Rating: 
Summary: I could not put this book down! 5/5
Review: I could not put this book down! 5/5"The Stingray" should be called "The Bible of Survivor Hopefuls". A great read! The book explains not only behind the scenes details of SURVIVOR, that CBS is trying by all possible means so hard to hide, but also what can happen, good and bad, to individuals (mostly Richard Hatch but also Dirk, Stacey and to a lesser extent Sean and Kelly) placed "within the game". He uses Richard's life experiences in getting a greater depth of understanding of how and why Hatch acted as he did. Due to CBS's highly restrictive gag orders on all the contestants most of Lance's information is otherwise NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE. I think that Lance is doing a great service to the public by bringing up his strong points about the producer's program manipulations and CBS's severely restrictive contracts. If the networks take a serious look at making their programs fairer or at lessening the lifelong legal stranglehold on participants then 90% of the credit for this change must go to Lance for being the first to expose the problems. What was previously thought of as "Lance's conspiracy theory" in certain circles is now coming to light with the David vs. Goliath lawsuit of Stacey Stillman. Hopefully the details of the depths of network manipulation of the contestants will not be hidden from the public by an out of court settlement by a frightened CBS. Hopefully the case will go to trial and under oath make the truth public. Lance will no doubt be there to tell us about it as it develops. My only criticisms are that with Lance having referenced the restrictiveness of the ability of the contestants (or anyone such as production crew, for that matter) to speak with him I would have liked more details and analyses of the various contracts the contestants are required to sign as well as how they compare with SAG and AFTRA contracts. We heard of offers that certain contestants were unable to accept but I am interested in more details of those that they accepted. I expect that this was due to the fact that his book was rushed to press and all information was not yet available to him. Also, Lance references Burnett's book on more than one occasion. Having read that book first it made certain aspects easier to understand that Lance could have covered in more detail. I truly hope that Lance continues his digging, his investigation and follows up this book with a second book which would outline and explain all the specific documents that CBS requires the contestants to sign and follow through by looking at all the contestants to see if/how their SURVIVOR I and II experience positively/negatively affected their lives one-two years down the road. All current lawsuit information should be updated and explained in layman's terms. The SURVIVOR phenomenon is a social experiment in action and should be followed up as things develop. Lance is in the perfect position to do this. If anyone is considering applying for SURVIVOR this book is not a "should read" book but rather a "must read" book. Prior to reading "The Stingray" at age 40 I was an excited hopeful SURVIVOR contestant. After reading "The Stingray", even if selected I'm not sure that I would "sign my life away" even if it would bring me a million (or $530,000 after taxes) and fame.. I have learned that the "true enemies" are not the other contestants but rather the tyrannical control of the "eye" network, all this thanks to Lance. This information alone is worth 10x the price of the book. Keep up the good work. SURVIVOR FANS: 5/5 "Other readers": 3/5
Rating:
Summary: Nice Pics -Good Book = rich is utterly, utterly hopeless
Review: I just sat down and read this book in one sitting. Peter Lance is a wizard of the word, inticing and thrilling readers with all the juicy details of the survivor mess. The artist ZEEBARF is incredible, imaginative and boarder line genius! Overall this book presents Richard in his true form - as a totally and utterly dellusional individual. Furthermore questions are exposed about the ethics of this 'reality'series. Overall, it's very well done. Buy yourself a copy, and thank God your not like Rich Hatch.
Rating: 
Summary: A big disappointment!
Review: I love Survivor. But the books about Survivor on the market are not very good including this book. The author endlessly discusses his failed book deal with Richard. Then he endlessly discusses his failed deal to use Stacey's pictures in the book. All the way, he treats us to emails to and from Richard and Stacey. I found the book to be a hatchet job on producer Mark Burnett, Richard, Stacey, and Dirk. I guess an "investigative reporter" has to dish the dirt, but it makes for a sad read.
Rating:
Summary: THE SURVIVOR BOOK OF ALL SURVIVOR BOOKS
Review: I was a total fan of Survivor I and I can unequivocally say that NOBODY has written a book about this series as good as THE STINGRAY, Lethal Tactics of The Sole Survivor by Peter Lance. Not Richard Hatch or even Mark Burnett. Lance, who's an investigative reporter who once worked for ABC News is the only one to step back and take any kind of honest objective look at this media phenomenon called "reality" TV. For the few people alive who DIDN'T see SRUVIVOR I it's a great play by play. For those devoted fans of the series like me, there are dozens of inside, behind the scenes scraps of info, like how the producers chose Sean and Jenna as the ambassadors over Kelly and Greg and how Stacey tried to organize the castaways in a summer "alliance" to boycott the Finale reunion show, only to have Richard Hatch break the "alliance" and run back to CBS with word. This resulted in everybody doing the show for $10,000 even though CBS got something like $12 million. What's really interesting is that on Lance's website www. thestingray.net, he's got a source working on the crew of SURVIVOR II. I also see on his website that he is signing his book all over the United States. I'm hoping that Peter Lance writes a book about SURVIVOR II because if it's anything like THE STINGRAY it's sure to be a non stop page turning read.
