Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind

I've read most of Quammen's books, and I strongly recommend reading "Song of the Dodo" before this one. That is Quammen's best, and one of the greatest popular science books ever written, a thrilling, enlightening classic. This one is just ok. This one has potential: exploring the habitats of "man-eating" predators, the mythology surrounding them, their place in human psychology, the struggle to preserve them and the questions in that struggle. It could be a fascinating book, and it is pretty darn good. Quammen looks at the Asiatic Lion, which plays a prominent role in the Bible and the rest of ancient European and Near-Eastern culture. But today it only remains in a small and shrinking forest in western India. Quammen goes there and reports on the lifestyles of the people who live in and around that forest, and the chances for the lion's survival. Then he moves to the saltwater crocodile, especially in Australia. Here he does a good job exploring the economic significance of the crocodile and the leather industry, and also on the relations of various aboriginal groups to the crocodile. He does not tell us much about the Australian government's role in conservation, although that must be signficant as well. Next he turns to the grizzlies of Romania, called brown bears everywhere outside of North America. He gives a decent history of their popularity in Yellowstone and Glacier parks, and a great coverage of their place in Romanian forest management, sport hunting, and shepherding. Of course Ceaucescu forms the constant background to the story of the bears in Romania. Finally he goes to the Russian Far East, around Vladivostok, to learn about the situation of the Siberian Tiger. (Not the white-tiger mutants in zoos.) Again he considers the way the traditional local inhabitants feel about the tigers. Here he could have given a better coverage of the Chinese medicine black market for tiger parts--a fascinating subject that hangs over the Siberian tiger, but Quammen barely touches it. From there he turns to Beowulf, Gilgamesh and the Alien movies. Quammen's worldview holds that we humans need an element of wildness, and that our technology and climate control is eliminating not only many beautiful, fascinating creatures but also an essential part of our psyche. He doesn't force his view on his readers, but it is obviously in the background. I was a little disappointed with this book, honestly. I'm a big fan of Quammen, and I expected a lot; it's still better than most other pop-sci books out there. But I'd like to have a better sense of each of these animals' lives: what do they eat, how often do they reproduce, what parasites and diseases do they struggle with, what are the specific immediate and long-term threats to their survival? Moreover, he did a great job looking at Beowulf and Alien, and a pretty good job looking at Gilgamesh. I wish he'd thrown in a few more great monster myths, or myths that show other aspects of the animals he cover

Read this book if 1) You are interested in animals; 2) You are interested in exotic locales and different cultures; and 3) You have a tough stomach. "Monster of God" is a fascinating look at dangerous "man-eating" animals throughout the world and how they interact with man. It is also a travelogue written by a man obviously interested in detail, history, culture, and the inner-workings of the human mind. Lions in India, crocoldiles in Australia, brown bears in Romania, and Siberian Tigers in Siberia are the main animals discussed in the book. I thought, however, the most interesting part was the biography of the Romanian dictator, who killed so many bears for sport. The bears are also the least scary of the predators described (you feel more sorry for them than threatened by them). This book is loaded with information (sometimes it can get overwelming), and the overall read is fascinating -- including every little gory detail. Probably the most intriguing moment of the entire book is the description of a crocodile attack, as related by a survivor. It gave me chills. I don't think I'll ever forget it. The main message of "Monster of God" is that even though we fear them and they can kill us, these animals -- all animals, actually -- are important to this world we share. If we are not careful, they will disappear -- and we will have lost so much because of it.

This book is amazing. As in it's predecessor, The Song of the Dodo, David Quammen acheives an amazing feat by combining science, travel stories, literature, history, and philosophy (and a sprinkling of pop culture) into a compelling discussion of the fate of what he calls "alpha predators" in this modern world. Quammen traveled to India to visit people living among lions (yes, lions), Australia to visit people living among crocodiles, Romania to visit people living with brown bears (who knew?), and the Russian Far East to visit people living with tigers. Each of these pieces is a distinct story by itself, with its own set of characters, yet Quammen sews them all together with common concerns about predators, prey, and who pays the price of having these alpha predators around. Sensitive to traditional cultures as he is to natural ecosystems, Quammen is a great writer producing unique literature that is important for our time.

. . . and meet politics and globalisation. The encounter, reported by North America's foremost nature journalist, is an informative, exquisite read. Quammen's value in explaining Nature's realm is demonstrated by his many excellent works. This one achieves a new level of excellence as he travels the planet seeking that which we fear most - predators. Not just any predators, but what he terms the "alpha predators" - large, solitary and figures of fearful legend. Legends play a large role in how we view the rest of Nature. No matter how strenuously we try to separate ourselves from our environment, Quammen argues, it will return to confront us.Quammen focuses on four predators in this account - the Asian lion, the crocodile, bears in Romania and "Siberian" tigers. Surrounded by humans and their legends and lifestyles, this quartette symbolises our conflicting views of animals with reputations as "man-eaters". Disdaining accusations of "sexist" or other cultural labels surrounding his terms, Quamman confronts us with the realities of human-predator interactions. Lions, which once roamed from Atlantic Europe to Eastern Asia, have been pushed into meagre enclaves outside of Africa. They, along with the crocodiles, bears and Amur tigers are surrounded by human neighbours. Quammen explains that the long-term human residents, the Mahldari in India, Aborigines of Australia, the Romanian shepherds and Ugede of Eastern Russia have formed accomodating relationships with their proximate predator populations. The oft-repeated phrase is "don't bother them and they won't bother you". Changes in political and economic forces, Quammen contends, bring changes to those relationships. While national governments may strive to protect these select species, local conditions are being overturned. Globalisation intrudes on local economic and political structures, changing market demands, resource allocation and use, and the lifestyles of both predators and their prey. Populations shift in response, habitats are invaded or destroyed and abrupt changes confront traditional lifestyles. These are adjustments forced within a lifetime, not over generations. Quammen shows how we must learn quickly and immediately before the damage from the changes are irreparable. What role does a predator play in the natural order of life? Shouldn't we simply eliminate these "dangerous" lifeforms? Quammen's primary example seems wholly out of place at first glance. One researcher removed a predatory starfish from a section of beach near Seattle. The result, in a very short time, was a substantial shift in other species balance in the area. Quammen's own contacts among the topical predators' human neighbours echo the sentiment - remove the animals and the habitat follows. The impact is uncalcuable. The lesson is glaringly clear - we need these "ferocious" creatures to maintain the environment we inhabit.Quammen departs from mainstream conservatism in this excellent study

Taking the reader on a voyage across the globe, David Quammen tries to distill the essence of man-eating predators down to something that people across the world can appreciate before it is too late.Quammen focuses on four distinct predators: the asiatic lions of the Gir forest in India, the crocodiles of the Arnhem Land Reserve in Northen Australia, the brown bears of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, and the tigers of the Sikhote-Alin range in the Russian Far East. It is the predators, people and their interactions that make up most of the book. Sort of a travel narrative that focuses on the people and wildlife. The rest of the book contains Quammen's ruminations on the predator in human culture and literature (Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Bible, the Alien movies, etc...).Throughout the book, the reader gets the feeling that things are not going well for the predators and Quammen focuses on that at the end of the book. Predators are slowing going extinct, and due to their nature as "keystone species" (species whose small populations control the populations of other animals and fauna in their respective regions) could have an adverse effect on life across the world if they do disappear.All around, this is a great book.Highly Recommended!