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Average customer rating:

Emotionally gripping; excellent plot - another solid Koontz work
High level suspense with a surprise end
Sole Survivor, Dean Koontz
Barely 4 stars
Enjoyed It

Sole Survivor
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fear Nothing
Intensity
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Ticktock
Life Expectancy

ASIN: 0679425268
Release Date: 1997-01-29

Amazon.com

Joe Carpenter, the hero of Dean Koontz's newest novel, Sole Survivor, is a man nearly paralyzed by grief. One year earlier, his wife and two children had been among the 230 victims of a plane crash that left no survivors. So when Joe encounters a woman who claims to have been aboard that plane and survived the catastrophe, and then she almost immediately disappears, he is understandably riled up. In the course of trying to track this woman down, Joe finds himself entangled in a web of shadowy conspiracy and perilous secrets.

In this latest book, Koontz pumps up the volume and gives his readers what they've come to expect from him: an expert mix of cover ups, cults, bizarre suicides, and a shocking twist at the end that keeps Sole Survivor racing along from one improbable but undeniably thrilling event to the next.

Book Description

A catastrophic, unexplainable plane crash leaves three hundred and thirty dead— no survivors. Among the victims are the wife and two daughters of Joe Carpenter, a Los Angeles Post crime reporter.

A year after the crash, still gripped by an almost paralyzing grief, Joe encounters a woman named Rose, who claims to have survived the crash. She holds out the possibility of a secret that will bring Joe peace of mind. But before he can ask any questions, she slips away.

Driven now by rage (have the authorities withheld information?) and a hope almost as unbearable as his grief (if there is one survivor, are there others?), Joe sets out to find the mysterious woman. His search immediately leads him into the path of a powerful and shadowy organization hell-bent on stopping Rose before she can reveal what she knows about the crash.

Sole Survivor unfolds at a heart-stopping pace, as a desperate chase and a shattering emotional odyssey lead Joe to a truth that will force him to reassess everything he thought he knew about life and death—a truth that, given the chance, will rock the world and redefine the destiny of humanity.

Customer Reviews:

Emotionally gripping; excellent plot - another solid Koontz work.......2007-05-26

One of the knocks against Dean Koontz is that many of his novels share too many similarities - the abundant bougainvilleas, frequent hip bumping, intelligent dogs, sadistic academics, children wise beyond their years, etc. With SOLE SURVIVOR, Koontz breaks out of his traditional mold and delivers an emotionally gripping tale of a man who cannot come to grips with his wife and daughter's fatal plane crash. When a woman reaches out to him, implying that something about the plane crash and the subsequent deaths of many surviving loved ones is suspect, fast-paced action ensues. I have read around a dozen Koontz books, and for the most part, they have varied in quality with an inverse relationship to the prevalence of supernatural elements within their pages, and SOLE SURVIVOR is no exception. The supernatural aspects are kept to a minimum, and when they're included, they sully the story (in my opinion, of course). Nevertheless, this is definitely one of the better Koontz books I've read.

High level suspense with a surprise end.......2007-05-18

This book opens with the sad tale of Joe Carpenter, devoted husband and father, in a deep depression after losing his wife and two daughters in a catastrophic plane crash. His misery is so well rendered and so realistic, it could make you cry.

On the one year anniversary of the crash Joe goes to visit the cemetery where the remains of his wife and daughters are buried. He is surprised by a visit from a stranger who is photographing the grave marker and then by armed assassins who go after that stranger to kill her.

From there this book takes off at breakneck speed with all the suspense of a spy thriller. It will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. It also blends classic Koontz fantasy in the last quarter of the book. It is all done so well that you can suspend belief long enough to enjoy a truly terrific read.

I highly recommend this book! In the event that you would like to try another Koontz classic - read Lightening, my personal favorite.

