I started reading ‘Last chance to see’ in the queue at Boots for the check-out the chemist. It’s been a while since I have been so keen to read a book that I haven’t waited until I am in a comfortable environment (pub, armchair, pub, on sofa, pub, in quiet corner of the public library, pub, that sort of thing) before starting. But this is a very, very funny book and, once you start laughing at something, why would you want to stop?

Certainly, the queue for the check-out at Boots the chemist is not a comfortable environment, the very best that one can expect is petulant teens taking a break from txting long enough to buy make-up from the ‘young hooker’ range, or somebody with a rattling cough in their chest that sounds like the Flying Scotsman going full clappers through a tunnel. And that’s just what you can see and hear, the place must be home to more bacteria than Portland Down. Thankfully, the air is also thick with the disinfectant aromas of lozenges and deep heat.

Hostile environments are what ‘Last chance to see’ is all about. A companion to the radio series, it’s a fascinating chronicle of what is required to get a recording of an endangered animal in a remote spot, while staying composed and sane enough to cobble together a commentary. This process usually involves making the author uncomfortable physically, which is funny, uncomfortable mentally, which is amusing, or uncomfortable both physically and mentally, which is hilarious. There’s nothing quite like reading about famous, successful and admired people spending the night small game hunting with a fly swatter inside their mosquito net to make the commute, the daily grind or indeed the queue at Boots the chemist that bit more bearable – possibly it should be prescribed instead of prozac?

There’s plenty of suffering to chortle at here, from corrupt officials in Africa who also do an excellent line in baffled, resentful anger when travellers do not respond to their illogical, contradictory instructions, through to involuntary baptism when attempting to land safely on a rocky outcrop in the sort of sea that, when described on the shipping forecast, makes the average listener snuggle down that little bit more under the duvet.

There are also some great descriptions of ‘travelling heavy’, with the usual BBC documentary caravan of silver boxes containing microphones, cameras, various bits of equipment representing quite a lot of License Fee and, from what I can make out, lots of booze (which seems an entirely sensible measure), lugging all that equipment upriver, down jungle paths and half way round the world. Naturally it’s the suffering of the author we hear about, not the bloke who has to transport the mini-bar.

Adam’s difficulties in adjusting to the adventurous lifestyle are illustrated brilliantly with his panic buying of aftershave on a flight half way round the world in a desperate attempt to reconnect with the world of the familiar, a process that results not in the sought-after reassurance, but in Adams trying to get rid of bottles of scent for the rest of the journey.

The animals themselves are described with great affection, although not as much affection as Adams obviously holds those trying to preserve them in. Endangered species are to be found, it would appear, in out-of-the-way places. This is because if an animal is in a remote location, it can be endangered for quite a while, whereas if it were in a location that was, say, an ideal place for a city or rich natural source of oil, precious metal or furniture, it would stop being endangered very quickly and would be shuffled to the ‘extinct’ file.

The final section of the book deals with the issue of what constitutes endangered and yes, food lovers, there is mention of one of the endangered animals getting eaten. A local delicacy in one country visited is, apparently, to eat something endangered (and that’s not even why they are endangered!) Can you guess which country?

With the perils of insects, wild animals, rough country and bureaucracy, the most endangered spices of all turns out to be the author. A fabulous, funny and sometimes sad book.

I'm not normally one to pick up these travelogue-type books, but being a fan of Douglas Adams' I just had to give this a try, especially after reading that it was his personal favorite of all the things he had written. I have to say I was surprised, delighted and thoroughly enjoyed _Last Chance to See_.

Adams teams up with zoologist Mark Carwardine and travels across the globe, looking for rare animals that are on the brink of extinction. His writing strikes just the right balance between humor and description, and the book manages to be both entertaining and educational as Adams' often laugh-out-loud observations are followed by interesting facts (presumably) supplied by Carwardine. And although Adams' great sense of humor had me laughing a lot in this book, it really does make you sit back and reflect on the state of our planet and the plight of these creatures who we really do only have one last chance to see (and save.)

Among the animals Adams and Carwardine set out to find are komodo dragons, white rhinos and baiji dolphins. One animal, which I had never even heard of but instantly fell in love with, is the kakapo parrot of New Zealand. This is a fat, flightless bird.

"If you look one in its large, round, greeny-brown face, it has a look of serenely innocent incomprehension that makes you want to hug it and tell it everything will be all right, even though you know that it probably will not be." (p. 108)

This poor bird, in addition to not being able to fly, appears to be completely clueless about how to respond to predators (meaning it just sits there and lets them kill it) and has such a ridiculously complicated mating procedure that it's a wonder the little guys have survived this long. But the more you read about them, the more you can't help but love them.

In addition to all the fascinating information about the animals, Adams' also describes the other parts of their travels - such as being bossed around by customs officials in Zaire, being flabbergasted by the traffic in China, a series of frustrating travel complications, and all of the colorful and interesting people they meet on their way. It really felt like I was there, experiencing it all with them. It's the sort of book that after you put it down, you don't feel like you've just read a book, you feel like you've actually been on the trip with the authors.

There are also several pages of full-color photographs scattered throughout the book. Adams' descriptions are so vivid the photographs aren't even really necessary, but they are an added bonus.

This is a wonderful book. It's factual, enlightening and entertaining. I highly recommend it, even if you don't think of travel books as really "your kind of thing." 4/5 stars. ( )

Memorable, moving, and frequently hilarious ecological reporting, an odd but effective combination of absurdist zoology and impassioned conservationism. ( )

This book is a great read. I've read it several times and loaned it out more times than I can count. Without fail it is returned with comments like "Awesome! A truly awesome book!" ( )

A Favorite For Many: The publishers of this book were brilliant to get Douglas Adams (RIP) to accompany zoologist, Mark Carwardine, to "document" their journey and experiences visiting animals in danger of extinction. He gives you a good laugh and lots of fascinating information. This is a great book for young and old alike. I can't recommend it enough.