Rating:
Summary: Compulsively readable
Review: If you are a Survivor fan, this book is a must-read. After purchasing the book, I was planning to read only one chapter before I went to bed. Well, needless to say I was up all night. "Stingray" provides Survivor fans with golden nuggets on Richard Hatch, aka Machiabelly, that help us to understand his behavior on the island. One will also read about the author's interactions with Stacy and discover why she filed her lawsuit. One also gets to read the contracts the contestants must sign in order to play the game. And there is so much more information. I can't wait for Peter's book on Survivor 2.
Rating:
Summary: More Fuel For Your Addiction
Review: If your Survivor addiction has exhausted all available sources of information, this book is certainly what you need to get yourself revved up for the next Survivor installment. Since Peter Lance was originally working with "Stingray" Richard Hatch to write a joint tell-all, much of the book revolves around Hatch, his background and his winning machinations. It gives the reader detailed insight into the complexities of plotting the win, as if each of us were studying to become future Survivor millionaires. Author Lance holds nothing back in his personal assessment of Hatch (no love lost here) and poses some alarming questions about CBS and the producers' possible manipulations of the game. As one of those gotta-read-it-in-one-sitting kind of books, Stingray is immensely satisfying, even if much of the information provided was previously leaked on various Web sites. And, like any other Survivor exposé, it will still leave you wanting to know more. For those of us who weren't on the island, however, this may be as close to the truth as we'll ever get.
Rating:
Summary: Very poorly written; editing nonexistent
Review: It is hard to judge the merits of a book in which typographical errors abound on each page. Worse, the author doesn't know the difference between "elude" and "allude", nor "effect" and "affect." His punctuation is bizarre. Sentence fragments abound. Clearly, this book was rushed to press to capitalize on Survivor's current popularity. If you are looking for new information on Survivor, or facts and the life history of Richard Hatch, look elsewhere. Throughout the book, the author repeatedly says "more on that later" or "we'll get to that soon" -- yet never does. I'm glad I borrowed this book from a friend and didn't pay my own cold hard cash for it.
Rating:
Summary: Very poorly written; editing nonexistent
Review: It is hard to judge the merits of a book in which typographical errors abound on each page. Worse, the author doesn't know the difference between "elude" and "allude", nor "effect" and "affect." His punctuation is bizarre. Sentence fragments abound. Clearly, this book was rushed to press to capitalize on Survivor's current popularity. If you are looking for new information on Survivor, or facts and the life history of Richard Hatch, look elsewhere. Throughout the book, the author repeatedly says "more on that later" or "we'll get to that soon" -- yet never does. I'm glad I borrowed this book from a friend and didn't pay my own cold hard cash for it.
Rating:
Summary: Survivor - What CBS doesn't want you to know!
Review: Peter Lance has done an amazing job on telling us the things nobody else would on hit TV "Reality Game Show" Survivor.
Rating:
Summary: Stingray delivers on unkept promises of other Survivor books
Review: Peter Lance succeeds where Mark Burnett and Richard Hatch failed by actually giving us a "behind the scenes" view of Survivor(TM)(R)(SM)(ETC) The cameras and the BS disappear in "The Stingray." The book details Rich's sometimes-frightening life story, the 39 days on the island (mostly from Hatch's perspective) and finally, the aftermath that followed the taping of the show. It's obvious that the offer has a bit of an axe to grind with "the sole survivor," and he does so, seemingly with good reason, directly into the back of Mr. Hatch. Staying true to form, "Tricky Dicque" was a manipulator off-screen, as well, making many promises to Mr. Lance that he clearly could not keep. Although the author started this book in collaboration with Hatch, when CBS failed to give approval, the self-described "fat naked fag" fled the scene, to persue other endevours. An added bonus in the book is the scoop on the "chess game" that ensued once the "survivors" had left the island. I only wish that the author had stayed on the good side of more of the participants, if only to get more inside information. Even though it could have been better edited (seemed a bit disjointed-- perhaps a rush to presses while Survivor was still "hot") a bit less serial ("Wait and see!" at the end of each chapter), "The Singray" is still an enjoyably dishy view of the Survivor Phenominon, and a must-read for anyone who was addicted to the show, or plans to participate in future "reality TV contest adventures."
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