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Lost #1
Endangered Species
LOST, the television series, takes place on a remote South Pacific island, where a plane crash has left 48 survivors stranded. In ENDANGERED SPECIES we read about Faith, an environmental activist and reptile specialist, whose dream industry conference turns into a nightmare and lands her among the survivors on the island. While Locke isn-t suspicious of her, there are more than a few others who openly wonder about how much she uses her knowledge to help - or to terrorize -- the other survivors.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
14 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Hapka
431 books203 followersCatherine (Cathy) Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and adults, as a ghostwriter for series as well as original titles, including the Romantic Comedies Something Borrowed, The Twelve Date of Christmas, and Love on Cue. She lives in Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 10, 2010
Someone got a publisher for their fanfiction. Honestly, it follows the normal fanfic structure: Make up a character, shoehorn them into the universe, tell a story that doesn't interfere with the ongoing story of the show and is therefore basically irrelevant.
Faith is boring and a total milquetoast. She's a herpetologist, so suddenly there are dangerous snakes on the island (which isn't actually so surprising, there are usually snakes in the jungle - but in 5 seasons, there have never been snakes on the show) And her back-story? What a snooze. I don't believe for a moment even a person as bland and uncertain for themselves as she is supposed to be would miss such an obvious plot. Every once in a while recognizable events from the very first episode would be stuck in to make it feel more Lost-y.
Overall, I was hoping for a book that would complement and expand the Lost universe, but it was a total snooze.
Faith is boring and a total milquetoast. She's a herpetologist, so suddenly there are dangerous snakes on the island (which isn't actually so surprising, there are usually snakes in the jungle - but in 5 seasons, there have never been snakes on the show) And her back-story? What a snooze. I don't believe for a moment even a person as bland and uncertain for themselves as she is supposed to be would miss such an obvious plot. Every once in a while recognizable events from the very first episode would be stuck in to make it feel more Lost-y.
Overall, I was hoping for a book that would complement and expand the Lost universe, but it was a total snooze.
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November 26, 2020Действието в книгата протича някъде около първия сезон на сериала. И за разлика от него, е доста слабо изпълнение. Книгата следва модела на сериала, като редува – една глава от миналото на героя, преди да се качи на полет 815, и една на острова след катастрофата. В първата книга се разказва за някаква Фейт, която май изобщо не се появява като персонаж в сериала, поне аз нямам такива спомени. И самата история на Фейт, разказана в тази книга, е слаба и безинтересна. Далеч от вълнуващите истории на Джак, Кейт, Сойър и множеството останали персонажи, които направиха LOST явление за времето си.
May 28, 2009
Can I give a book negative stars? Because this was an absolute blackhole. Holy crap. I really can't believe how much I hated it.
Maybe I'm so harsh, because I hold Lost and all things Island related as near scripture -- but regardless, this was just a waste of time.
Ugh.
Maybe I'm so harsh, because I hold Lost and all things Island related as near scripture -- but regardless, this was just a waste of time.
Ugh.
January 6, 2023
astonishing that, a book, based on a television show that had the most immediately engaging, compelling and mysterious pilots in TV history, took 180 pages for something interesting to happen. then as soon as it did, immediately ended.
that being said; a daft, fun and easy read that offers a nice opportunity to inhabit the island once again. a nice, easy start to the 2023 Reading challenge.
that being said; a daft, fun and easy read that offers a nice opportunity to inhabit the island once again. a nice, easy start to the 2023 Reading challenge.
March 4, 2021
DNF'd @ p. 56
Endangered Species (Lost #1) by Cathy Hapka was awful - or at least the first 55 pages were anyway. I loved the first two seasons of the tv series (less so later on), and since this takes up right from the very beginning I had some hopes. I knew from the description that a new character named Faith was going to be featured, who comes into contact with the main characters from the tv series. Unfortunately, Faith is extremely flat and dull - too much to lead even such a short novel. I was hoping my favorite characters like Hurley and Sayid would be true to form at least. As it turned out I couldn't tell the difference between them without seeing the character names on the page. I couldn't bring myself to bother with the remaining 140 pages.
