry red convertible station wagon, has a pint-sized, French accented side-kick and a bevy of giggle-prone, bouncy, bikini babes ready to lay you—sorry, lei you…with flowers. But both are probably true. Granted, on the show, most people left the island intact, but this is a place where fantasies became reality. What would happen if you wound up there with, say, Charles Manson, or even worse, Gary Busey? The show occasionally focused on sci-fi elements like time travel and often delved into the supernatural, but we never really got a look at what went on behind the scenes, which I have no doubt would be even worse than becoming a mushroom. That will make sense in a moment.

4. MANTANGO

Now, if your first reaction to reading the name, Mantango, is something along the lines of “What the hell is Mantango,” that is actually an acceptable response. Also known as Mantango: Fungus of Terror, this Japanese cult classic is obscure. But obscurity doesn’t matter, because this is the kind of island that leaves you feeling like you’ll never eat mushrooms again…and I’m not talking about the mushrooms you eat with a steak. Even if you’re as hallucinogen-free as Charles Ingalls on a Sunday morning, you’re going to feel like you be trippin’ hard by the end of this movie.

The story is basically this: the cast of a Japanese Gilligan’s Island remake is shipwrecked on an island lush with giant mushrooms and mushroom-men out for blood, unless of course, they get hungry and eat a mushroom, in which case, they become a mushroom themselves. Personally, I love mushrooms (the non-hallucinogenic variety) and will take great care to avoid this island, because I would very quickly succumb to temptation, feast on a mushroom, become a mushroom, and eventually eat myself to death like Pizza the Hutt.

3. THE ISLAND AT THE END OF DEEP RISING

Don’t ask me to tell you what the movie Deep Rising was about. I think it had something to do with tentacle monsters on a ship. My memory of the whole thing is vague and unimpressed, except for the final five seconds of the movie, where the three survivors wash up on the pristine shore of a deserted island. For a moment, it’s a stereotypical happy ending, but then trees start snapping, a roar pierces the air and we pull back to reveal something big and unseen smashing through the trees and rough terrain, and an erupting volcano spewing orange lava! Those few seconds are far more frightening than the rest of the movie, and they left an impression on this viewer. Not only did that island represent the movie I wished I’d seen, but it was without a doubt a place I’d never want to go, not because of what is shown, but because of what was left to my admittedly screwed-up imagination.

2. MONSTER ISLAND

I have to admit that I have an affinity for Monster Island, which is home to a myriad of giant monsters from the Toho universe (who is also responsible for Mantango, by the way). Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Varan, Baragon and Mothra larva, among others, all made their homes on the island after being transported there in the late 60s, and being contained there by an array of technological deterrents. If this island actually existed, it would be a veritable graveyard for Kaiju nerds like myself, who couldn’t resist the siren call of Gabara. That would make it one of the most dangerous islands for me personally, and the place I would eventually go to die with a smile on my face. But for the rest of the world, this island of 100–300 foot tall beasts would be a horrible place to visit, mostly because if you’re not stomped to death or burned to a crisp, it’s likely you’d be swallowed whole and slowly digested alongside a whale… or Tokyo Tower.

1. THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS

Yeah, that’s right. This island is straight from the classic Christmas tale, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and it makes the list because 1) this island is cold as hell, and if you visit, you’re likely to die of hypothermia, and 2) this frozen wasteland of a place is populated by defunct and discarded toys. But it’s not the toys themselves that makes this island freaky, it’s who put them there. Santa Claus. That fat, red bastard casts away imperfect toys, banishing them to a cold existence until King Moonracer can find them homes. But why not a tropical paradise? Or why not a wing for “special” toys in the Workshop itself? If you spend too much time thinking about why Santa sent the toys to this far away island (like me), you’ll realize that whenever King Moonracer says to a toy, “We found a home for you!” he’s really saying, “My castle is cold and I need fuel for the furnace.” Because, honestly, what else is there to burn in that ice-covered hell?

– Jeremy Robinson
www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

This article was originally published at Tor.com. Give them a visit!

