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A Marvel Movie Special
The Deep
A young couple go to Bermuda on their honeymoon. They dive on the reefs offshore, looking for the wreck of a sunken ship. What they find lures them into a strange and increasingly terrifying encounter with past and present, a struggle for salvage and survival along the floor of the sea, in the deep.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Peter Benchley
65 books1,215 followersPeter Bradford Benchley was an American author best known for writing the novel Jaws and co-writing the screenplay for its highly successful film adaptation. The success of the book led to many publishers commissioning books about mutant rats, rabid dogs and the like threatening communities. The subsequent film directed by Steven Spielberg and co-written by Benchley is generally acknowledged as the first summer blockbuster. Benchley also wrote The Deep and The Island which were also adapted into films.
Benchley was from a literary family. He was the son of author Nathaniel Benchley and grandson of Algonquin Round Table founder Robert Benchley. His younger brother, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor. Peter Benchley was an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University.
After graduating from college, he worked for The Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. He developed the idea of a man-eating shark terrorising a community after reading of a fisherman Frank Mundus catching a 4,550 pound great white shark off the coast of Long Island in 1964. He also drew some material from the tragic Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.
His reasonably successful second novel, The Deep, is about a honeymooning couple discovering two sunken treasures on the Bermuda reefs—17th century Spanish gold and a fortune in World War Two-era morphine—who are subsequently targeted by a drug syndicate. This 1976 novel is based on Benchley's chance meeting in Bermuda with diver Teddy Tucker while writing a story for National Geographic. Benchley co-wrote the screenplay for the 1977 film release, along with Tracy Keenan Wynn and an uncredited Tom Mankiewicz. Directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, The Deep was the second-highest grossing release of 1977 after Star Wars, although its box office tally fell well short of Jaws.
The Island, published in 1979, was a story of descendants of 17th century pirates who terrorize pleasure craft in the Caribbean, leading to the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Benchley again wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. But the movie version of The Island, starring Michael Caine and David Warner, failed at the box office when released in 1980.
During the 1980s, Benchley wrote three novels that did not sell as well as his previous works. However, Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a beguiling John Steinbeck-type fable about man's complicated relationship with the sea, was far and away his best reviewed book and has attracted a considerable cult following since its publication. Sea of Cortez signposted Benchley's growing interest in ecological issues and anticipated his future role as an impassioned and intelligent defender of the importance of redressing the current imbalance between human activities and the marine environment. Q Clearance published in 1986 was written from his experience as a staffer in the Johnson White House. Rummies (aka Lush), which appeared in 1989, is a semi-autobiographical work, loosely inspired by the Benchley family's history of alcohol abuse. While the first half of the novel is a relatively straightforward (and harrowing) account of a suburbanite's descent into alcoholic hell, the second part—which takes place at a New Mexico substance abuse clinic—veers off into wildly improbable thriller-type territory.
He returned to nautical themes in 1991's Beast written about a giant squid threatening Bermuda. Beast was brought to the small screen as a made-for-TV movie in 1996, under the slightly altered title The Beast. His next novel, White Shark, was published in 1994. The story of a Nazi-created genetically engineered shark/human hybrid failed to achieve popular or critical success.
Benchley was from a literary family. He was the son of author Nathaniel Benchley and grandson of Algonquin Round Table founder Robert Benchley. His younger brother, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor. Peter Benchley was an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University.
After graduating from college, he worked for The Washington Post, then as an editor at Newsweek and a speechwriter in the White House. He developed the idea of a man-eating shark terrorising a community after reading of a fisherman Frank Mundus catching a 4,550 pound great white shark off the coast of Long Island in 1964. He also drew some material from the tragic Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.
His reasonably successful second novel, The Deep, is about a honeymooning couple discovering two sunken treasures on the Bermuda reefs—17th century Spanish gold and a fortune in World War Two-era morphine—who are subsequently targeted by a drug syndicate. This 1976 novel is based on Benchley's chance meeting in Bermuda with diver Teddy Tucker while writing a story for National Geographic. Benchley co-wrote the screenplay for the 1977 film release, along with Tracy Keenan Wynn and an uncredited Tom Mankiewicz. Directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Shaw, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, The Deep was the second-highest grossing release of 1977 after Star Wars, although its box office tally fell well short of Jaws.
The Island, published in 1979, was a story of descendants of 17th century pirates who terrorize pleasure craft in the Caribbean, leading to the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Benchley again wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation. But the movie version of The Island, starring Michael Caine and David Warner, failed at the box office when released in 1980.