Endangered Species (Lost #1) by Cathy Hapka was awful - or at least the first 55 pages were anyway. I loved the first two seasons of the tv series (less so later on), and since this takes up right from the very beginning I had some hopes. I knew from the description that a new character named Faith was going to be featured, who comes into contact with the main characters from the tv series. Unfortunately, Faith is extremely flat and dull - too much to lead even such a short novel. I was hoping my favorite characters like Hurley and Sayid would be true to form at least. As it turned out I couldn't tell the difference between them without seeing the character names on the page. I couldn't bring myself to bother with the remaining 140 pages.
June 28, 2019
Lost: Especies en peligro
: 2,5 estrellas.
Este es un libro muy cortito, que fue escrito durante la emisión de la serie de televisión. Por lo tanto, su objetivo es recrear esas escenas y personajes tan memorables. Para ello, introduce a la historia que ya conocemos a dos personajes nuevos: Faith, como principal, y George, que adquiere un rol más bien secundario.
La nueva trama está narrada en tercera persona y en pasado, y se amolda bien al estilo del relato original: utiliza constantemente el recurso de los flashbacks tan característicos de la serie.
En general, las referencias a los distintos personajes y a algunas escenas propias de esos primeros capítulos están relativamente bien elaborados. En ese sentido, Faith (hablo de ella porque el papel de George es sólo intervenir, no se desarrolla demasiado) pudo ser una historia más contada originalmente en la isla.
En mi opinión, el problema es que no hay nada más que esto. La lectura es muy simple y ágil, y el personaje de Faith es tan ingenuo y dócil, que me resultó exasperante por momentos. Me daba la impresión que terminaba siendo algo forzado y perdía credibilidad. Además, la historia se torna predecible y obvia tan pronto, que resulta casi absurdo que los personajes no lo noten.
He leído que esta autora es famosa por escribir libros para chicos, varios de ellos sobre clásicos de Disney. Quizá un poco de ese estilo se coló aquí, ya que en más de una ocasión me pareció tratarse de una lectura dirigida más hacia un público juvenil.
En fin, si no vieron la serie, no lo recomiendo; es preferible que la vean, no le hace justicia en ese aspecto. Si vieron la serie, es una lectura rápida y fácil, y te da un poco de nostalgia cuando se nombra o se describe a algunos de los personajes que ya conocemos (Locke siempre es Locke), pero no mucho más.
Este es un libro muy cortito, que fue escrito durante la emisión de la serie de televisión. Por lo tanto, su objetivo es recrear esas escenas y personajes tan memorables. Para ello, introduce a la historia que ya conocemos a dos personajes nuevos: Faith, como principal, y George, que adquiere un rol más bien secundario.
La nueva trama está narrada en tercera persona y en pasado, y se amolda bien al estilo del relato original: utiliza constantemente el recurso de los flashbacks tan característicos de la serie.
En general, las referencias a los distintos personajes y a algunas escenas propias de esos primeros capítulos están relativamente bien elaborados. En ese sentido, Faith (hablo de ella porque el papel de George es sólo intervenir, no se desarrolla demasiado) pudo ser una historia más contada originalmente en la isla.
En mi opinión, el problema es que no hay nada más que esto. La lectura es muy simple y ágil, y el personaje de Faith es tan ingenuo y dócil, que me resultó exasperante por momentos. Me daba la impresión que terminaba siendo algo forzado y perdía credibilidad. Además, la historia se torna predecible y obvia tan pronto, que resulta casi absurdo que los personajes no lo noten.
He leído que esta autora es famosa por escribir libros para chicos, varios de ellos sobre clásicos de Disney. Quizá un poco de ese estilo se coló aquí, ya que en más de una ocasión me pareció tratarse de una lectura dirigida más hacia un público juvenil.
En fin, si no vieron la serie, no lo recomiendo; es preferible que la vean, no le hace justicia en ese aspecto. Si vieron la serie, es una lectura rápida y fácil, y te da un poco de nostalgia cuando se nombra o se describe a algunos de los personajes que ya conocemos (Locke siempre es Locke), pero no mucho más.
