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America is in the depths of the greatest economic depression
it has ever known. Work is hard to come by and in such desperate
times people will do almost anything to survive. Sam Kelly
becomes a victim of the economic disaster. A former navy diver,
he takes a job, diving for a pearl ship, a journey that will
take him away from one nightmare only to present him with
the ultimate nightmare. Carl Denham is having his own troubles,
with the advent of talkies his own brand of anthropological
thrillers are become more difficult to finance and shoot,
one more disaster will bring him to the point of ruin. In
a completely different world Ann Darrow struggles to keep
a job as an actress, a struggle that she is slowly loosing.
Three different people, who have intertwined destinies, which
will bring them all to the Island of the Skull; to Kong...
King
Kong: The Island of the Skull is an odd book. Not the
book itself, just the idea of doing a prequel to one of the
most famous films around. I did feel that this was going to
be either a good read or a naff cash-in project. The author
Matthew Costello, is no newbie, having written a number of
original novels, he also owes me way to many sleepless nights
and the odd few years lost as he was also the author of the
Doom 3 game, one of the most engrossing and scariest
games I ever played.
Costello
does a great job of conjuring up the desperation that the
depression created in many people, desperation that would
lead people to taking great risks if there was a possibility
of escaping from their poverty. As a prequel, one of the things
that the book had to convince the reader of was that people
really could become so hopeless that they would willingly
jump in a rickety old boat in search of a giant ape. Costello
weaves a convincing set of circumstances to explain the personal
motivations behind joining such a hazardous expedition.
The narrative also introduces characters which, whilst they
will not make it into the original story of King Kong,
nevertheless provide pivotal roles, without which the story
of Kong would never have come about. No, I'm not going
to say how, as that would ruin the book, but as anyone who
knows either the original film or has gotten around to seeing
the Peter Jackson version will realise, there is no Sam Kelly
as a central character. Costello goes a long way to hide Sam's
importance and when it is revealed, it really does come as
both a surprise and a delight.
So, a great little book which captures the feeling of the
nineteen thirties when the world wasn't as small as it is
today, where hidden realms really could hold a Kong. As a
novel it's a rewarding read whether you're a die hard Kong
fan or not.
 
Charles
Packer
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