During the 1980s, Benchley wrote three novels that did not sell as well as his previous works. However, Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a beguiling John Steinbeck-type fable about man's complicated relationship with the sea, was far and away his best reviewed book and has attracted a considerable cult following since its publication. Sea of Cortez signposted Benchley's growing interest in ecological issues and anticipated his future role as an impassioned and intelligent defender of the importance of redressing the current imbalance between human activities and the marine environment. Q Clearance published in 1986 was written from his experience as a staffer in the Johnson White House. Rummies (aka Lush), which appeared in 1989, is a semi-autobiographical work, loosely inspired by the Benchley family's history of alcohol abuse. While the first half of the novel is a relatively straightforward (and harrowing) account of a suburbanite's descent into alcoholic hell, the second part—which takes place at a New Mexico substance abuse clinic—veers off into wildly improbable thriller-type territory.
He returned to nautical themes in 1991's Beast written about a giant squid threatening Bermuda. Beast was brought to the small screen as a made-for-TV movie in 1996, under the slightly altered title The Beast. His next novel, White Shark, was published in 1994. The story of a Nazi-created genetically engineered shark/human hybrid failed to achieve popular or critical success.
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April 28, 2022
في الأعماق يستحيل لون الدماء إلى الأخضر
لمعة الماس تجذب الباراكودا في الاعماق
المورفين ايضا قد يكون من كنوز الأعماق
في أحداث متلاحقة لها عبق البحر و رائحته..تبدأ منذ عام 1943 ثم يكملها الزوجين ساندرز في أواخر السبعينات
و لان القبور تذخر بالشجعان
و لان العريسين كان من الأفضل لهما كثيرا التركيز في شهر العسل. .سنلهث خلفهما هم و قراصنة البوكانير
بيتر بينشلي صاحب الفك المفترس لم يخذلني . .أدب البحر اعشقه و ألجأ إليه عندما ارغب في السفر ولا استطيع. .رواية تتخمنا بالمعلومات و لا تحرمنا من المتعة
لمعة الماس تجذب الباراكودا في الاعماق
المورفين ايضا قد يكون من كنوز الأعماق
في أحداث متلاحقة لها عبق البحر و رائحته..تبدأ منذ عام 1943 ثم يكملها الزوجين ساندرز في أواخر السبعينات
و لان القبور تذخر بالشجعان
و لان العريسين كان من الأفضل لهما كثيرا التركيز في شهر العسل. .سنلهث خلفهما هم و قراصنة البوكانير
بيتر بينشلي صاحب الفك المفترس لم يخذلني . .أدب البحر اعشقه و ألجأ إليه عندما ارغب في السفر ولا استطيع. .رواية تتخمنا بالمعلومات و لا تحرمنا من المتعة
February 4, 2018
”In sea water more than a few feet deep, blood is green. Water filters the light from above, seeming to consume the colors of the spectrum shade by shade. Red is the first to succumb, to disappear. Green lasts longer. But then, below 100 feet, green, too, fades away, leaving blue. In the twilight depths--180, 200 feet, and beyond--blood looks black.”
I DVRed The Deep (1977) because I knew it was based on the Peter Benchley novel. I’ve been meaning to read the book as part of my nostalgic 1970s horror reading tour. Finding the movie playing was one of those portentous moments where I decided the universe was talking to me, and it was convincing me that it was time to return to my 1970s tour. I was in the mood for a movie geared towards giving me a few entertaining thrills, spills, and chills.
I had no idea the movie was about boobs.
In particular, Jacqueline Bisset’s boobs. The first five minutes of the film, or maybe it is longer, are of her underwater in a white t-shirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The director, Peter Yates, said that wet t-shirt made him a very rich man. Did it feel exploitive? Absolutely! I doubt Miss Bisset made as much money as Mr. Yates. Interesting fact, this movie actually inspired the wet amateur t-shirt contests that are so popular in the dance clubs during spring break, at strip clubs, in scroungy bars, and at some backyard barbecues...or so I hear.
The movie, after we move on from the boobs, does tend to follow the book fairly closely. A couple, Gail and David Sanders, are on their honeymoon in Bermuda and for entertainment are diving a shipwreck in the bay and find some interesting trinkets. One of the least compelling items to them is an ampoule full of liquid, at least until a man approaches them wanting to buy it. How does he know they have it? How did he find out so fast? And why is he offering such an exorbitant fee?
David Sanders is played by Nick Nolte, long before he wigged out and started looking like a walking freak show. He is determined to play things close to the chest until they figure out with what and whom exactly they are dealing. After a few enquires, they are sent to a man named Treece, who is, interesting enough, played by Robert Shaw. He played Quint in the movie version of Jaws, also written by Peter Benchley. In this movie, he plays a similar character, rough and ready, distrustful of institutions, but generally a good guy.
The ampoule is full of morphine and is from the wreck of an allied supply ship during World War 2, but it doesn’t jive with the Pieces of Eight and other trinkets they found. The morphine is worth a lot of money to the wrong kind of people, and if those tens of thousands of ampoules are still intact on the bottom of the sea, there is a fortune definitely worth killing for. The people who want it are a black gang of voodoo worshiping smugglers who will do anything to get their hands on those ampoules.
