Shark Books

Shinjuku Shark was a fun, fast-paced read--modelled a little too much, perhaps, after the Western archetype of the lone detective against the Mob, it is nonetheless entertaining.

The only issue is that, at times in the first half of the book, it's not entirely clear if the events are happening in realtime or in a flashback. Given that this series is a bestseller in Japan, I can only assume that the translation is the cause. There are a few other hiccups like this along the way, but I still can't wait to see what happens next.

Well, I bought this book for my sister in order to help her get over her fear of sharks. From some of the reviews, it looked like this book would debunk the myths and illustrate the shark as one of God's innocent creatures.

In fact, she had nightmares the first night, after opening the book and turning directly to a picture of a man with 4,000 stitches. She was equally gripped by the even scarier-than-she-realized facts about the shark's hunting abilities.

I have no doubts that this book is excellently written and truthful, but it is not for kids (or adults) who are still reeling from the legacy of Peter Benchley.

While the book is called "You are a Shark" that is only one of thie things you become in this story. By entering a forbidden temple you have angered some ancient force which decides that you must no longer have your human life. Therefore you are transformed into several different animals. Every now and then you may change from one animal to another without your choosing and others you return to the temple and you can have slight control over what you become next. It's a good story for those that have ever wanted to be something else or just like reading up about animals.

And for a bit of trivia, Packard made a mistake! One of your incarnations is that of a mosquito. It claims that you are enjoying a meal of blood but mosquitos don't eat blood! They eat nectar from flowers, blood is only consumed by the females so that they can lay their eggs.

I could not belive how someone could be this self involved... I am a negotiator and was hoping for good negotiating advice but got something much different. I am sure that half of this book was untrue, however I have to give credit were credit is due, he did make it to the top. I just hope that after the realease of this book he is able to stay there, "now that would be impressive"...

Now, I'd never heard of Rosenhaus until this summer because of the T.O. situation. I picked up this book expecting it to be a typical self-absorbed, egotistical piece of junk. However, I had no idea about the depth of Drew. He came to terms with his sexuality early in his life and he didn't let small minds stop him from becoming successful -- including his own. Did you know he auditioned for Cirque de Soleil? His talent was throwing enormous styrofoam triangles into the air and then catching them behind his back. He didn't make the cut, but he vowed that he would drink a gallon of Dr Pepper everyday from that day forward. That may sound incongrous, but I think it shows the level of commitment he's willing to make. So, Mr. Rosenhaus please take a bow, this is a book that may seem overpriced at 10 cents, but feels really right to me.

This was a great book...i dont care what anyone says..yeah Drew's a show off but hey hes the BEST in the buisness and he tells u how he got there in this Book. And for that idiot that said he put a modeling Pic of his girl in the picture part of the book didnt even read it!...the pic isnt there....GO DREW GO!!!!!!!

The name of this book should be re-titled 'A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL's Most CLASSLESS Agent.' This guy is so disgusting I won't bother to give my litany of negative aspects of this book. The only interesting part of this book is that it exposes the ugly side of professional sports.

October 6, 2002

Hoping for a peek into the arena of sports agency, I
picked this up one lazy afternoon. Wow! I suppose if
you're the right sort of person with the right sense of
humor, you could have a lot of fun wallowing inside this
fellow Drew Rosenhaus's own fascinated vision of himself
and his life--replete with numerous descriptions of how
crafty and tough he is, as well as an insert bikini photo
of his model girlfriend (with whom he's formed a deep,
lasting pair-bond, I'm sure).

However, it's more likely you might be left gaping at a
printed ego that approaches the sociopathic, pondering
about what publisher and editor were possibly thinking,
and wondering how many Drew Rosenhauses are out
there, tolerated, even rewarded, in this, the tackiest,
but best dressed, of all possible worlds.

Tolerated and rewarded not just in professional sports,
which would be bad enough, but in civil law, corporate
finance, government . . .

Decent read although it became boring at times and the author tends to jump around alot. If you are a golf fan or an avid golfer you will find the book interesting. Poorly edited with some blatant errors such as describing a typical par 72 course as consisting of "four par threes, four par fives, and twelve par fours". With that the author seemed to lose some credibility and made me wonder how he gathered the tidbits of information and dialogue supplied throughout the book.

Ever wonder who is the biggest choker in the history of sport? Then you have found your answer with Greg Norman. Years of rumors about Norman's off the course problems are not even touched in this book. Instead it is PR. Don't bother with this book. Buy something about Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer or other great golfers who did not throw their talent away by indulging off the course activity.

This look at Greg Norman tells those who think he chokes in the big ones something they have not perhaps thought of. The reason Greg Norman has lost so many tournaments in the final round or final hole is because he is in contention on more of them than anyone else. A good look at the fiercest competitor in golf since Arnold Palmer.

Carl Vigeland has done a great job showing the reader what makes the Shark so dangerous on the course and so interesting off the course. Well written and very enjoyable reading

Terrible! Time would have been much better spent re-reading "A Good Walk Spoiled".

