Rating: 
Summary: interesting and hilarious
Review: At the bookstore where I work, a customer once came in to ask for this book and asked for "Sharks Ripped off my Arms."!This is not a travelogue so much as a collection of essays, most originally published in 'Outside' magazine, of which Cahill is an editor. As such, these make for interesting reading whether or not you are planning an excursion to any of the places Cahill talks about. His focus in these essays is understanding the undercurrents of place - whether he is in Montana or Peru or the Australian Outback - the culture, the history, and the complex relationships between travelers and residents. Some of the author's excursions have been downright life-threatening, such as when he and two other men went on an extended trek in the state of Chachopayas in Peru in a search for unexplored ruins. Wherever his travels take him, Cahill describes the scene with humor, intelligence and balance. This is not a tourist who expects hot showers and a McDonald's at every stop, this is a world adventurer who wants to see and experience everything he can. And then write about it.
Rating:
Summary: interesting and hilarious
Review: At the bookstore where I work, a customer once came in to ask for this book and asked for "Sharks Ripped off my Arms."!
This is not a travelogue so much as a collection of essays, most originally published in 'Outside' magazine, of which Cahill is an editor. As such, these make for interesting reading whether or not you are planning an excursion to any of the places Cahill talks about. His focus in these essays is understanding the undercurrents of place - whether he is in Montana or Peru or the Australian Outback - the culture, the history, and the complex relationships between travelers and residents. Some of the author's excursions have been downright life-threatening, such as when he and two other men went on an extended trek in the state of Chachopayas in Peru in a search for unexplored ruins. Wherever his travels take him, Cahill describes the scene with humor, intelligence and balance. This is not a tourist who expects hot showers and a McDonald's at every stop, this is a world adventurer who wants to see and experience everything he can. And then write about it.
Rating:
Summary: Well, three-and-a-half
Review: Cahill is fun to read; not as funny as Dave Barry, and not as (what?) thoughtful or thought-provoking as John McPhee, but fun. Cahill is (or does a good job of convincing us he is!) a Regular Guy in the Dave Barry sense, but he gets paid to go to interesting places and do exciting things. He tells us what that's like in a friendly journalistic style laced with well-done humor.One warning: the sequencing of the essays leaves something to be desired. In particular, the last four or five pieces are all rather dark and dismal contemplations of tragedy and mortality, with almost no humor. You might want to read them first, or sometime in the middle, rather than come away from the book on such a depressing note.
Rating:
Summary: Real adventure writing with great comic relief
Review: Cahill's books were recommended to me for some time before I read one. I just couldn't imagine that 'humorous adventure writing' was something that would appeal to me. Wrong! What is great about Cahill's pieces is that the humor is strictly at his own expense and the adventure is real. Make no mistake, this guy can really write. For example, when he ruminates about what is in store for him on a proposed dive in shark infested waters, he conjures up images of terror that any of us can relate to and then takes us to laughter with his description of his own terrified reations - which wouldn't be funny if it was US and WE were going to face the killer sharks. These pieces are a real treat; a taste of a lifestyle that we can only dream of, and laughs that keep us from being too covetous of it. Cahill is an American original.
Rating:
Summary: For the Vicarious Adventurer
Review: Cahill's writing is somewhat of an acquired taste. This is a compilation of outdoor stories which do not always seem self contained - some missing context, some missing closure. And they are not necessarily adventures in the conventional sense, as stories may focus on nature, archaeology, sociology, etc. While the book cannot be construed as an outdoor reference, there is good information (ex. "wisdom" of cave diving). Some stories hit the vicarious adventurer's sweet spot. The author is at his best in this book when relating his experience caving in Kentucky, engaging the reader with educational content (ex. barometric effect on air flow), spectacular descriptions(ex. lightening igniting bat guano), and hair raising suspense (ex. getting lost in a maze of passages). Not all of the stories held an equal level of interest for me, but they are short enough to peruse and ponder as time permits.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as some of his others...
Review: I felt that there were too many essays on Cahill's travels to a particular part of South America in this collection and these essays seemed to all blend together; they just weren't as funny or entertaining as previous collections of his work. For the first time, I found myself bored reading a Cahill collection. PECKED TO DEATH BY DUCKS or ROAD FEVER are far superior works because they contain essays that are much funnier and less redundant.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as some of his others...
Review: I felt that there were too many essays on Cahill's travels to South America in this collection. For the first time, I found myself bored reading a Cahill collection. PECKED TO DEATH BY DUCKS, is far superior, much funnier and more interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: How can adventure writing be so dull?
Review: I found this book to be extremely boring - it jumped from topic to topic, from location to location, without any explanation of who, why, where etc., and no sense of "leading into...". I had just read Bill Bryson's books and found them most entertaining, but Tim Cahill, I just could not identify with. He's certainly had major adventures, but his style is just so unemotional, so factual i.e. I did this, went there, climbed that, drank that... but I just couldn't identify with him. No empathy or amusement whatsoever. I love adventure books but this one I just found very dull and unimaginitive.
Rating:
Summary: How can adventure writing be so dull?
Review: If Cahill lived in Ancient Greece, he would be writing about encounters with the Cyclops and the Scylla and Charibdis. Maybe it's because Cahill writes about all the stuff I would do if I could quit my job and still pay the bills--exploring ruins in Peru, sea kayaking in Alaska, watching Mt. St. Helens erupt, saving the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, scuba diving with sharks, riding in a C-130 Hurricane Hunter, and living in Montana--but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While Cahill might not be as witty as my favorite travel writer, Bill Bryson, he makes up for it by writing about adventures that would make Indiana Jones quake with fear. All of this is presented in a down-to-earth style that makes you wish you could hang out and drink a few beers with the guy.
Rating: 
Summary: 20th Century version of Homer's Odyssey
Review: If Cahill lived in Ancient Greece, he would be writing about encounters with the Cyclops and the Scylla and Charibdis. Maybe it's because Cahill writes about all the stuff I would do if I could quit my job and still pay the bills--exploring ruins in Peru, sea kayaking in Alaska, watching Mt. St. Helens erupt, saving the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, scuba diving with sharks, riding in a C-130 Hurricane Hunter, and living in Montana--but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While Cahill might not be as witty as my favorite travel writer, Bill Bryson, he makes up for it by writing about adventures that would make Indiana Jones quake with fear. All of this is presented in a down-to-earth style that makes you wish you could hang out and drink a few beers with the guy.
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