This turns into one dangerous honeymoon for the Sanders as they and Treece try to recover the ampoules before Cloche and his gang. At the same time, they are trying to discover more of the buried treasure from what turns out to be an older wreck under the 1940s era wreck.
I think you can watch the movie, which falls way short of the movie version of Jaws, or read the book, but there is probably no need to do both unless you are a completist like me. The book is fast paced and definitely has some underwater chills which may have actually come across better in print than in the movie. If you need a bit of escapism that won’t make too many demands on your little gray cells, this book will work perfectly.
***3.25 out of 5 stars***
My Jaws Review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
I DVRed The Deep (1977) because I knew it was based on the Peter Benchley novel. I’ve been meaning to read the book as part of my nostalgic 1970s horror reading tour. Finding the movie playing was one of those portentous moments where I decided the universe was talking to me, and it was convincing me that it was time to return to my 1970s tour. I was in the mood for a movie geared towards giving me a few entertaining thrills, spills, and chills.
I had no idea the movie was about boobs.
In particular, Jacqueline Bisset’s boobs. The first five minutes of the film, or maybe it is longer, are of her underwater in a white t-shirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The director, Peter Yates, said that wet t-shirt made him a very rich man. Did it feel exploitive? Absolutely! I doubt Miss Bisset made as much money as Mr. Yates. Interesting fact, this movie actually inspired the wet amateur t-shirt contests that are so popular in the dance clubs during spring break, at strip clubs, in scroungy bars, and at some backyard barbecues...or so I hear.
The movie, after we move on from the boobs, does tend to follow the book fairly closely. A couple, Gail and David Sanders, are on their honeymoon in Bermuda and for entertainment are diving a shipwreck in the bay and find some interesting trinkets. One of the least compelling items to them is an ampoule full of liquid, at least until a man approaches them wanting to buy it. How does he know they have it? How did he find out so fast? And why is he offering such an exorbitant fee?
David Sanders is played by Nick Nolte, long before he wigged out and started looking like a walking freak show. He is determined to play things close to the chest until they figure out with what and whom exactly they are dealing. After a few enquires, they are sent to a man named Treece, who is, interesting enough, played by Robert Shaw. He played Quint in the movie version of Jaws, also written by Peter Benchley. In this movie, he plays a similar character, rough and ready, distrustful of institutions, but generally a good guy.
The ampoule is full of morphine and is from the wreck of an allied supply ship during World War 2, but it doesn’t jive with the Pieces of Eight and other trinkets they found. The morphine is worth a lot of money to the wrong kind of people, and if those tens of thousands of ampoules are still intact on the bottom of the sea, there is a fortune definitely worth killing for. The people who want it are a black gang of voodoo worshiping smugglers who will do anything to get their hands on those ampoules.
This turns into one dangerous honeymoon for the Sanders as they and Treece try to recover the ampoules before Cloche and his gang. At the same time, they are trying to discover more of the buried treasure from what turns out to be an older wreck under the 1940s era wreck.
I think you can watch the movie, which falls way short of the movie version of Jaws, or read the book, but there is probably no need to do both unless you are a completist like me. The book is fast paced and definitely has some underwater chills which may have actually come across better in print than in the movie. If you need a bit of escapism that won’t make too many demands on your little gray cells, this book will work perfectly.
***3.25 out of 5 stars***
My Jaws Review.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
September 24, 2020
Cheesy 70s aquatic suspense stories, thy name is Benchley!
I could not help but picture every 70s action movie in my head as I listened to this book.
While I was dipping my mental nachos in all this cheese, I was having a pretty good time. Not really award-winning stuff, but neither were the 70s action movies. Just a little something to escape with on your weekend visit to the cinema with your friends over a bucket of popcorn and some snacks you snuck in. So, now that I have you craving nachos, popcorn, and contraband candy . . .
The story was interesting, and along the way Benchley tries to educate the reader a bit with details about treasure hunting on shipwrecks. The basic structure of the book was: action sequence, some underwater treasure recovery, a lesson on Spanish shipwrecks in Bermuda, rinse/repeat. At times, the repetition started to get old, but not enough to ruin my book experience.
One complaint I have (and complaint might be too strong of a word) is that he included a few details that seemed to have such an important focus that I figured they were foreshadowing for use later in the story, but they were not. But, then I have to ask myself, if he has me questioning if everything is important, even when they don’t end up being so, maybe he has succeeded by keeping me engaged for the whole book waiting for it matter?
So, if you enjoyed Benchley’s more famous work (something to do with teeth and sharks I think it was 😉), this is worth checking out for another good time in the dangerous waters of the 70s.
I could not help but picture every 70s action movie in my head as I listened to this book.
While I was dipping my mental nachos in all this cheese, I was having a pretty good time. Not really award-winning stuff, but neither were the 70s action movies. Just a little something to escape with on your weekend visit to the cinema with your friends over a bucket of popcorn and some snacks you snuck in. So, now that I have you craving nachos, popcorn, and contraband candy . . .
