Being a fan of short stories, I enjoyed "On the River Styx." Matthiessen's exploration of social morality is gripping in it's complexity. Certainly worth while on the first reading and better still on the second, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy being lost in a good thought provoking story.

Peter Mattheissen ("The Tree Where Man was born," "At Play in the Fields of the Lord," "The Snow Leopard") takes the reader on a safari into the Selous, the grandest piece of truly wild real estate left in Africa. Along for the ride in western Tanzania is the last great warden of this famous park, a direct descendant, in a way, of Frederick Cortenay Selous himself, for whom the park is named. Matthiessen is low key, unpretentious, straightforward and fresh in his descriptions. Yet, as the safari moves deeper and deeper into the bush, one wonders, as one found in Matthiessen's classic "The Snow Leopard", whether we're really going to see any big animals after all. And whether or not Matthiessen and the crusty old game warden are going to resolve their apprehensions about each other. Suffice it to say that at no level is this fine book a disappointment, including the excellent photography of Hugo Van Lawick, who accompanied the private safari, driving his own Land Rover down from the Serengeti. If you ever thought you might like to take a walk in Africa, the old Africa, this is your book.

I truly enjoyed this read. It may help to listen to the audio cassette beforehand. I find Thoreau inspirational. Many times you step back and realize how beautiful all of life's intricacies are, how wonderful life truly is & how lucky we are. Thoreau has embraced every minute detail of natural life, as it was meant to be & has successfully captured it in print. I love the fact that each line is a "novel" in itself. I loved the book and listen to the audio cassette often. Buy it, buy it, buy it.

I read this book about every five years or so in
order to take inventory of my personal life. Soon
I find myself forgetting about DVD players and software
applications and begin to focus upon bringing
my life much more in tune with the harmonics of
nature. Thoreau has the ability to cut through the
messages of nonstop consummerism and force the reader to
evaluate the cutural norms of greed and individualism.
Why is it so hard to accept that man is of this planet
and we must learn how to balance our species goals and
desires with those of the other species of life which
inhabit this biosphere?

They can't appreciate this book due to the fact that they live in a world of pop trash. Im only 19 and I like it, it's one of the best books I've ever read (besides Waterland). No author describes images and scenery as well as Thoreau, at least that I've read, and his dislike for society is well argued. So, if you're one of those MTV-watching, mall loving, stylish-car- driving, conforming, TV junkies, or an educated uppity know-it-all than this book isn't for you.

My interest in this book was limited. Most of the book was very informational, and that did not captivate my interests at all. It was quite boring to say the least, though I was quite interested by the collar tracking devices and learning about the poaching and near distinction of Siberian tigers.
This book relates to my studies in school because of the genetics of tigers mentioned. "...gene flow among tigers has been so extensive until recent times that it is hard to isolate distinct genetic groups...since the mitochondrial DNA type of the island tigers is identical to that of the mainland forms...'genetic drift' a condition caused by random loss of genes...only a few skins and scraps from which DNA can be extracted have survived..." Although these examples of heredity and genetics are above my head, they touch upon the basics of what I learned about in Biology class.
I've never really heard about Siberian tigers before. I knew of them but not about them or at least not as much as I know after reading Tigers in the Snow. I wasn't familiar with the poaching or near extinction of Siberian tigers. It is sad how little we Americans know of the wildlife in other parts of the world. For instance, I have only seen tigers in the Zoo.
I learned a lot about the Siberian tiger species and what animals go through when they are facing loss of habitat and extinction. This book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to the people to save the tiger as well as any other endangered animal from extinction. I have learned that the tiger is making a slow comeback because the countries are keeping the poaching under control. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I now have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
However, this book jumped around a lot from place to place, and was somewhat hard to follow. I personally didn't enjoy the majority of the book, because it doesn't keep you interested and isn't very exciting to read. If you were researching tigers, then this would be a great book to read. But I wouldn't recommend it for a reader's enjoyment.
Overall this book has been very influential and an interesting read. It has changed my views on many issues, and tigers as a whole. This issue of the tiger population being depleted is a major issue in the world today; I believe that if the tiger population were removed from the world, the food chain would be distorted because the prey of the tiger would become overpopulated. Hopefully, the tiger population will be refreshed within the next decades so we won't have to find out what happens if the tiger population diminishes. In conclusion, Tigers In The Snow is a very informative read, and if you want to know in great detail about the world of the tiger, you should read this book.