Sole Survivor, Dean Koontz.......2007-05-17

This is the first book I have read by Dean Koontz and my first review! My husband loves his books and has been wanting me to read one for a long time, as for I read mostly classic authors like John Steinbeck and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Anyways this book was pretty good. It begins a year after an unexplainable plane crash. Three hundred and thirty dead including Joe Carpenters wife Michelle and his two young daughters Nina and Chrissie. Unable to move on with his life, he meets a women named Rose who claims to have survived the crash. She slips away though before he can ask any questions so he begins his search for her and the truth of what really happened on flight 353. During Joe's search he speaks with other families who lost their loved ones and he encounters bazaar suicides. I won't say much more but the answer to the mystery twists and for me it was very unexpected. It goes from a possible mystery that could happen in real life to the twilight zone.
Well I really need to read a little more Dean Koontz before I can actually say what kind of books he writes. I can only assume that they are all abnormal like this one. This novel wasn't boring but it also didn't amaze me that's why I rated it a 3. Well your obviously curious since you are reading reviews so go ahead and give it a try whether you are a fan of Dean Koontz or just looking for a good book. Reading is good for you and a lot better than TV these days.

Barely 4 stars.......2007-05-03

I'd like to give this book 3.5 stars but since it's Dean Koontz I'll forgive a couple of things and round up.

I did not hate this story. Perhaps that's part of the reason I'm able to forgive the horribly unimaginative and unbelievable ending to this story. However, the first 2/3 of the book is a great read and is very much the same artful Koontz that any fan has come to appreciate through the years. I don't know if he was rushing to meet a deadline or just couldn't figure out an ending but this one needed a bit of work in my opinion.

I originally had a version of the story with a different cover on it. I must say this updated cover is quite startling. It's beautifully done. Goes with the story much better than the one in which it was originally released.

Enjoyed It.......2007-04-27

I've read several Koontz books and really enjoyed this one. I was also reading Jodi Picoult's Second Glance and Harlan Coben's Tell No One (ironically had picked out three books that had similar story lines--men devastated by the sudden loss of their wives) and thought Koontz had a pretty cool take on the story. Liked the twists in the story and the way he *didn't* wrap it all up in a nice neat Disney ending.

The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor

Average customer rating:

A book to end the conspiracy theories?
A true account of what happened
From the source
An Indepth View of a Royal Tragedy
Basically a waste of time..................

The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor
Trevor Rees-Jones , and Moira Johnston
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Diana: Closely Guarded Secret: Closely Guarded Secret
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ASIN: 0446527750

Book Description

"Where were you when Diana died?

For Trevor Rees-Jones, the answer is simple: he was in the same hospital as Diana, fighting for his own life a few rooms away. As bodyguard to her companion Dodi Fayed, he was with the couple when, hounded by paparazzi, and with a driver who turned out to be drunk, their Mercedes crashed into the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel under the Place de l'Alma in Paris. Dodi and the Driver, Henri Paul, died instantaneously, medics say; Diana was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors worked feverishly to resuscitate her before giving up in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Miraculously, Trevor survived. But his condition was critical--internal chest injuries and a broken wrist were the least of it. His head had taken the brunt of the impact and suffered catastrophic damage; his face was crushed beyond recognition. In a stunning medical drama, however, a facial surgeon performed a miracle of reconstruction, and--along with Trevor's own indomitable will and the support of his family and friends--the bodyguard was able to leave the hospital after just over a month. His goal then was straightforward: to return to a normal life as soon as possible, go back to work for his employer, Mohamed Al Fayed, and to the simple pleasures of rugby and his mates at home in Shropshire.

But the crash that nearly killed him had killed Diana, Princess of Wales, one of the most famous women of the late twentieth century. A normal life was no longer an option. An as Mohamed Al Fayed's grief at the loss of his son quickly turned into a desperate hunt for reasons, for culprits and conspiracy, Trevor found his unswerving loyalty to the Boss at first questioned and then, ultimately, destroyed, as Fayed pointed the finger of blame at him.

The Bodyguard's Story grippingly describes, for the first time, Trevor Rees-Jones's part in these astonishing events. From the prelude to Paris, when Trevor found himself minding the Princess and her two sons in the south of France, to the crash itself and its causes and consequences, this book reveals the true, first-hand account of one of the most sensational news stories of the last century. Compelling, alarming and yet deeply moving, it is a remarkable story of courage under fire, and of how ordinary people can react to extraordinary circumstances and survive, scarred, but with their souls and values intact."

Customer Reviews:

A book to end the conspiracy theories?.......2007-04-22

'The Bodyguard's Story' is ghost written and very readable. It has the intimacy if a biography, a pace befitting the events, and the readable style of novel. Recommended to anyone for a good read, 'The Bodyguard's Story' essential reading for those interested in the events of Diana's death.