The story was interesting, and along the way Benchley tries to educate the reader a bit with details about treasure hunting on shipwrecks. The basic structure of the book was: action sequence, some underwater treasure recovery, a lesson on Spanish shipwrecks in Bermuda, rinse/repeat. At times, the repetition started to get old, but not enough to ruin my book experience.
One complaint I have (and complaint might be too strong of a word) is that he included a few details that seemed to have such an important focus that I figured they were foreshadowing for use later in the story, but they were not. But, then I have to ask myself, if he has me questioning if everything is important, even when they don’t end up being so, maybe he has succeeded by keeping me engaged for the whole book waiting for it matter?
So, if you enjoyed Benchley’s more famous work (something to do with teeth and sharks I think it was 😉), this is worth checking out for another good time in the dangerous waters of the 70s.
November 21, 2020
The Deep, Peter Benchley
Undersea adventure about a couple who become involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a deadly shipwreck in Bermudan waters. When they realize that the cache includes morphine, the pair enlist the help of an old treasure hunter to escape the drug dealers who hid their product amidst the sunken wreck. Initial release: June 17, 1977 (USA).
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هشتم ماه جولای سال 2006میلادی
عنوان: اعماق؛ نویسنده: پیتر بنچلی؛ مترجم: سعید شیرازی؛ تهران، ونداد، 1363؛ در 404ص؛ قیمت 575ریال؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20م
عنوان: اعماق؛ نویسنده: پیتر بنچلی؛ مترجم: الهه صالحی؛ تهران، لیوسا، 1382؛ در 362ص؛ شابک 9645634326؛ چاپ دوم 1384؛
کتاب اعماق یا (عمیق)؛ داستانی ماجراجویی، ترسناک، اکشن، و معمایی است؛ در این داستان، «گیل» و «ساندرز» زوج جوانی هستند که به تازگی ازدواج کرده، و برای گذران ماه عسل، به سواحل «برمودا» میروند؛ آنها روزها، در آبگیرهای دور از ساحل غواصی میکنند، تا اینکه در اعماق آب، بقایای یک کشتی غرق شده را مییابند؛ در آن کشتی، بقایای آمپولهایی را پیدا میکنند که حاوی مایعی شیمیایی است؛ بدینسان است آنها به سوی ماجرای مشکوکی کشیده میشوند که شرح آن در داستان آمده است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Undersea adventure about a couple who become involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a deadly shipwreck in Bermudan waters. When they realize that the cache includes morphine, the pair enlist the help of an old treasure hunter to escape the drug dealers who hid their product amidst the sunken wreck. Initial release: June 17, 1977 (USA).
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هشتم ماه جولای سال 2006میلادی
عنوان: اعماق؛ نویسنده: پیتر بنچلی؛ مترجم: سعید شیرازی؛ تهران، ونداد، 1363؛ در 404ص؛ قیمت 575ریال؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20م
عنوان: اعماق؛ نویسنده: پیتر بنچلی؛ مترجم: الهه صالحی؛ تهران، لیوسا، 1382؛ در 362ص؛ شابک 9645634326؛ چاپ دوم 1384؛
کتاب اعماق یا (عمیق)؛ داستانی ماجراجویی، ترسناک، اکشن، و معمایی است؛ در این داستان، «گیل» و «ساندرز» زوج جوانی هستند که به تازگی ازدواج کرده، و برای گذران ماه عسل، به سواحل «برمودا» میروند؛ آنها روزها، در آبگیرهای دور از ساحل غواصی میکنند، تا اینکه در اعماق آب، بقایای یک کشتی غرق شده را مییابند؛ در آن کشتی، بقایای آمپولهایی را پیدا میکنند که حاوی مایعی شیمیایی است؛ بدینسان است آنها به سوی ماجرای مشکوکی کشیده میشوند که شرح آن در داستان آمده است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 30/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
February 29, 2024
Maybe two stars seems a little harsh for Benchley's second book after Jaws by Peter Benchley, but this was basically just a passible thriller and not a creature feature, and definitely not terrifying as the cover blurb states. So why two stars outside of the misleading blurb? Well, where to start.
The Deep starts off introducing our lead characters; a couple on a honeymoon to Bermuda to take in some sun and scuba. While exploring the wreck of a WWII schooner, they find an odd glass ampule still sealed with some liquid inside. After someone tries to buy it at the resort they are staying at, they, after some song and dance, and a few slipped bills, travel over the island to where an expert diver/salvager lives. Turns out the old schooner was carrying a bunch of ammo and drugs for the European front. Further, the drugs were morphine. As the morphine was sealed in ampules, it is still perfectly fine, and today (e.g., circa 1976 when this was published) worth millions on the street.
