Hunger

by William R. Dantz

Six genetically-engineered sharks, each over twenty feet long, escape from the SeaLife Institute and terrorize the Florida Keys

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

aka Rodman Philbrick, Chris Jordan, W.R. Philbrick

William Rodman Philbrick is an outstanding author who has won the prestigious American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults and Quick Pick Awards. Freak the Mighty has been made into a Hollywood film.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and fun novel by Dantz, AKA Rodman Philbrick, that would make for a great beach read. Set in the Florida Keys, our main protagonists, Tom and Sally, run a charter diving business, and have so for a decade or so. A few keys over rests the SeaLife Institute, which, under contract from the DoD, has been experimenting on dolphins to 'train' them to kill divers-- just the thing to protect underwater missile silos! That experiment failed, however, and now Tom and Sally have the dolphins (never exactly clear how this came about). No worries, however, for SeaLife, for they have hatched a new project-- genetically modifying some Mako sharks, giving them the intelligence of dolphins plus a souped up metabolism that will make them huge, smart and mean. These new 'Isurus Maximus' are not very biddable, however, and one day make their great escape, and boy are they hungry!!

The plot may not be very original, and yeah, killer sharks have been done more than a few times, but Dantz manages to breathe some life into this trope, primarily by giving us good, rounded characters we can root for and root against. The 'evil' scientists at SeaLife versus the plucky duo of Tom and Sally. We also have a wide cast, including some old Florida crackers and Key people who are a lot of fun. Another thing Dantz does here is give us the POV of the killer sharks; they can communicate with one another like dolphins, are smart, and work as a pack. And, as the title suggests, they are very hungry! So, nothing very deep here, but a fun tale set in the Keys that really evokes the place nicely. I have not spend much time in the Keys (living in Central Florida), but Dantz seems to really know the Conch republic well. 3.5 hungry stars, rounding up for GR!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am pretty sure that this book was the inspiration for the movie Deep Blue Sea. But where the movie's setting is one of isolation, the scope of this novel is much larger. It is quite exciting and even better than I thought expected. The dolphins are a very neat part of the book, and one that I did not anticipate judging from the book's description. Surprisingly, unlike many other books in this subgenre of shark stories, this one does not make any references to Jaws. It is a good book, with ample justice for the villains (except perhaps for the Beautiful Six). It was their voice that fave this book a unique edge and really a rather likable set of "villains." All in all, this book was a very pleasant surprise - a lot of fun and very fast-pacing!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad to see the author's comment here on his book. I read this about a year before "Deep Blue Sea" came out and was amazed that no credit was given to this book. The story lines are very similar. I'd rate this book right along side Alten's MEG series for suspense, action, and a believable story. I feel it was much more believable than Wilson's Extinct as well. If you can find this book, it's worth picking up. (originally posted on Amazon.com)

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say 3 and a half stars. Starts off very well, slows down considerably in the middle, but then picks up pace and passion at the end. Six genetically engineered Mako sharks escape a research institute and begin a killing spree. The researchers are first trying to get them back and then later to kill them, while a couple of local tour guides get involved and are just trying to stop the sharks while protecting a pair of local dolphins. The ending here was somewhat surprising in how the sharks were stopped, so that was a good thing. I could see flashes of debt owed to Jaws, and it seems like this book might have been something of an inspiration for the movie Deep Blue Sea, (it came out 7 years earlier than the movie), although no acknowledgement has been made of that.

[C.p. Bialois · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel I first bought in an old Walden bookstore in the mall where I used to live shortly after it was published in 1993. At the time I was intrigued by the idea of genetically enhanced sharks and the dangers they presented. This is what’s written on the back of the book:

Isurus Maximus

Genetically engineered shark. Twenty feet long. Two thousand pounds of cartilage and teeth and muscle, bigger and meaner than any great white, able to leap more than twenty feet out of the water and swallow half a man in one bite.

The SeaLife Institute bred them-and lost them. Six monster sharks roam the Florida keys, gliding silently through the water, hunting as a pack, eating anything that catches their attention.

Man, they soon discover, is slow and clumsy underwater… and delicious. Innocent tourist or experienced shark hunter-no one is safe from the beautiful, eager killers.

Now, I have to ask you, as a fan of the movie and book Jaws… how could I not get this? Since that fateful day, I’ve read this at least twenty times and each time it’s as enjoyable as the first.

