The Mammoth Book of Maneaters: Over 100 Terrifying Stories of Creatures Who Prey on Human Flesh

This book is interesting and I couldn't put it down. I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5 because I felt the cannabalism didn't belong. In fact, I skipped those parts, like who wants to read of humans eating other humans. Aside from this, it was an eye-opening book and worth the price. It also made me realize that a pet pig or pet dog can be very dangerous and that one should never leave an infant in a house with any pet, no matter how much trusted that pet is.

Definitely, I am going armed while in the deep woods.. I do not want to end up as a pile of re-processed ME". Lots of stories in the book... Kept me interested for many a night.

This book promises over 250 terrifying accounts of man-eating creatures, and it delivers that in abundance. Topping out at about 600 pages or so, this mammoth collection is cram packed with tales of adventure and survival against man-eating tigers, sharks, crocodiles, leopards, bears, siafu (safari ants) and much more, including man. Thats right, the book includes accounts of cannibalims alongside the animal attacks, ranging from ethnographic descriptions of ritual cannibalism in Fiji to modern day serial killers, including quite a few disturbing cases you probably hadn't heard of (and ones you had, such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge). Of course, how 'true' some of these accounts are is open to debate. The book draws on everything from newspaper accounts of dingoes eating babies and pet pot bellied pigs biting off fingers to old explorers Mary Kingsley's account of West Africa, as well as commentary and short articles about things like shark attacks, cougars in suburbia, a list of crocodilian species and even famous cases like the 'Leopard of Rudraprayag,' 'Wolves of Ashta' and the 'Maneater of Mysore.' While the book does not claim to be a thorough catalogue of such attacks, it is noteworthy that a few famous cases (the Maneaters of Tsavo and the Beast of Gevaudan spring to mind) are strangely absent from the book. Also, in all fairness, some of the cases - killer bee attacks, snake bites, black widows, jellyfish stings, enraged elephants and the like - aren't actually maneaters as such. Rather, they are just animal attacks. The chapters are arranged loosely by subject - Predators among the Trees covers jungle and forest hunters like man-eating leopards in Asia and Africa, cannibal rituals in New Guinea, tiger attacks during the Vietnam War, and Sierra Leone's bloody civil war. Blood on the Lowlands follows up with cannibals and animal attacks on the plains, including polar bears, snakes, big cats, deer, hippoes and even an aardvark! As you might have guessed, Death in the Water includes accounts of piranha, crocodiles, alligators, anacondas and a wide variety of sharks. Killers Close to Home, on the other hand, focuses on the cities, suburbs and villages. Cannibals and serial killers are presented alongside rabid foxes, pet pythons and urban coyotes. Finally, Horror in the Uplands covers mountain creatures like grizzly bears in the Rockies and tiger attacks in Nepal. Over all, this is a fun read. It's not a complete listing of every major animal attack, nor is it a scientific look at such. Rather, its a collection of popular accounts of animal attacks, cannibalism and other odds and ends. It makes for a nice read if you're into that sort of stuff, and will certainly inform you about some killers you might not have heard of. Considering how cheap this book is, I guess thats all you need to ask for, right? If you like reading about wild animals running amok (and, really, who doesn't) then this book is for you! Whether your lookin