Rating: 
Summary: An uninteresting book about a seemingly exciting story
Review: "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo", a memoir written by Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson, is a first hand recollection of various hunting adventures during his temporary station in Africa. While he assisted in the construction of a bridge on the Uganda railway, he and his men were plagued for more than a year by two huge man-eating lions. His workers were slaughtered and dragged off nightly, (over 100 total) and it was up to him to stop them. WOW! This book is sure to be an adventure in itself, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Patterson was very successful in his attempt to depict what his adventures were like. The reader is left with the knowledge of all of Patterson's courageous experiences. However, it is blatantly obvious that Patterson is a hunter, not a writer. The book is merely a record of each day's events written in essay form. Facts are put forth one after another. Unlike other autobiographical works, this story reveals nothing about Patterson the man, only his endeavors. "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" is an excellent example of the expression "you can't judge a book by its cover." The title of the book is extremely misleading. "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" suggests that all 175 pages should tell the tale of the two beasts. The remaining 115 pages tell of his other - boring - hunting encounters. The reading of the book becomes a task, monotonous and tedious. The usual quality of a book that entices you to keep reading, because you don't know what to expect, is non-existent here. The titles of the eighth and ninth chapters, for example, are "The Death of the First Man-Eater" and "The Death of the Second Man-Eater" respectively. Hum, I wonder what will happen in these chapters? If you are a hunter or a history buff, this book gives an accurate account of the events at Tsavo and it is highly recommended. However, if you are like the rest of us in the world, and would prefer to read a heart-pounding, suspenseful thriller, steer clear; you will be greatly disappointed. Instead consider reading "The Ghost in the Darkness", Dewey Gram's novelization of "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo", which provides less accurate but still more enjoyable reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: A fantastic, true story of real African adventure. I would have rather seen a movie based much closer to the book as the book is actually more unbelievable than the movie. Makes me wish I were back in camp on the Chobe river...
Rating: 
Summary: A little Dissappointing
Review: After reading Man Eaters of Kumaon and The Man-Eating Leapord of Rudraprayag by Jim Corbett this book was not nearly as exciting. It was still interesting but not the same nail biting bone chilling suspense and realism of the Corbett books.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book full of action and real african hunting
Review: Based on a real story,Colonnel Patterson bring to us a page turning book that will encourage our search for more knowledge about hunting,traveling and living in East africa since more than hundread years ago. Big game hunting and surviving are well exposed in this african adventure.A you must read book in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: A classic written by a man who had no experience of writing!
Review: Col J Patterson was a remarkable personality. He was a person who was asked to put a rail line through one of the most hostile places on earth. (Tsavo literally means : Slaughter House) The account of the various lions terrorising the railway workers is horrifying and very true. Having visited the area myself in this day and age it is remarkable that a person like Col Patterson managed to live thru that ordeal. The other thing ofcourse is that his lietrary talents are remarkable considering the fact that he had no prior book writing experience. A great, true, and mesmerising account of the horrors faced by the rail workers in East Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Monument to human incompetence and carelesness
Review: Didn't live up to the hype. The part with the 2 clever lions, which surely must have been the Einsteins of lions, is only about a third of the book but wisely the first part. The rest is certainly valid armchair geography/travel reading on East Africa and tribes which must have been valuable knowledge for the readers at the time of writing. The style is clear and factual and very neutral. The feeling is the author neither exaggerates nor downplays the events. You could call it typical military style of writing (describing events). An interesting thing is, that in spite of the incompetence of the author's most trusted and critical staff helpers he never fires or worse, kills them, which their merits or lack there of certainly could have earned them given the time an place (19th century colonnial Africa, the darkest place since medieval Europe). As en example, on a very critical time his helper carrying extra guns simply vanished as they