Rating: 
Summary: Out of Africa
Review: Mark Ross gives an excellent account of his career as a safari guide in modern Africa. The stories of his encounters with dangerous wildlife are interesting, but more entertaining are his stories of experiences with various types of clients he has guided. I have always wanted to visit Africa, and plan to as finances and the political climate permit, but for now books such as this help fill the void. Mark Ross is one of the finest writers of these so called adventure books. As you can see from the other reviews, the worst encounter Mark Ross faced is when he and several of his clients were kidnapped by a rebel army while attempting to see Mountain Gorillas. The story of his and some of his clients ultimate escape is both frightening and exhilirating. One should not focus only on the kidnapping event, as the rest of the book is equally informative and entertaining. This is truly a fine book of true life adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Out of Africa
Review: Mark Ross gives an excellent account of his career as a safari guide in modern Africa. The stories of his encounters with dangerous wildlife are interesting, but more entertaining are his stories of experiences with various types of clients he has guided. I have always wanted to visit Africa, and plan to as finances and the political climate permit, but for now books such as this help fill the void. Mark Ross is one of the finest writers of these so called adventure books. As you can see from the other reviews, the worst encounter Mark Ross faced is when he and several of his clients were kidnapped by a rebel army while attempting to see Mountain Gorillas. The story of his and some of his clients ultimate escape is both frightening and exhilirating. One should not focus only on the kidnapping event, as the rest of the book is equally informative and entertaining. This is truly a fine book of true life adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Wanted: Those who crave adventure!
Review: Ohio is about as far away as you can get from the adventure and danger of Africa but reading Mark Ross' book I could feel the heat,hear the sounds,see the animals, and experience the terror of the kidnapping and murders of some of his group. I literally could not put this book down. The stories of all the animals were so varied and detailed. I learned alot about the behavior of creatures we usually only see in zoos. Reading about the attack and kidnapping of the tourists kept me awake the night I read about it--it is like a horror movie, the ultimate vacation-gone-wrong. The only complaint I had about this book: I wish there were more pictures! Look for the one of Mr. Ross scratching the chin of a very large kitty--a cheetah!
Rating:
Summary: Sawa Sawa
Review: On January 20th, 2003 a 10 ton elephant gave chase to our Range Rover in Samburu National Park. In the days that followed I photographed rhino as I lay motionless in the grass 10 feet from the endangered animals, witnessed the birth of 3 wildebeest and the death, the same day, of 7 calves who dared venture too close to a pride of Lions in the Serengeti. Mark Ross,the author of Dangerous Beauty, was our guide, and it is hard to imagine a person more knowledgeable and passionate about the flora and fauna of Eastern Africa than him. While the book documents the depths to which man can sink, it is also a testimony to a continent and a people in grave danger from AIDS, poverty, poaching and war. Marks love of the people and wildlife of East Africa is apparent on every page.
Rating:
Summary: Dangerous Beauty
Review: Ross writes in the crusty, venerable tradition of explorers, game guides and great white hunters that includes Hemingway and Peter Capstick. Such firsthand reporting on "the Dark Continent" has been made anachronistic by eco-politics and excellent documentaries. Nonetheless, this American farm boy revels in the realization of his African-adventure dream: an eco-tour business operating mostly in Kenya and Uganda. Ross leads clients around preserves into camera range of hunting lions and charging buffalo (he targets the African hunter's "Big Five," including leopards, rhinos and elephants). These campfire tales of dramatic approaches on game are told as moment-by-moment stalk scripts that often defy Ross's own narrative powers. His in-the-dust reporting style isn't as elegant as his tracking skills. The punchy Wild Kingdom-style sermons at the end of many chapters detract from Ross's quite capable narration of the dangers of travel in Africa. Moreover, the continent's transcendent beauty isn't particularly well served: these unillustrated accounts often cry out for photographs. In 1999, tragedy interrupted Ross's affair with East Africa: his safari party was kidnapped in Uganda's mountain gorilla preserve. Two of his eight clients were murdered by Rwandan rebels who escaped into Congo. Ross was left with a sharp sense of responsibility that he cannot reconcile with his "Endless Safari" scenario. Sadly, his absorption in spectacular wildlife and noble tribesmen distracted him from the actual Africa boiling around him. Ross's romanticization may well ignite some farm kid's dreams, but Adelino Serras Pires and Fiona Claire Capstick's The Winds of Havoc features better writing in the same vein. First serial rights bought by Talk magazine.