[Lucas Almanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid randomly one time and couldn't finish it because there were a lot of boat terms I didn't understand. This was before the advent of the internet. Here I am years later, and I finally have finished it. It was a very exciting and thrilling book. One of my favorite writers is Michael Crichton, and this novel had a similar vibe. The author was probably heavily influenced by him at the time as this book takes beats from his "techno-thriller" genre. I had particular fun mapping out everything that was happening as the book is set in the Florida Keys. It's so hard not giving this book 5 stars, but I have to acknowledge a flaw in the writing. There are many moments throughout the book where the point of view is written from the perspective of the sharks or dolphins. Although I applaud the authors effort, these sections seemed unable to decide from which POV, first or third person, to take. It was almost a mix between the animals' internal thoughts, which stretched credulity, and a narrator of some kind. Even with the animals' thoughts, there were times when names and things were mentioned that the animal would have no way of knowing that information. Otherwise, it is a solid shark book that does resembles the movie Deep Blue Sea in its premise. As a kid, this was the reason I begged my mother to buy it for me. I personally love this book!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genetically modified sharks that of course escape and of course start eating people...my kind of story.

I actually liked this quite a bit - not because it's a great novel (because it's not) but because I love stories of water things (sharks, monsters, squids etc.) and Dantz (otherwise known as Rodrick Philbrick of "Freak the Mighty" fame) does an amazing job of keeping the tension high right until the end.

Yes it's a beach read.
Yes you can see the ending coming a mile away.
No this book will not change the world and says nothing about the human condition (or whatever lit speak you care about this week)

BUT

It's really good at entertaining you for a few hours.

A 3 star book in reality
For me it was probably a 4 star book
I'll split the difference but round down

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read! Imaginative and unusual, a standout in the crowd of killer-shark epics. I enjoyed this one and look forward to adding it to my fish blog.

[Scott Augustein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read this because somebody gave it to me, and I wanted to get it over with and save my good books for later. I expected an extremely generic version of Jaws. I was pleasantly surprised. Couldn’t put it down at times.

[Kara Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more thriller than horror but a fun read regardless. If you enjoyed Steve Alten's Meg, give this one a read!

[Joshua Insole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodman Philbrick's (writing as William R. Dantz) 'Hunger' is my latest read of 2025!

I am part of several horror reader circles, and the theme of aquatic terrors has come up. As a fan of movies like 'Jaws' and 'Deep Blue Sea', it piqued my curiosity. Someone recommended 'Hunger', saying it was like 'Deep Blue Sea.' It seemed like a no-brainer for a breezy summer read, so I was in. Yet, it took me a few minutes to find a copy. I didn't know that 'William R. Dantz' was Rodman Philbrick's pen name, or that newer editions bore his real name. But find it I did.

The setup is classic sci-fi horror. Six mutant sharks break out of their caged-in cove and escape to the deep blue sea. (See what I did there?) The lab that created these creatures goes into panic mode, scrambling to reclaim them. Meanwhile, a local couple running a dive boat have been caring for two dolphins that fled from the same lab. It doesn't take long for the carnage to begin.

I had an absolute blast reading 'Hunger'. I wanted a fun B-movie horror novel, and that's what I got – a high-quality B-movie horror novel, at that. The chapters from the sharks' perspectives are fantastic. Philbrick captures the thought processes of these intelligent, primal animals. There are also some creepy moments, like the photographer exploring a shipwreck. And the chapter 'What a Father Does' gave me goosebumps with its moving, emotional quality. That last one caught me off guard.

As I said in my review of Steve Alten's 'Meg', do you judge a book against other books, or do you judge it for what it's trying to do? This novel is not Stephen King's 'The Shining', nor is it trying to be. It's a book about a bunch of mutated sharks ripping things up in a gory, spooky mess. And in that regard, it excels.

Are you looking for a fun summer scare? Do you, like me, have a salachian obsession? (That's 'shark' for those of you who didn't grow up reading/watching anything with a dorsal fin on the cover.)

Well then, look no further than Philbrick's 'Hunger'.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most interesting shark based novels that I have had the joy of reading. The writing style is thrilling and keeps the suspense flowing throughout the book, including a very unique almost first person view from the sharks.
I believe this book was what inspired the film "Deep Blue Sea", which was in my opinion a good film, however the book blows the motion picture right out of the water!
Although the ending is a bit abrupt, I would certainly recommend this book to any shark lover, especially since there are scientific reasons for the sharks being aggressive rather than the usual arguments.

[Gina Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite reads. I am not sure if you would call this horror or suspense or science fiction, but it's kind of a mix of all three. I love it for the fact that usually the sharks are the enemy, the "bad guys", but in this book, you feel for the sharks. You empathize for them and the ending makes me cry. The dolphins are pretty amazing too, but the sharks are where my heart lies. I don't care much for the people, but that's kind of how they wrote it. It definitely stays with you.

[Arty A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, but not bad. Well written and a smooth easy read. Had sharks.

[Darby]

Pretty good book. If you like aquatic adventures, you'll like.

[Gale Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really? You can actually splice bottlenose dolphin DNA with sharks and get a highly intelligent, very social species that even uses dolphin language and sonar? I don't think so!!!!

[Beckie Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable!

Had a hard time putting it down. Believable plot line. Engaging characters. Shows how loyal a dolphin can be. Sweet ending

[Tinae Goodell, Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright book, started well but didn't go much farther than that. Just alright

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written, so much more than most shark attack novels!