Beast

Rating:
Summary: Better than Jaws...
Review: Considering how similar the outline of the plots between Jaws and Beast are, Benchely does an amazing job of actually making this book a better page turner...Beast, like Jaws, is about a large seamonster - a giant squid this time - that kills a few people, and then the community slowly beings to figure out what it is and then make efforts to kill it... The beauty of this story are the substories. Benchley starts several new chapters, with new characters in the middle of the book. All of these non-main characters are doing something out at sea... Some of them return home while some do not. Its amazing how fast Benchley makes one care about these characters and how upset the reader is when they dont make it...
All the while the descriptions of the monster are neutral...there is no rage or evil in the beast, it simply exists and needs food... too bad the area has been overfished and now the beast must hunt...

The final confrontation is a brilliantly written conclusion and one that will leave you wanting more... as amazing as it is, i enjoyed this much more than jaws...and i really loved jaws...

Speilberg should consider doing to this book what he did with Jaws... It would make millions and clear the beaches yet again...

Rating:
Summary: Better than Jaws (if that's possible)
Review: From the beginning, this book will grip you with it's hook imbedded tentacles and pull you in, until either you or it have been completely devoured. The giant squid is an absolutely fascinating, almost unknown creature, and this book is informative as well as entertainingly terrifying. Against the backdrop of the recessionary early '90's, it is unsurpassed for aquatic adventure.

Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: I like the author and have read several of his other books. He writes clearly and plainly, and the books are effortless to read, and enjoyable. His research is excellent and his locations are unique and exotic. His characters draw empathy and he keeps the plot simple, yet enthralling. It's a good read.

Rating:
Summary: dont go near the water.
Review: If anyone is going to write a worthwhile rip-off of Peter Benchley's classic thriller JAWS, it might as well be Peter Benchley, and I promise you, he has.

A novel about a giant squid chowing down on the Burmuda ocean-going population isn't exactly high literature, but by that token, neither was JAWS. If you have read and appreciated JAWS, then you should also love BEAST, unless you are a stickler for originality. But the fact is this, while nothing will ever touch JAWS, BEAST (at least in its book version) is the best thing-in-water thriller since 1975, and I write as of 2003. (The TV miniseries itself is every bit as good as JAWS 2, for that matter)

This book covers all the basic cliches (attack on boats, scuba divers, beachgoers, non-human victims, the close-call that no one realizes how close it was, and final boat confrontation), some of which were totally origial as 1993. But Benchley does them as well as any author ever has. His style is taut and unique, always full of tension.

Benchley doesn't skimp the human department either. And as far as this kind of fiction goes, his human relatoins are near-perfect. The mood of BEAST, like JAWS, is tense and moody; characters tend to be on the down-and-out side of life, unhappy with things and people, but still easy to identify and sympathize with. The sour, grim moods add tension and urgency to the plot-progressing moments between attack sequences, which probably aren't that impressive nowadays, but hardly boring.

This is a return to familiar terrirtory for Benchley, and it's better than the pulpy, 70's and 80's ocean thrillers he was writing, which are even more gritty and sour, but without the characters and excitement. BEAST'S tense writing style and characters also make for some pretty amusing dialogue.

I respect everyone's opinion, but I recommend that you ignore the negative reviews and pick this up (there's no reason for this to be out of print). JAWS, BEAST, and THE GIRL OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ are THE Benchley novels to get. Even if you have originality problems, if you liked JAWS, you should dig BEAST. I'd be honestly surprsied if you didn't.

Rating:
Summary: Promised a lot, but lacked more than it promised.
Review: Okay, I like deep sea adventures novels, such as Sphere, MEG, and Goliath and I picked this book, hoping for a somewhat scary novel about a giant squid. I was sadly disapointed at how boring this book is. Even during the most exciting parts of this book, it is dull. I'm just glad I didn't buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Summer Read!
Review: Peter Benchley is the king of "beach novels", and BEAST is no exception. Yes all of Benchley's books have been compared to JAWS, and how he just keeps writing the same thing over, and over. Well if the formula works. Why change it? BEAST is compelling, and filled with rich, strong characters that move the story along quickly. Whip Darling the novel's hero is an excellent "everyman" hero, and the Beast is just plain scary! Benchley's vivid descriptions of scenes in the book has always been his strongest point in my opinion. Through Benchley's writing the reader can really get a sense of what is happening in key scenes, and some of these scenes are terrifying, indeed. After JAWS, and BEAST. I am surprised that i even go in the water anymore! From the opening scene to the final, and surprising climax BEAST satisfys, and entertains.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting novel
Review: The book starts the same way as "Jaws," and several other sections of the book could come directly from "Jaws" with slight alterations. So, we know from the beginning that some people will get killed, others be spared, and all of it randomly - which did lessen some of the suspense. In fact, I never was at the point where I could not have put the book down and interrupted reading.

Unlike "Jaws", however, "Beast" familiarizes us more with the victims, their thoughts, their fears, their lives. They become part of the story and we want them to survive. In one case, the reader is the only one who knows that the person was spared a tragedy because the person never realized how close she was to death.

I really enjoyed how Benchley developed the characters of the Bermuda islanders, their economic problems, and their problems with each other. Unfortunately, he always goes overboard with vulgarity, which takes away some of the likability of his protagonists. But his story is interesting and well written. As usual, he subtly weaves in an important environmental message that is rounded off in the last chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting, but somewhat formulaic.
Review: This is an exciting adventure/horror book, but it is VERY similar to Benchley's better-known "Jaws"; in this book, the part of the shark is played by a giant squid. If you enjoy "Jaws", you'll probably enjoy this one, too, but wait a while after reading "Jaws" before you read this one, otherwise it will feel a bit TOO familiar. Granted, the elements have been shuffled a bit, a few new ones have been added, a few have been omitted. But the main framework is essentially the same.

Rating:
Summary: Makes you want to forget about that beach vacation.
Review: This is the first, and as yet only, Peter Benchley book I have read. It won't by any means be my last.

This book made me want to keep reading, in a way I now wish I didn't, my fear of the ocean now goes far beyond that of a fear of jellyfish (a childhood incident).

This book is truly a good read, it tells the story both from the point of view of the human characters but also the 'beast' itself, what drives it to do what it does and how it is that it has come to be in the situation that it is in.

I give this book 4 Stars, I look forward to reading other Peter Benchley titles.

Rating:
Summary: Makes you want to forget about that beach vacation.
Review: This is the first, and as yet only, Peter Benchley book I have read. It won't by any means be my last.

This book made me want to keep reading, in a way I now wish I didn't, my fear of the ocean now goes far beyond that of a fear of jellyfish (a childhood incident).

This book is truly a good read, it tells the story both from the point of view of the human characters but also the 'beast' itself, what drives it to do what it does and how it is that it has come to be in the situation that it is in.

I give this book 4 Stars, I look forward to reading other Peter Benchley titles.