Endangered Species Books

Meet the biggest, fastest, warmest-blooded fish in the world. Richard Ellis' fact-packed, meticulously-researched book astonishes on every page. For openers: tuna hunt in packs like wolves. They see in color. They combine the streamlining and speed of sharks with many of the warm-blooded traits of mammals. And when they are being "harvested," confined in small places to be hauled out and killed, they show panic that is visible when you look in their eyes.
Everything you learn in this wonderful book about tuna will increase your respect, admiration and affection. But everything you learn about the rapacious tuna industry and its cowardly so-called "regulators" will incite your disgust. The worldwide mania for Japanese toro is a recipe for extinction. Tuna farms, rather than relieve commercial fishing pressure, instead increase it. (Bad enough it takes 3 kg of wild fish to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon--but it takes an appalling 20:1 ratio to produce farmed tuna!) Canned albacore--the kind so many parents pack for their kids' school lunches--is so full of mercury no child (or pregnant woman) should EVER eat it--but the tuna industry is so powerful you'll never find a warning on a can. That's the sort of mafia-like pressure those who make the most money from driving this beautiful wild creature to extinction bring to bear on the leaders who are supposed to protect our food and environment.
Happily, in his shocking and thrilling book, Richard Ellis also tells us there is much we can do to change the picture for tuna--from pressuring our lawmakers to boycotting the most endangered tuna, the bluefin. The Western Atlantic bluefin population is 90 percent depleted and this particular tuna fishery should be closed. Those who continue to fish for, sell and purchase this fish on the eve of its extinction deserve to choke on their toro.

The author appeared on one of the most amazing NPR Science Friday radio shows I've heard. These fish are compelling and the author is very engaging, knowledgable and passionate. Scientists are studying them via computer "tags" that can track them, then pop off, float to the surface and phone home.
Listen to the show and see tagging in action at http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200809055

Half of the book has some great information on biology,tuna ranching operations and early sportfishing methods and history.

The other half of the book reads like an Oceana/Pew Charitable Trusts/World Wildlife Fund propaganda campaign. Anti-seafood, anti-fisherman, anti-farmed seafood. Same old nonsense and scare tactics.

There's no denying that the Eastern Med tuna fishery needs to be closed down and better monitored. This book lumps all fishermen into that category.

I'm giving this one a 4. Why? Well, um, let's see, maybe it gets bogged down in environmental repetition. Mr. Hoyt spends reams of time reminding us just how perilous is the tiger's position in today's Captalistic nightmare, and this is just not necessary. Sometimes the dialogue slows to a mewling crawl as each new character is apprised of the plot, and we are at a loss to sympathize with the pretty young thangs that become objet d' art for Mr. Tyger-Tyger because Mr. Hoyt forgets to actually explore the scene from the victim's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I like this story, but blast it all, it seemed to be on Geritol, often.
And the first critique on this book was jabbering on about sexism and racism, and whined incessantly about all the pretty girls populating Mr. Hoyt's book. Well, sorry, honey, but men DO like young, skinny females, it has something to do with sex drive and genetic desire to procreate with healthy young females. And I'm fairly certain that all writers, male and female, excluding Stephen King's choice of authoring tales about boring, unattractive folks, choose to have pretty people in their books. I think Kurt Vonegut once suggested that someone should explore this penchant for beauty.
Read this book because big cats AND pretty girls are so cool.

What's happening to the Tygers of the world. This novel takes the reader from North America through Asia and across Europe. It's witty, with some dark humor to lighten it up. It's a excellent example of this Genre.

Richard Hoyt scores again with this one.

No wonder the author, Richard Hoyt, is a virtual unknown -- he deserves to be. Hoyt doesn't have a clue about narrative structure, or how to create a character, for that matter... his hero, Burlane, is a throwback to our Neanderthal past -- read the scene where Burlane is being briefed about the endangered species he is allegedly on a mission to rescue... and he can't concentrate because he's too busy ogling the Russian girls (everyone of them a beauty, of course, and all flirting with him) What a man this Burlane is! And what an ass of a character! Hoyt's dialogue is also a hoot! Hoyt had an earlier career as a college professor. Before he waste the precious paper writing another book, I suggest he go back to school -- as a student so he can take a fiction writing class and learn the fundamentals about telling a story

I was terribly disappointed in this thin book. Its pages are doubled together to make it seem fat but it's a pathetically thin book. The best and only good photo is the one on the cover and its crude, sparsely 'written', clumsy plea for conservation is wasted because anyone who bought this book would likely already be a conservationist. Dont waste your money.