March 13, 2025
Holy shit. Easily one of the five worst books I've ever read.
It's a bad fanfiction that somehow got licensed and published. The dialogue is bad, the characters are bad, the storyline is stupid. Only saving grace is it's kind of funny seeing how terrible it is, and also it's less than 200 pages long.
It's a bad fanfiction that somehow got licensed and published. The dialogue is bad, the characters are bad, the storyline is stupid. Only saving grace is it's kind of funny seeing how terrible it is, and also it's less than 200 pages long.
September 2, 2022
It’s simple, it’s predictable, and the background noise makes zero sense if you haven’t watched the series multiple times. I loved it. Thanks, Kyle!
March 7, 2010
This LOST paperback was not as revealing as I expected it to be, but it was very interesting. It follows Faith, a character who does not appear on the show, simultaneously through her first days on the island and her last days in Australia. The island scenes offer some insight into the characters we know and love, such as Hurley, Locke, Sawyer, et al., and their off-camera activities. These were written during the earlier seasons, so I don't think the rest of the series will cast much clarity on the show itself; however, there was brief mention of "parallel but slightly different planes" of existence. Whether or not this happens to be a coincidence or a clue is up to you, dear reader!
April 16, 2009
WARNING: Do not read this book. It's better off thrown in the rubbish bin :))
November 4, 2017
For a book based on one of histories greatest television shows, you would believe that it would hold more depth than what is presented in Endangered Species.
Released before the end of season one in 2005, and well before the conclusion of our beloved characters' flashbacks, the book does a surprisingly good job of interweaving on-island chapters with off-island chapters. It was presented just how I imagine an episode would be. I enjoyed Faith's off-island storyline. People have complained that she was too "green" or that she didn't have a backbone, but that's just who her character is. The island takes broken people and fixes them. Real fans can't deny that their favourite character's flaws annoyed them at least once, so compared to characters like Shannon and Jin, initially, Faith isn't that hard to swallow.
The book's faults are entirely with all of the on-island scenes. The author took no risks and just inserted scenes, shot-for-shot as if you were watching the show itself. You could say that this provides the book with authenticity but LOST created some of the greatest mysteries to ever hit the screen, so simply inserting two new characters into famous scenes as if they were there all along, but having no other main character interaction, wasn't titillating enough for me. The author could have created new, smaller mysteries, or actually had real characters interact out of their already set scenes and lines. There are a few circumstances, like with Claire and the blanket, or Locke and the backgammon boardgame, but it's nothing ground-breaking. It all just gave me the 'Nikki and Paulo shudders'.
A quick note on the cover. Yes, it is Kate on the cover. No, it shouldn't be Kate on the cover because Kate has maybe three scenes in which Faith doesn't even know her name. The cover should have Locke, Hurley or Claire, but ultimately sex sells. Kate is sex on a stick, or in a cage, whatever floats your boat, and an eight and a half month pregnant woman might not have had the same appeal. Neither would a robust gentleman or an older bald guy.
The writing style also bothered me slightly. It wasn't stellar exactly, but it was what it was. It passed. Except for every line spoken by every single Australian character to enter a page. We don't speak like that. It was incredibly obvious that this book was written by an American author whose only Australian knowledge comes from their television intake. Ms Hapka, not every sentence ends in "mate", mate.
The ending
Released before the end of season one in 2005, and well before the conclusion of our beloved characters' flashbacks, the book does a surprisingly good job of interweaving on-island chapters with off-island chapters. It was presented just how I imagine an episode would be. I enjoyed Faith's off-island storyline. People have complained that she was too "green" or that she didn't have a backbone, but that's just who her character is. The island takes broken people and fixes them. Real fans can't deny that their favourite character's flaws annoyed them at least once, so compared to characters like Shannon and Jin, initially, Faith isn't that hard to swallow.