JEREMY ROBINSON is the bestselling author of thirty novels and novellas including ISLAND 731, SECONDWORLD, and the Jack Sigler series including PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK. Robinson also known as the #1 Amazon.com horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. His novels have been translated into ten languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

I’ve seen a good number of blog posts recently from fellow authors focusing on the issue of reviews, which can be, and often are, posted by folks with rude dispositions, grudges, agendas, etc. For a new author, even an honest negative review can be soul crushing. To the experienced author, with thicker skin, negative reviews can be a distraction. So the advice being given is generally this: don’t read reviews for your books. Sounds good on the surface. By not exposing yourself to these negative opinions, you are protecting yourself from the pain delivered by Internet trolls with nothing better to do than harass an author. The troll might be angry after reading the first line of a book sample, or might disagree with the pricing, or might be annoyed that Harriet Klausner gave your book 4 stars, or any number of silly reasons for an anonymous rant. And YES, these people should be ignored. They’ve likely taken to the Internet for attention, because the people in their real lives have begun ignoring their sour mood.

BUT, by ignoring ALL reviews you are also missing out on some well thought-out critique. Many readers, including some die-hard fans who know your books better than you do, take time to offer honest opinions, often based on a lifetime of reading. To discount this suggests a few things that I don’t think are good for any writer, new or experienced:

1) That your writing is flawless, or at least so far advanced that Joe-reader can’t find a flaw.
2) That you can’t learn from your fans, or even from your detractors.
3) That readers are, in a way, the enemy, if they don’t like your book.
4) That you are detached from your fans.

Now, before anyone hates on me for implying authors who ignore reviews are fan-hating ego-maniacs, that’s not what I’m saying. The point is that they’re missing out. On connecting with readers. On improving as authors. On increasing sales (in the long run). As someone who has received his fair share of angry, spiteful and even hateful reviews, I understand the temptation to turn away from reading reviews entirely. A bad review, especially a scathing one that is…accurate…can ruin your day. But they can also make future days brighter, if you pay attention to what is being said.

I didn’t begin my creative career as a writer. I went to art school. And every day, we would draw or paint, carve or shape, pouring ourselves into the creation of an image in the same way that an author does a novel. And at the end of every day, we would line them all up and spend a half hour critiquing. And not always gently. And this is universal to art schools. There is something about visual arts culture that recognizes the best way to improve is through frequent honest critique and listening to that critique. This process became part of my creative experience and still is today. I love critique, because whenever someone takes the time to work out the flaws in my art, or writing (and there will always be flaws), I get better.

A few years ago, after the release of THRESHOLD and before I started writing SECONDWORLD, I went to my editor and said, I’ve done three hardcovers for you now. I want to take things to the next level. Tear me apart. Tell me what I can do better. And he did, but not before saying, with a trace of amazement, “You are the first author to ever ask me to do this,” which surprised me at the time, but I’ve since learned that authors really don’t enjoy being told what’s wrong with their writing, or stories, and maybe their blog posts on the subject.  But the result of this critique, and my applying it to SECONDWORLD, was that sales doubled, the book got a lot of press and my audience grew.

As a writer, I began as a self-publisher. Without any connections in the writing world, I had only two sources of honest critique: my wife and my readers. I released five novels on my own (what I now call the Origins Editions), and the improvement from book to book is pretty obvious. Without honest readers, I’d never have improved, and I’d never have signed a deal with Thomas Dunne Books and 47 North, or become a bestselling self-published author.

But why am I still reading reviews? I have an editor. Hell, I have FOUR editors. And an agent. And lots of author pals. Why still read the reviews?

Because I am not writing for my editors, or my agent, or my author pals. I am writing for YOU, the reader, and for ME. While I pick the content most of the time, I listen to my fans. I’ve written and am writing sequels, because of requests from fans. I’m currently writing I AM COWBOY because of how many people expressed their love of the Czech Cowboy from SECONDWORLD. And I’m still reading reviews because I want my future books to be better than they are now. And that’s only going to happen if 1) honest people speak their mind, and 2) I listen.