As in her book "Zoo", in "Wild Things" Britta Jaschinski shows animals in a a light seldom expressed in images or words. This is an incredible book, and truly a must for anyone who loves animals and worries for their future is this fast moving, modern world.

Following up her amazing book, Zoo, Ms. Jaschinski has created a sensitive and powerful collection of images and words that speak to a fundamental truth many are unaware of, or too busy to address. Each image pops off the page with vigor, tapping into a deep emotion. The book is extremely unique, from its images, message and physical layout. Even the cover speaks volumes about these important issues and the undeniable talent of this fine artist. Ms. Jaschinski reminds us and doesn't let us forget who we are and what is truly important. A must have.

I might have given this a 3.5, had I the choice. This book is very pleasing to the eye. The poetic nature of the language may be too much for young readers, but the vocabulary itself is not terribly difficult. A sample:

"Companion of the sun and wind,
friend of the wild mountain silence"

P.S.: my 5 year-old really likes it.

This book contains beautiful illustrations. The minimal text is motivational for children who are discouraged by pages filled with words. However,the vocabulary is not easy and is definitely not for a beginning reader without support. Very informational.

I bought this book to read to my three boys, ages 8, 10 and 12 during a long drive to the Grand Canyon. It was obvious from the start that "Over the Edge" would be too sophisticated for their age group.

The invited guest in the story "a tall, thin, hollow-chested" 15-year-old society drop-out and computer geek says things like "those intellectual pygmies... The whole town's filled with freaking morons... the only way to fit into Cow Town was to turn into another stupid lemming."

The mother of the story is described as follows "His mother stood, fully dressed in stonewashed jeans and a hooded jacket. Although wrinkles lined the corners of her eyes when she smiled, Olivia looked young and trim. And full of energy."

I do not doubt that this book would be enjoyed by many teens. But the characters and the plot (someone tries to kill Olivia by pushing her over the edge of a cliff) in this book are beyond 8 - 12. Then again, perhaps teens would demand better writing. "It wasn't exactly that he liked Morgan, but he couldn't help being drawn to his... what was it? Maybe his self-assured view of the world acording to Morgan. His braininess."

Highly recommended for young adult readers ages 8-12, Over The Edge is a fun, exciting suspense novel collaborative written by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson, and is the latest entry in the "Mysteries In Our National Parks" series. When Olivia Landon receives a threatening, anonymous e-mail after announcing her disputed plan to save and protect the endangered condors of Grand Canyon National Park, a trail of computer evidence leads to personal peril! Over The Edge is fast-paced read, with the added bonus of slipping in some educational information about one of America's greatest natural parks.

I read this book when I was in fifth grade and vividly remember what pure arduous torture it was to finish. Today, some fifteen years later, I thought about the book and decided to look it up here on Amazon. The children who have written reviews on this novel have much the same opinion as I did and yet the adults on this website feel it necessary to give "not helpful" votes to their reviews. Adults may find this novel gratifying and interesting, but the intended readers, children, most clearly do not. Their opinions of this novel, in fact, are much more valid though they younger and not so "wise" to be sure.

Clearly I have not read this novel in years. Perhaps, today, I would like it. But the fact of the matter remains that as I child I read this book, and, as a result, believed that I did not like reading. This, of course, could not be less true; I am now a literary fiend, but I was not to yet know that. I am glad that I had other influences to teach me otherwise. Had I read this book and not much else, I would not be the young, bright inquisitive woman I am today; I would not read at all.

From a kid's perspective I give this book one star. It was a terrible reading experience for the ten year old girl I was.

This is a wonderful story which I had wanted to purchase in hardcover. Unfortunately, this is a paperback book with cheap newsprint pages. It is being sold as a hardcover book for a hardcover book price, but it is in reality, a cheap paperback with a hardcover. Very misleading, Amazon! I expect more from this company.