As the sole survivor of the crash, the bodyguard's story should be the book to end the conspiracy theories. Its doesn't. First because of the inevitable pre-shock amnesia endured by all crash victims, especially a victim who injuries were so horrific as to bring him close to death. The Bodyguard's Story leaves gaps. Gaps left by the investigation, such as the existence of the Fiat Panda. However 'The Bodyguard's Story' does cover the exhaustive French investigation and accounts for the long period between crash and arrival at hospital for both Diana and 'her' bodyguard.

The book does reveal one fact that is not commonly perceived. The Body guard was not Diana's but for Dodi Al Fayed as employed by his father Mohamed Al Fayed. Diana had no body guard that day.

'The Bodyguard's Story' paints a picture of incompetent security and security officers as worried about instant dismissal by a dictatorial boss, Al Fayed, as they were for the security of their charges. The bodyguard's enduring loyalty to his 'Boss', Al Fayed, leaves a open the possibility, may even appear to suggest, that there were other reasons for the employee's amnesia. The book begs the question as to why Diana put herself at such risk, in the hands of a person known to be at odds with the British government and in a relationship which was bound to be of concern to all.

An intriguing and well written read.

A true account of what happened.......2004-08-08

There is only one person that knows what actually happened before, during and after the horrific accident that left most of the world in shock and disbelief and that is Trevor Rees-Jones.

This was a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of a royal and much beloved figure and a very foolish "commoner". The fault of this accident seems to rest with Dodi making a bunch of unwise decisions that ultimately led to 3 people losing their lives.

A fascinating read, albeit a bit slow in some chapters, but fascinating none the less!

From the source.......2004-01-14

I have always wondered what kind of a person Trevor Rees-Jones was and his book gave an in-depth view of him, personally and professionally . . . in his own words.

The saying goes that "truth is stranger than fiction." The truth is also less sensational and colorful than the portrait painted by tabloid hacks and unethical "journalists" the world over.

From the start, I didn't think Trevor was trying to cash in on his time with Diana, Princess of Wales. In the foreward, he stated that writing the book (author Moira Johnston helped him write it) was his way of dealing with the situation and moving on with his life.

Trevor is an ordinary guy who had a very high profile job. It was because of circumstances on the job (that lead to what Trevor called "an industrial accident") and the fact that he was in a car with the world's most famous woman that has put him center stage for the rest of his life.

I felt sorry for the entire Rees-Jones family as diary entry after another explained the turmoil going on inside each of them: His mother and stepfather's struggle to getting Trevor on the road to recovery, the whole family having to deal with the intense media pressure, having Trevor's professionalism called into question by so-called experts (that, in his own words, were not at the Ritz nor in the car), Trevor's having to cope with the fact that he was the only survivor, the family's having to deal with the first overprotective and subsequently vicious hand of Mohammed Al Fayed. The list goes on.

I did get mad at, but then later understood, Trevor's wanting to keep his job with Al Fayed. He was the textbook case example of a loyal employee. Unfortunately, Mohammed Al Fayed was (and still is) so hung up on his conspiracy theories that he thought Trevor was lying to him about how much he remembered of the accident. It was only when he (Al Fayed) was more forthright in wanting to take complete control of the investigation that Trevor had finally had enough and quit (his good friend, Kez, would also quit about two years after the crash for the same reason: He told Al Fayed to his face that he thought his theories were rubbish).

I give Trevor and his family (his real last name is just Rees but he changed HIS name to Rees-Jones because he was so in love with his now ex-wife Sue Jones) MUCH credit for coming through such a trying time in their lives not only intact but stronger than ever. They did not let any of the media attention go to their heads (even as Trevor's so-called friends and even Sue were selling themselves to the highest bidder in the media). They remained true small town folks to the end (and Trevor was even able to play his beloved rugby not a year after the crash).

Some folks may find this book boring as Trevor is a very down-to-earth chap who just shoots straight from the hip. He doesn't trump up the facts (or make things up entirely as the media decided to do time and again while Trevor refused to give interviews). He presents Diana in a very positive light and tells the unexciting truth about the goings on of the case and behind the scenes shananigans of one Mohammed Al Fayed.

Highly recommended (if you can still get it) for a first hand account of wha it's like on the other side of the camera and news reports.