The book's faults are entirely with all of the on-island scenes. The author took no risks and just inserted scenes, shot-for-shot as if you were watching the show itself. You could say that this provides the book with authenticity but LOST created some of the greatest mysteries to ever hit the screen, so simply inserting two new characters into famous scenes as if they were there all along, but having no other main character interaction, wasn't titillating enough for me. The author could have created new, smaller mysteries, or actually had real characters interact out of their already set scenes and lines. There are a few circumstances, like with Claire and the blanket, or Locke and the backgammon boardgame, but it's nothing ground-breaking. It all just gave me the 'Nikki and Paulo shudders'.
A quick note on the cover. Yes, it is Kate on the cover. No, it shouldn't be Kate on the cover because Kate has maybe three scenes in which Faith doesn't even know her name. The cover should have Locke, Hurley or Claire, but ultimately sex sells. Kate is sex on a stick, or in a cage, whatever floats your boat, and an eight and a half month pregnant woman might not have had the same appeal. Neither would a robust gentleman or an older bald guy.
The writing style also bothered me slightly. It wasn't stellar exactly, but it was what it was. It passed. Except for every line spoken by every single Australian character to enter a page. We don't speak like that. It was incredibly obvious that this book was written by an American author whose only Australian knowledge comes from their television intake. Ms Hapka, not every sentence ends in "mate", mate.
The ending
July 16, 2017
This is LOST by way of a Lifetime Channel movie of the week. The female main character is weak and innocent; the male secondary characters loom large and are threatening. The "plot twist" can be seen from a mile away, and the dialog is awful. The only character from the show that the author manages to capture correctly in terms of speech patterns is John Locke; but that's not a hard thing to do because Locke, being the intellectually curious, social misfit that he is, tends to speak in the white bread parlance of literate English influenced by endless hours of reading. It's a trap that many authors often fall into: they're so busy reading, reading, and reading that they make their characters speak like book characters. Book characters should not speak like book characters, they should speak the vernacular of wherever they're from! Sawyer, especially, isn't served well.
But, alas, this kind of book is what results when a major corporation has a big hit on their hands and they don't know how to market merchandise for it. I remember the first two seasons of LOST vividly. It's probably as important to the development of today's fantasy media as HARRY POTTER or THE MATRIX of THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies. But what kind of trinkets do you sell in conjunction with a television show in which the fantastic elements are underneath its surface rather than on top? I used to joke back in 2005-2006 that there ought to be a line of LOST Legos. That never materialized, but apparently some collector's action figures did. Before ABC and Bad Robot became creative with experiments such as "Bad Twin" (which I loved, even though it's corny), they took a traditional route a la STAR WARS and ALIEN: tie-in, "non-canonical" novels. And boy, did they tank with this one.
Click on Kathy Hapka's name and you'll see that she's a prolific writer with tons of experience under her belt. I strongly disagree with the reviewers here who label "Lost: Endangered Species" as fanfiction. Rather, I imagine that she's an exceptionally competent writer who was probably offered low pay and a short time frame sans background research (the descriptions of a life of an "environmentalist" are laughable, and anyone could have put it together) to produce a narrative that was rushed to market. Writers have to eat, too. One draft and a little bit of cleaning up, and then straight to the editors for a polish. It's the type of project that, I imagine, the author probably isn't proud of and doesn't waste time looking back on. I'd guess that this was a paycheck for her, not an artistic endeavor. I don't blame her one bit, but my review is not of her, but of this final product.
1 of of 5 stars.
But, alas, this kind of book is what results when a major corporation has a big hit on their hands and they don't know how to market merchandise for it. I remember the first two seasons of LOST vividly. It's probably as important to the development of today's fantasy media as HARRY POTTER or THE MATRIX of THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies. But what kind of trinkets do you sell in conjunction with a television show in which the fantastic elements are underneath its surface rather than on top? I used to joke back in 2005-2006 that there ought to be a line of LOST Legos. That never materialized, but apparently some collector's action figures did. Before ABC and Bad Robot became creative with experiments such as "Bad Twin" (which I loved, even though it's corny), they took a traditional route a la STAR WARS and ALIEN: tie-in, "non-canonical" novels. And boy, did they tank with this one.
