Customer Reviews

Tigers' Quest

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A book about anthromorphic tigers might be interpreted as a kids' book; and while "Tigers' Quest" contains nothing inappropriate for those as young as middle school, it is a profound and serious book and much of its meaning will be lost on younger readers. Set during the encroachment of mankind across the land of India, "Tigers' Quest" chronicles the adventures of a pair of these great cats as they strive to find territory in which they can be safe from the "killers". This is not a sentimental tale nor light fare; these two creatures struggle constantly, finding themselves again and again in life-and-death situations.

So having seen this invasion of human "killers" from the point of view of the tigers and other jungle animals, we are also presented with the human side of the story, mainly through a pair of men; one is a hunter of beasts, the other, a conservationist. The beauty of this story is that neither of the men is demonized, and neither is sainted. In fact, this human side of the story truly reflects men as fallen creatures, whose flaws ultimately sabotage their efforts at doing what they think is right.

What is on the surface an adventure story about the fate of the Royal Bengal tigers (and a fine adventure story it is), ultimately works because of what it is under the hood. The jungle scenes powerfully display a fallen world struggling to hang on to some semblance of order; the human scenes, though, are in many ways more thought provoking, as they hit the reader right in the soul.

Note: this novel was adapted as an audio drama, which is also available on Amazon from Everlasting Films. "Tigers Quest" is the first of a series of stories. Also note, this book and the audio drama contains scenes that may be too violent or frightening for younger (pre-middle-school) readers/listeners.