A local 'boss man' finds out about it and makes the couple an offer-- leave and collect 1 million, or stay and pay the consequences. When the couple takes the local expert to check out the site, they find the drugs, but also some gold artifacts that must have come from the early 18th century from a smashed Spanish vessel. This quickly turns into a race/battle between the 'boss man' with his voodoo vibes and the expert islander and the couple...
I was really expecting a creature feature here, and while Benchley does give a few scares underwater with moray eels and such, The Deep is really just a thriller with some buried treasure and some bad versus good guys. The latent sexism is pretty thick; it seems the woman is always washing dishes and is basically your damsel in distress (although not completely). The diving scenes were well done, but the action sequences seems contrived just to move the plot. Not a horrible book, and it may have been a great movie (I have not seen it). The Jaws movie was better than the book after all! 2 buried treasures.
The Deep starts off introducing our lead characters; a couple on a honeymoon to Bermuda to take in some sun and scuba. While exploring the wreck of a WWII schooner, they find an odd glass ampule still sealed with some liquid inside. After someone tries to buy it at the resort they are staying at, they, after some song and dance, and a few slipped bills, travel over the island to where an expert diver/salvager lives. Turns out the old schooner was carrying a bunch of ammo and drugs for the European front. Further, the drugs were morphine. As the morphine was sealed in ampules, it is still perfectly fine, and today (e.g., circa 1976 when this was published) worth millions on the street.
A local 'boss man' finds out about it and makes the couple an offer-- leave and collect 1 million, or stay and pay the consequences. When the couple takes the local expert to check out the site, they find the drugs, but also some gold artifacts that must have come from the early 18th century from a smashed Spanish vessel. This quickly turns into a race/battle between the 'boss man' with his voodoo vibes and the expert islander and the couple...
I was really expecting a creature feature here, and while Benchley does give a few scares underwater with moray eels and such, The Deep is really just a thriller with some buried treasure and some bad versus good guys. The latent sexism is pretty thick; it seems the woman is always washing dishes and is basically your damsel in distress (although not completely). The diving scenes were well done, but the action sequences seems contrived just to move the plot. Not a horrible book, and it may have been a great movie (I have not seen it). The Jaws movie was better than the book after all! 2 buried treasures.
June 6, 2010
I probably read this when I was 11 or 12 and I only remember two things from it: the female character bending over so that her bikini-covered breasts' honey-coloredness became visible, and the word "ampules." This is the kind of book you should read when you're 11 because you'll get much more out of it.
March 13, 2020
Divers,a wrecked ship and treasure hunters. As this was written by the author of Jaws,I expected something good. But it was really bad. After making a valiant effort to read it,I threw in the towel and threw it away.
Wonder if the movie is somewhat better.
Wonder if the movie is somewhat better.
May 18, 2017
This book is about a married couple that are searching a sunken vessel off the coast of Bermuda. They soon discover that this vessel was carrying drugs. The local drug lord wants these drugs. The couple are adamant about not supplying the local drug lord and they are fighting for their lives.
I have never seen the movie that was developed from this book so this was all new for me. It was a decent read. What stood out about this book was the description of the dives as the characters searched the bottom of the ocean. This was to be expected as Peter Benchley might be the undisputed king of ocean themed thrillers. I liked all three of the main characters but I do wish that the drug lord and his crew was fleshed out a little more. The theme of the drugs was always present but I wish the threat of the drug lord was more of a menace.
This book is a good example of a beach read. It is a thriller that takes place in the ocean and therefore we have the presence of sharks, moray eels, or dives that go horribly wrong. It entertained and now I have to go watch the movie.
I have never seen the movie that was developed from this book so this was all new for me. It was a decent read. What stood out about this book was the description of the dives as the characters searched the bottom of the ocean. This was to be expected as Peter Benchley might be the undisputed king of ocean themed thrillers. I liked all three of the main characters but I do wish that the drug lord and his crew was fleshed out a little more. The theme of the drugs was always present but I wish the threat of the drug lord was more of a menace.
This book is a good example of a beach read. It is a thriller that takes place in the ocean and therefore we have the presence of sharks, moray eels, or dives that go horribly wrong. It entertained and now I have to go watch the movie.
May 15, 2018
The first novel I ever read.
October 7, 2016
I love Peter Benchley. His books always make me so excited. This book was fun and not what I expected, but in a good way it was way better than I thought. I thought the pace was good and the story line fun and adventurous.
My only thought at the end was Noo!!! What about charlotte!!!
My only thought at the end was Noo!!! What about charlotte!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2016
Wonderful, gripping thriller novel! Very calculated, well-written, and an excellent read for those who enjoy a Caribbean backdrop with a lot of diving and treasure hunting. I absolutely loved the character Romer Treece and reading about diving/underwater archaeology culture. I give this book my 5 stars with confidence, although the one thing I noted was that some of the dialogue was a bit fanciful at certain parts, but those lines were few and far apart and didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel. Also, the ending was so discouraging!! But I can understand why Benchley concluded it the way he did.