Click on Kathy Hapka's name and you'll see that she's a prolific writer with tons of experience under her belt. I strongly disagree with the reviewers here who label "Lost: Endangered Species" as fanfiction. Rather, I imagine that she's an exceptionally competent writer who was probably offered low pay and a short time frame sans background research (the descriptions of a life of an "environmentalist" are laughable, and anyone could have put it together) to produce a narrative that was rushed to market. Writers have to eat, too. One draft and a little bit of cleaning up, and then straight to the editors for a polish. It's the type of project that, I imagine, the author probably isn't proud of and doesn't waste time looking back on. I'd guess that this was a paycheck for her, not an artistic endeavor. I don't blame her one bit, but my review is not of her, but of this final product.
1 of of 5 stars.
July 3, 2024
A lot of people panned this book, and I definitely get it. It's not the most well written book ever. Strike one. If you're not a huge LOST fan, it's largely pointless to read it. Strike two. And I'm gonna guess a lot of people were hoping that it revealed some of LOST's secrets in some way. Strike three. As for me, let me start with what I liked about it. I love that it read like an episode of the show, which is essentially what it was. Just not so heavy on any island mysteries. But I loved that it bounced back and forth between the present on the island and a flashback of the main character and how circumstances brought her to Australia and ultimately to the island. It was a cool show parallel. As a huge fan of the show, I was intimately familiar with all the scenes from the show where Faith is weaving in and out of interactions with several of the main characters. I thought that part was pretty fun. But if you're not a massive LOST fan all of it will have very little meaning. What wasn't so great was kind of what I alluded to before. The writing isn't the best. The story is a bit ridiculous. And Faith, as written, has to be one of the biggest social idiots ever for not seeing the obvious in so many places. So it's a bit frustrating to read b/c the main character is so weak. Also, it probably could have used even MORE main character interactions. A little bit of a missed opportunity there. Counterpoint, when Hapka did write the main characters, I found that she didn't quite get their voice right all the time. Admittedly, this is no easy task. So, maybe the smaller interactions were for that reason. All in all it's probably a 3 star book for me, but I'll give it an extra star for being a cool part of the LOST lore. It's meant to be a fun add-on to the show, not anything vital to the overall story. In that much, at least, I found it succeeded. But I also admit I am a LOST super fan. If you're not one yourself, you can safely skip this book.
October 30, 2020
Honestly, based on the reviews I thought I’d HATE this book. But I was desperately craving some more Lost, even non-canonical content, and this definitely filled my void. This book works in the same format as the show: island, flashback, island, flashback, and it works. I liked Faith, although she was really annoying sometimes. My main problem is I kept picturing her as Shannon, which was confusing lol the only thing I didn’t like was that [SPOILERS AHEAD] the bird wasn’t the one she was expecting it to be. I understand the author didn’t know where the show was going and didn’t want to mess with the possibilities of the island, but that would’ve been a nice reference to the show, and a cute little lore for the island.
Great book? No. The writing is simplistic (although I don’t really mind that) and it’s very short, BUT if you’re an obsessive LOST fan like me and you miss the show, I’d give it a try. I’m looking forward to reading the two next installments!
Great book? No. The writing is simplistic (although I don’t really mind that) and it’s very short, BUT if you’re an obsessive LOST fan like me and you miss the show, I’d give it a try. I’m looking forward to reading the two next installments!
November 1, 2025
I am a die hard LOST fan, so when I saw that novels existed I had to read them. Now this book is very hated and I can kinda understand why.
Released during LOST mania everyone read it expecting Easter eggs and mysteries but in reality this story was just a stand alone episode of the show. It functions much like the show with two stories, one set on the island in the first few days following the crash, and one before leading up to the flight. The flashback story is by far the better story.
Part of me wonders if this was an unused script, anyway if you approach it as that, an episode of the show exploring a different character, you will mostly enjoy it.
The writing is not the best at times, and the main character can be really dumb, but overall I enjoyed being back in the world of LOST again.