On Page 11 of "The Shark Mutiny" (soft cover) Robinson describes Kennedy thusly: "..the vastly experienced Senator Ted Kennedy, whose unwavering patriotism and endless concern for his country made him always a natural leader among such men."

"Such men" in this book are the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the CNO, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the "Defense Secretary" (as Robinson calls the position), and various NSC members.

Oh really. It's evident Robinson's home in Cape Cod plays a role in his beatification of Chappaquidick Teddy who obviously, among his many fears, hates being in the water. And this is a book about watermen.

No, I truly doubt the above-mentioned military men hold Kennedy in the esteem Robinson does. Just the opposite, I'll bet.

Once I saw that passage, I thew the book away since it was apparent other passages would lead to further preposterous observations.

Mark Berent

This is the first and last book I will read by this "author". I thought that the UK and Ireland still had good standards of English.

I don't know whether Robinson is Irish or English but I have friends of both backgrounds in my book group and it is better not to know Robinson's ethnicity. This way the Irish can think of him as English and vice versa.

My book group of fairly literate men in Portland Oregon will read a some selections from this book and then we will have a little discussion. I intend to ask the question: Are the used copies of this book on Amazon overpriced at.01?

The numerous incomplete sentences the inappropriate metaphors and inane text are truly amazing. Example: "He was sweating like a Burmese Panda" Or how about this one? At the start of a new paragraph page 371 (yes I had nothing else to read in Honduras).
"And it was coming straight toward them,
the unmistakable Hainman Type 037 fast-attack patrol boat, heavily gunned,with a phalanx of ASW mortars."

Robinson puts the English language into the crapper.

The amazing thing is that he had this proof read and cites the poor woman who did it in his book. How he found a publisher and readers for this book gives one pause at the level of the reading public.

I have tried to be polite because I know anyone can be a critic so I have withheld my stronger criticism in deference to Mr. Robinson's feelings.

William C. Edell

This is really a five-star book, except with a minus on the front. Clearly written to cash in on the post-9/11 US audience, it is trite, gung-ho and racially insulting (many references to "towelheads" and "Chinks"). The US is pure and wholesome and can do nothing wrong, the nasties are bad, bad, bad and can do nothing right. The actual "mutiny" of the title is a bizarre appendage at the end of a longish book, and by this time you've lost all interest in both story and characters and are reading out of sheer determination because you paid good money for this garbage and you are desperately trying to get something slightly more closely approaching your money's worth. I personally have read my last Robinson.

Even more tedious than the rambling diatribes concerning Admiral Morgan and the "red headed" beauty were the lengthy homo-erotic soliloquies on the subject of the bravado and manliness of Navy SEALS.

After completing this novel my greatest concern was the amount of effort required to dispose of it.

The Shark Mutiny is the fifth submarine techno-thriller from Patrick Robinson. I enjoy Robinson's writing, since, in contrast to Clancy (whom I also enjoy), Robinson deals a little more extensively with the personal side of the characters that he develops. However, it didn't meet my expectations. The story, unsurprisingly, involves China and the Arabian Peninsula. Robinson generally toggles between the Chinese or the arabs as his bad guys. This time he combined both areas in the same novel. The Chinese and the Iranians hatch an intriguing plot, stringing minefields accross the Strait of Hormuz. This develops into multiple plots, which unsurprisingly involve Chinese interests in Taiwan. An alert intelligence officer gets ignored by his superiors so goes over their heads and helps to save the day. I found the plot a little boring. Also, I am not sure how well tolerated would be breaking the chain of military command, no matter how right the underlings are. So, this took a bit of a stretch of the imagination. Arnold Morgan is so overdone in parts that he starts to ruin the story. I find the political bias way too overt for my liking, and had I been the editor, I would have toned it down. The characters start to lose a bit of credibility because of this. Robinson should really take care with Morgan: he risks generating a boring novel because of him.

Sharks do get cancer it is a fact. This book is a lie.
Don't let this book fool you into thinking you cant get cancer just because you eat a murdered shark fin, millions of sharks are slaughtered for their fins for no reason every year, it is screwing up our Eco system.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

Scientific studies have been unable to provide any compelling evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of shark cartilage as a therapy for either curing or preventing cancer.

Yet because of the disinformation presented in books like this, cartilage, regardless of the facts, has become a staple among the myriad of phony miracle cancer cures that sick, desperate, and despairing cancer sufferers may be all too willing to try in the impossible hope that it will help them. Unfortunately, shark cartilage's efficacy as a treatment is rooted solely in the realm of pseudoscience and in the claims of snake oil salesmen like William Lane who sell it.

Even if sharks do have a natural immunity to cancer - a central premise of the book that has been shown to be false - who is to say that grinding them up and eating them would convey any benefit? Does eating poultry help us fly?

For those who are suffering from cancer, staking the money that it costs to purchase and ship this book doesn't seem to be any smarter than staking one's life on its claims by forgoing chemotherapy treatment for cartilage as a review below describes. Who wrote that review anyway? William Lane?

Quit buying this junk that pseudoscientists are selling to make a quick buck.

Sharks do get cancer.

A scientific study done by researchers at the Mayo Clinc showed not only that this stuff doesn't work, but "toxicity related to shark cartilage resulted in significant trial drop out after one month."

