Survival Op: The Fear in the Wilderness: Book one in the Survival Op Series

Scott Allen  
iUniverse, Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9780595420629
Reviewed by Anthony Pettrone (age 14) for Reader Views (7/07)


First off I want to say that I like this kind of book. Books in a series always interest me because they have so much promise of books to come. This book had a neat storyline and it hooked me from the beginning, with the idea of two kids being abducted simply to test some new survival op experiment. I mean, who wouldn't want to read more about two kids being tested on surviving in the wilderness? I did. And at first, I really liked the book.

But then it hit me there was something bothering me about the book. The language didn't seem right for a couple of teenagers. At times it was too stiff and formal. There were very few contractions in the book, and to be really honest, that bothered me. No one I know talks that stiff and proper. The lack of teenage slang really slowed down the pace of the book. But putting that aside, the book was actually really good.

I liked the storyline, and really got into the characters. I could believe how a guy like Marcus could find himself freaked out when he saw all the snakes, and a girl like Lynn was just tough enough when they “took over” the cave to make her believable. Later on I saw how the fear they first felt when they found themselves alone and hunted had turned into courage and the hunted became the hunters.

I especially like the fight scenes and how the characters’ descriptions and their emotions were so real and easy to relate to. I could see how they were caught up in the moment and how their will to survive finally took over and helped them to be strong.

Though the ending wasn't what I expected, it does make sense. This is one book of several in a series and to expect the story to be tied up in a neat bow isn't realistic and would really leave little room for the books to follow. With the exception of the language being so awkward, this is a great book.  I'd buy the rest of the books in the series as well.

I'd suggest “Survival Op” for early to mid-teen readers, and the characters would appeal to both guys and girls alike. I think, in fact, it would make a great book to use in an English class. I can see it being used and the class trying to decide if different choices would have been better for Lynn and Marcus.

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