Scavenger Hunt by Christopher Pike
Release: June 10th 1989
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Archway Paperbacks
Source: Amazon
Scavenger Hunt Synopsis:
School was almost over. A secretive club on campus had organized a scavenger hunt for the entire senior class. In small groups, and with the help of cleverly planted clues, the kids are led throughout the city, and then deep into a nighttime desert. The sponsoring club has promised a wonderful prize for the first group to reach the goal of the hunt. But for Carl Timmons, a troubled young man who has recently lost his best friend, the hunt will become a nightmare. Led astray by his love for a strangely beautiful girl, he will wander far from the others, and back into a haunted past, where the line between the living and the dead is blurred and broken.
Review:
I thought “Scavenger Hunt” was very interesting at first. The plot seemed unique and honestly unlike anything I have read. I enjoyed the way the clues were setup and how the team started to decipher them. Even though it was originally published in 1989, the story did not feel outdated. The characters also showed unique and varied qualities and it was fun reading how they reacted to the clues. I really thought this was going to be a great read. However, it all turned out to be a BIG disappointment in the second half.
There are three reasons I gave this an average rating, the first reason being that I hated Carl’s character. This guy is such a wimpy protagonist who keeps getting in trouble with the wrong crowd. He chooses the wrong team only because he thinks Cessy is hot. He’s a coward for not saving Joe and he admits it. Frequently I was put off having to deal with reading him whining over his inner conflicts. The list for me disliking him goes on. Davey was also a bit annoying. He comes off as your typical mustache-twirling villain without any complexity. Cessy is much more interesting, but she is not given much focus. My favorite character here is Tracie. I loved that she figures out what is happening and risks everything to save Carl. I also liked Paula and Rick and wished that there was more written about them.
My second reason for removing an additional star is the plot holes. I still have questions after finishing this book, such as:
– Who was that person (or creature) in the purple house?
– What happened to the other groups who did the Scavenger Hunt? Why didn’t Davey choose people from other groups as well?
– Why did Pike bring in a random alcoholic priest into the story who didn’t add any value?
– When I look at the cover of the original US edition (that I read), I still don’t know who these three people are.
Now for the third reason. I always felt like reading a Pike book was better than a Stine book because it was more profound. The author usually adds some deep philosophical texts about the universe and mankind in his books. Scavenger Hunt did not have any of that! The climax towards the end is just cartoony and I just felt ‘meh’ after reading this book. Pike has written better stories than this, and the fallout to this suspenseful plot is disappointing. Overall, if you want to read a vintage Christopher Pike novel, you can dismiss this one and pick up “Whisper of Death” or “Road to Nowhere”.
