the river

Reader Response to The River (Sequel to The Hatchet) by Gary Paulsen

The inside front cover reads:
"We want you to do it again."
These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian had been stranded alone in the wilderness for 54 days with nothing but a small hatchet. yet he survived. Now the government wants him to do it again--to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the surbvival techniques that kept Brian alive. This time he will not be alone: Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist, will accompany him to observe and take notes. But during a freak storm, Derek is hit by lightning and falls into a coma. Their radio transmitter is dead. Brain is afraid that Derek will die of dehydration unless he can get him to a doctor. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport Derek a hundred milles down the river to a trading post--if the map he has is accurate.

My Rxn:

I'm pretty disappointed with this sequel. it's nowhere NEAR as good as the first book. In fact, I like how hatchet ended. The reason, he says, paulsen wrote this book, is because thousands of fans wrote him wondering what happened to Brian, or what would happen if the story continued. This book doesn't have the raw feeling of the first one. There's really no plot, no feeling of utter hopelessness, and it's pretty pointless and crazy that someone who was stranded would do it all over again, regardless of the "feel good" factor. It really kind of ruined my impression of the protagonist. I knew already that he had the drive and perseverance to survive... and I really didn't need to re-read those themes... which is what this book does. It's only about 140 pages, a quick read. Good description, but on the whole, asinine. The protagonist is already developed in hatchet, and there really is no futher development in this book at all. The other character, Derek, is static. There really are no changes, just weak reiterations of the themes in hatchet. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It is not a strong story, just a weak attempt at continuation, and it doesn't do the job. Stick with Hatchet. That novel is so strong that it doesn't need any further explanation or excuse.