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Summary: Douglas Adams--In the Real World!
Review: This book is pure Douglas Adams--totally hilarious with a bit of political commentary. But, unlike his sci-fi, it is about real stuff. Specifically, about amazing, highly endangered animals, the people around them and places where they live.
The imagery is great: consider the Komodo dragon slowing swallowing a live chicken one had been traveling with in an open boat which one had been intending to eat oneself; or the day-long effort to buy a condom in 1980's Beijing--desperately needed for a purely technical purpose I will leave to your imagination.
This is among the funniest, most poignant, and most culturally interesting books I have ever read.
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Summary: Beautiful, Sad... witty yet regretful
Review: A race to document a dying species... Adams' wit and humor make an enjoyable read out of what could only otherwise be called a depressing topic. Still, through Adams' intelligent yet non-zoological eyes, we are shown areas of the world we will otherwise never see. The portrayal of the Kimono dragons, early in the book, is a shocking representation of what a a majestic reptile has been reduced to, and at the same time a morbid reminder of how wretched humans can be. Yet, due to Adams' skill we are able to feel his wonder and his fascination. We are able to get past the uncomfortable aspects of animal extinction, so that we can look it square in the eye and learn from it.As much value on a humanitarian, ecological and zoological level as on a literary one. Adams' himself calls it his most prized and significant writing (I'm paraphrasing, read "Salmon of Doubt" to get his words). I'd give it three thumbs up, but I only have two.
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Summary: Engaging narration of endangered species & their protectors
Review: Adams narrates his adventures travelling the globe with an experienced Zoologist, Carwardine, to see first hand the plight of several seriously endangered species. `Seriously'? Well, as he points out in his `rare or medium rare' chapter, one ecologist might panic about there only being hundreds of one species left - but that's the dream of another ecologist working to save a species with only fifteen: `Hundreds is common'.
I suppose there's some level of compassion-fatigue with endangered species - I was not surprised at the content of most of this book, much as I'm a little dismayed that I'm not more dismayed (if you know what I mean).
Adams, as you might have picked up if you've read any of his books, isn't too bad at this writing thingy, and the prose is engaging, amusing and occasionally insightful. Adams is good company, he's not preachy or condescending, doesn't claim to have all the answers, and describes what he sees without forcing it into some brutal agenda.
To be honest, my greatest pleasure in the book was not being informed - I'm sure you could find out this and more detailed information from other sources - it was in being informed by this particular narrator. I particularly enjoyed his presentation of some of the wonderful boffins in the field, particularly the Australian poisons expert - hilarious. Towards the latter part of the book I found some of these portraits more obviously contrived (and somehow the birds failed to interest as much as the earlier beasts).
That being said, there's enough fascinating people, places and fauna throughout - plus Adams' quirky perspectives, friendly company, consistent wit and occasional comic triumphs to recommend the read.
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Summary: Explaining a tragic situation - the Douglas Adams way
Review: Adams used his extraordinary narrative abilities to describe - in language at once humorous and brutally forthright - not only the endangered creatures he was looking for but how they became endangered. You'll feel an urgency to act while there is still time.
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Summary: A Wonderful Surprise
Review: Although I'm a huge Douglas Adams fan, I didn't touch his 1990 book "Last Chance To See" for 14 years because it wasn't a "proper" Adams novel. This isn't a fictional, funny book about the exploits of Arthur Dent & friends as they roam throughout the galaxy, or a fictional, funny book about the exploits of detective Dirk Gently. Instead, "Last Chance To See" is a non-fictional travelogue book that Adams co-wrote with zoologist Mark Carwardine, chronicling their year-long trek around the world in search of endangered species. While I appreciated what Adams was trying to do with this book, I just didn't care to read it. Now, 14 years later, I realise what an ignorant fool I'd been. "Last Chance To See" is a wonderful, funny, *important* book, and Adams has written it with the same wit & flair that he used for his best "Hitchhiker's" and "Dirk Gently" books. It is also very powerful and sad at times, in it's depiction of the grave circumstances that many of these endangered animals are in. But Adams never jumps on a soapbox and he doesn't lecture. He simply tells you of his travels and he gives you his very clever insights about these very precious animals and their situations, while mixing in some very good information & quotes about these creatures supplied by Carwardine (who also wrote the book's epilogue). And the travels of these two men is very funny at times, such as their problems at an African airport, Adams' battle with mosquitos, their search for condoms in China (though NOT for the reason you think), and the hilarious, hair-raising episode with a reckless Land Rover driver. And all the while, the reader learns about the plight of such animals as the Komodo dragon, the Kakapo, the blind river dolphins of China, the white rhino, and the silverback gorilla (and excellent photos of each are also included). And although Adams never preaches, he succeeds in making the reader aware---and saddened---of how thoughtless the human race has been in the past in the treatment of these animals. And finally, Adams concludes the book with a very powerful story he heard when he was young about the 12 books of knowledge that puts the whole thing in perspective.Whether you're a Douglas Adams fan, or simply interested in endangered species, this book is an absolutely essential purchase. Sorry, Douglas, that it took me so long to get to it! But I'm very glad that I finally read it. "Last Chance To See" is a funny, touching, thought-provoking book.
