Scan barcode
spinkysaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jplante's review against another edition
3.0
My daughter just finished reading this for her 8th grade Language Arts class. She wanted me to read it too, which is why I ended up reading it. I found it to be a very easy read, I was able to finish it in a few hours. This is not my usual choice of genre, but it was nice to read something I normally would not.
g_r_frank's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book as a teen... many years ago. I remember it as being one of the first novels where I had really gotten intensely into the body of the protagonist. I felt the fear and desperation coming through the story. I have not read it in years and maybe it is not as dramatic as I recall, but it was very engaging for a teenager and gave me an appreciation for writing dramatic stories. I hope I can and do put into my own stories and books.
thisfoxreads's review against another edition
5.0
I was not at all excited to read this book, but since it's on the state Battle of the Books list, I reluctantly started it.
Well, I got caught up in the story.
There I was, SOOOO upset with Madec. Instead of just listening a bit during my morning walks, I found myself eager to listen to the audiobook until I'd finished the story. Every time it seemed Ben would end up OK, something else--plausible--would happen.
What a great little surprise the story turned out to be.
Well, I got caught up in the story.
There I was, SOOOO upset with Madec. Instead of just listening a bit during my morning walks, I found myself eager to listen to the audiobook until I'd finished the story. Every time it seemed Ben would end up OK, something else--plausible--would happen.
What a great little surprise the story turned out to be.
theheelerbooklife's review against another edition
3.0
Ben takes Madec to go in the desert to shoot a bighorn sheep. Ben needs to do this because he needs money for college. Madec has everything he wants and is rich and influential. Madec shoots at something, but it is not a bighorn, but an old man and he has been shot three times. Ben wants to go to the police to tell them there was an accident, but Madec doesn’t want to do that. Instead, Ben must fight for his survival while naked and needs to find food, water, and to some how survive against crazy Madec.
I work as an aide with a student who has a disability. They have a practical English class and they were reading this in class. I was able to get a copy of the book each class period and I was able to read a long. I think this story is okay. I didn’t like the ending and felt bored during a lot of it since it is a survival story. I do like how Ben was strong and proactive.
I work as an aide with a student who has a disability. They have a practical English class and they were reading this in class. I was able to get a copy of the book each class period and I was able to read a long. I think this story is okay. I didn’t like the ending and felt bored during a lot of it since it is a survival story. I do like how Ben was strong and proactive.
fyodoralekseyev's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I believe on the cover of this book it said something like "You'll have to stop yourself from reading this in one session!". I thought it was a silly exaggeration; It is not. I read this in one session, in perhaps 3 hours.
I found this book in a thrift shop, and the name intrigued me. I saw the tagline of "In the desert... .358 Magnum." and it intrigued me even more. I got it the next day from that thrift store (I was reluctant to take it immediately because I wanted to look at reviews and TSG takes up too much data). What a book! Certainly not a classic but its real nice if you want to spend a fun and tense few hours.
I found this book in a thrift shop, and the name intrigued me. I saw the tagline of "In the desert... .358 Magnum." and it intrigued me even more. I got it the next day from that thrift store (I was reluctant to take it immediately because I wanted to look at reviews and TSG takes up too much data). What a book! Certainly not a classic but its real nice if you want to spend a fun and tense few hours.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
The trial really infuriated me though. Silly lawyers.rosepetals1984's review against another edition
3.0
Deathwatch is a book that I read in middle school - particularly the 7th grade (I must have read 300-400+ books during my middle school years - I kid you not), and this particular book caught my attention because it was the first cat and mouse adventure/survival story that I ever read. Ben, the protagonist, is a young adult looking for money to go to college. This leads him to pursue a trip into the desert under the direction of Madec, a greedy businessman. Madec shoots and kills a man in the desert, then tries to cover up the crime. Ben stands his ground and insists on reporting it, which causes Madec to turn on the young man. From then on, it's a 48 hour ordeal where Ben has to use his wits and brawn to run from Madec - without clothes, food, or water.
I actually liked Robb White's prose in this in spurts - it's far better than most contemporary books could note, but suffice to say that reading it now (and having read other books in this same genre) it does leave much to be desired, and there are parts of the book that drag on for longer than it should have. Madec's actions are sadistic and make you feel sympathetic to Ben, though Ben's characterization could have had much more to it looking back on the collective frame of the book. I genuinely liked the way the story ended, and it does tie up events in a way that brings the showdown to a close, and it makes you think about the complex morality and nature of people in due reflection. Overall, I really liked this book, and consider it one of the books that influenced my like of this particular genre, though I do also recognize its respective flaws.
Overall score: 3/5
I actually liked Robb White's prose in this in spurts - it's far better than most contemporary books could note, but suffice to say that reading it now (and having read other books in this same genre) it does leave much to be desired, and there are parts of the book that drag on for longer than it should have. Madec's actions are sadistic and make you feel sympathetic to Ben, though Ben's characterization could have had much more to it looking back on the collective frame of the book. I genuinely liked the way the story ended, and it does tie up events in a way that brings the showdown to a close, and it makes you think about the complex morality and nature of people in due reflection. Overall, I really liked this book, and consider it one of the books that influenced my like of this particular genre, though I do also recognize its respective flaws.
Overall score: 3/5
rosenectur's review against another edition
1.0
A really sadistic story of survival. If it weren't for a smart doctor at the end I would have hated this book. Desert survival stories are one thing, a sadistic big game hunter and a desert guide who becomes the object of sadism are totally different. This book is probably most appealing to young men.
tatiethehatie's review against another edition
I'm reading this in class. It's SO boring. It was pretty good at the beginning but now it's just heading downhill....
missazane's review against another edition
3.0
The first 1/4 of this book was extremely slow and uninteresting. It gradually got better, though I still feel it dragged a lot. The ending was a little annoying, but still satisfying enough.