Skink--No Surrender

I'm a Carl Hiaasen fan, both his original works and his YA oriented novels. Before reading this, I just couldn't imagine how the character of Skink could fit into a PG or even a YA book. He's a larger than life iconic hero. He fights to preserve and protect nature. His methods may be quirky, but his heart and head are always focused. He's salty, honest, inventive, willing to fight for his beliefs, and seemingly indestructible. And he's in this novel, helping Richard find his cousin Malley, who is missing after running off with a guy she met online. Skink and Richard head off into the backwoods of Florida in pursuit, when it becomes clear that Malley's absence has become an abduction.

The story is filled with classic Hiassen characters show more in absurd situations, with even more absurd outcomes. I will admit I missed some of the more colorful phraseology that usually emerges from Skink's mouth in books aimed at an older audience, but could understand why those expressions were rephrased by the narrator. At least they were acknowledged though, so Skink-ophiles could imagine what was said. But rest assured there are good guys and bad guys, and you'll know which one to cheer for. I understand this is the start of a YA series featuring Skink (and hopefully Mr Tile, who is a lot like Skink's Alfred Pennyworth, only a retired state trooper.) This is fine, but I do hope there will be another adult book where the colorful euphemisms can emerge again, too. show less

I love Carl Hiaasen's kids' books. He never panders and he always relies on kids to get the job done. This book is no exception. It is his first foray into YA literature, although this book would be suitable for grades as young as 5, if the reader is mature. Language is appropriate, though subject matter hints at darker issues. The two main characters, Richard and Malley are cousins just days apart in age, and best friends. When Malley runs off with a guy she met online (stranger danger!) Richard sets off after her with the unlikely help of his own brush with stranger danger, Skink -- environmental vigilante and former governor of FL, widely presumed to be dead. He is a hilarious character, though why Richard trusts him takes a little show more leap of faith from the reader. Their pursuit of the scumball Malley is mixed up with is equally hilarious and madcap and moves along at a brisk pace. While Skink's survival ability is a bit much to swallow at times, the bigger issue for me was the idiocy of the parents portrayed in the novel. show less

Suitable for teens AND adults!

I didn't actually realize this was a young adult book until the end. I knew Hiaasen had written Hoot among others, but I just didn't catch on. Even the shortness of the book failed to make me recognize the fact. In any case, I did notice that when Skink disappeared from the story for longer parts that I was less engaged and wondered why he was missing, now I know.

Skink--No Surrender is about both Skink (former Florida Governor Clinton Tyree) and two 14-year-old cousins Richard and Malley. Malley is "catfished" by an older man and disappears. A very plausible story since this past week in California, a Virginia sheriff's deputy catfished a teenager, drove across the country, killed 3 of her family members, show more set fire to her house, and tried to kidnap her.

Teen fiction or not, I enjoyed the book and it was typical hysterical, laugh out loud funny Hiaasen. I also like how Hiaasen goes all-in on the conservation ethic; the book even starts out with the cousins and their frequent beach walks searching for nesting sea turtles and / or nests so they can then alert the Florida wildlife officials to their location(s). Lots of other good wildlife bits including weaving the Ivory-billed Woodpecker into the story.

I would say this book is like the John Sandford and Michele Cook Singular Menace series, it doesn’t come off as a children's book. More like Rated PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Richard running off with Skink (a questionable character), underage driving, and chasing after an unknown criminal might not be advisable parenting measures... but it makes for good reading. show less

Adult Reader Reaction: Quirky and poignant are the first words that come to mind. The story - told in Richard's voice - grabs you quickly and pulls you along. I was unfamiliar with the character "Skink" before I read No Surrender. I'm glad I met him. He's a great character, but I loved Richard, too, and would like to read about the next chapter in HIS life.

There is an unspoken irony in Malley running away with someone she just "met" and Richard going on this rescue mission with someone HE just met.

Pros: Even while being a bit unbelievable, the story is thrilling, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny. With references from the 1960s through the 2000s, preteens and adults can enjoy reading this together.

