River Monsters: True Stories Of The Ones That Didn’t Get Away Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
I’m Jeremy Wade, biologist and fishing detective. For twenty-five years, I’ve explored our planet’s remotest rivers and lakes, hunting for monster-sized fish. It’s become something of an obsession for me. . . . Called “the greatest angling explorer of his generation” (Independent on Sunday), Jeremy Wade, host of Animal Planet’s wildly popular TV series River Monsters, takes viewers where no wildlife program has gone before, revealing the creatures that lurk in the murky depths of our planet’s inland waterways. Now, Wade goes truly beneath the surface, disclosing full details of how he tracks down and catches each species while also recounting the off-camera highlights of his extraordinary life. From his arrest as a suspected spy in Southeast Asia to a plane crash in the , every page of River Monsters is packed with adventure. Each chapter unfolds an enthralling detective story, where fishermen’s tales of underwater man-eaters and aquatic killers are subjected to scientific scrutiny. Follow Wade step-by-step as, armed with just a fishing line, he closes in on his prey and separates fact from fiction. From the heart of the Congo, where he wrestles with supernatural goliath tigerfish, to the depths of the , where the most feared creature is one that could fit in your palm, the results are fish of staggering proportions and terrifying demeanor. Wade also reveals monsters from upcoming episodes, including deadly electric eels, a giant described as a cross between a shark and a chainsaw, and a snake-like beast that truly is the stuff of legend. In the tradition of the most gripping adventure writing, River Monsters shows that there’s more to this world than what’s visible on the surface. As Wade says, with a fishing line anything is possible—sometimes it can even reveal the future, or at least one possible version of it. In similar fashion, Wade’s writings are much more than exhilarating stories: they reveal a vision of the world more awe-inspiring than any individual myth made flesh. Ultimately, River Monsters explores the real mysteries that still exist, capturing the story of one man’s obsession—and his relentless pursuit of the truth.
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0306819546
ISBN-13: 978-0306819544
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #577,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #268 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fish & Sharks #950 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Fishing #2265 in Books > Travel > Travel Writing
Let me just start by saying I really didn't want to read this book. I have watched the TV show and find it interesting, but I wasn't all that excited about reading a companion book to the series. Really..we had Unhooked as well..and I was sure this was another way to cash in on the RM series. However, I am glad I decided to read it. It is actually very well written and even quite funny at times. Mr. Wade comes across as down to earth and even a bit self-deprecating at times. It's nice to see someone that actually enjoys what they do and is unjaded by their success(so far).
When I think of a TV tie-in book, I'm not expecting a whole lot. Dull rehashes of episodes I've already seen, irrelevant info that only the most hardcore fans would care about, or even worse, a whole bunch of pictures and basic info about the show.This book rises so far above that stigma it's mind blowing, and that is evident even in the prologue. Even as a big fan of the show, I was not expecting to write a review using terms like "engrossing" and "masterfully written" but here we are.Jeremy Wade is an intelligent and compelling tv presenter, but he is an even better writer, because that is more difficult to do. The visual pictures he paints are stunning in detail, and the way he puts together his writing style far exceeded my expectations. He doesn't spend a lot of time on big chunks of biographical history, instead opting to sprinkle bits and pieces throughout the book. We learn quite a bit about the man by the end, but it's dispersed a little at a time.It's at times scary, funny, scientific, but always comes off genuine, especially in the audio version. I actually ordered the audio version thinking "Him reading it might help save what's sure to be a fluff tie-in book" Instead, it's immediately obvious that this man is a real writer. Hearing these stories in his own voice really brings them to life. He approaches it in the same way he does the TV show, but a bit more intimate and conversational. It feels like you're sitting in a living room, you on one couch and Jeremy on the other, and you've said "So tell me more about the trip for the Goliath Tiger Fish...." And then you just sit back and listen to what was going through his head during those trips, the frustrations, fears, adventures, methodology. You get a glimpse of how he thinks and approaches problems, and some very interesting info of just how hard it can be to get to the places that appear in the show.This guy is an excellent writer, but has that rare gift of being a masterful storyteller as well, and that's what actually is the difference maker-he's makes it feel like he's telling the story, not reading a book. Audio is not my normal preferred method of reading, but if all books were recorded like this, it would be. It's not dramatized in any way, and it doesn't need to be. It's just his voice backed by silence, but I feel like nobody could do a better job with this material, and it is very strong material.I love it when a book not only exceeds my expectations, but absolutely blows them out of the water....pardon the pun. This one did that, and if there is a follow up or sequel, I would purchase it sight unseen based on the quality of this one....especially if he's reading it.
Jeremy Wade manages to excel as both an angler and a TV host, and now you can add writer. I love the show on Animal Planet and had been searching in vain for the first book he wrote without success so I was thrilled to see this. The book more than met my expectations. I could not put it down. It was fascinating to get more detail on the places he went to earlier, more fish biology, and of course his adventures from his TV program. Part of the reason I like him so much is his stance as a true conservationist and fish lover- the sport comes after he is sure he is doing everything as humanely as possible. I am still not sure if even catch and release fish enjoy the process, but if they are lucky, they will be caught by Jeremy Wade. I also enjoy that he adds details about fish psychology; it's interesting for me (as a non-angler) to read about how fish have different characters and reactions to different kinds of events.All in all, my only complaint about this book is that it was too short. Another couple hundred pages would have been ideal for me. I hope this book is widely popular and it leads to the reissue of his first book.
I am not an angler and have no interest in becoming one, but I have found the River Monsters TV series and its host Jeremy Wade to be interesting, which is why I decided to read this book.The book tells the stories surrounding several of the expeditions on the TV series, but with much more detail. We learn a lot more about Jeremy Wade's life and personality and get more of a sense of the time and effort taken to catch some of these fish - often counted in years or decades rather than the few days it seems on the episode. From these expanded stories I learned there is often a lot more danger and work involved in the quests than is represented in the TV series, and I also learned a few things about how to fish, should I ever become interested.Wade is a conscientious, low-key, yet intense personality. As in the series, he's not an in-your-face extrovert. In the book, you learn more about his credentials and how he came to be a professional angler and world traveler, and clues to the origins of his somewhat compulsive nature. The stories of his adventures range from freakish to disgusting to awe-inspiring.As for the book, sometimes the time transitions made by the author are poorly made - he goes backward and forward in time rather liberally and it sometimes takes a reader a moment to figure out how things fit together. Also, I wish the photos had been interspersed to the appropriate chapters and pages rather than grouped together in one bunch in the middle of the book. When I'm reading about the Araipaima I want to see its picture in that section and not have to flip to the middle of the book and try to track it down. I had a sense that the publication was perhaps a little rushed to try to catch the popularity wave of many successful books from hosts of similar TV series, and the publication quality suffered just a little.This book was exciting and fascinating reading, but it was also sad. I've read very few things that so poignantly and powerfully pointed out how man has been changing the environment with strong consequences. Jeremy Wade's observations repeatedly show how our manipulation of rivers, overfishing, pollution and so on have brought many of these creatures to the brink of extinction, or made them more dangerous to humans, or caused an ecosystem imbalance with horrific effects, and so on. Wade tries to project a bit of optimism that some of these issues can be corrected, but I was feeling less optimistic than he by book's end. I felt a great mourning for the wild, and some fear for our future. I did not expect this book to be like reading Rachel Carson or Thoreau, but there is a similar message that comes across rather clearly.I'd love to find the out of print earlier writing of Jeremy Wade after reading this. He is a fascinating person and has great and important stories to tell.
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