Also, I picked this book up used at Bookman Bookwoman in Nashville- loved that place, would encourage any and all readers to check it out if you happen to pass through Hillsboro Village!
Also, I picked this book up used at Bookman Bookwoman in Nashville- loved that place, would encourage any and all readers to check it out if you happen to pass through Hillsboro Village!
August 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this audiobook again! The story is a crime suspense thriller, with scuba divers, deep caves, and buried treasure. The narrator did a good job performing the story as well. It makes me want to watch the movie as well. I really liked the ending when .
October 13, 2017
Life's full of chances to hurt yourself or someone else.
Initially I thought this would be a horror book, maybe because of Jaws, but when I realized this was actually a sea mystery, I thought that I wouldn't like it that much. I was wrong, and The Deep surprised me in many ways.
Of the three main characters, there was one about whom I didn't really care (David), my favorite one (Gail), and a middle-grounder (don't remember his name). In general, they were good and believable, which is what I expect on a good book.
I really liked that the story explored two shipwrecks, and the secrets the characters found out about History that weren't know; that's something that interests and fascinates me, even though it's just fiction.
The book had a fast pace and some gripping moments, but nothing really awesome until the last 50 pages, when I things became even more awesome and I couldn't put it down.
The Deep was a pleasant surprise to me, and I think it should be more recognized.
Initially I thought this would be a horror book, maybe because of Jaws, but when I realized this was actually a sea mystery, I thought that I wouldn't like it that much. I was wrong, and The Deep surprised me in many ways.
Of the three main characters, there was one about whom I didn't really care (David), my favorite one (Gail), and a middle-grounder (don't remember his name). In general, they were good and believable, which is what I expect on a good book.
I really liked that the story explored two shipwrecks, and the secrets the characters found out about History that weren't know; that's something that interests and fascinates me, even though it's just fiction.
The book had a fast pace and some gripping moments, but nothing really awesome until the last 50 pages, when I things became even more awesome and I couldn't put it down.
The Deep was a pleasant surprise to me, and I think it should be more recognized.
July 4, 2022
رواية جيدة لعالم مغامرات البحار المثير
لكن النهاية لم تعجبنى كثيرا
ومع ذلك فهى رواية جيدة مثيرة و مشوقة اجبرتنى على ان اقرأها فى جلسة واحدة
انه عالم بيتر بينشلى الرائع
لكن النهاية لم تعجبنى كثيرا
ومع ذلك فهى رواية جيدة مثيرة و مشوقة اجبرتنى على ان اقرأها فى جلسة واحدة
انه عالم بيتر بينشلى الرائع
September 20, 2023
Peter Benchley’s first book was Jaws which was published in 1973. A best seller that leads to the first blockbuster in film history. The Deep was his second book which was published in 1976 and lead to a film. I have not seen the movie but would love to as I am a fan of 70’s and 80’s horror books and movies.
Reading The Deep does have that 70’s feel to it which is what I enjoy. Going back to the 70’s. This is more of a thriller then horror, but I am going to place it as a horror.
A couple on their honeymoon who love to dive in the ocean come across two lots of sunken treasure. While some locals are willing to help there is a local gang who want the treasure for themselves.
So, the battle commences. On the way we get to know the characters and the history of the sunken treasure. There is a creature feature element to it as the ocean is full of sealife. Some of which is not friendly.
An enjoyable 70’s read!
Reading The Deep does have that 70’s feel to it which is what I enjoy. Going back to the 70’s. This is more of a thriller then horror, but I am going to place it as a horror.
A couple on their honeymoon who love to dive in the ocean come across two lots of sunken treasure. While some locals are willing to help there is a local gang who want the treasure for themselves.
So, the battle commences. On the way we get to know the characters and the history of the sunken treasure. There is a creature feature element to it as the ocean is full of sealife. Some of which is not friendly.
An enjoyable 70’s read!
August 4, 2022
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this immensely despite only reading it because I thought it was a shark book (whoops). In fact, I didn’t even notice until I was well over halfway through that - wait a minute - there weren’t any sharks yet. Huh.
Sure, this book has its flaws, but if I was rating in pure terms of my enjoyment, 5 stars. It was a quick binge read where I wasn’t invested in any of the characters too deeply (pun intended). Three cheers for buried treasure!
Sure, this book has its flaws, but if I was rating in pure terms of my enjoyment, 5 stars. It was a quick binge read where I wasn’t invested in any of the characters too deeply (pun intended). Three cheers for buried treasure!
January 17, 2017
After Jaws I was hoping for more. This has a plot hole you could Captain a U-boat through. Too bad, since the main character is well drawn, perhaps too well, since a backstory dump drags down chapter three. If a crappy plot won't keep you from a sea yarn, it's a fair Audiobook. DNF halfway.