To protect and serve take on a different meaning
after reading this book.
A boy is chosen to follow an ancient tradition
and to give up the life of the ordinary world.
My only reservation is that some might
believe that there is still hidden treasure in the Andes
in some lost Inca cave...

This was an excellent book but certainly deep. The writing style was at times difficult for my daughter to grasp. She is in 4th grade (age 8 1/2) and I read this book out loud to her. What helped us a lot while reading this book was to also read from the encyclopedia about the Inca civilization. We also read more things about Incas which helped us to understand things like "quipu" which is a number of different colored and tied cords that Incans used to record events as they did not write. If you are already studying Incans I highly recommend this book. If you are not presently studying this culture this book just may lead you in that direction! 4 stars only because it is a difficult read for those under 10.

I loved this story, but then, I am at an age where I have a general context in which to place stories about other times, other cultures. Not so much my kids (10 & 8). They probably would have been pretty bored with the idea of this story, if we had not first studied the fascinating histories of Spanish explorers and the colonization of Mexico and South America.

When the book is read aloud against the backdrop of how a once thriving civilization was rather ruthlessly wiped out and exploited, the idea of a culture and way of life surviving becomes pretty compelling. My children were very interested in the llama and how it helped sustain the Incas, much like the buffalo sustained the plains Indians in North America.

And the idea (fictitious though it may be) that Atahualpa's treasure exists and was spirited away from Pizzaro really appealed to my kids' sense of justice (since Atahualpa did NOT gain his freedom when his people allegedly gave Pizzaro a room full of gold.)

So overall, this slow-paced story really helped bring the Incan culture alive for my kids in an enjoyable way. It is definitely worth reading.

This is a good book. As you know, I love tigers and think they are both cool and beautiful. I loved the photos and the way many people tried to help the tiger rather than kill or hurt it. Oh, and to the insensitive jerk who said he did not feel sorry for the cubs in two brothers or those who did feel sorry about it? A message to him-I HOPE YOU F---ING FRY IN HELL, YOU A--HOLE! I HOPE SATAN PLUNGES A MACHETE INTO YOUR EYE! Oh, back to the book. There is a lot of good information and many great stuff. I hate the poaching, but this is still a great book. Worthy of the tigers I admire and adore.

... This book is about the studies and observations of the depleting tiger populations in Asia that was at one time thriving. This book is about Matthiessen's journey to Asia's Far East areas, and her studies of tigers there. Periodically through the book he also explains what people are doing to try and save this precious population of tigers.
This book relates to many of the things on both a biological and ecological level. On one side the things that we are doing to the environment are greatly harming the tiger populations, and even though this issue is beginning to look better, it may be to late. But on the other hand, the things that are done to harm to tigers also toy with the food chains and such. Although this book could be placed in both sections I believe that it would mostly end up under the biological context, because the main topic in this book is the depleting tiger population and how that is affecting other things.
This book jumped around a lot from place to place, and was very hard to follow, but the main points were very clear. Peter traveled to Asia and its tiger reserves to study the Tiger populations; while he was there they developed a new way of recording information about tigers with little trackers that they place on the tigers' neck. This helped them greatly in their study of these wild animals. Their first tiger to be caught and "tagged" was named Lena, this tiger lived throughout most of the book. After this they caught and tagged various tigers, but none were more talked about than Lena. During this book Peter explains the histories of all the tigers he explains, it is unbelievable how much prominence these creatures have in the mythical ring. He also explains the origins and evolution of the tigers that he encounters on his journey. In many spiritual tribes the Tiger was believed to be a God, and was a major sin to kill or harm one, and if one did harm a tiger there was to be a major price to pay. This book also stated that the tiger population as a whole is making a slow comeback into the world, this is because of better-enforced laws about poaching tigers. This book was very, very informative about tigers, and it showed not only the hard facts of tigers today, but also where the tiger's population has been and where it is headed.
I believe this work accurately represents the population of tigers and what is happening to them. In class we studied Biomes of the World and the issues of these specific biomes. In this book the issues of the biomes plays a major role in what happens to the tigers in Asia. Many of the problems that are reducing the tiger population of Asia, are also affecting the Biomes the same way. One of the main problems was humans in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were shooting tigers for a prophet because there was no law against it. They could make lots of money off this, but did not realize the damage it could do to the tiger population as a whole, or how it could affect the same tiger population in the future.
Overall this book has been very influential and a great read. It has changed my views on many issues, and tigers as a whole. This issue of the tiger population going down is a major issue in the whole scheme of things; I believe that if the tiger population were removed from the world, many things would start to go bad. Many other populations of animals that are related to the tiger in the food chains would be badly affected. Hopefully, the tiger population will be refreshed within the next decades so that we don't have to find out what happens if the tiger population diminishes...