Last October, I released RAGNAROK, the fourth Jack Sigler book, co-authored with Kane Gilmour. Kane did an amazing job at matching my style, and we worked closely throughout the process, but I knew it would be different than the previous three. That it would feel different. That there would be flaws introduced simply because it was a collaboration and because I’m not perfect, and neither is Kane (and he would agree). So I was very pleased when a few reviewers spotted these flaws that I couldn’t see and pointed them out in reviews. And after reading them, I agreed with many of them and discussed them with Kane. We’re working hard to apply them to OMEGA, which will be an even better book than RAGNAROK, which I should point out was my first Amazon.com bestseller and has a 4.5 star rating after 110 reviews.

So, if you’re an author, buck the trend that says you don’t need to read reviews. Yes, ignore the nut-jobs. Skim the 5 stars if time is short. But pay attention to those 2 – 4 star reviews. Critiques shouldn’t be feared, ignored or undervalued. They’re good for you. Sure, there are tons of people reviewing books, and not all of them are right, but those nuggets of insight from dedicated fans and readers are invaluable. If you really believe that a reader can’t possibly improve a writer, you’re mistaken. My readers, who are awesome, dedicated, intelligent and invested, are the very BEST people to critique my books.

And if you are one of my readers, know that I am listening, that your opinion matters and that I am doing my best to make sure each and every book is better than the last.

– Jeremy Robinson
www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

JEREMY ROBINSON is the bestselling author of thirty novels and novellas including ISLAND 731, SECONDWORLD, and the Jack Sigler series including PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK. Robinson also known as the #1 Amazon.com horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. His novels have been translated into ten languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

Want a FREE copy of the I AM COWBOY e-book? Here’s how to snag one for yourself.

Write a review for ISLAND 731. That’s it. Post the review to Amazon, B&N and/or Goodreads, then comment on this post, or send a message on Facebook or an e-mail to info(at)jeremyrobinsononline.com with a link to your review. I’ll then add you to the list for I AM COWBOY, which means you’ll get it for free, but also a few days before everyone else.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Man, I hate westerns. This stinks!” Well, good news, I don’t like westerns much, either! And while the book features a cowboy, he is the most unconventional, fun and badass cowboy you will ever experience. I AM COWBOY is a novella featuring Milos Vesely, (aka Cowboy) everyone’s favorite gun slinging, Czech, conspiracy theorist from the pages of SecondWorld and takes place after the events of that novel, where the recently defeated present day Nazis are on the run, in hiding, or as Cowboy discovers, regrouping. Mixing conspiracy theory, archaeology, history and plenty of action, I AM COWBOY is going to be a lot of fun. In fact, to get you primed, you’ll find the first (not yet edited) few pages below.

The book will be out in early June (most likely) and this offer will be available until I AM COWBOY is released. If I get 1000 reviews for ISLAND 731, I’ll be giving away 1000 copies of I AM COWBOY. So share, share, share!

SAMPLE:

1

The woman’s voice, ragged from dehydration and hours of screaming, didn’t carry far. Even before she’d been beaten and locked away, the hundred feet of soil, stone and sand above her head guaranteed that no one would hear her pleas for help. She was alone, and she knew it, but she’d be damned before letting the two guards standing outside her makeshift cell think she’d been defeated.

So she screamed. “Help! Someone help me!”

As the last echo of her gravely cry faded from the small stone chamber, a sharp report exploded from the other side of the wooden door. It was quickly followed by a shout of pain and second boom that shook dust from the ceiling and stung her ears. The twin blasts were followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor.

The woman pushed herself away from the door, gasping in surprise as it suddenly burst inward, wood splintering beneath the force of a powerful kick. Dust billowed into the space, lit by twin halogen lamps in the tunnel beyond. A figure stepped into the light, revealing the indistinct silhouette of a man.

As he stepped forward, over one of the dead guards, who was dressed like a tourist, the shape of her rescuer resolved. He was tall and slim. A revolver rested comfortably in each hand. But the most distinguishing feature was the Stetson hat resting atop his head. It struck her as unusual because it was a relatively unheard of accessory in that part of the world.

