What do you think?
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest #1
The Demon of the Deep
The first of twelve official tie-ins to the popular children's television adventure series places teen hero Jonny Quest and his companions in a compelling virtual-reality challenge in cyberspace. Original.
- GenresFiction
116 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1996
About the author
Brad Quentin
11 booksThe book series The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is officially credited to the pseudonym Brad Quentin, but it was ghostwritten by various authors.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/2813...
https://www.goodreads.com/series/2813...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 3, 2020
Baring some inconsistencies with the show - but when has this franchise ever given a single damn about consistency? - it was a fun read. It was also the best covert crack fic I've ever read! *
* (spoiler: the day is saved by the power of love... that of the giat squid for a nazi nuclear sub)
* (spoiler: the day is saved by the power of love... that of the giat squid for a nazi nuclear sub)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 10, 2007Oh god, I remember reading these books in MIDDLE SCHOOL, when I was such a TRA:JQ nerd. I was addicted to these, along with Animorphs. I read a couple of these a few times over also, since I was such a nerd. This also, was before I had the internet, and I had yet to discover fanfiction. Of course now I realize these were just PUBLISHED fanfics. Haw haw. Now I can say I've read BETTER than this.
June 21, 2026
Overall, this MG novel does a pretty good job of updating the great 60s cartoon of Jonny Quest. Four stars seems about right. That's how much I approved of it; I think a young reader could be from 3 to 5 with it, but I dunno.
This doesn't have quite as much zing as the old cartoons, which were strangely compelling and exciting in an era when cartoons were usually pretty tame, but it does a good job of giving us a very similar story and feel. Like the cartoon, there is genuine danger, even if it's treated a little like everything will work out. (Nobody is freaking out the way they would in real life.) The characters interact with one another in the same way. They've added a female character, Race Bannon's daughter, and that's a nice update. Makes the story slightly different, more modern, and that's great. She integrates with the team very well. They also sprinkle in concerns for the environment and wildlife in a way I liked. Not heavy-handed, but very direct anyway.
Like the cartoons, we have an exotic setting, off in the south Pacific, including underwater, with some cool science and a dangerous creature. (Not a giant metal spider or Komodo dragon; here we have a giant squid.) From about 25 pages in, this felt a lot like it could have been a Jonny Quest episode on TV. (No, not exactly. But close.)
Compared to an Indiana Jones book I just finished, which for most of the novel didn't seem like the same character or franchise as the movies, this felt quite a bit like the original, especially the dialogue. Dr. Quest gives little speeches, Race is professional and worries about keeping everyone safe, Jonny and Hadji (and Jessie, the new character) joke around like kids, and Bandit the dog--well, he barks. I could picture the characters in my head saying and doing the things they do in this book.
I wouldn't say it will please every reader, but I think it comes close to the target for this franchise. It's a MG book, pretty standard at a bit over 100 pages, with good pacing, so I think a lot of readers would like this, even though they only made a few titles in the series. (Eleven. I checked. That's actually pretty good.) Too bad it didn't catch on--maybe they'll try again.
Some of us old people haven't forgotten Saturday mornings, and we have grandkids who might like the same stuff. :) Recommended.
This doesn't have quite as much zing as the old cartoons, which were strangely compelling and exciting in an era when cartoons were usually pretty tame, but it does a good job of giving us a very similar story and feel. Like the cartoon, there is genuine danger, even if it's treated a little like everything will work out. (Nobody is freaking out the way they would in real life.) The characters interact with one another in the same way. They've added a female character, Race Bannon's daughter, and that's a nice update. Makes the story slightly different, more modern, and that's great. She integrates with the team very well. They also sprinkle in concerns for the environment and wildlife in a way I liked. Not heavy-handed, but very direct anyway.
Like the cartoons, we have an exotic setting, off in the south Pacific, including underwater, with some cool science and a dangerous creature. (Not a giant metal spider or Komodo dragon; here we have a giant squid.) From about 25 pages in, this felt a lot like it could have been a Jonny Quest episode on TV. (No, not exactly. But close.)
Compared to an Indiana Jones book I just finished, which for most of the novel didn't seem like the same character or franchise as the movies, this felt quite a bit like the original, especially the dialogue. Dr. Quest gives little speeches, Race is professional and worries about keeping everyone safe, Jonny and Hadji (and Jessie, the new character) joke around like kids, and Bandit the dog--well, he barks. I could picture the characters in my head saying and doing the things they do in this book.
I wouldn't say it will please every reader, but I think it comes close to the target for this franchise. It's a MG book, pretty standard at a bit over 100 pages, with good pacing, so I think a lot of readers would like this, even though they only made a few titles in the series. (Eleven. I checked. That's actually pretty good.) Too bad it didn't catch on--maybe they'll try again.
Some of us old people haven't forgotten Saturday mornings, and we have grandkids who might like the same stuff. :) Recommended.
September 4, 2020
Fun adventure book for kids. The overall plot is fun in typical Quest adventure fashion: the Quest team is exploring underwater and find a giant squid, and things get weirder when they find an old submarine with a survivor aboard.
The trio Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji are stated to aged 13, 14, and 15 respectively, but they act younger; especially early in the book, they come across as more elementary-school age, closer to 10. Jessie believes in unicorns, which isn't exactly outside the possibility of the JQ world, but it nonetheless comes across as younger than 14. Jessie, the only female character, has a habit of correcting the boys when they gender the giant squid as male, suggesting it's female. I typically appreciate a young, burgeoning feminist, although the author and his main character both seem to not really know how to handle it. Race, who is stated multiple times to be a former Navy SEAL and have ocean and nautical knowledge, doesn't know what luminescent means, at least in regards to underwater life. Hadji can't swim. So there were various moments in the book where the characters seemed dumbed down or not as capable as they should be
If you're looking for consistency between this book and the TV series, or even this book and other books in the same book series, don't look too deep. Race is stated to be a former Navy SEAL in this book, which contradicts other books (he's a former Marine in one), and also contradicts the TV series (he's a former Intelligence One agent). Hadji, who definitely swam in the original series and in The Real Adventures series, can't swim in this book.
If you're a Jonny Quest fan aching for some more adventures with the Quest team, go for it - if you can find a copy, since it's been out of print since 1996.
The trio Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji are stated to aged 13, 14, and 15 respectively, but they act younger; especially early in the book, they come across as more elementary-school age, closer to 10. Jessie believes in unicorns, which isn't exactly outside the possibility of the JQ world, but it nonetheless comes across as younger than 14. Jessie, the only female character, has a habit of correcting the boys when they gender the giant squid as male, suggesting it's female. I typically appreciate a young, burgeoning feminist, although the author and his main character both seem to not really know how to handle it. Race, who is stated multiple times to be a former Navy SEAL and have ocean and nautical knowledge, doesn't know what luminescent means, at least in regards to underwater life. Hadji can't swim. So there were various moments in the book where the characters seemed dumbed down or not as capable as they should be
If you're looking for consistency between this book and the TV series, or even this book and other books in the same book series, don't look too deep. Race is stated to be a former Navy SEAL in this book, which contradicts other books (he's a former Marine in one), and also contradicts the TV series (he's a former Intelligence One agent). Hadji, who definitely swam in the original series and in The Real Adventures series, can't swim in this book.
If you're a Jonny Quest fan aching for some more adventures with the Quest team, go for it - if you can find a copy, since it's been out of print since 1996.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews