Kenneth AndersonNine Man-Eaters and One Rogue
D**Y
Man, and beast.
True adventure,courage and danger. I found the authors descriptions of the area's of each hunt brought to life a great authantisatee of the perils within.
R**V
Absolutely great historical piece
This takes you into the jungles of India, walking the shoes of the actual person researching his weapon tree, and the bullets he used to do battle with these fearsome creatures. It is all inspiring…
V**L
excellent book
Accurate and thrilling descriptions of hunts for man-eating tigers and leopards in India. Ken Anderson was a fearless hunter who put his life in danger many times, sometimes stupidly taking huge risks, but survived thanks to his superb knowledge of the jungle and its animals and their behavior, as well as his exceptional skills. He hunted down and killed over thirty man-eaters. He also loved the local people, including the tribal folks who lived in the forest and knew the forest and its inhabitants extremely well, and they in turn loved and accepted him as one of their own and helped him track down and kill the man-eaters. Anderson was truly a selfless man who saved thousands of lives without getting the rewards that he deserved, from either the British or the Indian governments. In many ways, he was the Jim Corbett of South India. India should name a national park in the South, in either Karnataka or Tamilnadu, after him.
N**E
Sort of like "Jim Corbett" light.
I ordered this book after I read all of Jim Corbett's books. Both Corbett and Anderson were men of European decent who hunted man-eating animals in colonial India in the early 1900s. They had some similar experiences, but ultimately, Corbett seems to be a more engaging writer. His stories are more descriptive and made me feel more like I was actually there. As a reader, I also learned more about wildlife and nature from Corbett's books. I also felt like I kind of knew and respected who he was as a person. And finally, he included more information about the people involved in the events. Ultimately, he made me want to visit some of the places and experience some of the things he wrote about (minus the animal attacks).Anderson's, by comparison, read more like a news report. The events are still interesting, but the retelling didn't suck me in or make me feel like I knew the land, animals, people, or even the author himself the way Corbett's stuff did. Not bad overall, but I'd definitely start with Corbett's books first.
R**H
Engaging
Very enjoyable. You experience what life was like in that era and the reality of living side by side with animals capable of making a meal of you.
M**Y
Unbelievable Collection of Tales - A Must Read
I loved the clipped pace of the stories and the riveting recollections that left me spell-bound and inspired to share with my friends and family. The authors awe-inspiring courage and singleness of mind while hunting these beasts is beyond anything I’m familiar with.I recommend this book to any sportsman with a hint of adventure in him.This book deserves five stars because it accomplishes exactly what it was intended to do, nothing more, nothing less.
K**R
Very Interesting
This book is worth reading. The language is not profane and easy to understand. He knows how to write and keep you absorbed in the book.
P**S
A good read.
I liked these stories. I like Jim Corbetts better, but I read this cover to cover. This is a collection of shikar stories well told this guy is definitely a sportsman. I am going to get some more.
S**.
Loved it
1 of the most adventures stories. I love the facts in the book and the explanation by the author is rich.
P**M
Gripping tales from another age
With only 4000 wild tigers left the days of tiger hunting are rightly over. Man eaters are now tranquilized and moved elsewhere unless there is no other option but to kill them. That said there was a time when the people turned to hunters like Anderson and Corbett to rid them of the threat.Putting aside the moral arguments about hunting these events make great stories. I'm not sure I would have the courage to stalk a man eating tiger knowing that if you missed when it charged you were it's next meal. Anderson writes with a chirpy humour that makes it an enjoyable read. He clearly respected the poor of India and although some might grate at the patronising tone he takes on occasion remember that this was 80 years ago. Well worth a read.
S**D
Interesting tales but pity about the printing errors.
Interesting enough recounting of tiger hunts..one each chapter. Amazement and revulsion at how free a hand there was in those days (1939-1940s) to shoot or wound tigers.Very different sitting up in a machan in India with the sound of rustling leaves and bamboo moving in the breeze to await the approach of a tiger.For myself I found stories of hunting tigers or being hunted by a tiger in Russia, west of Vladivostok far more bone chilling and spine tingling...the dead cold of a winter's night where nothing moves, no sambar deer to bell the alarm, nothing until the tiger is there.I would recommend this book as he tells his stories well...however the over riding disappointment in this book is the number of printing errors, liberally sprinkled throughout the book...where you literally have to just guess the words.
C**I
A hunting you will go
This book is mainly about the tiger, that most magnificent of predators. Especially the ones that have become the 'black sheep' of their species: the Man-Eaters. According to Kenneth Anderson, man-eaters have been created by the interference of the human race. When it is obvious that a man-eating predator is on the prowl, Kenneth has often been commissioned to eradicate the problem. These stories relate to the tracking and extermination of these animals that have acquired the taste for human flesh. Kenneth, equipped with his hunting rifles, takes you along for the kill, through Indian jungles, where there are twists, turns and nightmarish moments..............These wild animals 'kill' to 'survive'.An after thought: murderers who are caught are put in prison, isolated and pampered: kept comfortably warm with all the modern amenities at their disposal..............a life of Riley.
N**A
Wonderful stories
Kenneth Anderson lived and worked in India in the first half of the 20th century so it was a different world from now. His books are a social history as well as a thrilling and frightening read where you hardly dare breathe sometimes waiting for the maneating tiger to attack. There are some things that make us wince nowadays including his insistence on sometimes (but not always) leaving the remains of an Indian that had been killed by the tiger to bait the tiger back to finish its meal but when an Englishman has been killed being sure to remove and decently bury the body and use a cow as bait instead. The differentiation in treatment of the dead and the living of each race is not acceptable to us now I thought. Having said that I consider Kenneth Anderson to be the top big game writer of his era and his record of life in India holds it forever for us to read and enjoy. Highly recommended.
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