Customer Reviews

Beast

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Squid vs. Shark....definitely squid. Beast is a spine-tingling tale about a 100 ft giant squid that menaces Bermudian waters and develops a taste for human flesh after it's normal food source, other creatures of the deep, are almost completely fished out. After a number of failed attempts to stop and destroy the creature, it is up to a local fisherman, the story's hero named Whip Darling, to use his wits to fight it.
Beast is incredibly well written, especially the dialogue. It's characters are very real (such as St. John, a corrupt, Irish politician; Osborn Manning, a father turned vengeful after his two children are killed by the eight-armed creature; Talley, a Canadian squid expert; Sharp, a young Navy officer), and the story is quite believable, and it's ending is NEVER expected. It's also a really fast read. Three nights tops.
If you liked Jaws, you'll like Beast about fifty times more. Beast is NON-STOP ACTION, and one thing I really liked about the book is how much Benchley researched the animal known as the giant squid (Architeuthis dux). Many times during the novel he expresses and shows what and how the squid thinks and how it feels, making the story more interesting on both antagonist AND protagonist sides (the best example being when the giant squid tries to defend itself as it is attacked by a pair of sperm whales).
What's also interesting is how well Benchley depicts the characters. For example, Whip Darling, the main character and hero of the story, is, as one would assume, quite a good man. Perhaps too good. Now, one would probably think, "No one's THAT good or THAT caring." However, Whip Darling is. He is a true "good - guy." Usually, when a hero is too much of a goody-two shoes, it kind of brings a somewhat fairy tale presence upon the story, making it a little, if not completely, corny at times. However, this is not the case with Beast. It is written so well, that you find yourself really loving Whip, rather than saying, "Oh please!" at whatever he does. I think it's just that Whip is very human. He loves his family, he loves his friends, and he tries to prevent danger from coming across anyone and anything (even the squid) by doing all he can.
Beast is out of print (I don't know why...it's sooooo good), so I would recommend going to a library and checking out a copy, or buy a used edition online, but whatever you do, find Beast...and find it fast. IT'S A MUST READ.

The beast, by peter benchley is an awesome book about whip Darling, a fisher from Bermuda, that goes after a sea monster with a scientist named DR. tally and MR.osborn. Tally wants to study it because he has dedicated his life to Architeuthis. Osborn wants to kill it for killing his kids. The sea monster is a squid that is 100 feet long and has razor sharp claws. It has killed many times. It kills for food and pleasure. Its only predators are the Sperm Wales. Whip darling has a wife and a kid. His fishing mate, mike, is a big guy that doesn't like to make desisions. Dr. tally has spent his life studying Architeuthis, the squid. When he found a article about a woman in Bermuda that saw a ship turn to splinters from a monster, no smoke or fire, it just blew up. He knew right away. He had to go to Bermuda, but didn't have the money, so he called apone a rich man named Osborn, a man that lost his kids at sea. HE is thirsty for revenge. Osborn and tally go to darling and he refuses, no mater how much money they pushed at him. Finally they get a way to get him to help them. They go after the squid and have the adventure of a lifetime. This is a great book for anyone that doesn't mind cousing and adventure.

There are several things that set this book apart from most monster books I've read: subtlety, realism, and environmentalism, to name a few. Even though there weren't pages and pages of carnage in this book, it was a compelling read and had very likeable characters with personalities.

This is not only the story of a giant, man-eating squid who terrorizes Bermuda, it is also the story of Whip Darling, a proud yet impoverished man doing what he needs to get by, barely scraping up enough cash to pay the bills. Whip had been a fisherman, until Bermuda's waters were fished out, now not bearing enough fish for anyone to make a living. Whip uses his boat to make a buck any way he can: trapping deepwater oddities for an aquarium, tourist charters, salvage; whatever keeps the wolf from the door. Whip knows the waters of Bermuda like no one else, so when a giant squid starts eating people, Whip is given many offers to go after the beast, but he knows no amount of money is worth it if he's dead. Media magnate, Osborn Manning, whose children were devoured by the squid, has to pull out all the stops, but even he and his squid expert prove to be no match for the monster from the deep.

The plot is nothing new to monster book lovers, but Benchley takes the time to craft some very likeable characters: Whip Darling, his first mate Mike, navy pilot Marcus Sharp, even the unlikeable characters are well-drawn, no matter how much or how little they appear. He falls short of making the giant squid outright evil, but this character, too, has a malevolent personality. His no-nonsense environmental message is not preachy, and all the more powerful for it, as it is woven through the action while the tension builds.

If you're new to the monster book genre, or if you've simply tired of over-the-top technology and stunts, Benchley is your man. He's best known for "Jaws," but his other work is well worth reading, and refreshing, even decades after it was first published.

This is Peter Benchley's best book ever. An Architeuthis - a giant squid - creates horror and fear off the coast of Bermuda. Whip Darling and his friend Marcus Sharp figure out who responsible for this madness and must confront the huge beast, which knows no fear. Dark, scary, creepy with excellent writing, supern characters and incredibly tight action, this book delivers on all levels. I wish Benchley would write more such classics.

I love, love, love this book. To me, this is much scarier than any horror novel because this type of squid does exist and theoretically, I guess you could be attacked by one. Hey... I was not that fond of the ocean BEFORE I read this... there is no way I am going in now. I highly recommend this to anyone who is happy to stay on land and wants a thrilling book to read. You won't want to put it down and you will hate to see it end.

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.

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.

this is a great summer read. i read MEG before this and it outshines MEG in everyway. its fun, scary, entertaining and benchley pokes some fun at himself and JAWS. a great read.

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.

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.