Matthiessen can leave you mesmerised with his writing and story telling;but except for a few pages in this book,he has failed to do it this time.The subject matter was there,but I got the sense the book was cranked out,possibly with the help of research staff padding it with filler material.The passion in Peter's writing was missing.
Writing about vanishing species,efforts to preserve,dealing with social conditions,bureaucracies,self-serving and disonest people can never be satisfying.On top of that, in cultures where deceit and victimization theory are the norm,attempts to do the right thing must make one feel hopeless and discouraged; however,that seems to be the lot of conservationalists.
I found the book disjointed;the photography was generally excellent,but many seemed inserted randomly and without captions.
I guess what really bothered me was the victim beliefs, that are the result of socialism,as expressed on pg.104,"Life is very different now.It's not just the economy.Everyone is living for the moment and looking out for thrmselves.Our life is out of control-it's chaos","Today nobody will lift a finger unless they are given money".This is the result of buying into theories "that you can't take care of yourself,let us do it for you." Until people believe that their misfortune is their own problem to solve, things won't improve.In other words,Helen Keller had problems;so,what's yours?

My interest in this book was limited. Most of the book was very informational, and that did not captivate my interests at all. It was quite boring to say the least, though I was quite interested by the collar tracking devices and learning about the poaching and near distinction of Siberian tigers.
This book relates to my studies in school because of the genetics of tigers mentioned. "...gene flow among tigers has been so extensive until recent times that it is hard to isolate distinct genetic groups...since the mitochondrial DNA type of the island tigers is identical to that of the mainland forms...`genetic drift' a condition caused by random loss of genes...only a few skins and scraps from which DNA can be extracted have survived..." Although these examples of heredity and genetics are above my head, they touch upon the basics of what I learned about in Biology class.
I've never really heard about Siberian tigers before. I knew of them but not about them or at least not as much as I know after reading Tigers in the Snow. I wasn't familiar with the poaching or near extinction of Siberian tigers. It is sad how little we Americans know of the wildlife in other parts of the world. For instance, I have only seen tigers in the Zoo.
I learned a lot about the Siberian tiger species and what animals go through when they are facing loss of habitat and extinction. This book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to the people to save the tiger as well as any other endangered animal from extinction. I have learned that the tiger is making a slow comeback because the countries are keeping the poaching under control. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I now have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
However, this book jumped around a lot from place to place, and was somewhat hard to follow. I personally didn't enjoy the majority of the book, because it doesn't keep you interested and isn't very exciting to read. If you were researching tigers, then this would be a great book to read. But I wouldn't recommend it for a reader's enjoyment.
Overall this book has been very influential and an interesting read. It has changed my views on many issues, and tigers as a whole. This issue of the tiger population being depleted is a major issue in the world today; I believe that if the tiger population were removed from the world, the food chain would be distorted because the prey of the tiger would become overpopulated. Hopefully, the tiger population will be refreshed within the next decades so we won't have to find out what happens if the tiger population diminishes. In conclusion, Tigers In The Snow is a very informative read, and if you want to know in great detail about the world of the tiger, you should read this book.

