Customer Reviews

Killers in Africa: The Truth about Animals Lying in Wait and Hunters Lying in Print (Resnick Library of African Adventure)

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I've read a number of African hunting and adventure classics including titles by F.C. Selous, Carl Akley and others. Alexander Lake was a comparative late-comer to Africa (early 20th century) but his respect and love for the people and wildlife he writes about are evident. His writing style is authentic, without varnish or too much introspection. The sense you get from this book is that Lake was a man of action who started out as a pragmatist wanting to make some money out of his adventure, but ended up being fundamentally and unexpectedly changed by Africa. The book is filled with fascinating anecdotes of a wild African world which no longer exists. Those of you who enjoyed Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa will find this book equally authentic and personal but less sophisticated in tone. This is a great read that will leave you with a vivd sense of place and time, and a feeling for what Alexander Lake and the Africa of his day were like. If you are an African hunting/adventure buff, you will enjoy this read a great deal.

I first read this book as a young boy in the late 1960's or early 1970's. It was actually first printed circa 1953, but for some reason this information isn't available on the Amazon website (at least I couldn't find it). IF you are looking for a modern book, this isn't one.
Having said that, the book itself is quite entertaining, and gives a realistic look at big game hunting in the first half of the 20th century.
Politically correct readers will be upset at the descriptions of the native Africans, but how many of them (PCs) are likely to read a book about African hunting adventures? Lake is probably typical of his era, and shouldn't be judged by today's standards. Having said THAT though, some of the characters Lake takes on safari are surely racist boors who deserved a few lashes from a sjambok.
Less literary than Hemingway, and aimed a more of a general (non-hunting) audience than Ruark, this is a pleasant read about a man who loved Africa.

This is a fine little book on African hunting. It is a bit outdated. As such some of the names of places and animals which have changed in the past 40 years will leave some readers wondering. All in all though it is fine reading. Covers many species, such as the smaller antelopes, which are commonly overlooked in safari books. This book is suitable for younger readers interested in African hunting, or hunting in general. It's small size and easy reading style make it particularly apealing to the teen and pre-teen reader, but do not take this to mean it is a kid's book. It's not!
TE

This is one of my favorite books...I read the original printing as an early teen and I am thankful Resnick brought it back in a new printing. I especially enjoy his dissection of the mistakes made by LTC Patterson, the engineer who became famous retelling his exploits tracking the "killers of Tsavo." The book is an enjoyable read of a long-gone era. Lake wrote for many magazines, and this book is obviously a compilation of these. Well worth the read.

I first read this book while in grade school during the late fifties . I was captivated by it and continued to borrow it from my local library until it became so shabby that the library discarded it ( much to my chagrin ) without replacing it . I have since found a replacement . I have enjoyed the read as much now as then.
While Lake will never go down in literary history as an immortal bard , he has an easy to read style that makes one feel like one is sitting with him by a campfire after a long day's trek , listening to the tales of a man who spent much time in the African bush hunting the animals there in a time long past .
Each chapter focuses on a different species ( or two ) . Lake then proceeds to give his memoirs on each species and tells of their habits and of his encounters with them.
I don't really care that some of his stories are a bit far fetched or that they may be proved wrong by contemporary research ( a mamba that can run down a horse ???) I just simply enjoyed this book for what it is. It is a fun and very entertaining read .
So pull up a rock by the campfire while Mr. Lake cleans his Lee Enfield .303 and drift away to a time never to return and enjoy a few well spun yarns about big and small game hunting in Africa when it really was the Dark Continent .

I don't know who this GreyBeard idiot is but he is full of elephant dung when it comes to telling the truth about the book "Killers in Africa". It has to be one of the best books I've ever read. I enjoy re-reading the stories over and over. It is obvious the the above mentioned buffoon is jealous and would not know the truth about reviewing any exceptional literary works such as this. Buy "Killers
in Africa" and you will never regret it. As for Greybeard if that is a real name, I would be happy to meet you in person and repeat these words to your face for you have done Alexander Lake an injustice. Your review is not even close to being realistic. It is no sin to be stupid Greybeard, but after reading your comments I think you may be abusing the privilege.

Lakes writing style is simple and direct. Do the stories sound punched up a bit? I'm really not sure, since the nature of big game hunting was over the top it naturally follows his stories of those adventures would sound that way to the reader, tucked safely in his home . He is as candid about his mistakes as he is about his wins. I read another reviewer taking cause with Lakes knowledge of firearms. As someone who personally knows about firearms I have to conclude that reviewer knows next to nothing about them. The book is a reprint done in 1995. There is an interesting story behind Mike Resnick deciding to have this book put back into print. I highly recommend it and also reading about Lake's father, who was an interesting fellow himself. After finishing the book I was loaned I knew I had to see if I could find a copy for my personal library. I can tell it's a grand book to pull out on a lazy Sunday to savor with a glass of Jameson. I'm going to see if his daughter will have it released as an ebook. Really, I can't recommend this book enough to any reader with a fascination for the period of the Great White Hunter.

This guy did very little hunting. His books are fully of fantasies. He has no idea about firearms and ballistics. It is one of the worst examples of african hunting literature i have come across.