Go in with no expectations and you may be surprised with it.
Released during LOST mania everyone read it expecting Easter eggs and mysteries but in reality this story was just a stand alone episode of the show. It functions much like the show with two stories, one set on the island in the first few days following the crash, and one before leading up to the flight. The flashback story is by far the better story.
Part of me wonders if this was an unused script, anyway if you approach it as that, an episode of the show exploring a different character, you will mostly enjoy it.
The writing is not the best at times, and the main character can be really dumb, but overall I enjoyed being back in the world of LOST again.
Go in with no expectations and you may be surprised with it.
June 13, 2024
Barely any redeeming qualities to this book, I'm afraid.
A flashback story that felt like it was entirely built on caricatures (Australians who end almost every sentence with by calling people "mate", one-dimensional eco-warriors), as well as a protagonist who was somehow entirely oblivious to the INCREDIBLY obvious plot that was going on around her.
Couple that with the on-island storyline that revolved around our protagonist and another non-show character who was just the most obnoxious, entitled, and condescending character, for no real good reason.
Unlike the other Lost novel I read, there wasn't even really a whole lot of fun interactions with the existing show, other than a short exchange with Locke that was quite nice.
A flashback story that felt like it was entirely built on caricatures (Australians who end almost every sentence with by calling people "mate", one-dimensional eco-warriors), as well as a protagonist who was somehow entirely oblivious to the INCREDIBLY obvious plot that was going on around her.
Couple that with the on-island storyline that revolved around our protagonist and another non-show character who was just the most obnoxious, entitled, and condescending character, for no real good reason.
Unlike the other Lost novel I read, there wasn't even really a whole lot of fun interactions with the existing show, other than a short exchange with Locke that was quite nice.
March 24, 2019
On a flight from Sydney to the U.S., Oceanic Flight 815 breaks up over the Pacific, with the 48 or so survivors crash landing on an island. A very strange island...
Faith is a graduate student, an expert on snakes, and a fugitive. What happened in Sydney wasn't totally her fault, but will her experience help or hurt her fellow castaways? If you watch the first couple of tv episodes, you will like how the author weaves her characters into some of the scenarios. In my opinion, of the three LOST novels (which can be read in any order), this was the best one.
Faith is a graduate student, an expert on snakes, and a fugitive. What happened in Sydney wasn't totally her fault, but will her experience help or hurt her fellow castaways? If you watch the first couple of tv episodes, you will like how the author weaves her characters into some of the scenarios. In my opinion, of the three LOST novels (which can be read in any order), this was the best one.
August 15, 2023
Don’t really know what I was expecting. It’s a subpar novelization-type thing. The last thing the Lost universe needs is more characters, especially when all the new ones do here is watch the events of the pilot from 100 feet away. The protagonist, Faith, also probably has the least interesting flashbacks of any of them. And I know why they did it it, but it’s still funny that Evangeline Lilly is on the cover when Kate only has like 5 lines of dialogue.
March 19, 2022
Funny how bugs, snakes, and other dangerous wildlife are finally apart of the Lost-verse. I don’t really give a crap about Faith. I wanted the snake to kill George at the end. Over half way through the story, Locke finally shows up and makes the book 10x better. And we get to find out the origin of the backgammon board!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2025
First off, I loved the idea of creating new characters and their back stories amongst the survives of Oceanic Flight 815. I liked how the author tied Faith in to the first few episodes, but other than that....Faith's story wasn't never interesting. There was no closure for the IAL and their hand in the murder of Dr. Arreglo, especially Oscar. The ending seemed a tad rushed to me. While it was nice to see some development in Faith over the course of this 195 paged novel, it wasn't enough. Maybe if the book had been longer I'd have appreciated it more.
June 13, 2018
I was confused because Kate's picture is on the front, but this story is about Faith. who I do not remember from the show. I'm not sure if these books are about secondary characters that could fit in the story or what.
April 10, 2019
Lost is my favorite show of all time, so it was great to delve back into the Island life. This character was interesting and I enjoyed the flashbacks throughout the book. This was by no means an amazing book, and the abrupt ending was odd. This would be rated lower if not for being Lost related.
