Customer Reviews:
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 Not as happy when finished March 6, 2008
I have read another book by Cahill; Pecked to death by ducks, wich I found funnier and more positive, more upbeat. The stories in this particular book are longer and not as happy. There's more doom (the turtles, it's heartbreaking!). Although Cahill is a happy madman as ever and a good writer of stories like this, my own goal with reading this book was to have a few good laughs and a smile on my face when finished. But I wasn't smiling to much, after all those grim stories of what people are doing to their own environment. This is of course the hard thruth, but it was not what I was hoping for when bying this copy...
 "Cahill has perfected the art of the short travel essay" September 2, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
One of my favorites. Author of Pecked to Death By Ducks and A Wolverine is Eating My Leg, Cahill, a founder of Outside Magazine, has perfected the art of the short travel essay. There are man-eating sharks, dangerous cave diving, eating cheese in a yurt in Mongolia and all sorts of ridiculous first hand escapades all over the globe. He is brilliant and brilliantly funny. Perfect travel book to take along on a trip. If you want to learn how to write, read Cahill and pay close attention to his introductions and conclusions.
For the Vicarious Adventurer February 16, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Not just chills and thrills, but something to say as well September 12, 2002
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a well-written collection of essays by Cahill, subtitled "Adventure is a Risky Business," that succeeds best when Cahill is trying to make due with human nature rather than mother nature. Or, possibly, that's just where my interests lie. Even arm-chair tourists whose idea of "getting back to nature" is a stroll down the block can't help but envy Cahill as he is pushed in assignment after assignment in which he looks danger in the face and blows it a raspberry, and then falling on his face. Woah, that extended one metaphor to the breaking point, which Cahill tends to do at times as well. But don't think all is just chills and thrills here. There's some social commentary (some biting, some toothless), vivid description, outlandish occurrences, and breathtaking wonder. It may seem at times that you're reading a transcript for "NOVA," but is that so bad? Cahill's written two other volumes like this--A Wolverine is Eating My Leg and Pecked to Death by Ducks--which I plan to find and read, and that's probably recommendation enough for this volume.
Not as good as some of his others... December 3, 2001
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
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