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torlin_keru's review against another edition
4.0
It's a thrilling novel about survival in the American southwest, with a skilled shooter out to get the protagonist.
paige_schlicker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
robk's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book very engrossing for the most part. The characters were pretty flat and the plot was somewhat predictable, but it was a good thriller. I think it's sort of a long set-up for a one-liner ending, which really disappointed me--angered me even. But, I will forgive the ending and accept it for what it was.
samanthacrapo's review
3.0
I read this book at school. The beginning is not very interesting, but the ending is a little better only because forensic files is life. Overall, I did not like this book. I do not recommend anybody reading it.
xterminal's review
4.0
Robb White, Deathwatch (Doubleday, 1972)
When I was a kid-- say, from about three years old until high school-- I did a lot more rereading than I do now. In fact, there were some books I read and re-read so much that I ended up having to buy copies to replace those I'd worn down. I think everyone does this with a kids' picture book or two, but there were three novels I did it with in fifth and sixth grade. One of them was Wilson Rawls' [b:Where the Red Fern Grows|10365|Where the Red Fern Grows|Wilson Rawls|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166154337s/10365.jpg|115]. I think I went through three copies of that one. The other two were by Robb White, and they were Up Periscope and Deathwatch. When you're ten years old, this is just about the best thing ever. When you're thirty-nine, not so much, but it didn't lose nearly as much impact as I expected it to reading it all these years later.
The story: a local boy named Ben, looking to make money for college, offers to escort a city-dweller named Madec on a bighorn hunt. As the book opens, Madec claims to see horns over a ridge. Ben doesn't. Madec takes the shot anyway. When they get there and find out when Madec really shot, the two get into the kind of argument that has Madec forcing Ben to try and survive in the desert with no clothing, no food and no water.
It's the little details that give White's writing the power it has. Even all these years later, I still remembered the smeared-lipstick passage with almost perfect clarity, and the “bird guano” passages. (This was my first exposure to the word “guano” and I had to look it up.) The story definitely pushes the limits of disbelief-- a dehydrated, hallucinating Ben is capable of pulling off physical feats that would try the abilities of an athlete in a number of passages-- but the pacing, the character development (impressive that other characters get development when Ben takes center stage most of the time), and description are dead-on. I'm not quite as obsessed with it as I was when I was ten, but it's still a cracking good read. ****
When I was a kid-- say, from about three years old until high school-- I did a lot more rereading than I do now. In fact, there were some books I read and re-read so much that I ended up having to buy copies to replace those I'd worn down. I think everyone does this with a kids' picture book or two, but there were three novels I did it with in fifth and sixth grade. One of them was Wilson Rawls' [b:Where the Red Fern Grows|10365|Where the Red Fern Grows|Wilson Rawls|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166154337s/10365.jpg|115]. I think I went through three copies of that one. The other two were by Robb White, and they were Up Periscope and Deathwatch. When you're ten years old, this is just about the best thing ever. When you're thirty-nine, not so much, but it didn't lose nearly as much impact as I expected it to reading it all these years later.
The story: a local boy named Ben, looking to make money for college, offers to escort a city-dweller named Madec on a bighorn hunt. As the book opens, Madec claims to see horns over a ridge. Ben doesn't. Madec takes the shot anyway. When they get there and find out when Madec really shot, the two get into the kind of argument that has Madec forcing Ben to try and survive in the desert with no clothing, no food and no water.
It's the little details that give White's writing the power it has. Even all these years later, I still remembered the smeared-lipstick passage with almost perfect clarity, and the “bird guano” passages. (This was my first exposure to the word “guano” and I had to look it up.) The story definitely pushes the limits of disbelief-- a dehydrated, hallucinating Ben is capable of pulling off physical feats that would try the abilities of an athlete in a number of passages-- but the pacing, the character development (impressive that other characters get development when Ben takes center stage most of the time), and description are dead-on. I'm not quite as obsessed with it as I was when I was ten, but it's still a cracking good read. ****
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