were in front of the mighty and deadly beasts leving the authors grasping for a non-existing gun. At another point a helper carrying the necessary light to aim the lion likewise escaped up a tree leaving the author blined in front of the growling lion. None the less, he does not fire the staff or fire upon them. Amazing. Not surprisingly the barriers of thorny bushes the camps start to barricade with are not well made. The clever and determined lions either find weaknesses in it or simply jump across them. These are indeed to humongous lions well over 9 feet. To top off the incompetency, the entrance is not well sealed off at night but the lions at one time gets throug there. Astonishing was the fact that a crew on a certain scarry night with lions roaring in the bushes escapes to the main camp, but leavr a sick fellow alone in the unprotected tent. The author rushes out with a party to retrieve the loner, but alass he is already dead of the stress of fright. At another point the local law enforcement joins to assist in the hunt but proves utterly incompetent for any purpose. Situated in front of the lion at arms length enclosed in a cage separated by strong railroad bars the app. 4 riflemen hits anything but the lion in a shootout, and the lion escapes via the the damages to the construction the riflemen were doing. Furthermore the chief hands over his powerful rifle to the author, but sure enough the rifle is in so bad condition it misfires in front of the hunted lion due to wear or poor craftmansship. Surely the chief of police could have informed of the poor state of the rifle. Another folly of the time (not least the authors carelessness) is the homemade ammonition exploding up his face while producing it. None the less, he resumes fabrication in same manner when his eyesight was restored. This was apparently before protective eyeglasses (and brains) were invented. The reader will also be amazed over the careless housing of the workers sleeping in bare tents or under the open sky until the lions start roaming. Even after they maneaters star fouraging, people still sleep out as soon as there is a break in the lions local roaming for a few days or weeks. No wonder they could devour app. 28 counted Indians workers and app. 100 native Africans the company doesn't even report or count. Still the same, the author's courage and plight in hunting the lions personally (in spite being in charge of an important railroad construction) is astonishing and he surely must have been the bravest man around, you could call him non-virtual Tarzan (Protected trademark of Disney Co.)
Rating: 
Summary: Much ado about nothing
Review: Even though the experience of hunting some of the most fierce maneaters in the world is awe inspiring, Patterson's poor writing skills makes you lose all interest in it. This book has been incorrectly titled. It should've been 'Patterson's African Adventure'. Hunting the man-eaters is just part of it. You would've finished reading about it even before you reach the halfway mark. If you're looking for a bone-chilling, nail-biting man-eater hunting adventure, this is definitely not the book. Get this book only if you want to read about some bloke's adventure (misadventures in most cases) in africa. Even then I wouldn't recommend it unless you are absolutely desparate.
Rating:
Summary: Editor Capstick Needs Correcting
Review: Everyone knows the lion story by now, and the book is historically accurate for the day. However, Peter Capstick, the Africa series editor, does the reader as well as the country of Kenya a grave disservice by claiming in his preface that the Tsavo bridge "was blown to atoms by the Germans". It was not. The Tsavo bridge is still there, every carved by hand stone that was placed there at the time by the laborers is still there and the train still goes over the bridge every day on its way to the coast.
Rating:
Summary: Proof that truth is more interesting than fiction.
Review: Having first read Peter Capstick's recount of Patterson's tale in "Death in the Long Grass" and then seen the movie "Ghost and the Darkness" I approached "Man Eaters" with something like boredom. 'OK', I thought, 'read this and confirm what you already know.' Boy was I wrong! Patterson's words came to life with a harsh, punch-in-the-nose reality that fiction writers seldom match. He truly makes you feel what it must have been like to take up your rifle and walk out into the darkness night after night knowing that there was unspeakable horror out there. Patterson's self-deprecating, matter of fact style almost makes you forget the awesome courage he displayed week in, week out until the man-eaters were destroyed. He was a clumsy hunter and it is miraculous he survived, but a magnificently brave man and I'm glad he lived to tell the tale. Read this book and watch the fiction pale by comparison.
Rating:
Summary: A book of every season.
Review: I first read this book as a child in '78 but its still fresh in my mind. Col. Patterson's indomitable spirits in the face of desperation has been a source of inspiration for me all my life. Every child should read this book.
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