Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written and poorly edited - a waste of time!
Review: Read the author's first chapter and you get the sense that he has a vendetta against Richard Hatch. The rest of the book supports that suspicion. This book is nothing more than a feeble attempt to cash in on the popularity of Survivor. And worst of all, it contains errors of fact, typos, and is poorly edited. For a so-called "investigative journalist", Lance has written a pretty lame book. Don't waste your time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: Most substantive and interesting Survivor book
Review: Richard Hatch's book 101 Survival Secrets was transparent and empty. Mark Burnett's Survivor: The Ultimate Game was a boring rehash. Stingray, although filled with some distracting typos (probably from having to write the book in 3-4 weeks), and a narrative style that is more fitting for a movie script (which I guess is what he does for a living now) is the best Survivor book on the market.Lance's findings have since been covered so thoroughly by the news media, especially since Stacey Stillman's lawsuit, that it was a bit anticlimatic, but I don't think this is a story that would have ever been told were it not for Lance's decision to tell the truth about a manipulative man, a greedy network, and producers that pushed the boundaries of objectivity in the hottest gameshow on TV.
Rating:
Summary: behind survivor
Review: survivor, the first reality show, and still the best.
go behind the island, to find out never before known, stuff about richard, Kelly, Susan, Rudy, and the whole cast, plus tons of other info, we weren't supposed to know about. See how Rich, had the game wrapped up, even before getting on the island. I won't tell too much more, you'll have to read it yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Must read for all Survivor Fans
Review: The book contains a behind the scenes look at the phenomenon that is Survivor. It is also a portrait of the winner, Richard Hatch. The book is poorly edited. I found numerous spelling errors but this in no way detracted from the content. I can now fully appreciate the degree to which being famous changes a person. I also now understand the very restrictive control that CBS put on the contestents so that the public does not really get to hear what the game was like. We know only what CBS wants us to know about Survivor. This is a book about a very unusal person and how his participation in a pop culture phenomenon changes him. If you are obessed with being on Survivor read this book first.
Rating:
Summary: Will the true Dickie Hatch please step forward...
Review: The pinnacle of Survivor books! If you want to read a book that will not allow you to put it down, this is the one. The author, Mr. Peter Lance, has packed this one from cover to cover with everything that you would want to know about Survivor, the cast (especially Richard), and the corporate noose around all of their necks as they continue to stand on the CBS scaffold. Take my word on this, it is one of the most enjoyable books that you will ever come across.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting but filled with typos and poor editing
Review: This book is a fascinating character study of Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor game show season and self-proclaimed "Fat Naked Fag". Truthfully, as I watched Survivor last summer, I was hoping that Hatch would win, simply because he was not a "Club MTV" boy, nor did he fit the stereotype of "Survivor". After reading this book, I realize that I in awe of what he pulled off. His victory was very carefully thought out. However, I now also realize that Hatch is not the kind of guy that you'd want to know personally, much less be stuck with on an island in Borneo. As for the typos, it seems obvious that this was a rush to get into the stores. Punctuation and spelling seems an afterthought. Many instances of bad copy editing (an example: "Susan was was a redneck"). Lance's book seems to almost focus on the fact that Hatch [cheated] the author out of a fat book deal. Realistically, this is nothing more than the literary extention of Susan Hawk's vitriolic "Rat/Snake" speech of the season one finale. The character study seems to soley exist in the book to make Hatch look bad and to back up Lance's claim that he got [cheated] by "the Stingray". Do I blame Lance? [Heck] no. I'd be mad too. Does it make for good reading? Yep, much in the same way that gossip makes for good listening.
Rating:
Summary: A great book that is acutally addicting
Review: This book is a great work of investigative journalism. I could not put it down, and I am not a big reader. I already told everyone I know to buy it and HIGHLY recommend it here. After I put it down, my girlfriend read it because she hated the show, it turned out that she loved the book. It is well worth every single dime. One other thing that deserves mention, at the books website (what else? thestingray.net) you can read updates of what is still going on after the book went to print.
Rating:
Summary: Best Survivor Book Yet
Review: This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the Survivor TV show. It outshines the other two available books about the show, Mark Burnett's canned Survivor and Rich Hatch's threadbare and disappointing 101 Survival Secrets. Of the three, The Stingray is the only one to offer truly objective commentary on the show and to analyze how and why the contestants did what they did both on and off screen. Lance, originally chosen to help write survivor Rich Hatch's book, brings to light some important facts that the two more sanitized books obviously would never touch. He explores, for instance, CBS' possible violations of FCC rules in influencing the outcome of what purported to be contestant votes. He seems to have a firm grasp on Hatch's personality (a better grasp than Hatch himself, in fact, if Hatch's book is any indication) and skillfully analyzes Hatch's strategy and choices both during and after the game. More interestingly, Lance analyzes the larger game - that is, the race for fame and fortune off-screen. CBS is the clear winner here, but Lance also adroitly points out both victories and missteps by the contestants after the game ended. He is particularly good at analyzing where Hatch blundered and why a "losing" contestant like Colleen Haskell is likely to profit more in the long run than Hatch, the official million-dollar winner. His Ten Tactics for winning at Survivor are on-target, but his Ten Lessons for Translating Victory into Longterm Success are positively inspired. Example: "It isn't enough to win the game. The public must celebrate your victory." Lance went wrong in a few important ways, though. First, this book could also use a good proofreading. And while Lance's research in the most interesting areas appears to be solid, he seems to have run out of steam when it came to tying up loose ends (such as whether CBS really did influence the votes). Where he has no good evidence to offer, he strays into conspiracy theory and in place of analysis simply asks one rhetorical question after another: "Why would Dirk have brought it up to Stacey if it didn't happen? Why would Stacey...?" More than one section plays out in this unsatisfying fashion. The great drawings by Zeebarf (who did the cover illustration) add a lot to the book's appeal. While a good editor could have made this book into something more satisfying, it's still a quick and lively read. Anyone interested in the show would find this book hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Just a great book.
Review: This is a great work of investigative journalism. When I got my copy on a Friday morning, I read the first page and knew I was not going to classes or my job until I was finished, and I am not a big reader. It is a truly well written book that anyone will enjoy even if they did not see the show. I already told everyone I knew to buy it (I got a signed copy so it does not leave my apartment) and I HIGHLY recommend it here.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best of the three Survivor Books
Review: This is a very entertaining book. It features much more personal information about Richard Hatch than his book does. It offers a blunt look at both Hatch's life and the antics of CBS and Survivor producer Mark Burnett. This book is a must for both Survivor lovers and haters. For those who hate Hatch, there is enough information to keep you happy, but also some stuff about the sad parts of Hatch's life that should have even the biggest haters of the man feeling sympathetic toward him. The best part of the book tells of possibly tampering of the outcome of the show by Mark Burnett and also of the control of the contestents that CBS has. The cartoons at the beginning of each chapter are very good and add to the enjoyment of the book.
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