An Indepth View of a Royal Tragedy.......2003-08-11

Although somewhat hard to follow ; this is a book definitely worth reading.An indepth look , from the only survivor of a car crash that changed history!What could be more exciting.Somewhat rough around the edges;but ,nevertheless honest and telling Never knowing how these fateful events would unfold as they left the Ritz with Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana , Trevor
and Kez only knew that they were between a rock and a hard place.You don't disrespect the Boss's son when he's entertaining a Princess .It wouldn't be the first time Dodi's last minute change of plans surprised the bodyguards .At the recent screening of "Air Force One" Dodi had seated Diana in Trevors' usual seat by the door.Trevor nearly landed in Diana's lap.That same evening on route to the theatre with the Princess,Trevor had shown professionalism in eluding the paparazzi - so why the change in plans at the Ritz? Dodi's former girlfriend ,Kelly Fisher testified that Dodi was a "real dictator to Trevor".It was apparent that Dodi began to mistrust those around him ; and he just may have tried to impress the Princess with Henri Paul ; someone he knew he could trust. Trevor should have been compensated handsomely for his injuries.Money and justice just don't seem to mix .

Basically a waste of time.........................2003-01-23

For those that were truly fans of Diana, this book does nothing. I am not, but still can respect a well written story which this book is definitely not. All it does do, is give some slight info to the curious of what took place a few months prior to her death. As far as any real insight into her life, personality, accident and all the miscellanoeus issues surrounding it, this book just touches the surface. Nothing gained or lost here except a little bit of time in the reading.

Average customer rating:

really good series!!
I Love Lucy
----
Mates Dates, ans SOle Surivivors
A Fulfilling Read!!!

Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors
Cathy Hopkins
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0689859929

Book Description

I decided that next time I saw him, I'd have a word about maybe giving each other a bit more space. After all, Mum's always saying that you have to work on relationships and not give up at the first hiccup....

Lucy seems to be out on a limb. Everybody has a boyfriend except her, and since she put Tony on the back burner he's found someone else. Then on a spa weekend with Izzie, she meets someone who seems just right for her. And he feels the same way about her.

But after a while, Lucy starts to feel smothered. Can someone love you too much? Maybe the life of a singleton isn't so bad after all!

Customer Reviews:

really good series!!.......2005-06-14

This is the fifth Mates, Dates book where Lucy had just decided to get back together with Tony, and he told her they should see other people. She feels left out because all of her other friends have boyfriends. Then she meets a boy named Daniel and he seems perfect; he's into fashion, like Lucy, he is honest, good looking and everything she could want in a boy. But then he starts telling her she should only do things with him and not her friends and he leads her everywhere and she has no say in what they do. Read the book to find out what Lucy decides to do!!!

I Love Lucy.......2004-08-25

I love this whole series! This particular book was great because we caught up with Lucy, who is one of my favorite characters. So these books aren't life-changing or anything, but they're just fun to read. If you want a light read, buy this book. Teenage girls can really relate to Lucy and her friends. Have some fun and read all the books in the Mates, Dates Series!

----.......2004-07-14

This was the first book of the series that I read. I loved it!!!!! I can't wait to read the others!!!!

Mates Dates, ans SOle Surivivors.......2004-06-18

The book Mates Dates, and Sole Survivors by Cathy Hopkins, is about a girl named Lucy and her friends. Lucy feels left out of everything, everywhere she goes she sees people with boyfriends. That's all she wants, to fit in and she thinks if she gets a boyfriend like everyone she will fit in. She goes on what is suppose to be a relaxing weekend with her friend. There she meets someone she thinks is to good to be true!! Once she gets home and spends time with him, she feels smothered. He's running her life and she is loosing her friends. Then she thinks back and maybe she liked it better being single. The book takes place in London and the author is from London and the words she used were very interesting and different. Cathy Hopkins has a series of other books and hopes to make many more! I think this book is a great book for the ages ten to thirteen.