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Summary: Excellent mix of fact and humor
Review: Douglas Adams brings the dreadful statistics to life with humor and an approach that makes it easier to understand why people care - and what we can do. Even if you don't care about extinctions, this is a good read.
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Summary: A hitchhiker's guide to the animal kingdom
Review: Douglas Adams' sense of humour is so strong, it could inject a bucketful of laughs into an obituary. Needless to say I wasn't surprised when this book, his elegy for endangered species, turned out to have a welcome balance between laughter and melancholy. Adams is joined by zoologist Mark Carwardine, as they use their last chance to see a variety of animals on the brink of extinction, such as the Komodo Dragon, the White Rhinos of Zaire, New Zealand kakapos, and Yangtze river dolphins. Adams, amateur wildlife lover, is wise enough to know the purpose of his journey: to shine some of the glare from his celebrity as a "science-fiction comedy novelist" on the issue of global extinction. He does wisely not to downplay the plight of these animals in the favour of commerciality, but manages to produce an entertaining work nonetheless. Carwardine, and the other people we encounter, sometimes come off as little more than characters in a Douglas Adams novel. I am hesitant to believe that everyone he encounters has the same dry, deadpanned British sense of humour. Nonetheless, the characters' eccentricities further shed light on the kinds of people who are willing to undertake the monumental task of saving these beautiful beasts. It is not work for the dispassionate. "The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong," he notes at one point, "is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along." Which brings up the second theme he hopes to illustrate here. Humans are dumb. No, that's too simple. Humans are egotistical, selfish, wasteful, materialistic, impudent, and dumb. The single, overwhelming reason why most of these animals must fight for their survival is the sheer audacity humans have in moving into their natural habitat, and upsetting the balance of nature. Adams has no time for individual moments of human idiocy, best exemplified by his wonderful line skewering young Yemeni men who insist on wearing rhino tusk costume jewelry: "How do you persuade [them] that a rhino horn dagger is not a symbol of your manhood but a signal of the fact that you need such a symbol?" His exasperation is evident in this and other such pearls of prose. I admit that I read this book more for Adams himself than for the subject matter. It is a credit to the author that by the end, I felt some sense of emotional investment in the animals, without the bitter feelings that usually emanate whenever I am subject to an overt tug at my heartstrings. Adams walks that fine line quite well.
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Summary: A Surprising book from an unusual author
Review: For an author who specialized in writing odd, strange, and bizarre science fiction, this book was a real surprise. A very good one. He brings his bizarre sense of humor into a very dry subject, and makes it more real. Makes it more approachable, easily understandable, even for those who might not be interested in the topic.
Although it's sad, knowing that the Baiji dolphin pictured in the book has now passed away, and that a dam was built on that river, destroying that species' habitat, such as it was. It's like watching a very bad part of history happen in front of your eyes, knowing a friend has passed away. That's how approachable this book makes the topic.