But was he a friend? She held the secret to an ancient source of power that several men, corporations or governments, might kill for. This man could simply be after the same thing. “Why are you here?”

The man paused in the light, perhaps confused by the question.

“Heard screaming,” he said, his accent thick Czech.

“What do you want?” she asked.

His head and Stetson tilted to the side, as though trying to comprehend her line of questioning. “To…rescue you?”

“Before you heard me,” she explained. “Why were you here?”

“Ahh,” the man says. She can’t see it, but the woman is sure the man is grinning. “To kill Nazis.”

Nazis.

Who would believe it? A year ago, she would have laughed at the idea, but it had only been six months since Nazis, plotting since the end of World War II, had nearly carried out a world-wide genocide. Their plan had been undone by a man the world knew as Lincoln Miller, who had survived the first attack that wiped out Miami. While many of the Nazis in charge had been killed or captured and their network destroyed, there were still hundreds of thousands of them around the world, running for cover, blending back into their lives or, as the case may be, searching for new ways to resurrect a long-dead war.

Given the fact that there were now two dead Nazis lying outside her door, she decided to believe him. She just had one last question. “Who are you?”

The man stepped forward and to the side, allowing the light to strike his side, revealing his smiling, stubble-covered face. He wore a tactical vest over a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a red bandanna around his neck, blue jeans and a pair of dust covered, brown leather boots. He holstered his two revolvers, one on each hip. “I am Cowboy,” he said. “I am gunslinger.”

JEREMY ROBINSON is the bestselling author of thirty novels and novellas including ISLAND 731, SECONDWORLD, and the Jack Sigler series including PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK. Robinson also known as the #1 Amazon.com horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. His novels have been translated into ten languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

Island 731 is, without a doubt, one of my darker novels, and given the subject matter how could it not be? Japan’s R&D department, dubbed Unit 731, carried out human experiments on a scale that dwarfed Nazi programs running at the same time. But that’s just the beginning. It’s what became of their evil-inspired research and scientists that is hard to accept.

Summary:

Mark Hawkins, former park ranger and expert tracker, is out of his element, working on board the Magellan, a research vessel studying the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Surrounded by thirty miles of refuse, a series of strange malfunctions plague the ship’s high tech systems while a raging storm batters the craft and its crew.

When the storm fades and the sun rises, the beaten crew awakens to find themselves anchored in the protective cove of a tropical island…and no one knows how they got there. Even worse, the ship has been sabotaged, two crewman are dead and a third is missing. Hawkins spots signs of the missing man on shore and leads a small team to bring him back. But they quickly discover evidence of a brutal history left behind by the island’s former occupants: Unit 731, Japan’s ruthless World War II human experimentation program. Mass graves and military fortifications dot the island, along with a decades-old laboratory housing the remains of hideous experiments.

As crew members start to disappear, Hawkins realizes that they are not alone. In fact, they were brought to this strange and horrible island. The crew is taken one-by-one and while Hawkins fights to save his friends, he learns the horrible truth: Island 731 was never decommissioned, and the person taking his crewmates might not be a person at all–not anymore.

Praise:

“Robinson (Secondworld) puts his distinctive mark on Michael Crichton territory with this terrifying present-day riff on The Island of Dr. Moreau. Action and scientific explanation are appropriately proportioned, making this one of the best Jurassic Park successors.” — Publisher’s Weekly – Starred Review

“Take a traditional haunted-house tale and throw in a little Island of Dr. Moreau and a touch of Clash of the Titans, and you wind up with this scary and grotesque novel. Robinson, a skilled blender of the thriller and horror genres, has another winner on his hands.” –Booklist

“[Island 731's] premise is reminiscent of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, but the author adds a World War II back story…vivisection, genetic engineering, Black Ops, animal husbandry and mayhem. This is the stuff that comic books, video games and successful genre franchises are made of.” – Kirkus Reviews

Where to buy:

Although the book is available at all online retailers, the quickest way to get your hardcover copy is to run over to B&N and pick one up.

