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

David Quammen's Monster of God is unlike any other non-fiction book I have read, making it a bit hard to classify. It's a deeply researched book probing mankind's relationship with four specific animals: crocodiles, bears, lions, and tigers, all of which are united as being alpha predators, or more specifically man-eaters. Quammen gets at this subject through widespread travel, to remote corners of Australia, India, Romania, and Siberia on the easternmost edge of Russia near China. So the book seems, in part, a travelogue. He hires a slew of guides and translators and trackers and scientists who help him interview and understand the local populations that have interacted with and been eaten by these animals for generations. So the book show more is also to some extent an anthropological study. Then too, he dwells on and analyzes some mythic folktales like the Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowolf, Odysseus, Oedipus, etc. making parts of the book a literary critique. He also throws in a lot of scientific literature reviews so the reader comes to learn about trophic levels and cascades and other lovely dynamic aspects of ecology. Quammen also deftly inserts himself into his narrative and often displays a dry sense of humor. The writing is always first-rate. Sadly, Quammen, who wrote this book shortly after the turn of the twenty-first century, is not optimistic that these and other flesh-eating beasts will survive in the wild beyond his prediction of 2150. He was not the first observer to conclude that the pace of modernization and population growth would cause mass animal extinctions. These predictions had been made as early as the 1970s. But in 2004 when this book came out, the topic was not as broached as it is today. Quammen neither romanticizes these animals nor downplays the toll they have had on indigenous populations. But I believe he is correct when he observes that the loss of these animals in their natural habitats will signify an irreplaceable and permanent psychic loss for human beings. show less

Quammen's exploration of predators and our relation to them is a study in history, observation, nature writing, travel, and conservation. His discussions move effortlessly between our contemporary relationships with predators and their habitats on to history, biology, ecology, and even sociology. With an eye toward bringing these creatures as well as their habitats to life for readers, he blends his understanding of science with a flare for travel writing, and the effect is a brilliant discussion of predators. From the back cover: "As he journeys into their habitats and confronts them where they live, Quammen reflects on the enduring significance of these predators to us and imagines a future without them." It seems clear, though, that show more a future without them is one of the things this book is desperately fighting against.

Whether discussing bears, lions, tigers, or crocodiles, the work here is impressive. It is not an easy read, certainly--there's research packed into every page, and many of the subjects are serious (potentially nightmare-inducing for animal lovers, too, in some cases), but this is a worthwhile and beautifully written book that honors some of Earth's greatest creatures in a way that deserves notice.

Absolutely recommended. show less

For a start, an excellent bibliography for anyone interested in the subject.

My interest was in Amur tigers but I couldn't help but continue reading about the other alpha predators Quammen chronicles--brown bears, Komodo dragons, lions, great white sharks….

I enjoyed the combination of myth, history and first-person adventure, and found the author's insights and musings very thought-provoking--for example, his idea that perhaps the eradication of these alpha predators is a predictable part of the colonization process (where newcomers to a geography feel the need to exterminate those elements they find fearful).

In short, the book is thoughtful and while some biological details are included, offers a wider scope of information than one show more usually finds in works on man-eaters. It's not just Jim Corbett-type tales (which I grew up on and still love to read), but Quammen's ruminations on why, for example, Beowulf "hits harder" than other tales--a chapter I wish I had read back in college while reading this Old English poem--that turned this book into a page-turner for me (which frankly I did not expect it to be beyond the chapter on tigers). Well done! show less

This book reads like an obituary, providing us one last chance to marvel at the animals that top the food chain before they disappear forever. It is engaging and colorful, but ultimately very sad; Quammen certainly does not seem optimistic that any of the great predators can be saved. It is even questionable that they should be, for how can we compare the intangible value of the existence of predators with the lives of those people that they will occasionally kill? Shouldn’t we be glad that we are no longer prey? Or are we losing something that makes us human when we lose these species? With sections about many predators, including lions, crocodiles, and bears (oh my) Quammen outlines the history of human interaction with these show more animals and the current sad state of affairs. The book is beautifully written, easy to read, and very personal. I enjoyed it, but was left depressed at the human impact on this planet. Thank goodness Quammen has recorded these stories before they cease to exist. show less

Quammen looks at four species of animals who can look at humans as prey. Part travelogue, part natural history, this book looks at these specific hunters through local myth and legend, as well as where they are now, hanging on precariously to ever-decreasing territories.

Never preachy, and with a turn of phrase that makes you think he'd be a fun dinner companion, Quammen does not hold out much hope for the continued survival of these animals in the wild, and laments that fact, not only for the animals themselves, but for what that will mean to humans on many levels.

David Quamen is always good company. Here he travels to different parts of the world where people live cheek by jowl with man eating predators. He highlights the difficulties in implementing conservation efforts for dangerous animals in areas where people are surviving and may come in conflict with endangered creatures. He also shares some of the folklore and mythology of the reasons he visits and how the animals are part of the cultures and sometimes religion of the people involved.

This is an overview of the history, biology, and man's psychology in relation to man eating beasts and the current state of maneaters today. Monster of God is suitable for laymen to grasp the finer points of what co-existing with animals that might eat you has meant for mankind and unfortunately for the animals involved. The finer points of tagging and wildlife management are likely to be tedious to the non-specialist, but Quammen does keep those sections short. The mythology that mankind has developed over many millenia in relation to our co-existance with these monsters of god was particularly compelling. This book may turn the reader into an environmentalist, if not one already.