December 23, 2023
A fun underwater adventure, thriller with sharks, moray eels and buried treasure. The plot seemed at times unrealistic, the characters a bit dull but there was plenty of action which I suppose is what this book is all about.
It was entertaining in a cheesy James Bond, 70s kinda way, but has nothing on Jaws!
It was entertaining in a cheesy James Bond, 70s kinda way, but has nothing on Jaws!
August 15, 2016
the ending just blew me away; otherwise, the sea was unchanged
p272: military term for it's a shape charge.
p272: military term for it's a shape charge.
July 9, 2023
It was great until the end. It was like it was missing a couple chapters to give a real conclusion to the story. Ends abruptly
January 3, 2021
First book for 2021!
There is something about Peter Benchley's endings that always left me craving for more. After reading Jaws and, now, The Deep , I noticed that he pushes back the climax right up to the last 20 pages and then abruptly ends the novel. That honestly bugged me, but perhaps it's just these two novels.
Anyway, this is just an okay book for me. There are genuinely good and interesting parts, especially those parts that talk about the history of these shipwrecks, the treasures, the drugs. But, anything else, it was just okay.
There is something about Peter Benchley's endings that always left me craving for more. After reading Jaws and, now, The Deep , I noticed that he pushes back the climax right up to the last 20 pages and then abruptly ends the novel. That honestly bugged me, but perhaps it's just these two novels.
Anyway, this is just an okay book for me. There are genuinely good and interesting parts, especially those parts that talk about the history of these shipwrecks, the treasures, the drugs. But, anything else, it was just okay.
June 13, 2019
Honestly I’m only giving this three stars for the violence, sea creature terror and one very creepy urban legend tale about an older couple who get stuck on a cage elevator with no one around to help them. The plot is subpar and the characters are dull, one dimensional and completely forgettable. Turns out The Deep is pretty shallow.
See what I did there?
See what I did there?
October 30, 2019
This is an really good book. Fast paced and always moving. The writer of Jaws had another great thriller who knew? Couple on their honeymoon. Doesn’t it always start that way? How it ends is really EXPLOSIVE!!!
January 30, 2020
I enjoyed this one. A really quick read, which I didn’t mind at all. It was quick and done. I found this novel quite entertaining.
July 23, 2022
Ni fu ni fa, aunque lo que buscaba era un libro ligero para pasar el rato estos días y eso sí que lo ha conseguido.
Trama poco original con personajes estereotipados. Una pareja de luna de miel en las Bermudas acaban destapando todo un tesoro oculto y se acaban metiendo en la boca del lobo... Y es que no es oro todo lo que reluce, ni todo lo que encuentran enterrado tampoco, y hay quien mataría por hacerse con ello. Con ayuda de un solitario y melancólico lugareño intentarán hacer frente al señor del crimen de la localidad.
Treece me da mucha pena, porque por culpa de la parejita que se ha inmiscuido en los asuntos locales, el buen hombre va a ver su apacible vida vuelta del revés sin remedio.
La acción es bastante repetitiva y la edición y traducción del libro no ayudan precisamente a mejorar la experiencia lectora. Final abrupto y peliculero que, si bien deshace un entuerto, no logra cerrar del todo la historia dejando demasiadas cosas en el aire.
Trama poco original con personajes estereotipados. Una pareja de luna de miel en las Bermudas acaban destapando todo un tesoro oculto y se acaban metiendo en la boca del lobo... Y es que no es oro todo lo que reluce, ni todo lo que encuentran enterrado tampoco, y hay quien mataría por hacerse con ello. Con ayuda de un solitario y melancólico lugareño intentarán hacer frente al señor del crimen de la localidad.
Treece me da mucha pena, porque por culpa de la parejita que se ha inmiscuido en los asuntos locales, el buen hombre va a ver su apacible vida vuelta del revés sin remedio.
La acción es bastante repetitiva y la edición y traducción del libro no ayudan precisamente a mejorar la experiencia lectora. Final abrupto y peliculero que, si bien deshace un entuerto, no logra cerrar del todo la historia dejando demasiadas cosas en el aire.
December 16, 2023
Saw that this was included listening on audible, and in the “fallout” of being done with the Meg series, I decided to give this a go.
This is all the blurb says, and honestly it’s not even that accurate/descriptive, but for some reason my brain definitely said, ‘yeah this must be another shark novel’. It’s not. To my surprise.
“A young couple go to Bermuda on their honeymoon. They dive on the reefs offshore, looking for the wreck of a sunken ship. What they find lures them into a strange and increasingly terrifying encounter with past and present, a struggle for salvage and survival along the floor of the sea, in the deep.”
A honeymooning couple (one is divorced and not that young) find a hidden shipwreck underneath a known shipwreck. In typical Benchley fashion, there is also a gangster with unbelievable connections. He wants what they’ve found, and he’s willing to kill to get it as they race to collect it. It does add the layer of tension the novel needs, but it does feel oddly reminiscent of Jaws. This novel is certainly different though, as it’s also full on historical fiction too.