A History Lesson

Unit 731 was the research and development department whose sole focus was the creation and implementation of biological and chemical weapons. They performed human experimentation on a massive scale, creating vast facilities where Chinese villagers, American POWs and Pacific Islanders would be subjected to the worst imaginable tortures, including limb replacements (removing your arm and attaching someone else’s), rapid freezing and thawing, dissections and exposure to biological and chemical agents through traditional methods, but also by being covered with fleas or ticks that would feast on your blood and pass on the infection. They even performed vivisections on pregnant women. If you’re not sure what a vivisection is, it’s basically a dissection, but you’re kept awake and lucid, watching until your death. They performed these experiments on a grand scale, sometimes infecting entire villages with the plague (the black death variety) by dropping flea bombs, which would have eventually made their way to U.S. soil, had the war not ended.

And while all of that is sick and disgusting, we’re removed from it, by time and geography. After all, this is who the U.S. was fighting to defeat, right? The scientists who performed these screwed up procedures and slaughtered women, children, men and POWS by the thousands, were tried for their war crimes, right?

Wrong. The Japanese scientists of Unit 731, like the best minds of Nazi Germany, were pardoned and recruited by the United States. All of their screwed up research went straight to the U.S.A., benefiting you and me and the fine folks who are developing our own biological and chemical weapons. Even worse, the U.S. actually covered up the war crimes. Doesn’t sit well, does it? ISLAND 731 explores how that research has evolved in the 70 years since World War II ended.

For more information about Unit 731, check out these videos on Youtube, but fair warning: the information and images are extremely graphic.

JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas translated into ten languages, including the wildly popular new novel, SECONDWORLD, as well as PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK, the first four books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

"SecondWorld is far from second best. Jeremy Robinson’s latest thriller is massive in scope and brilliantly apocalyptic. Here is a feat of storytelling that shocks as much as it exhilarates." — James Rollins

Lincoln Miller, an ex-Navy SEAL turned NCIS Special Agent is sent to Aquarius, the world’s only sub-oceanic research facility located off the Florida Keys, to investigate reports of ocean dumping. A week into his stay, strange red flakes descend from the surface. Scores of fish are dead and dying, poisoned by the debris that turns to powder in Miller’s fingers and tastes like blood.

Miller heads for the surface, ready to fight whoever is polluting on his watch. But he finds nothing. No ships. No polluters.

No oxygen.

Instead, he finds a cloudless sky full of red particles dropping like snow and coating the ocean with a thick film that stretches to the horizon. When a dead blue whale collides with Aquarius, Miller begins a harrowing race to escape the affected area. Cut off from the rest of the world and surrounded by death, Miller makes his way to Miami where he discovers just one survivor, and the awful truth: the strange phenomenon that robbed the air of its life giving oxygen was an attack by an enemy reborn from the ashes of World War II. And they’re just getting started. Miami, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo have all been destroyed. Millions are dead.

And if Miller can’t track down and stop those responsible in seven days, the rest of the world is next.

Okay, so world domination is a metaphor for the success of my business. I don’t really want to annihilate cities and enslave the masses, though my books might make that seem like a possibility. Maybe I can come up with a less aggressive way to express this goal. I suppose the closest comparison would be becoming a “household name”. You know the type: Michael Crichton. Steven Spielberg. Snooki.

My path to this level of success has been…different to say the least. I started successfully self-publishing in 2005, when most authors still scoffed at the idea and before anyone gave e-books a second thought. Happily, readers didn’t hold as much contempt for self-publishing, and my books sold well enough to interest agents and publishers. Since then, my career has been an ever-expanding mix of big publishing and self-publishing. Despite the fact that I’ve never once been featured in an article about self-publishing success, I’ve had one of the longest running (eight years) and most successful self-publishing careers around.

And it’s not because I’m so amazingly talented. I’m not. I’m just determined. You don’t set goals like “world domination” without gobs of ambition pushing you forward. Now that it’s 2013, I’m looking back at 2012 and asking myself, did I get closer to my goal?

The answer: yes!

Here’s how. *Disclaimer, I will discuss sales figures, but not money, so don’t ask.

