Reviews for The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon

The average rating for The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-04-10 00:00:00 Jim Jones I bought this book mostly because I had a vague sort of interest, it was cheap, and I needed a few dollars more to make the $35 for free shipping on Amazon. Not a very propitious beginning. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! This book was very, very entertaining! Corbett, unlike what you'd expect from a big-game hunter (even one known for his conservation efforts), doesn't write out gruesome details, just facts, and he approaches his subject with both compassion and a matter-of-fact attitude that makes what would be upsetting and revolting to witness not so disturbing at all. It's sort of like having a chat with your kindly old grandfather, if your grandfather was an old Englishman who'd toted a rifle through treacherous jungles in his youth. He accomplishes the nigh-impossible task of maintaining the suspense of the chase and danger while reassuring you and keeping you calm. The best part was probably his attitude toward the animals he killed. His respect for them is clear, and several times in the text he even expresses his regret that he had to carry out the deed. Ultimately, though, his desire to protect the humans being preyed upon outweighs this, and he puts each animal down. Still, he is compassionate, and tries his best to make the kill as painless for the animal as possible. Corbett is also enjoyable because he doesn't sing his own praises, nor does he adopt an irritating false modesty. He points out his mistakes and even calls himself foolish when he thinks he was, but he also credits himself (matter-of-factly, again, not boastfully) with his skills and experience. This is extremely enjoyable to read, much better than if he'd played at being overly humble or bragged up his own abilities. Highly recommended.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-31 00:00:00 Tony Williams More than just a thrilling book, this is a surprisingly humane and sensitive selection of stories for which it would be hard to find an equivalent. Corbett could understand the animal "languages" of the Indian forest and used this to help himself hunt down and kill the world's worst man-eating tigers, alone! Somehow he succeeds, and goes on to become a pioneer of conservation, with a Tiger Reserve named after him. Aready a classic.