Customer Reviews

Wild: Stories of Survival from the World's Most Dangerous Places (Adrenaline)

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

 

 

This is yet another in Clint Willis's ongoing series of adrenaline, adventure, survival, disaster, storm, etc. series in which he seeks to capitalize on the rage for danger and excitement that is currently sweeping the literary market. In my search for material for a class on adventure writing I teach, I have read all of them, and found them a mixed lot with some real gems thrown in. This particular anthology is no exception, though I wish Willis would stop over dramatizing his titles. A more realistic name for the collection might be, "Exciting Moments in the Wilds," or "Wildernesss Moments."

Questionable names aside (giving titles to books is an art after all) this collection has some stand out and downright bizarre pieces that are worth reading. If you're looking for a good old-fashioned adventure story with plenty of excitement, try Dave Robert's "A Wilderness Narrrative," or Joe Kane's "Savages." For more than you ever wanted to know about tropical diseases and the dangers of traveling in the Amazaon jungle, try Redmond O'Hanlon's "In Trouble Again." But if you're looking for something really different, something that will not only entertain but make you question your sense of reality, read Barry Lopez's "Pearyland," in which the main character (a student Lopez met in an airport) steps into another, parallel world, or "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood. The Willows in particular carries a disturbing undertone of unease and menace. The things that happen in this story shouldn't, and there is no real explanation for them.

Other, less off the wall, though no less entertaining pieces inlcude Edward Abbey's "Down the River" and Evelyn Waugh's "The Man Who Liked Dickens."

All in all, this is a worhty addition to Willis's growing pile of anthologies, thanks to the solid contributions from familiar and well-established names, but when will Willis dare to include the work of lesser known, though no less talented writers?

Clint Willis has created a fascinating series of books with Epic, Climb, High, Wild, Ice, Rough Water, and The War. Each of these volumes presents the best literature about their respective subjects in a powerful cohesive manner. These books are a quick read, but intricate and spellbinding. I have given many of them to friends and family as gifts.

Don't be fooled by the title of this book: "Stories of Survival from the World's Most Dangerous Places." Several of the stories are taken from fiction books. Another chapter is from Bill Bryson's, "A Walk in the Woods," which most likely has already been read by several million people. Other chapters are from books such as "Famous Ghost Stories" and "The Book of Fantasy." And yet another story is a leisurely, week-long canoe trip through Glen Canyon prior to its flooding--hardy a story of "Survival" or a "Dangerous" place. I could go on, but I'm sure you get my point. If you are looking for a book packed with true stories of survival, this is not the book for you. Shame on Clint Willis for trying to pawn this book off to the adventure readership. Trust me! I won't be fooled again, Clint.

The literary quality of this book is fair. However, most of the stories have nothing to do with "survival" or "the world's most dangerous places." This is one of the most dishonest tiles I have ever seen. Come on. Where are the "stories of survival?" For example, you may or may not find it interesting to read Edward Abby's ruminations on floating through Glen Canyon, but there is no implication whatsoever that this is one of the world's most dangerous places, or that there was any issue of survival at all. The same can be said of 2/3 of these accounts.

I really need to start reading descriptions better. This book is nothing like I thought. Wild: Stories of Survival from the World's Most Dangerous Places should be a book about surviving in dangerous places right? I expected the author to have conducted interviews with people who had survived in harsh climates and places. I was sadly mistaken. This book is nothing but an anthology of stories and excerpts from other people, and a good majority of them have nothing to do with survival or dangerous places.

There are fourteen excerpts of stories from fourteen different authors. The author, or rather compiler of these stories writes an introduction, but that's about it. These stories range from authors Jack London to Joe Kane to Edward Abbey and take place in the Amazon, Mountains, and Rivers of the world. While some do have to do with survival, the first story put me off because it was merely a description about preparing for a trip down the Amazon, but then ends before the trip really even begins. Another involves a hike on the Appalachian Trail which is neither particularly dangerous, nor an effort in survival. Some of the stories were charming to read and some of them were rather boring. There were a couple I caught myself just skimming through.

Another point of contention for me for this book was that it was found in a non-fiction section of books, but several of the excerpts are fiction. It just seems ill classified. Most of the stories I did find myself enjoying were of the non-fiction variety.

While I'm sure the author spent a lot of time putting together these excerpts and finding the perfect one's for this novel, I just can't but help but be less than satisfied. I probably will not be reading any more from this author. Next time I'll pay a little more attention to the description of a book before reading and consider it a lesson learned.

Wild
Copyright 1999
348 pages plus a few black and white photos

I really enjoyed this collection of stories that deals with the travails of adventurers in the wild. The stories take place all around the world in some of the most remote, inaccessible, or infrequently traveled places in the on earth.

The travelers in the stories deal with everything from elusive inhabitants of the rain forests of South America to extreme temperatures and lack of water.

This was an exciting book to read. I'd recommend that anyone going on their own adventure into the wilderness bring it along for the car ride or their trip on the airliner.

The best part of this book was the cover. A wonderful picture of a sunset in the mountains. Had the cover made it clear that the "author" did nothing more than take excerpts from other books I never would have bought the book. The excerpts were taken so that you never really knew who you were reading about. His choices left me feeling used and I am sure he ruined several good books for me. None of the stories related in "Wild" has convinced me to read the whole book. What a shame!

This has some great stories from the wild.. I especially enjoyed Into The Wild