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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Killers in Africa : The Truth About Animals Lying in Wait an, December 27, 1999
This review is from: Killers in Africa: The Truth About Animals Lying in Wait and Hunters Lying in Print (Resnick's Library of African Adventure) (Paperback)
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a new book, just a new edtion, August 17, 2005
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.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine little book, December 16, 2001
By A Customer
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
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