- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 15 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312965737
- ISBN-13: 978-0312965730
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.5 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 200 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #676,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
We never thought it was really safe to go back in the water, and Benchley's new eco-thriller exploits the fear he engendered in Jaws . Here the menace is a creature spawned by a demented Nazi scientist, which has hatched 50 years later in a quiet Atlantic fishing community. Simon Chase has dropped his society wife and infant son, Max, to finish school and start the Osprey Island Marine Institute near Long Island's North Shore. Shark studies are his speciality. Chase fears the responsibilities of fatherhood, but when Max, now 12, visits, the two get on famously and soon Max has the run of the institute. Then, a crew tracking a pregnant Great White named Jaws spot a porpoise with a claw gash in its tail and see massive kills of sea life; when they then observe the same claw marks on Jaws herself, Chase knows "there's something out there." Enter Dr. Amanda Macy, who studies whales using sea lions with strapped-on video cameras. Macy leases the institute, both solving Chase's money woes and making first contact with the unknown menace. Soon Macy's camera gets a shot of a steel-clawed hand grappling with a sea lion. After additional bloody encounters at sea, the beast comes ashore, eventually to threaten Amanda and Max. Benchley's writing is fast-paced, and he alternates the tension with poignant family scenes and ample amounts of marine ecology. Literary Guild main selection; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Once more exploiting the territory and plot that made his fortune in Jaws ( LJ 3/15/74), Benchley gives us a grotesque beast--this time human-made--who lurks in the ocean and kills things. A horrid leftover from a long-ago war, the monster leaves the bodies of his victims with trademark slashes that attract the attention of Simon Chase, founder and chief scientist of the Osprey Island Marine Institute. Chase, who studies and tries to protect sharks, shares danger with his buddy Tall Man and his 12-year-old son Max. In an ecologically insensitive subplot, he also works with Dr. Amanda Macy, who uses trained sea lions harnessed with videocameras to photograph whales in their natural habitat. The best that can be said for this tired work is that the marine animals and the details of shipboard life are appealingly portrayed. Wait for the movie.
- Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
THE water in the estuary had been still for hours, as still as a sheet of black glass, for there was no wind to stir it. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE water in the estuary had been still for hours, as still as a sheet of black glass, for there was no wind to stir it. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointing monster novel.,
By
This review is from: White Shark (Mass Market Paperback)
It is difficult to write a good monster novel. If the author makes the creature too unbelievable, the reader will just not buy into the concept and dismiss it as wacky. If the creature is not fantastic enough, the reader will lose his sense of awe and fear. There is no question that this is a tough balancing act. Unfortunately, this book never finds that special balance. The idea toes the line between being trite or moderately interesting (Nazi experiment produces hybrid monster) but the delivery is lacking. There is nothing I can say that will articulate exactly what this book is lacking except that I feel it is missing that intangible "magic". My advice to you is to read this if you must, but otherwise there are other better monster novels out there.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nazi horror at its sea-lion eating best,
By Tyler Hickman (5000 feet down, middle of the atlantic) - See all my reviews
This review is from: White Shark (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel was a great book. Wonderful plot. lots of suspense. You felt sad for the people who died because Peter gave you so much info about their lives. And you feel so sad for the poor sea lions that get eaten. This is a real addicting book.The only complaint is the ending. God, all of Benchleys endings are strange. I mean, the thing was blown to bits! And the thing isnt a shark. its more like a half human monster. The only reason i can think that he named it white shark is because the scientist, Simon Chase, was studying a white shark. But aside from a few minor srew ups, its a good read.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Peter Benchley--White Shark (1995),
By The Tweeder "tweeder16" (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: White Shark (Mass Market Paperback)
Peter Benchley, the suspense master of the sea (author of "Jaws" and "Beast"), creates a new shark-filled tale with a twist. As a young man, scientist Simon Chase was too consumed with his work on sharks that he left wife and infant son Max to continue his rigorous studies of the sea. After developing the Osprey Island Marine Institute near Long Island's North Shore, he feels content with his work and realizes that he has failed as a father. Attempting to rectify the faults of his fatherhood, he spends much more time with his now pre-teen son and hopes to start the next chapter of his life as an excellent role model.While monitoring a sixteen-foot mammoth of a great white shark, he notices several claw and gash marks on the creature. Chase believes that something is deadly wrong, so he informs Dr. Amanda Macy of his problem. Macy leases the institute, using the resources to unravel the horrific truth--the menace is a monster produced by a demented Nazi scientist, which has hatched 50 years later and is wrecking havoc on Chase's community. "White Shark" is an intuitive, yet slightly absurd look at the horrors that can evolve from evil minds, but the true ludicrousness of the Nazi war weapon references is overshadowed by the excellent dialogue between father and son. "White Shark" struggles to incorporate all of the plot twists and ecologic jargon into a concise, cohesive unit; however, it triumphs as a heartfelt tale of how a father and son can come together in the most adverse situations (even if the attack of a fifty-year old shark-creature is that adverse situation). A good, fast-paced read--nothing more, nothing less. Fans of "Jaws" may want to check it out, otherwise stick with the classic.
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