This was the most impressive and brain-stretching book I read this year:
This is a non-fiction book about tigers in the east Russian area called Primorye. Although it is a detailed study of the tiger’s habitat and relationship with the people of the area, it is told like a murder mystery or homicide investigation. The author describes the events surrounding the deaths of two men who were eaten by a particular tiger. He describes the mindset of each of the men, their personal histories, and how their stories are woven into the fabric of their society. I liked how the author told a very balanced story. He didn’t set up the hunters as the bad guys, or the tiger either. He just told the story and provided many different perspectives from which the reader can draw his own conclusions. He covers the biology of the tiger, how it is designed to be the ultimate predator, and how it is featured in our lore, stories, and nightmares all the way back to the Stone Age. The bulk of the story comes from the lead investigator; a man named Yuri Trush. Trush was the head of a special unit of enforcers tasked with protecting their territory from poachers and illegal weapons. The first victim, Markov, seems to have had some history with the tiger who destroyed parts of his hunting cabin and ambushed Markov when he was returning home. The second victim was more a victim of circumstance, being eaten after his rifle failed him as the tiger attacked. After the town hurried two small bundles of the leftover pieces of the two victims, Trush put together a sanctioned hunt for the man-eater. The hunting team eventually stumbles across fresh tracks and walks into the tiger’s ambush. I won’t give away the final fallout. This story is all about survival, revenge, and the laws of the forest. The author ends the book with a discussion of the dire situation Amur Tigers are in as their habitat disappears and poachers gear up with better tech and trample hunter ethics. I think my dad and uncles would enjoy this book.
This is for hunters, conservationists, and anyone interested in learning a lot about East Russia.
(Rated R, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 12:05, hardcover, 311p.)
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