Personally a 3/5*
This is all the blurb says, and honestly it’s not even that accurate/descriptive, but for some reason my brain definitely said, ‘yeah this must be another shark novel’. It’s not. To my surprise.
“A young couple go to Bermuda on their honeymoon. They dive on the reefs offshore, looking for the wreck of a sunken ship. What they find lures them into a strange and increasingly terrifying encounter with past and present, a struggle for salvage and survival along the floor of the sea, in the deep.”
A honeymooning couple (one is divorced and not that young) find a hidden shipwreck underneath a known shipwreck. In typical Benchley fashion, there is also a gangster with unbelievable connections. He wants what they’ve found, and he’s willing to kill to get it as they race to collect it. It does add the layer of tension the novel needs, but it does feel oddly reminiscent of Jaws. This novel is certainly different though, as it’s also full on historical fiction too.
Personally a 3/5*
July 27, 2012
The Deep
By Peter Benchley
A Honeymooning couple is diving off the coast of Bermuda when they come across a shipwreck and a small glass vial that will forever change their lives. When they return to their hotel room with the glass vial a strange man approaches them trying to buy it from them claiming the glass is rare they refuse, proclaiming they must find out what is in the vial before they are willing to sell it to anyone. From there a man who doesn’t even exist officially tries to hire them to find more of the vials and soon the couple discovers what is so valuable, the small vials actually contain pure morphine. This is only the beginning of their adventure as they work with the local light house keeper to find as many of the vials they can before they fall into the wrong hands.
The man who wrote this also wrote Jaws so I was excited to be able to write a review, it turns out I wasn’t disappointed. Though not quite as scary as Jaws was this book certainly holds up with its action and adventure until the very last moment. I will say I hated the ending and it will definitely leave you wanting to know more, otherwise it was a fun and quick read.
For More Reviews be sure to visit my blogs at:
http://reflectionsofabookworm.wordpre...
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/
By Peter Benchley
A Honeymooning couple is diving off the coast of Bermuda when they come across a shipwreck and a small glass vial that will forever change their lives. When they return to their hotel room with the glass vial a strange man approaches them trying to buy it from them claiming the glass is rare they refuse, proclaiming they must find out what is in the vial before they are willing to sell it to anyone. From there a man who doesn’t even exist officially tries to hire them to find more of the vials and soon the couple discovers what is so valuable, the small vials actually contain pure morphine. This is only the beginning of their adventure as they work with the local light house keeper to find as many of the vials they can before they fall into the wrong hands.
The man who wrote this also wrote Jaws so I was excited to be able to write a review, it turns out I wasn’t disappointed. Though not quite as scary as Jaws was this book certainly holds up with its action and adventure until the very last moment. I will say I hated the ending and it will definitely leave you wanting to know more, otherwise it was a fun and quick read.
For More Reviews be sure to visit my blogs at:
http://reflectionsofabookworm.wordpre...
http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/
March 4, 2019
I remember enjoying the movie, *The Deep*, very much - Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte, Robert Shaw (remembered by us older viewers from **From Russia with Love**). Yeah, Ms. Bisset's skimpy wet-t-shirt scenes probably added to the stars from the progesterone half of the audience, though it was fairly demure by today's standards.
FWIW, I rather wish this would be re-recorded. I liked Mark Feuerstein's role in the TV show *Royal Pains*, but he's really not one of the best narrators. There's nothing actually **wrong** about his narration, but it's a tad over-the-top, too-emphatic in the wrong places. It gets MUCH more intense, and by that time the emphasis is lost, rather.
Whatever. It's still a good story. Enjoy.
FWIW, I rather wish this would be re-recorded. I liked Mark Feuerstein's role in the TV show *Royal Pains*, but he's really not one of the best narrators. There's nothing actually **wrong** about his narration, but it's a tad over-the-top, too-emphatic in the wrong places. It gets MUCH more intense, and by that time the emphasis is lost, rather.
Whatever. It's still a good story. Enjoy.
January 19, 2023
Really solid action flick in a book. As an avid diver, it's the most accurate depiction of diving in a book I've read. It read like a 70s movie (which it is). Only thing is the plot didn't knock my socks off, but overall a really fun read.
November 17, 2015
يكفيني اسم بيتر بنشلي لأشترى الرواية
لم يخيب ظنى أيضا هذة المرة
برغم أن هدف الرواية لا أخلاقي و النهاية أيضا لا أخلاقية
لكنها تحبس الأنفاس من فرط الإثارة !
لم يخيب ظنى أيضا هذة المرة
برغم أن هدف الرواية لا أخلاقي و النهاية أيضا لا أخلاقية
لكنها تحبس الأنفاس من فرط الإثارة !
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