Looking for novel about survival, castaway...

[morriss003]

Originally Posted by Teknikal

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein I liked it basicly it was about a group of kids trying to survive on a planet but it would be easy to ignore the planet aspect and treat it as an island/jungle.

Yes, this is a great book and inspired me to write, Surviving the Fog. This book is the anti-Lord of the Flies.

[way8lifter]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Don't want to make light of the truly awful event - but it does sound rather like a non-survivalist work.....

Don't think I could take it, anyway.

"Touching the Void" , though - stunning, and beautifully written....
And the Shackleton ? A real no-brainer really - got to be on your list.

I rather gave up on "Penal Colony", my initial doubts being confirmed - but due to the weakness of the writing, and the somewhat dated feel, rather than any depictions of horror and bestiality that the title nudges you about.
Don't know why I d/loaded it, really, didn't sound anything like my cup of Java.

Oh yes, it was free.......

I don't know...most people that survive bad experiences say //it was all about my will,,,..many of these men that both died and survived ...could have just let themselves drown..but chose to live ....I think that is the one common thing all the above mentioned books have in common

[Pax]

So far I read to books due to your recommendations:
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Great story, I really enjoyed reading it.

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
I did not know what to think of it, when I read the beginning. It felt to me that the characters in the book did not treat this "Survival" course very special. This course seemed to be regarded as rather unimportant. The main character had no need to take that exam right away. He could have done it later, but it is not obligatory.

Spoiler:

I mean in this course some characters got killed in the first couple of hours.They should have emphasized this mortal danger to a greater extent.

However the later part was definitly what I was looking for. I wished the author had covered a longer time period with a deeper character developement and less time jumps.
Still it is a good read.

Thank you very much!

[carpetmojo]

Just caught the tale end of a BBC booky programme while navigating traffic, a book titled "I Am David" by Anne Holm, 1963. About a concentration camp child and his escape and subsequent journey, survival indeed. Dunno if it's E, but sounds a cert for a read, whatever.........

[WillAdams]

Louis L'Amour's _Last of the Breed_ is a very well-done survival novel w/ some interesting characters and contrasting cultures.