Read our full review and add yours at show more The Reading Tub®. show less

The audio-version of this novel is available at your local library website. This is what I listened to, most of it yesterday evening, until 2 am, and finished tonight. The narrator is the same voice actor that did The Long Walk, by Stephen King. But THIS time, it fit. Totally. Kirby Heybourne's voice fit perfectly. Somehow, he was able to voice a teen boy, a teen girl, a middle-aged man, a 70 year old man, among others. Somehow, Heybourne's was able to make the Skink sound somewhat reminiscent of an elderly Clint Eastwood, with every ounce of nerve intact.
This novel is for Young Adults. I could tell, right away. And not because the first few chapters were kind of boring, while setting up everything. It just sounded like YA. At first, it show more was annoying. Until the last third of the novel, I thought about quitting, even though I LOVE Carl Hiaasen madly, and his novels more than anyone's. Then, I had to listen to the rest of the novel, to find out what happened to my favorite character, The Skink.
Clint Tyree (aka Skink), ex-governor of Florida and defender of the wilderness is back! Although he has been featured in a number of Hiaasen novels, this is the first time he has shown up in a story for young adults.
As crazy and fearless as ever, Skink comes to the aid of Richard as he searches for his cousin Malley who has been kidnapped by an internet predator.
Although the language is toned down for the younger market, I still found this to be an enjoyable read. I sincerely hope that one of many of the Skink's wild adventures find its way into novel form. I would gladly peruse it, in any shape or form. Happily.
PLEASE, Mr. Hiaasen, write more Skink?

4 stars show less

I didn't realize this was part of a series of books featuring Skink that I had picked up in the middle, but it didn't really matter as the book stands alone. This is a really good read, as I have come to expect from Hiaasen, with some great characters and a good plot. I really like the Skink character - a former governor and a vet who is now an activist and crusader. In this book he helps a young man, Robert, locate his missing cousin who may have run away on her own or may have been abducted, or both. The writing is very readable, the characters relatable (well, maybe not Skink unless, like me, you grew up in teh 60's), and the story has a few bumps, twists, and surprises along the way. A good read that makes me want to read more of show more the Skink books. show less

Skink - No Surrender is Carl Hiaasen's first foray into YALit and he's making his entrance in a big way—employing Skink, the outrageous and outlandish character from his adult novels.

In keeping with his customary practice of setting books in Florida's great outdoors (Hoot, Flush, Scat, Chomp), Skink No Surrender begins on a Florida beach where Richard finds Skink buried in the sand—on the hunt for turtle egg poachers. Though at first taken aback by the one-eyed, cammo-wearing giant of a man with buzzard beaks braided into his beard, Richard soon finds out that he is the ex -Florida governor and a force to be reckoned with - even if he is presumed to be dead.

"All kinds of wild rumors got started, and some of them turned out to be show more true. According to one Wikipedia entry, the ex-governor became a wandering hermit of the wilderness, and over the years he'd been a prime suspect in several "acts of eco-terrorism." Interestingly, he'd never been arrested or charged with any serious crimes, and it seemed to me that the targets of his anger were total scumbags, anyway.

The web article included interviews with a few witnesses who'd supposedly encountered Clinton Tyree by chance. They said he'd lost an eye, and was going by the name of "Skink." They had differing opinions about whether or not he was nuts. The most recent entry quoted the governor's closest friend, a retired highway patrol trooper named Jim Tile, who said:

"Clint passed away last year int he Big Cypress Swamp after a coral snake bit him on the nose. I dug the grave myself. Now, please let him rest in peace."

Except the man was still alive."

An unlikely pair, Skink and Richard team up to find Richard's cousin, Malley, who has run off with (or been kidnapped by) a young man she met online.

An intense hunt takes the two across the swamps in search of Malley and a dangerous impostor. Suspenseful and very funny at the same time, Skink No Surrender presents a case for Internet safety, bird habitat conservation, and the value of family, but you'll be havimg so much fun that you won't even notice!

more at http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2014/09/skink-no-surrender-review.html

(Advance Reader Copy) show less