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gryphonmage's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this, but I want there to be a follow up, and I see there may be. :) It's both sad and compelling to say that the species profiled in this book still exist, but are all still endangered on the edge of extiction.
petrachor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
chris_chester's review
4.0
This book is a time capsule where the Western world was on ecological issues back in 1990. Douglas Adams used his platform as the author of the wildly popular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series to get himself on a world-spanning trip to see some of the rarest and most endangered species at the time.
Adams and crew saw more animals than they could fit in the book version, but they hopped around to see the aye-aye in Madagascar, the Komodo dragon on the island of Komodo in Indonesia, the kakapo in New Zealand, the mountain gorilla and northern white rhinoceros in Zaire, the Yangtze river dolphin in China, and the Rodrigues fruit bat on the island of Rodrigues, Mauritius.
Douglas' strengths as a writer really carry the book. The complicated and frustrating experience of traveling the world in 1990 is the perfect setting for Adams' extraordinarily dry British humor. The bits where they are trudging through landscapes tend to run together a bit, but he's so deliberate about framing his chapters in weird analogies and metaphors that the momentum tugs you along to the punchlines -- usually the good bits where they run into animals.
What I love too is Adams' diligent attempts to avoid anthropomorphizing the animals end up spinning back on themselves and turning into digressions about how the human instinct of self-reflection is such a waste of time and energy relative to the raw survival that his subjects are engaged in. It makes the work feel more honest, because he's at least acknowledging his feelings in the moment, even as he also steps back and analyzes his feelings, also in the moment.
The sad part about the book is reading where things were 30 years ago and then checking in on the species today. Northern white rhinos are believed to be extinct in the wild as is the Yangtze river dolphin. The kakapo is critically endangered. The others are endangered.
Adams' fears at the time of writing were well-founded and, if anything, things have accelerated and gotten far worse. So there's not a lot of hope in here, if that's what you're looking for.
But if you like animals and appreciate Adams' unique voice, you'll probably enjoy dipping back into his comforting voice.
Adams and crew saw more animals than they could fit in the book version, but they hopped around to see the aye-aye in Madagascar, the Komodo dragon on the island of Komodo in Indonesia, the kakapo in New Zealand, the mountain gorilla and northern white rhinoceros in Zaire, the Yangtze river dolphin in China, and the Rodrigues fruit bat on the island of Rodrigues, Mauritius.
Douglas' strengths as a writer really carry the book. The complicated and frustrating experience of traveling the world in 1990 is the perfect setting for Adams' extraordinarily dry British humor. The bits where they are trudging through landscapes tend to run together a bit, but he's so deliberate about framing his chapters in weird analogies and metaphors that the momentum tugs you along to the punchlines -- usually the good bits where they run into animals.
What I love too is Adams' diligent attempts to avoid anthropomorphizing the animals end up spinning back on themselves and turning into digressions about how the human instinct of self-reflection is such a waste of time and energy relative to the raw survival that his subjects are engaged in. It makes the work feel more honest, because he's at least acknowledging his feelings in the moment, even as he also steps back and analyzes his feelings, also in the moment.
The sad part about the book is reading where things were 30 years ago and then checking in on the species today. Northern white rhinos are believed to be extinct in the wild as is the Yangtze river dolphin. The kakapo is critically endangered. The others are endangered.
Adams' fears at the time of writing were well-founded and, if anything, things have accelerated and gotten far worse. So there's not a lot of hope in here, if that's what you're looking for.
But if you like animals and appreciate Adams' unique voice, you'll probably enjoy dipping back into his comforting voice.
ellenbees's review against another edition
5.0
Adams includes entertaining and thoughtful accounts of animals that are endangered.
coffeelushie's review against another edition
5.0
Dieses Buch berichtet über die Dreharbeiten einer Doku über aussterbende Arten in den 80er Jahren und ich dachte eigentlich, als ich mit dem Buch anfing, dass es wahrscheinlich veraltet und nicht interessant ist, wollte es aber mal ausprobieren. Aber ich muss sagen: Falsch gedacht! Es ist brandaktuell! Und ehrlich gesagt, wenn man sich den Inhalt so betrachtet, kann man sich gar nicht genug die Schläfen massieren über den Fakt, dass wir das alles schon so lange wissen und nichts getan haben. Der Jangtzedelfin ist heutzutage leider schon ausgestorben und sollte uns am besten daran erinnern, dass wir das bei den anderen Tierarten nicht zulassen.
Aber das Buch ist nicht nur mahnend, sondern eigentlich ist der Schreibstil, wie bei Douglas Adams, gewohnt witzig, fluffig und lesenswert. Die Erlebnisse auf ihrer Reise sind einfach interessant und spannend. Große Leseempfehlung!
Aber das Buch ist nicht nur mahnend, sondern eigentlich ist der Schreibstil, wie bei Douglas Adams, gewohnt witzig, fluffig und lesenswert. Die Erlebnisse auf ihrer Reise sind einfach interessant und spannend. Große Leseempfehlung!
larksnest's review against another edition
2.0
Douglas Adams is a terrific narrator and a good writer, but this book was really hard to stay in. I kept losing the thread of the stories and getting lost in thought, and then having to rewind back to the last part I remembered. I felt myself forgetting what I read (heard) almost immediately after. Was it the book or is it just me?
Adams is my husband's favorite author, and he described this book as very funny; aside from a couple of brief smiles, I didn't find it funny as much as sad and stressful. This book (almost thirty years old) describes, in an accurate, witty, biting way, how badly we humans are treating this planet and the animals in it, and how it may already be too late to save certain species. I found myself feeling depressed, and felt a bit of a slog seeing it through.
2.5 stars solely due to Adams' wit.
reanimatedreader's review
4.0
Douglas Adams humour mixed with non fiction is wonderful. I managed to learn about the kakapo in New Zealand where I now live too.
ezzo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75