Summary

• Jaws franchise expands beyond the original with sequels and prequels, offering a deeper dive into character backstories.
• The Book of Quint delves into Quint's past, including the USS Indianapolis incident and the acquisition of the iconic Orca boat.
• Quint's prequel novel sheds light on his character before the Amity Island attacks, adding new dimensions for Jaws enthusiasts.

The 1975 film Amity Island killer shark than the first movie could explore.

The success of the original Jaws led to the creation of an entire franchise based around the killer shark, Amity Island, and its characters. Viewers are likely familiar with Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D, and even the much-maligned fourth installment Jaws: The Revenge. The sequel movies ensured audiences got to learn more about Martin Brody and his extended family. However, the franchise is larger than the well-known Jaws movies and basic book. There is a Jaws prequel novel about one of the main characters and how he came to be who he is portrayed as.

The Book Of Quint Is A Definitive Prequel To Peter Benchley's Jaws Novel

The Book Was Released In 2023

Ryan Dacko’s novel The Book of Quint is a prequel to the infamous novel Jaws by Benchley, recounting the backstory of one of the main characters from the well-known story. The book follows Sam Quint, a rugged shark hunter who has many gruesome tales about his adventures in the sea. The Book of Quint novel is a Jaws Quint prequel, investigating the aspects of Quint’s backstory that he briefly refers to in the main novel.

The Book of Quint is sectioned off into three main parts that dive into Quint’s backstory and point of view from the time of Jaws. The first part discusses the USS Indianapolis story in Jaws about Quint’s introduction to sharks and his brewing hatred for them. The second part details Quint’s time in Amity from Hershel’s (Quint’s right-hand man) point of view, then the third part recounts the same from Quint’s point of view - these last two points especially dive into Quint’s narrative instead of the gruesome shark attacks.

The Novel Details Quint's USS Indianapolis Story From Jaws

Jaws Teased This Story

Quint gives one of the best quotes from Jaws when he tells the story about the USS Indianapolis event, a significant speech and part of his life that had to be included in The Book of Quint. The USS Indianapolis was a ship that delivered the Hiroshima bomb and was later sunk by the Japanese, holding upwards of a thousand men, including Quint. The men on the ship had to wait in the sea until they could be rescued, but little did they know that those waters were infested with sharks.

The tale of the USS Indianapolis is based on real events.

Quint lost almost seven hundred men in the five days they were in that water to the sharks, seeing the blood that coated the sea. Quint’s infamous monologue from Jaws introduces this gruesome tale, and opens a door of opportunity for The Book of Quint to go into depth about the bloody , and introduces Quint’s hatred for sharks. The tale of the USS Indianapolis is based on real events: after delivering an atomic bomb, the ship was sunk and the sailors drifted aimlessly in shark-infested waters, adding another horrendous part to World War II history.

The Book Of Quint Tells The Story Of Quint Obtaining The Orca

The Iconic Boat From Jaws

Quint’s ship, The Orca, is part of many iconic moments in Jaws and the vessel used to hunt the shark from Jaws, but also the boat that accompanies Quint on his dangerous adventures. The Book of Quint recounts the troublesome encounters he had to go through in order to obtain the infamous ship. It is thanks to details like these that The Book of Quint becomes a great read for anyone who has seen Jaws to indulge in to learn more about Quint's character and backstory.

Dacko’s novel The Book of Quint might not completely change the way you watch Jaws in the future, but it is still the only place to learn about Sam Quint's life before the Amity Island attacks. Knowing how he got The Orca and his previous experiences with it will potentially alter the feeling of watching the fishing boat be destroyed after Bruce's attack, though. And with The Book of Quint readily available for reading, any Jaws enthusiast who hasn't checked out the novel could if you need more material in this franchise.