August 7, 2020
Leí el libro antes de ver la serie, la lectura me atrapo completamente, es un poco complicado al principio acostumbrarse a los cambios de tiempos en la lectura, pero los detalles en la escritura me transportaron a cada escena.
December 31, 2021
6/10
A fun, short read. Lacks depth of character and I wished it actually linked to the LOST plot more, but it was still enjoyable.
A fun, short read. Lacks depth of character and I wished it actually linked to the LOST plot more, but it was still enjoyable.
February 16, 2022
Peor personaje que Paulo.
October 9, 2022
Massive waste of time
September 2, 2022
Matig boek, wel leuk als je de serie ook gezien hebt
January 28, 2011
The main reason I couldn't get into this book was that I hated the main character. I really couldn't get into her intense introversion and there were scenes that I just sat and read and said to myself "go and do something damnit!!!". But she never did. I realize the point of the story was that she was supposed to learn to overcome her failings and cope with them, but the book was hugely introspective on her part. I found her inhibitions more annoying than endearing. Though, I must give credit to the author for presenting this kind of character, it truly felt I was reading from her personal experience and transporting herself into the realm of the island. While that is a major credit to the author, I personally could not get behind this character, but that is my own failings, not the authors fault as a writer because it is pretty well written.
The best part of this book was Faith's flash backs to her past. Those are what really kept me turning the pages. Even though the past tale was pretty annoying at time's because Faith was supposed to be pretty intelligent, but she missed such obvious things. Maybe I read things too much, so I kind of suspected something was up, but being able to predict things very early on was kind of a let down. It consisted of her getting involved with some environmental activist group, because she met a boy she liked that was involved (I don't want to give away TOO much). Things kept getting more extreme as her past is revealed. I realize the character probably wouldn't have noticed it, because her socialization skills seem to be very sub par, but being able to predict the ending very early on was rather annoying to me. However, it kept me going because I kept thinking "maybe it won't be obvious." But it was... and in the end it was still the most entertaining piece of the book.
The island's tale was lackluster at best and the main Lost stars had minimal involvement. The other character, George, she had interacting with Faith was also very annoying to me, so to have two characters that frustrate you didn't make for a good tale. But I kept reading because of that past tale. The other thing that kept me going was that this was only 200 pages, if it was more than this, like a normal 300+ page book, I think it would've been too tedious for me.
In the end, this makes me see why the other 40 or so people don't have major roles or tales on the island. I know that wasn't the intention of the book, but I'm trying to tie it in with the story. For the person that complained about no hatch and no Dharma Initiative, this book takes place in about the first three days the people were on the island. So they would have barely found anything yet. The book feels like it spans a lot more of that time frame, but I don't think so.
The best part of this book was Faith's flash backs to her past. Those are what really kept me turning the pages. Even though the past tale was pretty annoying at time's because Faith was supposed to be pretty intelligent, but she missed such obvious things. Maybe I read things too much, so I kind of suspected something was up, but being able to predict things very early on was kind of a let down. It consisted of her getting involved with some environmental activist group, because she met a boy she liked that was involved (I don't want to give away TOO much). Things kept getting more extreme as her past is revealed. I realize the character probably wouldn't have noticed it, because her socialization skills seem to be very sub par, but being able to predict the ending very early on was rather annoying to me. However, it kept me going because I kept thinking "maybe it won't be obvious." But it was... and in the end it was still the most entertaining piece of the book.
The island's tale was lackluster at best and the main Lost stars had minimal involvement. The other character, George, she had interacting with Faith was also very annoying to me, so to have two characters that frustrate you didn't make for a good tale. But I kept reading because of that past tale. The other thing that kept me going was that this was only 200 pages, if it was more than this, like a normal 300+ page book, I think it would've been too tedious for me.