A Fulfilling Read!!!.......2004-04-12

Cathy Hopkins has still not disappointed me in the first five "Mates, Dates, and..." books in her teen series, and I doubt she will be doing so very soon, or possibly even ever. Her writing is very fresh, clear, real, fast-paced, and wonderful. With each book being better than the last, any reader's expectations will be blown away as they discover that this author holds each character true to their original ways, while still altering them with time and the fact that they learn from their experiences. This series is hardly seen as "corny", as it is funny and seems as if it were written very extraordinarily by a mature teenager who has experienced a large number of things. Cathy manages to crawl into the minds of four very different, very close friends with their own uniquely recognizable personalities; and each book is told in the perspective of one of them. These books can be serious in certain moments, but not to the extent of extreme sentimentality. At times I even am led to believe that she might have experienced most of the situations that her characters fall into.

Cathy Hopkin's "Mates, Dates, and..." series is entirely an amazing, fulfilling read for various age groups, particularly females in their teen years.

Sole survivor: The Battle of Midway and its effects on his life
Average customer rating:

An American hero tells his story and speaks his mind

Sole survivor: The Battle of Midway and its effects on his life
George H Gay
Manufacturer: Midway Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006E230K

Customer Reviews:

An American hero tells his story and speaks his mind.......2006-02-15

When those who care enough to remember think of George Gay; they invariably think of him as Ensign Gay; the lone survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) who was shot down at sea and while floating in the midst of the Japanese fleet witnessed the Battle of Midway. It's almost as if Gay is frozen in time and will always be an ensign. But that single event, no matter how dramatic, doesn't completely define George Gay. And, as you will find by reading his book, there was much more to "Ensign" Gay's life than just that one fortuitous circumstance; although it did, to a large extent, shape and determine the course of his later life.

For George Gay, it all began when he was accepted as a naval air cadet shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After completing his flight training and winning his wings, he was trained as a torpedo bomber pilot and transferred to VT-8, then aboard the USS Hornet. He was aboard that carrier when Jimmy Doolittle's sixteen B-25s were brought aboard, and he sailed with them toward Japan. Then, on April 18, 1942, he watched as Doolittle's Raiders took off on their legendary attack on the Japanese homeland. Three months later, along with the pilots of fourteen other Douglas TBD-1 Devastators, each carrying an ancient World War One 2000 pound submarine torpedo, he took off from the Hornet himself; this time in search of the Japanese fleet at Midway. Flying at low altitude and without fighter protection, VT-8 located the enemy carriers and immediately began its attack. Sadly, all fifteen Devastators, each with a two man crew, were quickly shot out of the sky by an overwhelming force of Jap Zeros. Although wounded, Ensign Gay stayed in the air long enough to release his torpedo and then, after ditching his plane, became the only survivor of VT-8. He floated in his bullet riddled life raft for the next thirty hours before being rescued. In the meantime, while trying desperately not to be seen by the Japanese ships all around him, he watched the Battle of Midway, witnessed the three damaged Japanese aircraft carriers burning and sinking, and saw the enemy's carrier aircraft falling into the sea.

After his recovery, and rehabilitation in Hawaii, Gay went back to the States as a national hero. While there, he traveled the country speaking to groups and on the radio to promote the sale of War Bonds. Before long, however, he was transferred back to the Pacific, this time to Torpedo Squadron Eleven (VT-11) which was operating from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. While there he flew twenty-one more combat missions including bombing attacks, night and day strikes against Japanese shipping, and night mine laying operations. At one point during this time, the men of VT-11 were to be flown to Australia in three shifts for a few days of rest and rehabilitation (R&R). Once again, Gay's luck held. He was bumped from his flight by his Group Commander who was killed along with everyone else on board when Gay's assigned DC-3 crashed at sea.

When his tour of duty was up, Gay was ordered back to the States where he again made personal appearances to aid the war effort before reporting to Opa-locka, Florida. While at Opa-locka, he trained new torpedo bomber pilots in the latest operational techniques. With the war winding down in 1945 and having won the Navy Cross, Gay was eligible for early release. He took that option and was separated from the Navy shortly before Japan's surrender. Following the war, he became an airline pilot; an occupation he pursued until he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty.

For those who were in the Navy, this book will bring back a host of memories. For those who weren't, it will provide a glimpse of what they missed. The most interesting thing to me about this book, however, was George Gay's expressed anger at the way many seemingly intelligent Americans failed to grasp the importance of being prepared to protect America at all times and to fight America's enemies whenever necessary. [He was particularly annoyed with the man he termed "the peanut farmer" and "that guber nut in the White House." (Jimmy Carter)] Strangely enough, Gay's thoughts, as expressed herein, are so timely that they could have been written yesterday.