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Summary: Douglas Adams best book......And it still holds up well
Review: I have not read all 147+ reviews of this book, but I am sure that at least one other person has mentioned that this book was Mr. Adams's favorite of all his books. Anyone who enjoys (even vaguely) The Hitchhiker's Guide series will see why Adams was so proud of this book. This is much more than a book on ecology. This is not a book on how awful humans are, and if the reader had one shred of social conscious, the reader would immediately do him/herself if for the good of the planet. In writing this book, Mr. Adams knew that there were already forests of trees chopped up for numerous retelling of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." Mr. Adams, then, needed to produce the book on ecology one would expect from a science fiction comedy writer. And he does. "Last Chance to See" reads like an adventure story of Douglas the city kid, heading out into the wild to look at animals that are on the brink of extinction, and the efforts and personalities of the few who are trying to prevent that extinction. See Douglas Adams lose his mind while his small helicopter flies within inches of sheer faces. Listen to Douglas Adams explain why he doesn't care for birds in general, but feels a special affinity for birds that can't fly (It all relates back an emu running lose in a zoo. Adams stared the emu in its eye, and realized the strain of not flying made it "barking mad"). Empathize with Adams in 1988 Beijing (when western tourists were still a novelty), trying to explain to clerks who do not quite speak english that he wants to buy condoms (I am not making that up). If you have ever enjoyed anything by Douglas Adams, you will not be disappointed by this book--But you will once again be heartbroken that such a fun and gifted author died so young.
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Summary: Douglas' world tour visiting endangered species
Review: LAST CHANCE TO SEE is probably the book Douglas Adams was proudest of.
If possible, I recommend that the reader not only acquire a copy of the book with its photographs, but also an audio recording of Douglas narrating the text. His writing works best when read aloud by him, I think. The origins of the book are discussed in the first essay, "Twig Technology" (see below).
The text (apart from "Mark's Epilogue", see below) is written in first person by Douglas throughout, an autobiography of his travels in Mark's company under the aegis of the BBC. (If anyone out there can get hold of recordings of the original BBC broadcasts - I envy you.)
"Preface" explains the dedication (to the photographer on the first trip) and also who the coauthor is. "Mark did the tough bits. He did all the preparation and organisation and research involved in mounting the trips, and also taught me most of the small amount I now know about zoology, ecology, and conservation work. All I had to do was turn up with a suitcase and try to remember what happened for long enough to write it all down."
"Twig Technology" is the tale of the monkey-descendants' journey to Madagascar, the last monkey-free refuge for lemurs on Earth, when the OBSERVER COLOUR MAGAZINE sent Douglas along as the "extremely ignorant non-zoologist" who would basically translate the experience of looking for aye-ayes - the then-rarest of the lemurs, with Mark, the expert. Douglas' question, "I've just got a couple of novels to write, but, er, what are you doing in 1988?" led to the rest of the journeys in this book, taking advantage of 'the last chance to see' the other endangered species discussed in the book.
Incidentally, the "couple of novels to write" that delayed Douglas' joining Mark for the trip in 1988 should explain the Mauritius scene in DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY.
"Here Be Chickens" - as well as, of course, Komodo dragons. (The whole incident of the "stuffed" dragon making off with the live chickens was recorded by the BBC, I believe, but the actual live recording isn't included on Douglas' abridged reading of the book, more's the pity. He just includes his version, which is quite entertaining as it is.)
"Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat" is part of a description of an official photo of the president of Zaire (as it was known then), and is offered as a Clue (TM) as to why the wildlife of Zaire is endangered, together with the description of the various government officials going to work on Douglas. "Like most colonies, Zaire had imposed on it a stifling bureaucracy, the sole function of which was to defer decisions upward to its colonial masters. Local officials rarely had the power to do things, only to prevent them from being done until bribed."
The specific species dealt with are the silverback mountain gorillas, who live near the Rwandan border, and northern white rhinos. Some of the good stuff includes the mountain guides ("magnificently smooth characters" with a lot of tales about being ex-commandos, shooting poachers, and so on), German students (referred to as "Latvian" because German jokes are too easy)
"Heartbeats in the Night" - the mating call of the kakapo, the rarest and weirdest of the rather eccentric lot of flightless birds in New Zealand.
"Blind Panic", the duo's trip to China to see the Yangtze river dolphin, isn't included on the abridged audio recording.
"Rare, or Medium Rare?" the grand finale on Mauritius, picking up with more birds and endangered plants. The most famous of Mauritius' birds - the dodo - is also included.
"Mark's Epilogue" - was this really the last chance to see these animals? - isn't included on the abridged audio recording.
"Sifting Through the Embers" is Douglas' version of the tale of the Sibylline books - all the knowledge and wisdom in the world that was destroyed piece by piece, with the surviving bits offered at a higher and higher price to those who turned out to need it.
As well as "Acknowledgements", the book concludes with "One More Chance...", which provides contact information for the various conservation organizations responsible for the species encountered during the authors' travels.
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