Rating:
Summary: Dangerous Beauty
Review: Ross writes in the crusty, venerable tradition of explorers, game guides and great white hunters that includes Hemingway and Peter Capstick. Such firsthand reporting on "the Dark Continent" has been made anachronistic by eco-politics and excellent documentaries. Nonetheless, this American farm boy revels in the realization of his African-adventure dream: an eco-tour business operating mostly in Kenya and Uganda. Ross leads clients around preserves into camera range of hunting lions and charging buffalo (he targets the African hunter's "Big Five," including leopards, rhinos and elephants). These campfire tales of dramatic approaches on game are told as moment-by-moment stalk scripts that often defy Ross's own narrative powers. His in-the-dust reporting style isn't as elegant as his tracking skills. The punchy Wild Kingdom-style sermons at the end of many chapters detract from Ross's quite capable narration of the dangers of travel in Africa. Moreover, the continent's transcendent beauty isn't particularly well served: these unillustrated accounts often cry out for photographs. In 1999, tragedy interrupted Ross's affair with East Africa: his safari party was kidnapped in Uganda's mountain gorilla preserve. Two of his eight clients were murdered by Rwandan rebels who escaped into Congo. Ross was left with a sharp sense of responsibility that he cannot reconcile with his "Endless Safari" scenario. Sadly, his absorption in spectacular wildlife and noble tribesmen distracted him from the actual Africa boiling around him. Ross's romanticization may well ignite some farm kid's dreams, but Adelino Serras Pires and Fiona Claire Capstick's The Winds of Havoc features better writing in the same vein. First serial rights bought by Talk magazine.
Rating: 
Summary: Animal Predators, Their Young, and Humans as Prey
Review: The author, Mark Ross, has lived in Kenya for over 20 years. For the last 15 years, he has been a full-time safari guide and pilot taking small groups on very up-scale and up-close looks at the famous predators of Africa and rare animals like the mountain gorillas. I picked up this book because so many people had told me how much they had enjoyed photographic safaris to Africa. My wife is always asking me how safe I think it is. The title and subtitle of this book made me think that I might get a more objective view. Before long, my spine was tingling and my hair was standing on end. The dangers of safaris are more than you thought! The book begins with the story of Mr. Ross escorting four people through a series of parks. Mr. Ross had arranged for special permission to take his group two days in a row to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda. The first day had gone well, and they were excited about the next day. Then on March 1, 1999, he and his safari group were among 31 people captured by Rwandan forces on an illegal incursion into Uganda looking for Tutsis to kill. Before the day was over, 16 were kidnapped and 10 died. If scenes of violent death upset you, this book is probably not a good choice for you. Mr. Ross reports still having great trouble sleeping after this experience. The extreme part of the story is at the end of the book, so you could read up to that point and miss the worst. The bulk of the book is taken up with recounting stories about individual safari experiences. Mr. Ross and most of his tourists are interested in seeing the African predators make and eat their kills. So you will hear about various ways that lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, and crocodiles accomplish this. On the other hand, everyone is charmed to see babies of the predators, and the book is filled with stories where the safari groups have close encounters of this sort. Sometimes the tourists want to get close for a photograph, and Mr. Ross will use his best judgment to see if that's a good idea. When things go wrong, Mr. Ross and the tourists sometimes find themselves being chased by rampaging animals including elephants. Suddenly, they are the potential prey! The book contains quite a lot of information about what can be seen in the various parts of East Africa, and what the conditions are like. You also get information about what it is like to be on a very exclusive safari of the sort that you may not be able to afford yourself. My take-away is that there is a lot of danger if you go into areas near war zones, or places where tribal violence is active, or you do a lot of walking around outside of your Land Rover. Now, I think I understand why many friends have said that they prefer to go to the game parks in South Africa. Many of those issues should be less prevalent there. On the other hand, I'm not sure how fascinated I am with seeing predators kill . . . and I know I'm not very good with a camera. Perhaps safaris aren't the thing for me after all. Where in your life may there be hidden danger? Are you prepared for it? "In Africa, death in an encounter with an animal is almost always the result of human error, if not folly." I also noted that Mr. Ross was badly injured as a young man in a train derailment while touring Africa. Human error can occur in many ways. Take a balanced view of the opportunity to learn and take risks!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent adventure story
Review: This is a collection of many of the adventures the author has had while guiding clients around East Africa. The stories do a good job of capturing the life and death struggle in one the last remaining truly wild places in the world. The chapters concerning his stint as a war photographer in Uganda and the murders in the forests in Uganda provide a chilling reminder of what is really going on in Africa.
The book was great, it read well and the stories were excellent. I highly recommend this book to anybody with even a passing interest in African wildlife or Africa in general. The chapters that don't deal with the wildlife serve to remind people that despite the undeniable natural beauty of Africa it is a dangerous place.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!!!
Review: What a surprise. I had no idea that I would get so much enjoyment out of this book. I heard about the book on a morning talk show and thought it might be interesting. I could not put this book down. I found myself laughing out loud at some points and in almost tears at other times. I would love to sit down and talk to M. Ross. What a great person he must be. Everyone interested in the nature of people and animal should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: MORE THAN A SAFARI...FOR SURE!
Review: WOW! A well written story filled with a lot of surprises; a can't put down book which is the best kind. While reading this story one truly appreciates the flora and fauna and better understands "the law of the jungle." The adventures are certainly interesting, however, you come across a zinger three quarters of the way through the book that keeps you spellbound and far removed from a safari. Thank goodness the author lived through the ordeal, and you will not be disappointed reading this fine story well told.
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