In the end, this makes me see why the other 40 or so people don't have major roles or tales on the island. I know that wasn't the intention of the book, but I'm trying to tie it in with the story. For the person that complained about no hatch and no Dharma Initiative, this book takes place in about the first three days the people were on the island. So they would have barely found anything yet. The book feels like it spans a lot more of that time frame, but I don't think so.
April 26, 2015
Like most tv watchers of the time, I did not watch Lost. It was not until the recommendation of a few very good friends that I actually decided to take a few moments to see the show that everyone was talking about. And I binged watched the show like crazy. By the time the last seasons were on, I watched with the rest of the audience, however I still have not seen the last episode (please, no spoilers, I have a better idea of what SHOULD happen, whatever the case, and I am perfectly fine with that).
Lost: Endangered Species by Cathy Hapka is the story of Faith, a passenger of Oceanic Flight 815, whom ends up on the beach with the rest of the 48 survivors that get stranded on a tropical island. As fans of the show might surmise, each of the survivors has a backstory–and the show focused on just a couple of the backstories of the core set of survivors. And, in true Lost style, Faith is pulled into her past while helping clear the wreckage of the flight she wasn't even supposed to be on.
Just a few short weeks earlier, Faith was a college student, studying venomous snakes (with a fair amount of botany and other biologic concerns). When her beloved professor, Dr. Arreglo, goes on record for helping a development team bulldoze an area teaming with wilderness, including some of the snakes she wishes to study, Faith learns quickly that her ideals do not match up with those of her mentor. However, when she begins to break away from HIS ideology, she has help in the form of Oscar, a young man whom seems as devoted to her as he is to preserving wildlife.
While on the island, Faith encounters some of the other more well-known passengers on Oceanic Flight 815, and what they do in the book matches what they were doing on the beach when they crash landed. Her encounters with one of the characters, a lesser known character named George, tend to rub her the wrong way as his temper goes from hot to cold very quickly.
This was the first in a series of planned books for the show, and while four were planned, only three were published. While this was not the most favorite book I have ever read, it was nice to revisit the series. And, even better, it was a book that I got from the Family Reading Festival in Akron, Ohio in early 2010! Bookcrossing, you may ask? Bookcrossing is a way to share books with the world, via a free website and just a few minutes of note-taking, as well as a pen to write down the label of the book for tracking purposes.
Since this is a Bookcrossing book that I received, I am doing my best to send it off on a journey around the world–this time it is going to be released in Kauai at a luau!
Lost: Endangered Species by Cathy Hapka is the story of Faith, a passenger of Oceanic Flight 815, whom ends up on the beach with the rest of the 48 survivors that get stranded on a tropical island. As fans of the show might surmise, each of the survivors has a backstory–and the show focused on just a couple of the backstories of the core set of survivors. And, in true Lost style, Faith is pulled into her past while helping clear the wreckage of the flight she wasn't even supposed to be on.
Just a few short weeks earlier, Faith was a college student, studying venomous snakes (with a fair amount of botany and other biologic concerns). When her beloved professor, Dr. Arreglo, goes on record for helping a development team bulldoze an area teaming with wilderness, including some of the snakes she wishes to study, Faith learns quickly that her ideals do not match up with those of her mentor. However, when she begins to break away from HIS ideology, she has help in the form of Oscar, a young man whom seems as devoted to her as he is to preserving wildlife.
While on the island, Faith encounters some of the other more well-known passengers on Oceanic Flight 815, and what they do in the book matches what they were doing on the beach when they crash landed. Her encounters with one of the characters, a lesser known character named George, tend to rub her the wrong way as his temper goes from hot to cold very quickly.
This was the first in a series of planned books for the show, and while four were planned, only three were published. While this was not the most favorite book I have ever read, it was nice to revisit the series. And, even better, it was a book that I got from the Family Reading Festival in Akron, Ohio in early 2010! Bookcrossing, you may ask? Bookcrossing is a way to share books with the world, via a free website and just a few minutes of note-taking, as well as a pen to write down the label of the book for tracking purposes.
Since this is a Bookcrossing book that I received, I am doing my best to send it off on a journey around the world–this time it is going to be released in Kauai at a luau!
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