Sharks don't get heartburn, athlete's foot or jock itch. So what?

This book is about bad science at its worst.

Sharks don't get heartburn, athlete's foot or jock itch. So what?

This book is about bad science at its worst.

What an inspiration for any journaller! It's beautiful in a sort of personal way. Anyone who likes to write or sketch will enjoy this little gem!

For those not in the know, this is a spinoff product from the "Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl" movie, Robert Rodriguez's ode to childhood fantasy. In the movie, the main character Max carries a "dream journal" that chronicles his dreams and tells the story of his adventures with Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

Wary readers beware: the description for this book needs to be carefully interpreted. As it stands, "The contents are an exact replica of the prop from the movie", is contextually correct. The text and illustrations are indeed a duplicate of the journal that Max carried throughout the "Sharkboy and Lavagirl" movie. Unfortunately, the publishers of this book were unable to mimic the heavy binding of the original movie prop. What you get is a cheaply manufactured binding that immediately begins to disintegrate upon opening.

My young son loved this book at first, but got extremely frustrated as pages quickly began to fall out whenever he tried to read it. We tried to maintain the integrity of the book for a while, but he quickly lost interest as pages inevitably got lost or torn. The main problem seems to stem from the fact that the pages are printed on heavy stock, and the cheap glue binding just can't handle the strain.

My recommendation would be to avoid this book altogether. The poor execution completely ruins an otherwise great idea.

My ten year old son was excited about this book and still loves it. But I wish I could just get my money back the pages are falling out one by one. I'm super glueing them back in just because he wants the book so bad. I wouldn't recommend this merchandise.

Great book as far as content, art, ect... Seems almost identical to the movie. Problem is the pages continue to fall apart. My little boy recieved a copy last year; within a few mintues the book began to loose pages. One at a time, then 5 pages at a time until the book was no more. (The price paid for the book was $25).

This is my son's most treasured possession but it has been falling apart since day one. The binding is the worst quality I have ever seen in any book.

Scientific studies have been unable to provide any compelling evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of shark cartilage as a therapy for either curing, treating, or preventing cancer.

If the purported ability of shark cartilage to choke off a tumor's blood supply was real, it would have been reflected in the numerous scientific studies that have been conducted to measure its efficacy. Those studies of course prove the opposite, that cartilage is of no value as a cancer treatment.

Unfortunately for cancer sufferers, the pseudoscience presented in books like this as well as anecdotal accounts like the one written below continue to make shark cartilage a staple among the myriad of phony miracle cancer cures touted by snake oil salesmen like William Lane who sell it.

Even if sharks do have a natural immunity to cancer - a central premise of the book that has been shown to be false - who is to say that grinding them up and eating them would convey any benefit? Does eating poultry help us fly?

Unfortunately, there are ignorant rants like the two provided here.

I have read both of Mr. Lane's books, and I have found them to be incredibly useful in prolonging the lives of people in my own family. I can say the same was true of others I have known, who have used cartilage and their cancer went away, much to the befuddlement of their physicians.

While it is true sharks get cancer, the number that do is so minute that it validates the sentiment that sharks do not get cancer.

The pharmaceutical industry has resorted to developing anti angiogenisis drugs that perform, or should I say, attempt to perform the same function that shark cartilage does. What is that? Well, it halts the growth of blood vessels necessary for a tumor to grow, and in some cases reverses the trend.

Before you listen to someone ignorant about the subject, or a physician that is certainly motivated to keep the chemo and radiation money train going, a multi-billion dollar business, try finding the answers by reading and talking to different people.

When anyone can publish a book, they can publish anything. This book proves that.

Sharks don't get heartburn, athlete's foot or jock itch. So what?

This book is about bad science at its worst.

Also, sharks DO get cancer.

This book's authors try to promote the use of shark cartilage to cure cancer, but they use bad science. In fact, as any zoologist or marine biologist will tell you, sharks do get cancer! So much for accurate research. This book's information is dangerous for two reasons: 1) people may use this unproven treatment when they need traditional medicine, and 2) many sharks are being unnecessarily killed for their cartilage. A dangerous book and a waste of money.

While we agree that the book is violent and not for everyone, if you have one of those kids that is fascinated by all of nature, including struggle and violence, and not just fuzzy bunnies, this is a good read. And while it is true that it's hard to believe that a 10-foot shark could down an 25m liopleuradon, well, everyone loves a good David-and-Goliath story. Plus, I sure see a lot more sharks today than liopleuradons...score 1 ancient fish! :)

Gruesome, violent pictures and text. Definitely would not recommend it for the younger set (under 8?) Also, the quality of the information is subpar...does the author really know anything about these animals from long ago? Unlikely.

Silly book! Having a seven foot shark kill an Elasmasaurus is rather improbable, but then she kills an eighty foot Liopleurodon (actually she cripples it and the other predators rip it to pieces). Note the approximate mass for each of these animals would be shark 500lbs, Liopleurodon 60 tons. My kitty dragged down a bull moose the other day also. This is an interesting subject and the art is pretty good, but the story line is very poor.