In 2012, I wrote seven and a half new books, published seven new novels and novellas and seven audiobooks via my Breakneck Media imprint, expanding my total number of self-published books to twenty-eight. I sold 82,431 books in e-book, print and audio formats. That’s a 31% sales increase from 2011. Not too shabby! And it doesn’t include books sold by my publishers.

But my successes and growth for 2012 haven’t been limited to self-publishing.

My latest hardcover novel, SECONDWORLD, increased my hardcover sales by 100%! As a result, ISLAND 731 is getting a larger release in March, and I signed with Thomas Dunne Books for a 2014 hardcover release, tentatively titled XOM-B. It’s a very different kind of thriller. It’s going to be amazing.

But wait, there’s more! As Jeremy Bishop, I signed a two book deal with 47 North, Amazon’s horror imprint. That’s right, New York Times, I’m a successful self-publisher who is also published by a Big 5 publisher AND Amazon. Sounds like an article worth writing, right? Ahem. 47 North will be re-releasing THE SENTINEL in March, followed up by its sequel, THE RAVEN, in May. I cannot begin to describe my excitement about this.

And if that weren’t enough, Nemesis, the 300-foot tall star of PROJECT NEMESIS, received the honor of being licensed to be the boss character in Kaiju Combat, a videogame currently in development and slated to be released in 2013.

What all of this really means is that 2013 is going to be an even bigger year than 2012. Amazon rocks e-book sales, and I expect Jeremy Bishop sales to soon rival Jeremy Robinson sales. ISLAND 731 is going to get an awesome release, and I expect hardcover sales to increase yet again. And as for self-publishing, I have 10–12 original books in the works for 2013. And, if all goes well, perhaps a short film…or maybe even a movie deal. One can dream. Wait, I don’t dream. I set goals and then destroy them! Almost forgot that this was a quest for world domination.

Wondering what I wrote and published in 2012, or maybe what’s coming in 2013? Here’s some lists!

Written in 2012
1. Ragnarok (co-authored with Kane Gilmour)
2. Callsign: King – Blackout (co-authored with Sean Ellis)
3. The Raven (Jeremy Bishop)
4. Island 731
5. The Last Hunter – Lament
6. The Last Hunter – Onslaught
7. Project Nemesis

Published in 2012
1. Ragnarok
2. Callsign: King – Blackout
3. The Last Hunter – Lament
4. The Last Hunter – Onslaught
5. Project Nemesis
6. SecondWorld
7. Callsign: King – The Brainstorm Trilogy
8. Threshold (mass market paperback)

To be published in 2013
1. Prime: A Jack Sigler Thriller (Chess Team origin story, co-authored with Sean Ellis)
2. Omega: A Jack Sigler Thriller (Chess Team book 5, co-authored with Kane Gilmour)
3. The Sentinel (Jeremy Bishop – re-release)
4. The Raven (Jeremy Bishop, Sentinel sequel)
5. Island 731
6. SecondWorld (mass market paperback)
7. Unnamed 5-book novella series (from Jeremy Bishop)
8. A possible Cowboy novella (from SecondWorld)
9. A possible Jane Harper book #3 (from Jeremy Bishop)
10. Project Nemesis sequel

THE NEXT BIG THING is a chain of book and author recommendations. One author tags a few others, who then each tag others. The idea is that we all help people out there learn about all the good stuff that’s just out or coming soon. Kane Gilmour tagged me on his blog and now it’s my turn.