The book that I chose to read was titled Tigers in the Snow, written by Peter Matthiessen. Tigers in the Snow was published by North Point Press, in 2000. It is 174 pages long. In this book the author takes us with him on a journey through Asia trying to save the tigers. He writes about his experiences in the Siberian Tiger Project, founded in 1989. Peter Matthiessen writes to show people how important tigers are in the world and how close we are to losing them. This book is very factual and detailed it gave me the true picture of the tiger's cultural history and how close we are to losing them forever.
This book is written from both an ecological and biological stance. Ecologically, he explains how tigers interact with other animals. They interact with the elk and other prey such as wild pig by hunting them. They indirectly interact with humans by hunting the same prey as human hunters do. They also interact with humans because human industries destroy the tiger's and its prey's habitat. Biologically, the book proves that tigers live a very strenuous life. At all times they are in danger of being hilled by poachers. Tiger's pray is very scarce making it hard for them to survive, especially ones with cubs. Their pray is so scarce because hunters over hunt tiger's main food sources which include large animals such as elk and wild pig. The number of human attacks by tigers increase along with the lack of prey. This is because the tiger will only attack a human if they are starving. Despite the tigers size and strength it fails in about 90% of its hunts.
This book discusses many aspects of the tiger. It addressed where they live, how many are left, and their hunting patterns. Tigers were once plentiful throughout Siberia, China, Korea, and South East Asia. Now, the 3,000 remaining wild tigers are mostly confined to small parks and reserves throughout the tiger world. Tigers are poached relentlessly for their fur and body parts which are often used for Asian folk medicines. Male tigers need large amounts of wooded territory. Several female tiger's territories often overlap a male's territory. Tigers have very unique hunting patterns. They use their excellent sight and hearing to hunt animals instead of their sense of smell like most carnivores do. Often times, they hide the carcass of their prey and return multiple times to eat. In order to convince governments that better tiger protection plans were needed scientists needed to extensively research the tiger. To do so the author, as a part of the Siberian Tiger Project, captured and radio collared the tigers. This way they could monitor movement and behavior without human influence. "From monitoring theses tigers-some for 7 years now- we know how much food they require, what they eat, how they react to human activities, and what makes for good tiger habitat," Matthiessen states in this book. He tells about his experiences studying the tigers. He traveled all around Asia to different reserves researching the tigers and their activities.
I think that this book has taught me a lot and that I can relate what I've learned to what we have discussed in class. It taught me about the tiger's niche in the environment, and we have studied niches of different organisms in class. I could also incorporate population studies into this book. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
What I learned about the tiger can be applied to other animals facing loss of habitat and extinction. The book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to us to save the tiger from extinction and that is true for all endangered animals....

O.K., some of the art was decent, but the story... The way they drew some obscure plots from years ago that dead-ended or were dropped, and the heinous misuse of Mr. Sinister, and the ridiculous Mystique angle...I just can't tell what they were thinking. I am a hardcore old school X-men fan. I loved the stuff Claremont was doing in the late seventies and early eighties, and some things that other writers took on in the nineties. So, the only thing of any vague interest to me in this entire story is the potential identity of the mutant infant. and the time hopping cat and mouse game between Cable and Bishop.

If your looking for a lot of action this is not the book for you. If you like Beast and are interested in just how dire things are for mutants in the times just before Messiah Complex then this is a fine graphic novel. Its a prelude to Messiah, and really puts Beast in the spotlight while showing some nice snippet with wolverine/cyclops (i always love seeing those two interact with each other) and a take on some of the villains perspective of "M Day". Also, if your a fan of Astonishing there is a cameo by Professor Rao. (i always wondered what happened to her) Its worth the buy in paperback. Hardcover might be a little steep for this one though. Its more a curiosity than anything. But the writing is good, and the art is up to snuff.

If you're looking for a book that promises "an all out action extravaganza" or to "forever changes the status quo," look elsewhere. Here you'll find more internal conflicts than external ones, more moral conundrums then explosions. Mike Carey is an extraordinary writer and uses these little vignettes to give real depth to Messiah Complex. Without it, the big crossover would seem pretty damn empty.

This is a BEAST story, where he goes around Marvel Universe failing, failing and failing more. And the story tries to end with a moral, which really doesn't work. I just bought it because I was thinking that it's important to understand Messiah Complex, but it isn't.

The X-Men line hasn't exactly endeared itself to fans lately. Frankly, it's hard to find that many interesting mutant tales after the House of M storyline. Speaking of House of M, Endangered Species is somewhat of a follow-up to the Scarlett Witch's fatal decision to eliminate the world of mutants. In this tale that crosses over many of the popular mutant titles, Beast takes it upon himself to solve the enigma of the missing mutant gene. After attending a funeral of the death of one of the world's remaining mutants, a funeral that reminds the X-Men they are now an "endangered species" with only 200 or so mutants left on the planet, Beast is determined to use his genius aptitude to repair the damage Scarlett Witch did to the DNA of mutants worldwide.

