Click Here To Purchase Survival Op: The Fear in the Wilderness (Book one in the Survival Op series) From Amazon

Author: Scott Allen

Publisher: iUniverse

ISBN: 978-0-595-42062-9

Oklahoma Rising Star Teacher of the Year in 2004, Scott Allen teaches eighth grade English and coaches football, basketball, and track in the Putnam City school district. Allen currently lives in the Oklahoma City area.

The story begins one gloomy, foggy night when Marcus, a runaway teenager is taken hostage by men dressed in dark clothing and  wakes later to realise he has a tattoo on his arm that reads “Marcus 1125”. Marcus is held captive by a group and soon becomes a part of their cruel experiment “Survival Op” and now the world as he once knew it lies behind the mesh fences surrounding him. The nightmare has only just started.

Thrown into the wilderness on an island in the Bermuda Triangle, Marcus must learn to fend for himself against the assassins who are intent on killing him.

Marcus befriends another runaway called Lynn or “Lynn312” as her own tattoo reads. Together they learn more about the brutal experiment they are trapped in and battle together against the harsh weather conditions and hunger, all the while desperately planning an escape. But with no way out of the island and huntsmen always on the look out for the pair, what will be the outcome?
In the beginning of this atmospheric tale, we see how these teens interact with each other. Lynn appears to be very timid and frightened at first and does not have a lot of trust towards Marcus even though he tries his best to befriend her and make things easier for them both. Despite her shyness and confusion, Lynn begins to come out of her shell and starts to trust Marcus, allowing him to prepare a secure place for them to sleep away from the eyes of the rogues who stalk the island.

Together they make weapons,  catch fish and share a few laughs.

We see friendship blooming between these two and courage in Lynn who wants revenge on the men that captured them. Also we learn about Lynn’s past life before her arrival on the island.

This is a great tale, not too long for the younger readers and yet not too short either. The story was easy to follow and the author created very believable characters with their own individualities and feelings.

Marcus is a very likeable character and someone who has the reader’s love all the way through. I felt for him and hoped that both would flee from the island unharmed. I think all young adults will love this story laced with action and suspense.

The ending in this tale is something that I did not see coming and leaves you on edge for the next series.

I loved this read. It can be compared to TV shows such as Lost and Castaway. I simply cannot wait for the next instalment to be released and shall definitely be on the look out for this.

Click Here To Purchase Survival Op: The Fear in the Wilderness (Book one in the Survival Op series) From Amazon

The above review was contributed by: Jessica Roberts: Jessica has been a book reviewer for a newspaper and a national women's magazine and is working on a novel. To read more of Jessica's reviews CLICK HERE