Bottom line: George Gay is much more than I ever thought he was; and, besides being a great read, this book is relevant in today's world. It would benefit the country greatly if every American child would read it.

Three Complete Novels (Dark Rivers of the Heart / Sole Survivor / Intensity)

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Three Complete Novels (Dark Rivers of the Heart / Sole Survivor / Intensity)
Dean R. Koontz
Manufacturer: Bright Sky Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0970998716

Book Description

Dean Koontz is one of the world's top-selling authors with total worldwide sales of his novels at 225 million copies! He achieves what few writers can: he creates books that consistently jump to the top of the bestseller lists in both hardcover and paper. His newest novel had a half-million copy first printing, and it went straight to the Number One position in its first week on The New York Times and Publishers Weekly Bestseller lists! His many fans will snap up this handsome foil-and-embossed volume, with three of his best works in one book. The perfect impulse buy or gift. The collection includes the complete and unabridged novels Dark Rivers of the Heart, Intensity, and Sole Survivor.

Average customer rating:

Well done, but not for everyone
Bierce in his own words

A Sole Survivor: Bits of Autobiography
Ambrose Bierce , S. T. Joshi , and David E. Schultz
Manufacturer: University of Tennessee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 157233018X

Customer Reviews:

Well done, but not for everyone.......2003-11-15

This excellent collection of Ambrose Bierce's writing, organized to replace the autobiography he never wrote.

BUT, this is certainly not a biography. Bierce is not always fun to read. If you're looking for a fun biography, look elsewhere. If you've read enough of Bierce's writings to know what you're getting, give this book serious consideration.

Bierce in his own words.......1998-11-11

This is the first book where the reader is taken through Bierce's life in his own words. From his experiences in the Civil War until his mysterious disappearance into Mexico in 1913, "Sole Survivor" tells Bierce's tale through his stories, newspaper work, and personal correspondence. A must-have volume for anyone interested in the great American journalist and author.

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Chilling SPACE adventure!

Mission 5: Sole Survivor (Mars Diaries)
Sigmund Brouwer
Manufacturer: Tyndale Kids
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0842343083

Book Description

When Tyce's best friend, Director Rawling McTigre, and three other scientists are buried alive on Mars, Tyce doesn't think things can get any worse. But he is sorely mistaken. Just when he thinks his life is over, help shows up in unexpected forms--from the God he's getting to know personally, as well as a new friend.

Customer Reviews:

Chilling SPACE adventure!.......2005-12-29

HI. I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi, but this series is cool and innovative. It's realistic and has interesting plots! Anyone looking for adventure and novels with technical and scientific twists to it...READ THIS SERIES!! This book, # 5, is tied with the tenth for my favorite. A sudden seizing of a space station on planet Mars by galactic terrorists leaves young Tyce Sanders fighting for his life and the lives of other hostages--including some very important to him. The ending is surprising. (Brouwer is real good!) Better, it brings out Christian values and real important lessons! This series is not the absolute best, but it is definitely underrated. Just TRY IT!

Stingray : The Lethal Tactics of the Sole Survivor

Average customer rating:

Ruthlessness common denominator of winning
behind survivor
Richard's Revenge
Peter Lance breaks the Survivor scandal wide open!
Very poorly written; editing nonexistent

Stingray : The Lethal Tactics of the Sole Survivor
Peter Lance
Manufacturer: Cinema 21 Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cover Up: What the Government Is Still Hiding About the War on Terror

ASIN: 1885840039

Amazon.com

Seventy-one million Americans watched Richard Hatch win $1 million on the Survivor television series during the summer of 2000. He was the brilliant strategist and ruthless manipulator that viewers loved to hate. Then Hatch's $500,000 book deal to spill the inside secrets of his Survivor strategies and his life story got throttled by CBS. Trampled in the scuffle was Hatch's cowriter, five-time Emmy-winning investigative journalist Peter Lance. Hatch had led him to believe that CBS permission was in the bag, and Lance had already spent months working on the book when the deal died. So Lance went ahead and wrote his own book, full of those delectably greasy little details that Survivor fans hunger for, and including his own first-person observations. He provides a day-by-day commentary on the series, exposes several sides of Richard Hatch that we didn't see, and offers disturbing evidence that CBS manipulated events and people.