...This book is about the studies and observations of the depleting tiger populations in Asia that was at one time thriving. This book is about Matthiessen's journey to Asia's Far East areas, and her studies of tigers there. Periodically through the book he also explains what people are doing to try and save this precious population of tigers.
This book relates to many of the things on both a biological and ecological level. On one side the things that we are doing to the environment are greatly harming the tiger populations, and even though this issue is beginning to look better, it may be to late. But on the other hand, the things that are done to harm to tigers also toy with the food chains and such. Although this book could be placed in both sections I believe that it would mostly end up under the biological context, because the main topic in this book is the depleting tiger population and how that is affecting other things.
This book jumped around a lot from place to place, and was very hard to follow, but the main points were very clear. Peter traveled to Asia and its tiger reserves to study the Tiger populations; while he was there they developed a new way of recording information about tigers with little trackers that they place on the tigers' neck. This helped them greatly in their study of these wild animals. Their first tiger to be caught and "tagged" was named Lena, this tiger lived throughout most of the book. After this they caught and tagged various tigers, but none were more talked about than Lena. During this book Peter explains the histories of all the tigers he explains, it is unbelievable how much prominence these creatures have in the mythical ring. He also explains the origins and evolution of the tigers that he encounters on his journey. In many spiritual tribes the Tiger was believed to be a God, and was a major sin to kill or harm one, and if one did harm a tiger there was to be a major price to pay. This book also stated that the tiger population as a whole is making a slow comeback into the world, this is because of better-enforced laws about poaching tigers. This book was very, very informative about tigers, and it showed not only the hard facts of tigers today, but also where the tiger's population has been and where it is headed.
I believe this work accurately represents the population of tigers and what is happening to them. In class we studied Biomes of the World and the issues of these specific biomes. In this book the issues of the biomes plays a major role in what happens to the tigers in Asia. Many of the problems that are reducing the tiger population of Asia, are also affecting the Biomes the same way. One of the main problems was humans in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were shooting tigers for a prophet because there was no law against it. They could make lots of money off this, but did not realize the damage it could do to the tiger population as a whole, or how it could affect the same tiger population in the future.
Overall this book has been very influential and a great read. It has changed my views on many issues, and tigers as a whole. This issue of the tiger population going down is a major issue in the whole scheme of things; I believe that if the tiger population were removed from the world, many things would start to go bad. Many other populations of animals that are related to the tiger in the food chains would be badly affected. Hopefully, the tiger population will be refreshed within the next decades so that we don't have to find out what happens if the tiger population diminishes...

