To the Elephant Graveyard [Paperback]

Tarquin Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2001

On India's northeast frontier, a killer elephant is on the rampage, stalking Assam's paddy fields and murdering dozens of farmers. Local forestry officials, powerless to stop the elephant, call in one of India's last licensed elephant hunters and issue a warrant for the rogue's destruction. Reading about the ensuing hunt in a Delhi newspaper, journalist Tarquin Hall flies to Assam to investigate. To the Elephant Graveyard is the compelling account of the search for a killer elephant in the northeast corner of India, and a vivid portrait of the Khasi tribe, who live intimately with the elephants. Though it seems a world of peaceful coexistence between man and beast, Hall begins to see that the elephants are suffering, having lost their natural habitat to the destruction of the forests and modernization. Hungry, confused, and with little forest left to hide in, herds of elephants are slowly adapting to domestication, but many are resolute and furious. Often spellbinding with excitement, like "a page-turning detective tale" (Publishers Weekly), To the Elephant Graveyard is also intimate and moving, as Hall magnificently takes us on a journey to a place whose ancient ways are fast disappearing with the ever-shrinking forest.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Equal parts travel story and adventure tale, this volume leads readers on a meandering journey through the farthest reaching corners of India. Hall, a Gen-X British journalist who published his first book, Mercenaries, Missionaries and Misfits, when he was 23, fills his book with wildlife preserves, rebel factions, farmers, indigent elephant caretakers (mahouts) and British holdovers from the days of the Raj. Working as an AP reporter, the author gets a lead for an article: an elephant is rampaging through Assam, India, inexplicably murdering the inhabitants of small villages. One mahout recounts how sick elephants are led into the forest where the elephants themselves pick herbs. The mahouts then prepare and apply the herbs, and in this way the elephants heal themselves. For Hall, this ritual raises many questions about the elephants: How intelligent are they? How compassionate? How murderous? Much of this book is filled with Hall's mercurial attitudes toward the elephant (he flip-flops between wanting the killer elephant placed on a reserve safe from humans and wanting the beast dead) and the Indian people he meets. His story is a page-turning detective tale that recounts how the motley group of journalists, mahouts and government-employed hunters stalked the killer elephant through the wild territory of India. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Many elephants, wild and domesticated, are still found on the northeastern frontier of India known as Assam. Their numbers, however, are being significantly reduced by poachers and a shrinking natural environment. Official efforts are made to protect the elephant population, but at times it becomes necessary to kill rogue or rampaging elephants. Hall, a British journalist and the author of Mercenaries, Missionaries and Misfits: Adventures of an Under-Age Journalist, accompanied an authorized hunter to track down and kill one such elephant. Along the way he met a number of colorful characters whom he masterfully depicts in this engaging account. His fine storytelling and skill at handling dialog come through as he pieces together a lively portrait of contemporary Assam, including a considerable amount of elephant fact and lore. He also wrestles with the dilemmas of striking a balance with nature: When is it justified to kill a magnificent specimen of an endangered species? There is something for everyone in this most interesting account. Recommended for public libraries.DHarold M. Otness, formerly with Southern Oregon Univ. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (September 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802138357
• ISBN-13: 978-0802138354
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tarquin Hall is the author of the Vish Puri mysteries, set in India. The first in the series, 'The Case of the Missing Servant', was named by the New York Times as a Notable Crime Book and given starred reviews by Kirkus, Library Journal and Booklist. Hall divides his times between London and Delhi with his wife, Indian-born journalist Anu Anand, and their young son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Blast!, October 17, 2000

By 

Cloud O'Connor (Hawaii, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Elephant Graveyard (Hardcover)

This is a great read. Like all good books, it is an amalgamation of many things: a memoir, a travelogue, a social & environmental critique, and a great adventure with a dash of mystery and lots of humor. The title is a bit stodgy, but the story is far from it. We really see India in a different light, a land both benign and disturbingly fatalistic. Tarquin manages to couple some very visceral descriptions of locales with a profound appreciation for India and the elephant that is rarely seen in literature. Tarquin is going to mature into a great travel writer someday soon. Meanwhile, somebody give this man a prize ($) so he can dash off on another adventure (so we can read about it in his next book).

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elephant versus man, moving and primal, July 5, 2001

By 

Ann Shillinglaw - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Elephant Graveyard (Hardcover)

This book argues strongly against mankind's misuse and overdevelopment of the land that once belonged to noble beasts such as the Asian elephant. I became captivated by the story and by the author's sympathetic stance towards the elephant. The book will make you mourn what is happening to wild animals, and it reaffirms that when mankind messes with animals, the animals are the ones who get destroyed. Mankind's ultimate destruction might take a bit longer .... This is a thoughtful book with an element of magic -- the myth of an elephant graveyard that grounds the more realistic, down-to-earth elements of Hall's adventure account. I would love to read more of this author's adventures, esp. if they involve magnificent animals. Hall has a journalist's eye, yet he creates moments in which you feel you are there, under the stars, hearing the sounds of the jungle with him, waiting in fear of the thunderous sound that will signal that the rogue elephant is near. It is a very fast read -- a bit like a suspense novel -- but what I appreciated most was its folkloric touch, Hall's hope to find the mythic elephant graveyard, and the sense that animals are mysterious and magical, and that our world is impoverished with each death of a spectacular animal like the elephant. Last but not least, this nonfiction book would make an amazing film.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous and touching!, November 3, 2000

By 

Fried Green Chillies (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Elephant Graveyard (Hardcover)

As an Indian myself, I found this book really enjoyable and fascinating! The Northeast is a mysterious place even for most Indians. I think Tarquin Hall captures the character of the place with sensitivity and humor...without suffering from any 'politically correct' sense of guilt about being British or awe for 'the mysterious east' -- which is refreshing and honest. The hunt for the elephant is exciting, vexing and ultimately very sad. And I loved all the funny encounters. I especially loved Churchill! I hope Tarquin Hall writes on India again soon!