Boomerang hunter

Another good nature read by Jim Kjelgaard, this time in the wilds of Australia.

What I appreciate from stories by this author is their authenticity, they "ring true" depicting man and dog surviving in the wilderness against the odds. I was a little disappointed in the ending, it seemed to be abrupt, but then I recalled that this particular book was published after Kjelgaard's death, which might explain the slight "unfinished" feel. Still, definitely worth reading.

Pretty standard Kjelgaard fare. His overall philosophy is a bit more obvious here. He is a materialistic humanist - does not believe in the spiritual element. The book makes a couple of good points on commitment and has the ever-present companion dog (a dingo this time). It will not be added to any of our libraries as the pro's don't outweigh the cons.

If you like stories of natives roughing it in the wild, then you may like this book more than I did. He has with him his trusty Dingo, and saves his companion from being eaten like other companion dingo's of the tribe when there is a drought. The story is of him on a quest to find better hunting grounds. Here is a passage from the book:

'The last survivor of the Dingo Totem in his tribe, he had even been denied the morsel of meat, that might have been his share when the Desert People started eating their tame dingoes. Wild or tame, Balulu could neither kill nor eat a dingo, for they were his sworn brothers and in the body of one of them lived his other self. If he killed a dingo it was even possible that he would be killing himself, for show more if his life had no place to go when it took leave of his body, it must perish too.'

One of my goals is to read all of Jim Kjelgaard's dog books, and this one is close enough to check the box toward that goal. show less

If you like stories of natives roughing it in the wild, then you may like this book more than I did. He has with him his trusty Dingo, and saves his companion from being eaten like other companion dingo's of the tribe when there is a drought. The story is of him on a quest to find better hunting grounds. Here is a passage from the book:

'The last survivor of the Dingo Totem in his tribe, he had even been denied the morsel of meat, that might have been his share when the Desert People started eating their tame dingoes. Wild or tame, Balulu could neither kill nor eat a dingo, for they were his sworn brothers and in the body of one of them lived his other self. If he killed a dingo it was even possible that he would be killing himself, for show more if his life had no place to go when it took leave of his body, it must perish too.'

One of my goals is to read all of Jim Kjelgaard's dog books, and this one is close enough to check the box toward that goal. show less