The book that I chose to read was titled Tigers in the Snow, written by Peter Matthiessen. Tigers in the Snow was published by North Point Press, in 2000. It is 174 pages long. In this book the author takes us with him on a journey through Asia trying to save the tigers. He writes about his experiences in the Siberian Tiger Project, founded in 1989. Peter Matthiessen writes to show people how important tigers are in the world and how close we are to losing them. This book is very factual and detailed it gave me the true picture of the tiger's cultural history and how close we are to losing them forever.
This book is written from both an ecological and biological stance. Ecologically, he explains how tigers interact with other animals. They interact with the elk and other prey such as wild pig by hunting them. They indirectly interact with humans by hunting the same prey as human hunters do. They also interact with humans because human industries destroy the tiger's and its prey's habitat. Biologically, the book proves that tigers live a very strenuous life. At all times they are in danger of being hilled by poachers. Tiger's pray is very scarce making it hard for them to survive, especially ones with cubs. Their pray is so scarce because hunters over hunt tiger's main food sources which include large animals such as elk and wild pig. The number of human attacks by tigers increase along with the lack of prey. This is because the tiger will only attack a human if they are starving. Despite the tigers size and strength it fails in about 90% of its hunts.
This book discusses many aspects of the tiger. It addressed where they live, how many are left, and their hunting patterns. Tigers were once plentiful throughout Siberia, China, Korea, and South East Asia. Now, the 3,000 remaining wild tigers are mostly confined to small parks and reserves throughout the tiger world. Tigers are poached relentlessly for their fur and body parts which are often used for Asian folk medicines. Male tigers need large amounts of wooded territory. Several female tiger's territories often overlap a male's territory. Tigers have very unique hunting patterns. They use their excellent sight and hearing to hunt animals instead of their sense of smell like most carnivores do. Often times, they hide the carcass of their prey and return multiple times to eat. In order to convince governments that better tiger protection plans were needed scientists needed to extensively research the tiger. To do so the author, as a part of the Siberian Tiger Project, captured and radio collared the tigers. This way they could monitor movement and behavior without human influence. "From monitoring theses tigers-some for 7 years now- we know how much food they require, what they eat, how they react to human activities, and what makes for good tiger habitat," Matthiessen states in this book. He tells about his experiences studying the tigers. He traveled all around Asia to different reserves researching the tigers and their activities.
I think that this book has taught me a lot and that I can relate what I've learned to what we have discussed in class. It taught me about the tiger's niche in the environment, and we have studied niches of different organisms in class. I could also incorporate population studies into this book. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
What I learned about the tiger can be applied to other animals facing loss of habitat and extinction. The book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to us to save the tiger from extinction and that is true for all endangered animals....

This was the first of Mr. Matthiessen's works that I've read, and based on "Lost Man's River" it will be the last. A tale that might have been told in 100 pages -- if at all -- is dragged out far too long. The timelines are confusing, and verifiably inconsistent; the characters are unappealing to the last and completely predictable; and the story itself goes nowhere. You're told all you need to know on page 1 and the rest is overblown description and repetition. Obviously, I regret taking the time to read this book and can only recommend that other readers try something -- anything -- else.

Peter Mattiessen has written a snoozer of a book as a follow up to "Killing Mr. Watson." I purchased this book with enthusiasm and began reading it with keen anticipation and soon found myself bogged down in tedium as muggy and uncomfortable as any mosquito-infected hammock in the wilds of South Florida.

The author drags the reader, along with vaguely embodied Lucius, son of Mr. Watson, from one to another of complicated and excruciatingly boring genealogy lessons, painfully and pointlessly enumerating the complex web of family members, living and dead, of Mr. Watson, as well as the family members of Mr. Watson's alleged victims, members of families he married into, and the families of women upon whom he sired bastard children.

It reminds me of being in the company of a bunch of old men and women from my own rural background, who are sitting around tracing through and arguing over family history. "No, no, that wasn't a Jones he married, it was a Smith, that little Smith girl, Jessie, you know..." Ho-hum. It is bad enough to encounter this sort of boorishness from time to time in real life -- but to seek it out in fiction is a form of masochism which I hope most readers will not find appealling. Sorry, Peter, but you lost this reader this time. I'll never make it to the third novel in the string, "Bone by Bone." It was bad enough going through the life of the ultimately uninteresting Mr. Watson, body by body. "Killing Mr. Watson," was a good read. Digging up and scattering his bones was a big mistake.

In agreement with many of the other reviewers of this novel I agree the amount of characters and their lineages can be trying. However, when I manged to get even a slight idea of who was who things became much easier. I thought the novel filled in the gaps and questions left my "Killing Mr. Watson" with great clarity. Because of this I believe that the novel could not be fully appreciated without having previously read the first book of the trilogy. "Lost Man's River" made me formulate my own conclusions as to what actually happened and not until the very end did I find out what I had right and what I had wrong