I wouldn't say Endangered Species is a poor storyline, but it's definitely not one of the more compelling X-Men tales. I might even be biased because I'm a big fan of Beast and he receives most of the face-time in this trade paperback. If you're a fan of the Age of Apocalypse alternate universe, you'll be thrilled to know that the "evil Beast" makes a return. The "good Beast" becomes so frustrated in this storyline, he's almost willing to sell his soul to make a scientific breakthrough. Besides teaming up with his twisted alternate universe version, he attempts to contact Mr. Sinister, The High Evolutionary, and other lifelong enemies of the X-Men so that he can gain their scientific expertise.

Unfortunately, this story leaves more questions than answers, and if you're looking for a satisfying ending, you won't find it here. If anything, this serves as a transitional storyline between House of M, Decimation and The Messiah Complex. The Scarlett Witch does make a surprise appearance when Beast tracks her down in Transia. It reminds readers of Hawkeye's visit in New Avengers, although I would say that Beast's visit provides far less closure. The Endangered Species storyline is not a necessity for any collector. Frankly, you can move from House of M directly to The Messiah Complex and not lose much. Only recommended for diehard mutant lovers, and those who would like to read about more of their favorite blue-haired mutant.

After three outings that were fun, although a bit off-the-wall, this fourth effort is rather a total loss. Briefly put, Venus Diamond is on a case again, although she gets into it indirectly. The Greedy are seeking to profit from the Protectors of near-extinct wildlife. The Moralists and the Environmentalists are in there, too.
There were too many plot elements to keep track of; too many subplots that do little to advance the major thread; too many "just-in-time-and-place" resolutions of sticky issues.
Of course, everything gets more-or-less resolved by the last page, but one can hope that Venus' next outing will be more grounded and less contrived.

Habitat is the fourth mystery in Skye Kathleen Moody's series starring Venus Diamond, Fish and Wildlife agent, continuing her high level of suspense writing with another exciting and thought-provoking mystery. Venus, recently married and, at the insistance of her husband, on leave from her job, is suffering from depression which she attributes to Seasonal Affective Disorder. However, the doctor she consults diagnoses it much more accurately as 'spiritual suffocation.' When her husband, Richard Winters, accepts an overseas assignment, Venus agrees to help her boss with the particularly nasty and vicious murder of Dr. Hannah Strindberg, and simultaneously throws herself into grave danger while curing her soul's suffocation. Venus refuses to accept the arson investigator's formulaic solution to the crime, and instead investigates those associated with Strindberg in the secretive Breedhaven project to harvest, freeze, and clone embryos of endangered species. Once again, Moody gives readers an extremely well-crafted plot, which is supported by a tremendous depth of research. She demonstrates her sensitivity to a variety of viewpoints concerning the very complex issues of cloning, preservation of endangered species, and the relationship between science and the general public. Her characters are realistic, complex, and very well developed. This novel is most highly recommended for those readers who want an action-packed mystery which also has believable characters and a thought-provoking plot.

Interesting concept that combines a more realistic Jurassic Park and genetic engineering plus the concept of another Noah's Ark. Moody writes well and her heroine is realistic, gutsy, and funny.

I'm not basing this judgement on just one book -- I read both "Wildcrafters" and "Habitat," to be certain that I hadn't merely caught the writer in a slump, or caught her editor on vacation. Alas, apparently not -- both books had the same flaws.

The main character in this series is supposed to be a highly professional federal Fish & Wildlife law enforcement agent. The second sentence of "Habitat," however, refers to "octopuses." That's on Page One, a foreshadowing of the many slips, hiccups, and foolish errors which insult the reader throughout the book.

More substantive, for instance, is an encounter in which our badge-carrying heroine is physically assaulted -- but when the police come, they treat the incident as a he-said she-said episode, and walk away. Come ON! Not in any jurisdiction in the nation would a federal law enforcement agent of any gender or agency be treated so cavalierly. But it's needed for the plot, as are so many other ludicrous developments, so the author plopped it in and the editor passed it by.

