Survivor

by Robb White

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy pilot Adam Land found himself assigned to a detail of Marines. He thought it was a mistake. They did, too. But orders are orders even if it packed them into a submarine torpedo room on the way to an enemy-occupied South Pacific Island.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, World War II, Thriller, Military Fiction, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Robb White was partnered with gimmick horror film king William Castle during Castle's most popular and productive period. Born in the Philippines, White was a preacher's son who held a wide variety of jobs before landing in the Navy during World War II. He initially collaborated with Castle on the short-lived TV series "Men of Annapolis" (1957), then joined forces with the enterprising producer-director on the horror thrillers "Macabre" (1958), "House on Haunted Hill" (1959), "The Tingler" (1959), "Homicidal" (1961), and "13 Ghosts" (1960). He later went back to TV writing, including "Perry Mason" (1957), as well as novels.

Reviews

[Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it! This was the book that I read in the seventh grade that made me love books, and sent me on my path of always looking for another story that I could not put down. I remember going to the library at school and asking what book would grab me and my librarian gave me this book. I could never remember exactly what it was or who wrote it until I saw the cover on goodreads. Instant recognition. Always wanted this on my read list.

[Jason Reeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorites that I read when I must have been eight or nine. I can't remember. It was sheer poetry to me at that age. I wanted so bad to actually live out this story. The scene in the crippled sub is one of my all time favorites. Robb White knew how to tell a story.

[David Stoltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I read this book more than 50 years ago. To show its value this is the ONLY book I read as a youth and still remembered the title, author, and the book cover. Recently I was overjoyed to find a used copy and reading it was a long- awaited thrill. The marines trapped in a disabled submarine got me thinking again of those special military that can withstand the pressure of working underwater, and the horrible vulnerability if something goes wrong. I dimly recalled after all these years how these troops solved their constant challenges, until the book's conclusion. I read a couple other reviews of readers who also read this book in their youth and were ecstatic to find a copy and read it again. Its obviously that powerful. One of the best books I've ever read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the earliest book I remember reading. Got it from the Scholastic book buying program back in the 1960s. It made enough of an impression on me that I remembered the title and author four decades later. White also wrote "Up Periscope" that got made into a movie with James Garner.

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with Surrender and Combat Nurses of World War II and Two Dogs and a Horse, this is one of the most formative books of my early childhood. A product of its times, this novel is without a doubt xenophobic and racist and nationalist, the way John Wayne movies are xenophobic and racist and nationalist. So I'm ashamed to still love it. But like the Star Spangled Banner this book gets to me every time, even when I remind myself that I'm the victim of early thought control. My most beloved scene of all time is in this novel, when Marines escape from a sunken submarine by continuously blowing out the pressurized air out of their lungs while gently floating to the surface, supposedly never running out of air even though the journey takes six minutes. I have no idea if that would work but it's a great scene.

[truenorth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast, easy read, but surprisingly good.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book published in 1964 had a slow start with a hot-headed main character I had trouble liking, but once the book got moving I couldn't put it down. it is a quick read, small paperback of 250 pages. A submarine goes down and all aboard are lost except for 4 guys who have the wits to get out of there (I don't know if their method would work in real life or is truly theoretical). Let's just say, they do get out, and the rest of the book moves ahead at a mad pace. Definitely worth reading.

[Sarah Gallini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a surprisingly interesting and well written book. The cover threw me off and I almost didn't read it. But now I'm glad I did. It's hard to find a good, simple ww2 story set in the Pacific but this one was a good one.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think of any book by Robb White that I haven't enjoyed. This story about a naval aviator who is sent on a recon mission with a group of Marines is one of those hard to put down stories that Robb White was so good at. Recommended.

[Aaron McDaniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book The Survivor by Robb White because although it was fiction, it was action packed and it felt as if it was a true story. The details were very descriptive. The author made it seem like an event that had happened in his life and he was just retelling it. I defiantly enjoyed the 2nd half of the book more than the first. I say this because the first half of the book was slow and not much happened. Towards the middle and the end, the action picked up and it was more enjoyable to read. It didn't drag much, it always felt as if you were there. On top of it being action filled with lots of suspense, I liked it because things were different in that time than they are today. The author, Robb White was actually in the navy in World War II. I think this helped him write the story because he was alive in that time period so it really makes the readers think about how it was back then. Although the first part of the story was slow I think it might have been necessary. My reasoning for this is because it built up suspense on where Adam was going to end up going. The affect was greater when I learned his mission because i had to read to get to that point. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy exciting and suspenseful books. In conclusion, I liked reading The Survivor by Robb White and I would enjoy reading more books like this. It gave me a sense of what things would have been like to be in the military this long ago and now you were told what to do and you had to choice or say in the situation.

[David Despain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love pretty much anything Robb White writes. This novel was not quite as satisfying as his others, but it was a fast paced adventure. Another world war two story, that Robb White is famous for. He is very good at what he does. It is both historically accurate and full of action. This novel is an interesting one, with characters that one really can relate too. White has had a lot of personal war experience. He was in the navy, which adds a very realistic feel to his writing.

Violence: It's a war novel, although the descriptions are not graphic.

Sex: none, though the main character is a bit of a playboy.

Language: Not really

Drugs/alcohol: references maybe

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book on one of my dad's bookshelves and read it when I was about 10. I loved it, especially the part when they escape from the submarine, but it was printed so cheaply that the glue didn't hold in the yellowed pages. I had to look at the page numbers to find out what page to read next sometimes, as the pages fell out and mixed on the floor. I remember thinking that this must be what "pulp fiction" is, but boy can it be enjoyable.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's kind of funny to read a fictional account from World War 2 after reading so many non-fictional accounts. It definitely felt a little hyped up from reality.

Not bad story-wise. The stereotypes were laid on a little thick, but it wasn't too distracting. The story was simple, but still compelling.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful.

[Sara Sise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owen loved! This was Bern's favorite read at 10 yrs. Found out-of-print copy on Amazon.