Lord Of The Kill [Mass Market Paperback]

Theodore Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

In bestselling author Theodore Taylor's novel, a 16 year-old boy must take care of his family's wildlife preserve, while handling the kidnapping of one of the most dangerous tigers known to man.

When a half-eaten body is found inside a locked jaguar cage, eighteen-year-old Ben Jepson knows it's no prank - someone is trying to make trouble for the Los Coyotes Big Cat Preserve and its manager, Ben's father. An outspoken conservationist, Dr. Jepson has made some powerful enemies.

Ben's parents are on a tiger conservation mission deep in the jungle. Now Ben is the only one who can keep Los Coyotes running. But when his beloved tiger Dmitri, nicknamed "Lord of the Kill," is kidnapped, Ben must decide whether to wait for the authorities or to strike out on his own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-In an adventure-packed novel similar to Sniper (Avon, 1991), 16-year-old Ben Jepson once again finds himself in charge of the family wild cat sanctuary, Los Coyotes Preserve, while his parents are in a remote part of India. Ben discovers a body in the jaguars' cage. Who put her there? Was the young woman dead before the cats mauled her? Then his favorite cat, an 800-pound Siberian tiger nicknamed Lord of the Kill, is kidnapped and held for ransom. Ben's father has made many enemies in his various crusades to free caged Chinese moon bears, whose stomach bile is harvested to sell as medicine; to stop the killing of tigers whose body parts are used in ancient "tiger medicine"; and to eliminate canned hunts in which zoos sell surplus exotic animals that end up at ranches where hunters kill them at close range for sport. Any of these enemies could be responsible for the woman's death and the tiger's disappearance. Taylor's story is securely grounded in Orange County, CA, and could be right out of the headlines with its exposure of Chinese Triad gangs and the United Sportsmen organization. Although the foreshadowing is heavy-handed, and readers get to know more about the wild cats and their behavior than they do about the human characters, teens will nevertheless find themselves absorbed in the author's animal-rights agenda and will be rooting for Ben as he struggles with fears for his parents' safety and his own.
Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. In this exciting sequel to Sniper (1989), 16-year-old Ben Jepsen is back, continuing as the surrogate manager of Los Coyotes Preserve in California while his animal-rights activist parents tour the world. Once again, the presence of the preserve's big cats inflames several groups, including a nearby retirement community, the owner of a "canned hunt" operation that slaughters exotic zoo animals for sport, and a worldwide organized crime ring that poaches endangered species. All these organizations are suspects, at least in Ben's mind, when the body of a young Asian woman is found mauled in the jaguar compound. Taylor masterfully creates an exciting, accessible mystery while weaving together fascinating information about big cats and their care in captivity and issues of environmental and animal activism. Ben's story will especially touch reluctant readers who feel they have found their life's work at an early age and consider school irrelevant. While the first two books stand alone, the unresolved disappearance of Ben's parents offers hope for more to come, a possibility that will thrill Taylor's fans. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439559561
• ISBN-13: 978-0439559560
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Theodore Taylor has written several award-winning books. The Cay won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was also made into a movie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lions,and Tigers, December 4, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Lord Of The Kill (Mass Market Paperback)

I like Lord of the Kill because it is a bit scary but is a good book for animal lovers. I think this a good book for older kids because of blood and violence. It has only one bad in the book. If you dont like horror stories you would not like this book. It has a good ending for the characters it has a bad biginning. If you get scared easy you might want to think twice.

4.0 out of 5 stars For All Readers Looking for Suspense, May 17, 2006

By 

Abbie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Of The Kill (Mass Market Paperback)

Sick and tired of the fake mystery investigations we so often see on television? If the answer is yes, then try reading Lord of the Kill by Theodore Taylor. This book shows the reader what it is like to understand the real crimes from a witness's point of view. Lord of the Kill is the sequel to Sniper, in which both books share the same protagonist: Benjamin Jepson. Ben is a sixteen-year-old male, and even though he is not the brightest in school, he does comprehend quite a bit about the cats at his father's preserve. Ben's dream in life is to someday own the "Los Coyotes Big Cat Preserve" just as his father does now. It seems as if Ben will receive his first test in running the preserve while his parents are in India writing a story for the "National Geographic". Unfortunate for Ben, the preserve has multiple, capable enemies willing to ruin it. This is due to his father's strong opinions against poaching the big cats or any other animal.

Trouble arises when a half-eaten body is found in the cage of two "dangerous" jaguars. Because of the animals' mysterious ways, people outside of the preserve are usually quite afraid of the jaguars and give them nicknames such as "Killer". Without the jaguar mystery solved, General Dmitri Zukov-Ben's favorite Siberian tiger weighing over 800 pounds and having a total length of thirteen feet-is kidnapped! No matter how bizarre it may seem to steal a tiger, Ben realizes he must act quickly if he wishes to see his friend alive ever again. This mystery book's main theme is love, especially shown from Ben. The boy's heart may need to lead him to the most dangerous and important moment of his life. Theodore Taylor's chapters and formatting reminded me of the way Herman Melville separated his chapters in Moby Dick-sweet and short, right to the point. Mr. Taylor of course used many flashbacks because the book is a mystery. And in a mystery, the reader solely learns things when they come into play or when the author finds a necessary time to include such information.

Theodore Taylor has written more than 50 fiction and non-fiction books for young-adult readers. I will probably find myself reading another one of Mr. Taylor's books because overall, I thought Lord of the Kill to be very exciting. Readers must remember not all mysteries can be solved and to be prepared for the numerous unexpected twists and turns. While reading, I took notes on the characters because otherwise a gigantic assortment of questions would have appeared towards the end of the book. I felt worried and frantic in most parts. Any person who believes in justice for animals or takes delight in a well-written mystery would certainly enjoy this book. In the end, we seldom know what may lurk behind the corner. All we can do is rely on our judgment to lead us to the solution of our problems.

1.0 out of 5 stars horrible writing, April 10, 2005

By 

Amelia Sunderland "tesslouise" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lord Of The Kill (Mass Market Paperback)

What a disappointment! Sniper is my favorite book by Theodore Taylor; in it, 15-year-old Ben Jepson is left in charge of his parents' big cat preserve while his parents visit Africa. Then his parents disappear and someone begins shooting the cats. It's a thrilling story that holds up to re-reading; my copy is in tatters. However, this book reads less like a sequel and more like a re-write of the first book. In it, 16-year-old Ben is left in charge of his parents' big cat preserve while his parents visit India. Then his parents disappear and someone begins causing trouble for the preserve. It's not a thrilling story this time around, and Taylor introduces too many new characters (such as the secretary) who weren't in the first book, while leaving out characters (such as Ben's girlfriend) who should be in the second book. Plus, Ben is 16--why is he entering his senior year of high school? Plus, half of the book is printed in italics for no apparent reason, except to annoy the reader. Skip this one. It wasn't even worth the $1.25 I spent on it.