Forum: Lost Stories

Deathwatch is an American 1972 novel written by Robb White. The book was awarded the 1973 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery from the Mystery Writers of America, and was an Outstanding Book of the Year by The New York Times.

OK, so I was off by a year or so.

Mostly I remember because my family and I watched it when it was first shown on TV, and it was unusual at that time seeing Andy Griffith as the bad guy.

Then in around 1980, and actually reading it as a mandatory book in my Junior High reading class. Can anybody imagine students being forced to read something like this today?

I found it interesting that most I talk to when the conversation of Junior High comes up, I ask them if they remember the books they had to read. They normally say that they have no idea. Yet I still remember all 4 of mine. Tom Sawyer and The Crucible, old classics. But also Deathwatch, and "The Endless Steppe". Something I often find fascinating that most have never heard of.

Even as they lived in "enlightened" areas like LA or San Francisco, yet I was living in a "rural backwoods" like Idaho.

As the supreme philosopher Stu Redmond said, "Country don't mean dumb".

"The Stand , Part I: The Plague
The Stand is a television miniseries, first broadcast in 1994, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, who also wrote the teleplay. It was directed by Mick Garris.

At least one person got the reference.

I admit, the unabridged book is my favorite, but the miniseries was a very faithful adaptation.

And it must be remembered that Gary Sinise played the Stu character. A perfect choice in casting. Very much the "country redneck" type of character. But also unusually sympathetic when compared to most stories by S. King.

And yes, I have both read the book again and watched the series this year. I still jokingly call what we are going through now as "Captain Trips", and then laugh at the illiterates that do not get the reference.

Thanks. I've bought "Deathwatch" and will read it and will say whether it is the right book.

I have a suspicion that is what you remember.

Much of what you describe meshes with what I remember of it. And for me, it has often remained in my memory. Read back in an era when reading was not intended to make us comfortable, but to challenge us.

I find it ironic in the modern era where parents would probably think nothing of letting their kids read a book or watch a movie featuring 100 year old vampires seducing teenage girls, or seeing children slaughtered by the dozens. Yet would probably scream in outrage at books I read 40 years ago as part of the mandatory school system.

If anybody reads "Twilight", it is obvious Edward is over 100 years old. So his interest in 17 year old Bella is more than a little creepy. This is a guy that lived through WWI, prohibition, and the Roaring 20's. Being interested in a teen in the early 2000's I always found more than a little creepy.

And the least said about that and the Mockingjay series I always thought, the better. Steven King wrote a much better story about the same thing.

It's a children's book in the same way Starship Troopers was a children's book. (I actually think adding Heinlein as part of the literature curriculum would be a tremendous idea.)

Heinlein actually wrote for Scribner what were termed juvenile novels. The twelve novels are:

Rocket Ship Galileo
Space Cadet
Red Planet
Farmer in the Sky
Between Planets
The Rolling Stones
Starman Jones
The Star Beast
Tunnel in the Sky
Time for the Stars
Citizen of the Galaxy
Have Spacesuit - Will Travel

Starship Troopers was written AS a juvenile, but rejected by Scribner and published by Putnam.

Podkayne of Mars is often considered a juvenile, but was not written as one by Heinlein, especially with the original ending.

Was the Rolling Stones book the basis for the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"?

Yes.

David Gerrold never hid that much of his inspiration for writing came from Heinlein. Quite often he has been described as a "Dark Heinlein".

This can really be seen in his Chtorran War series. Quite a bit lifted from Starship Troopers, but then turned very dark. Almost as if Heinlein was filtered through Steven King.

This can really be seen in his Chtorran War series. Quite a bit lifted from Starship Troopers, but then turned very dark.

It got so dark, he just quit writing it.

Which annoyed the crap out of me, because I really, really liked that series. Literally read the covers off a couple of the paperbacks in that series.

It got so dark, he just quit writing it.

Which annoyed the crap out of me, because I really, really liked that series. Literally read the covers off a couple of the paperbacks in that series.

I have completely given up on that series to be honest. Going on 30 years since the last book.

At least I have been able to figure out most of what he intended I think. Even ran a GURPS campaign with that as the setting. Was a lot of fun, even when half the party got wiped after each engagement.

DG has long had a habit of starting a series, then just walking away and never finishing it. Which is why he finds it almost impossible to get published anymore. Over the decades he has had at least 3 contracts to finish it, but his foot dragging eventually causes the publisher to rip it up.

Along with the movie based on the series, the MMORPG based on the series, a graphic novel based on the series, etc, etc, etc.

I am surprised to discover that it is labeled as a "children's book."

"Young Adult".

As was Starship Troopers, and The Hobbit.

Heck, read Grimm's sometime. Or even Redwall.

The original Bionic Man deadtree book had Steve Austin and a female Israeli cohort trying to survive in the desert [Negev I think], but they didn't actually drink it. Rather, they swished it around in their mouths so the water would be absorbed by the lining of their mouth, then spitting the rest back out.

I remember that also, "Cyborg", by Martin Caidin. But I remembered that reference was also quite different, in as you said they did not actually "drink" it.

The book (and movie) was quite different than the actual series. In the book, his eye was a camera, and many other changes were made. His replacements were not as powerful, and the novel Col. Austin showed no hesitation in killing, something that was never done in the series.

In the book Dune the MC has a suit that retains and processes all the body fluids to be recycled water.

The still suits also collected all evaporation from the skin. During typical moderate exercise, we sweat around a liter of water every hour. You may not even feel it, but that's because it's evaporating. Eight hours of walking in the desert of Arrakis means about seven and a half liters of water to drink, due to losses in recycling.