Predators I Have Known

Hardcover, 206 pages

Published Jan. 21, 2014 by Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy.

ISBN:: 978-1-4804-8045-2

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(2 reviews)

5 editions

MH Thaung reviewed Predators I Have Known by Alan Dean Foster

Dramatic encounters of the wildlife kind

No rating

I’ve read a lot of this author’s works over the years. Mainly it’s been novels when I’m in a mood for entertainment without much cerebral challenge (admittedly, that’s quite frequent). I was pleased to find Predators I have known just as fun a read as his fantasy novels. Foster is well-travelled and keen to meet creatures most of us might steer clear of, from huge predators with sharp teeth to small but still dangerous invertebrates. Of course, we know from the start he survives to tell the tales. The locations are vivid, and the encounters impressively dramatic.

Overall a fun read. I’m happy to have the experiences by proxy rather than in the flesh.

patchworkbunny reviewed Predators I Have Known by Alan Dean Foster

Review of 'Predators I Have Known' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Predators I Have Known is a non-fiction outing for sci-fi writer, Alan Dean Foster, in which he regales us with tales of his encounters with the predators of the natural world. From diving with great whites to outrunning ants, the writing is at its best when he is obviously passionate about the subject matter.

Unfortunately, the day to day travelogue anecdotes are clumsy and a little boring. We don’t need to know the details of how he got to the places where he saw the predators, especially when nothing particularly interesting happens on the way. Nor do his descriptions of the people he meets hold any charm. At times there is even a privileged smugness to the writing. Some of the chapters also seem like fillers and I’m not convinced it was written as a whole book, there are a few occasions where information is repeated where it really doesn’t …

Predators I Have Known is a non-fiction outing for sci-fi writer, Alan Dean Foster, in which he regales us with tales of his encounters with the predators of the natural world. From diving with great whites to outrunning ants, the writing is at its best when he is obviously passionate about the subject matter.

Unfortunately, the day to day travelogue anecdotes are clumsy and a little boring. We don’t need to know the details of how he got to the places where he saw the predators, especially when nothing particularly interesting happens on the way. Nor do his descriptions of the people he meets hold any charm. At times there is even a privileged smugness to the writing. Some of the chapters also seem like fillers and I’m not convinced it was written as a whole book, there are a few occasions where information is repeated where it really doesn’t need to be.

It’s interesting enough to pick up and read a bit at a time, but only really if you have an interest in the animals themselves. It certainly doesn’t work as travel writing and there’s not enough humour or eloquence to make it a purely pleasurable read without an interest in natural history.