1. What is the working title of your next book?
My next hardcover novel is ISLAND 731 and I specify hardcover because really, you never know if I’m going to shoot something out before its release in March 2013.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Research. This is one of those awful books that was inspired by a documentary that made me ask what other horrible things the Japanese did during World War II. The answer to that question is actually quite long, horrid, and within the pages of ISLAND 731, one of my darkest novels to date.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
It’s a thriller, but I think it qualifies as horror, action-adventure and a bit of sci-fi, just like all the rest of my books. But you’ll find it shelved with the thrillers.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I have no idea. Too many characters and not enough time to imagine who everyone would be! That said, I’d take Jason Statham or Bradley Cooper for just about any of my heroes. Those guys make me want to get in shape and then generally kick ass.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The crew of the Magellan, a research vessel studying the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is marooned on an island where strange creatures guard a dark past that is still very much present.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
This one is coming out from Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Three months, which is actually long for me these days. I tend to finish most books in half that time, which is how I publish 5 -6 a year.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Island of Dr. Moreau meets Relic by Preston & Child, but crazier, darker and bigger.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
See question 2.  And the subject matter disturbed me…which means I needed to process it, put it in a book and disturb my readers. Yeah, my job is to mess with people’s emotions.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
All of the historical elements are real. There are going to be a few things where readers say, “no, that couldn’t have happened. That’s far too sick and twisted.” Well people, especially those feeling wartime desperation, do things they would never consider otherwise. But what’s truly disturbing is that these people were forgiven for their crimes because the U.S. wanted their research…research our scientists could never get away with. What did they do? Read the book to find out.

I tag:
Chris Kuzneski
Jonathan Maberry
Scott Sigler
Karen Dione
Joe Nassise

JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas translated into ten languages, including the wildly popular new novel, SECONDWORLD, as well as PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK, the first four books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

This is really a bittersweet announcement as THE LAST HUNTER and Solomon Ull Vincent have become my constant companions over the past three years. More than any of my books, I looked forward to starting the next book in the series. It felt like going home. And I think that deep connection with the story is reflected in the book’s pages, and is felt by those who read the books. After all, Solomon is a precious boy.

For those who have not yet started the series, now is the perfect time. Not only can you read the series all the way through without stopping, but THE LAST HUNTER – DESCENT is currently on sale for just $.99, a price that will only be around for another week or so. Out of all of the books I’ve written (all thirty of them) these five are my personal favorites, and I hope you will agree.

Below are the book’s description and some handy-dandy buy links. If Amazon goes out of stock on the print edition, head to BN.com. They seem to always have the books ready to go.

DESCRIPTION:

The past few years have been a mixture of torture, painful growth and sometimes, pushing its way through all the darkness—joy. I have made friends and allies, brothers and sisters, mentors and…Kainda, who is something else entirely. But someone is missing, someone whose memory saved me from despair—Mirabelle Whitney, my hope. So while the human race prepares to defend itself, I ride the encroaching Nephilim army intending to save Mira, return to our feeble base and lead the charge against those who plan to wipe the human race from the face of the Earth.

It sounds like an impossible plan, and maybe it is, but if we’re going to die, we’re going to die like hunters—boldly and bravely. More than that, we’re going to die together, as a united race facing a common enemy. Nationality no longer matters. Ancient grudges are forgotten. The human race must resist as one, or face extinction. And now it falls to me, along with Kainda, Em, Mira, Kat, Merrill, Aimee and Luca, to light the path for humanity in our darkest hour. Harnessing the power of the ancient Jericho shofar, we must prevent Nephil, the most ancient and evil of the Nephilim from possessing my body and using its supernatural abilities against mankind.

The odds are stacked against victory. The Nephilim out-size, out-power and outnumber us ten to one, but we will fight to the last, the very last, so help me God.

I am Solomon Ull Vincent—the Last Hunter and King of Antarktos—and I am prepared to face my fate.

JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of more than thirty novels and novellas translated into ten languages, including the wildly popular new novel, SECONDWORLD, as well as PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD and RAGNAROK, the first four books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com

Today I have the pleasure of sharing PROJECT NEMESIS with you. This book is special to me because it represents a lifetime of fandom on my part. One of my primary sources of inspiration during my childhood was Creature Double Feature on Saturday mornings. I couldn’t get enough Godzilla, Gamera, Rodan and Mothra. If you’re a reader of my novels, you’ve probably noticed I like to include creatures. Well, now I’ve come up with one that’s as big and powerful as the giants that I pretended to be whilst crushing snow boulders. That said, if you are NOT a fan of Godzilla, have no fear. PROJECT NEMESIS is a Jeremy Robinson novel in every way. The pacing, science and mythology are all there…just really, really big. I also have some exciting news in addition to the book, so let’s get to it!

