The Tiger

Reviews / Votes

An adventure so heart-thumping, it can feel like a spy thriller. An unbelievable tale, expertly told, with a few paragraphs that I would give my eye teeth to have written. Like its majestic and terrifying subject, John Vaillant's book moves with subtlety and grace, commands a vast terrain - and has the power to shake the observer's soul . . . What unfolds, in a richly layered story that partners cunning with sublimity, is a tragedy in several acts and with multiple dimensions . . . The Tiger also counts as a supreme example of true-crime writing driven by wide-angle empathy and compassion. Some readers may choose to shelve it, not among cosy wildlife yarns, but with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent * A tale with memorable characters, a beautifully described setting and moments of startling drama . . . Vaillant's research is matched by the elegance of his writing . . . Vaillant is able to empathise so fully with both human and animal protagonists that it is hard to believe he wasn't there . . . This is a remarkable story, exceptionally well told -- Tim Souster * Financial Times * This masterful account of the terror, death and grief caused by a man-eating Amur tiger in Russia in 1997 is as mesmerising, rangy and relentless as the creature in question. * Sunday Telegraph * Extraordinary . . . a brilliantly told tale of man and nature -- Tim Flannery * New York Review of Books * Few writers have taken such pains to understand their monsters, and few depict them in such arresting prose. * New York Times Book Review * Compelling . . . a superb book - hyper-intelligent, wonderfully well-written, with a great cast, both human and animal, and at its heart, the amazing and truly chilling story of one tiger's winter campaign of murderous revenge -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail * The structure of Vaillant's nonfiction hunting tale echoes that of Moby Dick, alternating a gripping chase narrative -- the search, in the late 1990s, for a man-eating Amur tiger in the Primorye region, on Russia's far eastern border -- with dense explanations of the culture and ecology surrounding the chase. * New York Times * This is an altogether different kind of manhunt story . . . . The pursuit culminates in a breathtaking stand-off of man versus cat in a forest clearing - a denouement every bit as explosive and surprising as the raid in Abbottabad earlier this week. -- Hampton Sides * Wall Street Journal * Riveting * Washington Post * By all means read Vaillant's magnificent book about the animal: The Tiger offers readers a shiver-inducing portrait of a predator that has been revered - and feared - like no other animal. * San Francisco Chronicle * Brad Pitt has bought the movie rights to The Tiger, but with all due respect to Mr. Pitt, there's no way the movie will match Mr. Vaillant's book. * Washington Times * An affectionate account * TLS * The Tiger is the sort of book I very much like and rarely find. Humans are hard-wired to fear tigers, so this book will attract intense interest. -- Annie Proulx, Puliter Prize-winning author of THE SHIPPING NEWS The Tiger takes us on a journey to the raw edge of civilization, to a world of vengeful cats and venal men, a world that, in Vaillant's brilliant telling, is simultaneously haunting and enchanting. -- Hampton Sides, author of GHOST SOLDIERS This book must be read by everybody who is interested in the conservation of wildlife. It takes you to the Russian wilderness to meet face-to-face with the Siberian tiger. -- Temple Grandin, author of ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION An absolutely superb book. -- George Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society & Panthera A masterpiece * Outside * Brilliant * US Library Journal * An instant classic * Calgary Herald * Astoundingly gripping * Toronto Star * Read this fine, true book in the warmth, beside the flicker of firelight. Read it and be afraid. Be very afraid. -- Simon Winchester * Globe and Mail * Breathtakingly exciting * Vancouver Sun * A hair-raising tale in which conservation, madness and even murder collide. * Montreal Gazette * Fascinating and compelling plot * Ottawa Citizen * Not so incidentally, if ever a nonfiction author has used the techniques of fiction any better to recount a real-life narrative, it is difficult to imagine who that author would be. * Seattle Times * Part natural history, part Russian history and part thriller; it tells a gripping and gory story of what it's like to stalk - and be stalked by - the largest species of cat still walking the Earth. * National Public Radio (USA) * John Vaillant is a literary shaman. * Quill & Quire * Enthralling * Christian Science Monitor * An extraordinary account of a tracker on the trail of a Siberian man-eating tiger in 1997. Along the way we get a load of tiger facts and a beautiful portrait of a forbidding region. It is a stunning, lovely, lovely book. * Bookseller * Writing in a vigorous, evocative style . . . Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. * Publishers Weekly * An adventure so heart-thumping, it can feel like a spy thriller. An unbelievable tale, expertly told, with a few paragraphs that I would give my eye teeth to have written. Enriched by sparkling sidetracks into nature and history, this enthralling true-crime narrative takes us on a snowbound search not only for a beast but for a motive. Like its superb quarry, Vaillant's book moves with grace and stealth, covers a vast terrain and shakes the observer's soul * Independent * The structure of Vaillant's nonfiction hunting tale echoes that of Moby Dick, alternating a gripping chase narrative -- the search, in the late 1990s, for a man-eating Amur tiger in the Primorye region, on Russia's far eastern border -- with dense explanations of the culture and ecology surrounding the chase. * New York Times * This masterful account of the terror, death and grief caused by a man-eating Amur tiger in Russia in 1997 is as mesmerising, rangy and relentless as the creature in question. * Sunday Telegraph * This is an altogether different kind of manhunt story . . . . The pursuit culminates in a breathtaking stand-off of man versus cat in a forest clearing - a denouement every bit as explosive and surprising as the raid in Abbottabad earlier this week. * Wall Street Journal * Extraordinary . . . a brilliantly told tale of man and nature * New York Review of Books * The Tiger also counts as a supreme example of true-crime writing driven by wide-angle empathy and compassion. Some readers may choose to shelve it, not among cosy wildlife yarns, but with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. * Independent * A remarkable story, exceptionally well told. * Financial Times * Few writers have taken such pains to understand their monsters, and few depict them in such arresting prose. * New York Times Book Review * A superb book -- hyper-intelligent, wonderfully well-written, with a great cast, both human and animal, and at its heart, the amazing and truly chilling story of one tiger's winter campaign of murderous revenge. * Daily Mail * Riveting * Washington Post * By all means read Vaillant's magnificent book about the animal: The Tiger offers readers a shiver-inducing portrait of a predator that has been revered - and feared - like no other animal. * San Francisco Chronicle * Brad Pitt has bought the movie rights to The Tiger, but with all due respect to Mr. Pitt, there's no way the movie will match Mr. Vaillant's book. * Washington Times * An affectionate account * TLS * The Tiger is the sort of book I very much like and rarely find. Humans are hard-wired to fear tigers, so this book will attract intense interest. The Tiger takes us on a journey to the raw edge of civilization, to a world of vengeful cats and venal men, a world that, in Vaillant's brilliant telling, is simultaneously haunting and enchanting. This book must be read by everybody who is interested in the conservation of wildlife. It takes you to the Russian wilderness to meet face-to-face with the Siberian tiger. An absolutely superb book. A masterpiece * Outside * Brilliant * US Library Journal * An instant classic * Calgary Herald * Astoundingly gripping * Toronto Star * Read this fine, true book in the warmth, beside the flicker of firelight. Read it and be afraid. Be very afraid. * Globe and Mail * Breathtakingly exciting * Vancouver Sun * A hair-raising tale in which conservation, madness and even murder collide. * Montreal Gazette * Fascinating and compelling plot * Ottawa Citizen * Not so incidentally, if ever a nonfiction author has used the techniques of fiction any better to recount a real-life narrative, it is difficult to imagine who that author would be. * Seattle Times * Part natural history, part Russian history and part thriller; it tells a gripping and gory story of what it's like to stalk - and be stalked by - the largest species of cat still walking the Earth. * National Public Radio (USA) * John Vaillant is a literary shaman. * Quill & Quire * Enthralling * Christian Science Monitor * An extraordinary account of a tracker on the trail of a Siberian man-eating tiger in 1997. Along the way we get a load of tiger facts and a beautiful portrait of a forbidding region. It is a stunning, lovely, lovely book. * Bookseller * Writing in a vigorous, evocative style . . . Vaillant paints a haunting portrait of man's vexed relationship with nature. * Publishers Weekly *