Lance knew "Dickie" Hatch as a child and is compassionate when detailing his early life. Hatch was an overweight, lonely child, wearing Coke-bottle thick glasses, sexually victimized by bullies before age 10, smoking pot and cigarettes by sixth grade, and becoming a "serious drinker" as an adult. (Hatch no longer drinks or smokes.) The Stingray does not flatter the present-day Richard Hatch, however, calling him "villainous" and a liar (off the series as well as on). Lance quotes a management consultant describing Hatch as "a wild animal who went to school." "King Richard" was brilliant at winning the throne through "guile, deceit and the strength of his will," says Lance, but "he behaved like a hick on a Starline Hollywood Tour when it came to using his fame as a launching pad for the rest of his life."

Lance reveals CBS's stranglehold on the castaways' ability to earn money post-Survivor by gatekeeping every offer and rejecting all that competed with CBS programming or sponsors. He offers unsettling substantiation that CBS distorted events, shifted the sequence of scenes, and may have tainted the voting. The book's organization seems hasty and haphazard at times, with topics frequently raised in one chapter and revisited in another. But if you're a Survivor devotee, this is a must-read. The title refers to the way Hatch compared his skewering stingrays for food to his treatment of the other castaways: "Stab. Blood in the water. Bye bye baby." --Joan Price

Book Description

THE STINGRAY is the unauthorized biography of "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch, covering not only his life, his tactics that won him the prize in the CBS-TV show "Survivor," but what happened to him after the show when he finally came to Hollywood for the big payoff. It was a payoff that never happened, the author explains and documents in a Capra-esque story which reveals that even the lethal strategies of a corporate trainer don't match up to the even more lethal tactics of network television. THE STINGRAY also goes behind the scenes on the island to show readers what they, as viewers, never saw.

Customer Reviews:

Ruthlessness common denominator of winning.......2005-02-13

What aggressive capitalism has always taught is that it is ruthlessness (often accompanied by the hard hearted deception and immorality, or inhumanity) that determines the winner in a game of winner take all - the one that equates with being a sole survivor. Above all, it make be the distinction of why most women do not succeed, and why they reach a point where morality and integrity are not worth sacrificing - for the win. For women who are able to yield, or are so ambitious that winning is everything, they tend to exist among the more predatory alpha males who reside among us, often doing quite well, it seems. Often characterized as the pirannas they are, however, they are also mocked by men for using the same methods, and inconsistent with the attributes that have been traditionally favored by men (and by women) as attractive and acceptable. But if women prefer not to be alone, why would they use these tactics to be a "sole" survivor. In fact, why would men want to be a "sole" survivor in the form of lone wolves when mankind lives a "community life?" Disassociation is not normal or healthy, and may be one of the greatest flaws of aggressive capitalism, that encourages the predatory nature of men, or of women. Harmony produces peace, not war and most prefer to live peaceful lives of pleasurable pursuits.

behind survivor.......2003-07-09

survivor, the first reality show, and still the best.
go behind the island, to find out never before known, stuff about richard, Kelly, Susan, Rudy, and the whole cast, plus tons of other info, we weren't supposed to know about. See how Rich, had the game wrapped up, even before getting on the island. I won't tell too much more, you'll have to read it yourself.

Richard's Revenge.......2003-01-04

To read this sort of stuff, you really have to be a "Survivor" junkie, and I qualify. I have been with it since the start and don't believe I have missed an episode (though some were eminently missable!).

"The Stingray" came out hoping to capitalize on first "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch's instant fame. The author's big beef is 1) CBS has Survivor cast members so locked up, it's a wonder they can even renew their drivers' license and 2) Richard Hatch "strung him along" and a $500,000 book deal sunk from sight because Richard either was unaware of the lock CBS had on him or thought he could get around it.

Mr. Lance never considers that maybe Richard Hatch was also bummed out about losing $500,000. The book is basically one long whine. Lance constantly reminds us he is a multiple award winning "investigative journalist" and Hatch is well---chopped liver. Richard is a fascinating subject, a man that has reinvented himself more times than you can count, very bright, self-destructive, and some of this information is presented.

