- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New Ed edition (6 Oct 1988)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0586070869
- ISBN-13: 978-0586070864
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.4 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (268 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,120,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Penal Colony
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More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
Set in 1997 this is the story of Routledge, a prisoner at Sert, a penal colony controlled by satellite technology. He is forced to forget normal life. Then, under the charismatic leadership of one man, he sets about turning hitherto hopeless dreams of escape into reality.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
143 of 146 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This book is about a remote island on which the murderers, rapists and outcasts of Britain have been placed with nothing but a satellite to watch over them. This story is both intellectually stimulating (are we inherently savages with a veneer of civilization or the other way around?) and a heart pounding thriller in one. The criminals form themselves into two groups - the 'village' and the 'outsiders'. The village is made up of the strongest, most intelligent men who form a civilized community thriving on hard work and working together whilst the outsiders, ruled by two warring clans, despise and envy the villagers in equal measure. The book follows the battle of wits between the two as well as the lead character's personal journey of self discovery.
I thought this book was rather good. It maintains a decent pace, never slowing enough that you get bored. Interestingly, the author creates likeable characters even though they are all hardened criminals!
However, my only complaint is that I can't help but feel the ending is a little rushed and there is a bit of unfinished business. I would for instance, like to know what happened to the rest of the islanders. Overall it is definitely well worth a read if you like thrillers and want something a little different from your usual murder/spy types. I only paid £1 for this on my kindle and having read it, I would have happily paid much more!
I thought this book was rather good. It maintains a decent pace, never slowing enough that you get bored. Interestingly, the author creates likeable characters even though they are all hardened criminals!
However, my only complaint is that I can't help but feel the ending is a little rushed and there is a bit of unfinished business. I would for instance, like to know what happened to the rest of the islanders. Overall it is definitely well worth a read if you like thrillers and want something a little different from your usual murder/spy types. I only paid £1 for this on my kindle and having read it, I would have happily paid much more!
65 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I downloaded this freebie sometime ago and it has been sitting in my 'To be Read' collection, being passed over for what I thought were better reads. I finally got round to reading it and am disappointed, not with the book I hasten to add, but with the fact that it's taken me so long to get round to reading it!
This is a really good book, well written and really draws one in and which I found very believable to the extent I searched the internet to see if Sert actually existed and whether it had at one time been a penal colony. It doesn't but Lundy another island mentioned in the book, does exist and did house convicts in 1747, during the ownership of Thomas Benson, a Member of Parliament for Barnstaple and Sheriff of Devon.
The story is about Anthony Routledge, who claims he is innocent of the crime that led to him being placed on Sert (reminiscent of Andy Dufresne / Shawshank Redemption) and how he deals with the situation he finds himself in. It also deals with how the category Z prisoners cope on the island, splitting into groups or individual 'Wild men' and how they interact with one another. As you would expect there is a lot of fighting and killing, power struggles etc..
This is another author which I wouldn't have found without the kindle and one that I will be purchasing books from in future.
This is a really good book, well written and really draws one in and which I found very believable to the extent I searched the internet to see if Sert actually existed and whether it had at one time been a penal colony. It doesn't but Lundy another island mentioned in the book, does exist and did house convicts in 1747, during the ownership of Thomas Benson, a Member of Parliament for Barnstaple and Sheriff of Devon.
The story is about Anthony Routledge, who claims he is innocent of the crime that led to him being placed on Sert (reminiscent of Andy Dufresne / Shawshank Redemption) and how he deals with the situation he finds himself in. It also deals with how the category Z prisoners cope on the island, splitting into groups or individual 'Wild men' and how they interact with one another. As you would expect there is a lot of fighting and killing, power struggles etc..
This is another author which I wouldn't have found without the kindle and one that I will be purchasing books from in future.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
When I see books for this price on Kindle I am always wary that they might fall short of expectations. When there is no corresponding paperback I am aware that I might be purchasing some self published rubbish. In this case however I was not disappointed. I found that I was unable to put the book down. As a previous reviewer has mentioned, the fact that it is set in Britain is refreshing. For just over £1 this novel is well worth reading. I look forward to seeing more from this author.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Crime Thriller...With a Twist
This is a brilliant read. Challenged by both the environment and his own past, protagonist Routledge learns more about himself and what brings him fulfilment in the most unlikely... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Kym Hamer
Suspense all the way
Just imaging it... 500 of the most dangerous prisoners in England dumped on an island 25 miles off the Cornish Coast. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Keni8em
A Good Read for Free
I picked The Penal Colony up mainly as it was free with positive reviews. The story centres around Anthony Routledge dumped on an island called Sert, 25 miles of the Cornish coast. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Wayne Exton
Fascinating
A fascinating account about how people deemed as criminals interact with each other isolated from society on an island.. A 2 tier system in operation! Read more
Published 23 days ago by sara
Great reviews... but wasn't for me.
I have to confess it's very rare for me not to finish a novel. Even if it's not my cup of tea. Generally I'll press on to the end and then decide I didn't enjoy it and put it down... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Cheryl and cats
Shawshank Redemption without the redemption
I got this book very cheaply through the kindle store, and it has some features to recommend it. The plot, about a man sentenced to a remote island which operates as a penal... Read more
Published 1 month ago by David K. Smith
Highly recommended as a free read
I picked this up as a freebie and it is by far the best written and formatted free ebook I have read so far. Read more
Published 1 month ago by curly_helmar
A good read
I downloaded this book some time ago when it was either free or under a pound. As I had been disapointed with the quality of writing in some other freebies The Penal Colony slipped... Read more
Published 1 month ago by E Griffith
monotonous
Book started really well, after a while it just got monotonous and you were actually just hoping and praying something different would happen, more of a guys book I feel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bagpuss
The Penal Colony
I liked very much up until the very end where it all seemed to happen very fast then book was over. The build up and the story element was very well thought out and could be a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Daleq
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