Hostage!

by James Hamilton-Paterson

Mistakenly kidnapped by a guerrilla group, the son of an American oil executive discovers that as the weeks of his captivity pass he is less and less sure which side he wants to be on.

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1978

About the author

James Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

Reviews

[Will C · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Hostage I think the author is trying to tell his readers that you have to try your hardest to do what is right even if that means risking your life. The story takes place in a middle eastern country and it is in the 1970s. The story takes place in the desert for most of the story but, in the beginning the characters are in a actual city. The story is about Wayne. You have access to know what he is thinking and all of his thoughts. I liked that the author let you know what Wayne is thinking while he is being held hostage!

In the second chapter [When Wayne is kidnapped] he and his friend took horses out to the mountains. His friend thought that it would be fun to climb to the top of the mountain. Wayne did not. While his friend was climbing, Men jumped Wayne and held a knife to his throat. Then they took wayne to there car and took off. I thought that the author really did a good job of making sure that I realized that when you are close to death, you will do anything to survive even if that means running from people with guns. I really enjoyed this book because I always would know what is going on and what wayne is thinking. I would recommend this book to boys more than girls.