Moody has a wild imagination, and her books could be fun, silly, James-Bond-type romps -- for example, she drags NASA into this one, an agency not likely in real life to have anything at all to do with Fish & Wildlife. However, she needs a more thorough and stern editor to address not only the sloppy errors mentioned above, but also the tendency in both of the books I read to have too many narrative threads which have to be knotted together too hastily at the end. The result is neither attractive nor satisfying.

She could be good, but her style will always be more fantastical than realistic. If you're looking for believable wildlife settings with common-sense sleuths, stick with Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series, or Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon. If you're looking for giddy and glamorous fun, Moody's Venus Diamond *might* be your girl -- someday. Here's hoping for better from this lively writer!

In the previous Venus Diamond novels we have seen her as a get-tough, get-it-done Fish and Wildlife Agent. Since her marriage to Richard, Venus appears to have lost her way. She is depressed, goal-less, and unable to carry out her investigation of murder and theft in her usual no nonsense, efficient style. She is unable to dodge the bad guys, getting hit over the head more than once. Unfortunately, little sense is knocked into her. Venus needs to get her life back and with the Zen help of Dr. Wong might do so if she can muster up the motivation. Venus does get to realize one of her dreams, that of becoming an astronaut, but this part of the plot is decidedly far fetched.

As an avid reader of mysteries, and as a great lover of the out-of-doors, I would like to see Venus return to her roots and her kicking ways. This is not the Venus I have come to know and love.

Intriqued by the title, and interested in insights on Haiti, I mistakenly wasted my time reading this 'soap opera type' strings of incidences, that kept the reader in a state of indifference.
The first paragraph deceives the reader into thinking they are in for a treat... I was not. It is a mundane story of a boring American and his lifeless responses to a ficticious Haiti. Many one line descriptions of sex, murders and spirits overwhelm the story. No real depth. It is very obvious the author is an outsider, who neither knows or cares for the place or its people. Although the format was smart, the writing itself became very predictable and annoying.

Intriqued by the title, and interested in insights on Haiti, I mistakenly wasted my time reading this 'soap opera type' strings of incidences, that kept the reader in a state of indifference.
The first paragraph deceives the reader into thinking they are in for a treat... I was not. It is a mundane story of a boring American and his lifeless responses to a ficticious Haiti. Many one line descriptions of sex, murders and spirits overwhelm the story. No real depth. It is very obvious the author is an outsider, who neither knows or cares for the place or its people. Although the format was smart, the writing itself became very predictable and annoying.

A wonderful read - questions our view of the world , our priorities, our interpersonal relationships in a quiet way. This is a book wrapped in factuality re:the extinction of frogs and in mystery - the zombies, poisons and spirits of the Haitian world. This is tightly constructed story that is never a hard read.

I read this book as part of a local book club I belong to, and it was by far the most interesting, well-written (what I could tell from the translation) of the three we've read so far. I loved the juxtaposition of the Haitian guide's personal anecdotes with the main thrust of the story told by the narrator. There is even juxtaposition within each chapter, as Thierry recounts his mysterious stories about his life in Haiti (sometimes gruesome and always enthralling) the narrator is only half-listening, as he ponders his own less-than-fulfilling personal history. The writer never fully unravels the dark mysteries of Haiti, only hints at them. I am anxious to read other books by Ms. Montero.

It's a shame that there aren't more English translations of this writer's work. I'm eager to discover what else Montero has to say (A hint to translator Edith Grossman should she ever read this). I found this novel among those listed in the Best Fiction of 1997 compiled by Booklist. Montero's novel certainly is deserving of a "Best of" list being a uniquely constructed story with alternating viewpoints of the two protagonists (the American gets the even numbered chapters, his storytelling Haitian guide the odd) and intertwining reports of the decline of numerous species of frogs throughout the world. I have never come across a work of fiction that incorporated the extinction and threatened extinction of amphibians as a metaphor for the chaotic state of the human condition. Having recently returned from a wildlife tour of Costa Rica, I am well-acquainted with the low or completely absent populations of frogs there. I was astonished to learn from reading t! his novel that the phenomenon of vanishing frogs is a global one. Readers with an interest in the alarming environmental situation of our planet and the mysteries of life should find a copy of Montero's novel and give it a thorough read. It is sure to give some reflection on the fragile state of both Earth and the human heart. The final paragraph is heartwrenching. I gasped before closing the book leaving me with much to mull over.