The Book of Quint by Ryan Dacko – a book review

Ryan Dacko’s The Book of Quint is a labor of love, written about one of film’s most mysterious, yet gruff figures. The tough-as-nails fisherman, initially adapted from Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws, was masterfully played by Robert Shaw in the film. While it can always be debated if shining a light on this type of character’s past affects the way we see them in their original works, these extended universes are interesting to say the least, but can take some time to pay off.

On top of being a prequel to Steven Spielberg’s film, The Book of Quint acts as a legacy sequel of sorts as well. Bookended by Rebecca, Quint’s granddaughter, showing up at his shack and meeting an elderly Matt Hooper. Hooper shows Rebecca the dwelling and explains who Quint was to the town of Amity and the aftermath of the Orca’s last trip. Dacko then pivots to Quint’s experience on the USS Indianapolis. To anyone expecting a top-to-bottom retelling of this story, you may be disappointed. We open on Quint days after the attack and barely clinging to life. Surprisingly, this section is not the most interesting part of the book. His life after leaving the Navy and how he gets to Amity Island fills some good space.

Amity Island’s Beginnings

Quint’s pre-Jaws time in Amity Island is told from the perspective of Herschel Salvatore. A grown-up, but orphaned local, who becomes his reluctant first mate. This starts what Dacko calls the Jaws Extended Universe and gives a backstory to Amity Island and some of its oldest residents. There are references to some of the residents, but unlike Benchley’s novel, it does not go too deep into anyone. Except Selectman Larry Vaughn, later Mayor Vaughn. When Quint first gets to Amity Island it is devoid of electricity. Vaughn feels like he can swoop in and be the hero, but if you’ve seen Jaws you know how slimy Murray Hamilton’s portrayal of Larry Vaughn is; Dacko has done a great job translating this to the page. While handshake deals are made between Quint and Vaughn, it should be no surprise that any dealings with Vaughn are shady for all parties involved, whether aware of other entities are aware of each other or not.

Dacko took note of the locations of the films and novel to create a definitive map of Amity Island. Even utilizing Cable Junction, where Chief Brody would later take care of the shark in Jaws 2 with an electric shock. The Orca gets its time to shine as well. Quint’s seemingly backward design of his top-heavy fishing vessel has the other fishermen scratching their heads at its ambitiousness, but it’s the trial and error of his methods with the barrels that shine here.

Jaws Expanded Universe

When it comes to reboots, legacy sequels, and/or prequels not made by the original creator, it’s a mixed bag of what you get. While I like the concept of jumping perspective and even voice, it feels different from Benchley’s, which makes sense. Dacko did base most of this book on the film, which is one of those rare examples of a superior derivative or adaptation. In a time when our most precious IP is in the hands of fans, what’s the line between canon and fan fiction, and who makes the call?

For Jaws, it seems it would be Ryan Dacko. If you follow his Jaws Obsession podcast, you’d know how much steam this book has been gaining, but obsession just scratches the surface. Dacko has done his research every which way he can. If you don’t agree with the direction this story takes, you’d at least have to admire the amount of work he’s put into it. Making do with existing elements, while providing the story with missing pieces such as giving Quint the initials R.S. or giving Salvatore the first name Herschel to honor Robert Shaw and Herschel West, who played the characters in the film, respectively.

Overall Grade 8/10

While the book has been available for some time, the audio version was just released. Narrated by Jonathan Waters, I feel like Jim Dale’s performance of the Harry Potter series set a standard for audiobook recordings. If you listen to them regularly, you’d know that it evolved from one voice reading everything in the same tone for a certain amount of time to one person or multiple people performing the voices, and we’re all the better for it. Jonathan Waters’ reading of the story features him taking on Robert Shaw’s diction, but also Salvatore’s, as it is mostly told from his perspective.

While it’s easy to debate with yourself whether this should be done or not, the better question is, how well is it done? Whether it’s necessary or not doesn’t seem relevant in an industry that will do whatever it pleases with IP. It’s not a new concept either. George Lucas had been doing this for years with his own Star Wars Expanded Universe. While this was mostly done with his input and approval, sometimes you just need to let go. Whatever new lore is created does not change the thing you love. I’m interested to see where Ryan Dacko takes the established universe and these characters we love in the future. Purchase Ryan Dacko’s The Book of Quint, here.

Read Forrest’s review of Jaws by Peter Benchley.

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