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Today I'm reviewing a creature feature novel that has been on my To-Read list for a long time.
Beast
Author: Peter Benchley
Year: 1992
Genre: Horror/Science Fiction/Thriller
Synopsis:
Straight from the cutting edge of science and the logs of ancient mariners comes an immense horror - a creature that rises up from the well of an ocean gone mad with an insatiable hunger and an endless lust to kill. One man leads a harrowing struggle to defeat the beast amid a threatened Bermuda paradise. His name is Whip Darling, a down-and-out sea dog who doesn't know where he'll get his next meal - or whether it will get him first.
Review:
Anyone who has hung around here a while knows I like my creature features - even in book form. I've already read a few of Peter Benchley's books, but still have a couple I need to go through - which previously included this one. I still have one more book of his in my collection that I need to read (and yes, it's a creature feature too). But let's talk about this one, which features a very large cephalopod.
The premise is that some boats and people are being destroyed and killed at sea, mysteriously. It's beyond explanation, until more and more evidence piles up and more interactions are head. This one is pretty slow paced overall, with lots of human and personal drama between action. There are also some glimpses of the creature itself in some chapters, which is a welcome shift. I read this one in two reading sessions, but it definitely isn't one of the best creature features I've read. It's enjoyable, but it feels a bit slow comparative to other creature features. I did enjoy it, though.
The creature in this book is believable and is surprisingly one I haven't read a ton about. I did read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but I mainly read creature features about sharks and books that involve dinosaurs. I haven't read a lot about cephalopods (octopi & squid), though I just might. Aquatic creatures are really fun to read about, so it could be a fun new educational experience to enjoy. As usual, Benchley blends science and conservation with thriller and horror elements, similar to Michael Crichton. However, Benchley's main strengths involve incorporating boats and marine elements, such as diving, into his works. He also focuses a lot on people's motivations for reacting to these occurrences the way they do.
Beast involves some thrill, but it is very much about the state of Bermuda and boating communities. It discusses fishing, difficulties of making money in some circumstances, power structures, and what will push a man to do dangerous things they wouldn't consider otherwise. This book is well-written and does a good job of presenting issues of fishing methods, the balance within an ecosystem, all while framing it with a destructive and murderous sea monster. I give Peter Benchley's Beast a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯ stars. It's good and I could revisit it, but it wouldn't be the first Benchley book I revisit or the first creature feature I read again.
Thanks for joining me for today's review here at The Real World According to Sam, where I bring the books to your computer screen and even put in my two cents about them! See you at the next review!
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