Awards aside, this book is atrociously edited and hardly a page goes by without major typos and misspellings. The organization is non-existent. Mr. Lance is much given to "More on THIS later" type statements, only there never is any "more." The author constantly zings Hatch with "you knew how to win a million dollars; but you didn't know what to do after you got it."

Well, now it is two years later. Richard seems to be doing ok, and he has been resurrected as the Prime Survivor. All other Survivors are compared to Richard and found lacking. Latest Survivor winner Brian Haydik, who could probably give a whole new meaning to the phrase "coldly ambitious", is believed to have modeled his strategy on Hatch's game. At the time of Richard's win, he was the man you loved to hate, and Peter Lance sneered that would be his undoing. Not necessarily so. Viewers gradually realized you could be Charley-nice-guy and get booted off the island, or you could Outwit, Outplay, and Out Mean everyone else and come home with a million dollars.

Many of the interviews in this book are second-hand, even at the time the book was printed. I gave the book a second star for the occasional insights into Hatch's character. Otherwise, a waste of time.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Peter Lance breaks the Survivor scandal wide open!.......2001-06-13

After ordering The Stingray, Peter Lance's blistering expose of the fraud behind Survivor, I cracked the book open to check the introduction. Three hours later I was breathlessly moving through the final pages. This is a major work of investigative journalism that reads like a page turning thriller. If you go to his website..., you'll see that Lance first broke the charges of Mark Burnett's fixing of Stacey Stillman's vote last fall when his book first came out. He then developed a source inside Survivor II and first revealed the names of the tribes Kucha and Ogakor.

...Lance first introduced the world to the names of Jerri Manthey, Keith Famie, et. al, weeks before CBS. And in Feburary when Stacey sued CBS, the headlines were a vindication for Lance, who had the guts to suggest that Survivor was manipulated months before anyone else. Even the latest revelation of Dirk Been's transcript came after Peter Lance filed a Motion to unseal the transcript which CBS had tried to keep secret. It's no wonder. Now we have evidence, not just from one castaway (Stacey) but from Dirk Been, the bible reading dairy farmer that Mark Burnett was right there inside influencing the votes.

...But so far, nobody has challenged a single fact that Peter Lance has uncovered.

The Stingray is a must read, not just for Survivor fans, but for television watchers in general, reality show junkies and anybody that's interested in seeing the lid ripped off the biggest show on television. This book is a scortching expose.

Don't be fooled by reviews like the one below. The Stingray is a rip roaring ride through the twist and turns of what could turn out to be another major quiz show scandal.

Very poorly written; editing nonexistent.......2001-05-16

It is hard to judge the merits of a book in which typographical errors abound on each page. Worse, the author doesn't know the difference between "elude" and "allude", nor "effect" and "affect." His punctuation is bizarre. Sentence fragments abound.

Clearly, this book was rushed to press to capitalize on Survivor's current popularity.

If you are looking for new information on Survivor, or facts and the life history of Richard Hatch, look elsewhere. Throughout the book, the author repeatedly says "more on that later" or "we'll get to that soon" -- yet never does.

Book Description

When German U-boats sank the British Ben Lomond in 1942, its sole survivor was a second steward, Poon Lim, who managed to stay alive for 133 days on a wooden raft. Sole Survivor, based on three years of interviews with Poon and his family, reconstructs his remarkable ordeal and the survival techniques that earned him world celebrity and a listing in the Guiness Book of World Records.

"A classic saga of ordeal and survival that reminds us of the courage, strength, and resourceful intelligence of which human beings are capable."
-Tillie Olsen, author of Tell Me a Riddle

Customer Reviews:

A Bad Hair Day.......2002-09-12

Great story and well written. Gives good insight into Asian culture of the time. Don't miss this one.

Fantastic detail.......2000-08-08

I read this book when I was eleven years old. Now, at twenty, I still remember it as a fascinating account of day to day life lost at sea. The accounts of sores and the raging thirst that the man experienced were mesmerizing as well as repugnant. This book made the utter lonliness of being lost at sea almost real.I especially enjoyed the strict attention to detail and descriptions of how the main character dealt with obtaining water and fish.

Pretty Interesting, but kinda boring.......1999-07-29

An interesting account of a guy lost at sea. Pretty amazing story, but could have been told better. TRUE STORY though.

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