JUSTICE. RETRIBUTION. VENGEANCE.

Picture SecondWorld mixed with Godzilla and you’ve got something close to PROJECT NEMESIS. While this IS a giant monster story, it’s written with some pretty serious themes and content. You won’t see any giant monsters doing victory dances or funny hand gestures. That said, this is one of my most fun novels, and it features a witty main character I think you’ll enjoy. Also, the book contains amazing illustrations from Godzilla comic book artist, Matt Frank, who I’ll mention again in the second article below. Summary, trailer and buy links are below!

DESCRIPTION:

Jon Hudson, lead investigator for the Department of Homeland Security’s Fusion Center-P, thinks his job is a joke. While other Fusion Centers focus on thwarting terrorist activity, Hudson’s division is tasked with handling paranormal threats to national security, of which there have been zero during his years at the DHS. When yet another Sasquatch sighting leads to a research facility disguised as an abandoned Nike missile site in the back woods of Maine, Hudson’s job becomes deadly serious.

Hudson and the local Sheriff, Ashley Collins, suddenly find themselves on the run from a ruthless ex-Special Forces security team, but the human threat is short-lived as something very much not-human destroys the facility and heads for civilization, leaving only a single clue behind–a name scrawled in blood: Nemesis. Working with his team at Fusion Center-P, Sheriff Collins and a surly helicopter pilot named Woodstock, Hudson pursues the creature known as Nemesis, attempts to uncover the corporate secrets behind its creation and accidental release and tries to comprehend why several clues lead to a murdered little girl named Maigo.

But as the body-count explodes, along with the monster’s size, it quickly becomes clear that nothing short of a full military response can slow Nemesis’s progress. Coordinating with every branch of the U.S. military, Hudson simultaneously searches for clues about Nemesis’s origins and motivations, and leads the counterattack that will hopefully stop the monster before it reaches Boston and its one million residents.

Witness the birth of a legend as Jeremy Robinson, bestselling author of SecondWorld and Ragnarok, combines the pacing of Matthew Reilly with the mystery of James Rollins and creates the first iconic American Kaiju* story since King Kong.

*Kaiju is Japanese for “strange beast.” The genre includes classic monsters such as Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah.

BUY THE BOOK!

   

Nemesis…in a video game!
A few days after the e-book for Nemesis appeared, I recieved a message telling me about a video game being developed called Kaiju Combat, which is a fighting game featuring giant monsters who do battle in a city landscape. The game was being developed by the team that created the last few Godzilla games and the creatures were being designed by Matt Frank, the artist who designed Nemesis! So I promptly introduced myself and suggested Nemesis for the game…and they AGREED! Nemesis is now slated to be an unlockable boss character in the game, which means you first have to beat Nemesis to play as Nemesis.

But, I NEED YOUR HELP. Kaiju Combat is an indie game being made without the backing of a major game publisher, and is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to create and release the game. Why an indie game? It’s so fans can create and vote on the monsters included with the game. How cool is that? Want to create a monster and have it duke it out with Nemesis? This is your chance! So check out the campaign, back it, and help make Nemesis grow even larger (that will be funny after you read the book).

Being involved in the creation of a video game has been a long-time career goal (along with having a movie made). So help make this happen. Become a backer and share the Kickstarter page with everyone you know! And then someday we’ll all get to take out our inner rage on a virtual city as Nemesis!

And as a special treat for those of you who read all the way through this blog post, The Last Hunter – Onslaught, the FINAL book in The Antarktos Saga is available now for the Kindle and Nook. I’ll be releasing a dedicated newsletter to the book as soon as the print edition is ready to go.

As always, your support is massively appreciated. Long live Nemesis!

 

 

Click to view Project Nemesis – How Jeremy Robinson destroyed Boston and Reinvented the Kaiju Genre for an America on GLOSSI.COM

 

 

JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of numerous novels translated into ten languages, including the wildly popular new novel, SECONDWORLD, as well as PULSE, INSTINCT, and THRESHOLD, the first three books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. Visit his website at: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com