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Outdoors & Nature |
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Hunted: A True Story of Survival
written by David Fletcher
Studio : Carroll & Graf Publishers
by Carroll & Graf Publishers
Publisher : Carroll & Graf Publishers
Released : 2002-05-10
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780786709984
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 23 reviews)
List Price : $24.00
Our Price : $4.14
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Book Description |
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David Fletcher knew better, but he had acted in a moment of panic and with his ice hammer had killed the young cub. A veteran mountaineer at the outset of a solo climb up Alaska’s Mount Hess, Fletcher realized that he took every next step in mortal danger, for the fiercely protective mothers of bear cubs never stray far from their young. And just the day before, he’d been warned never to underestimate the grizzly, because “they are mean, they are natural killers, and above all, they can think.” In this incredible true-life adventure Fletcher recounts with breathtaking immediacy not only his exhausting and exhilarating conquest of Mount Hess but also his battle with the giant grizzly bear—ten feet tall and weighing three tons, with paws wider than a strong man’s chest—that stalked, hunted, frequently outwitted, and, finally, on his descent, furiously attacked him. The hazards of the rugged Alaskan terrain, serial avalanches, and blinding polar snow storms pale in comparison to Fletcher’s elemental struggle with this vengeful grizzly. She cuts him off from his food supply. She repeatedly corners him. On one occasion, the long talons of her mammoth paws rake his climbing boots as he hangs from a rope only inches out of her reach. And continually she taunts him with a strange intimacy in a deadly game that they play out in ice tunnels, on glacial lakes, and in precipitous crevasses. Hunted is a book that takes you there—into the awesomely beautiful and perilous heart of the Alaskan interior—as David Fletcher unfolds the gripping, suspenseful tale that, remarkably, he has lived to tell. |
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What a story! |
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Very interesting story, but what poor writing skills. So, if you don't mind poor grammar this book sure is an interesting read. |
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Good thriller, but hard to believe |
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I don't know very much about bears or bear behavior, but fortunately I do have enough common sense (and it doesn't take much) to realize this guy is fudging on his "true story of survival." It was still a good suspense book though. |
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this book is not only ficticious; it's very bad fiction |
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First of all, the narrative is clumsy, but that can be excused in this sort of book. The larger problem is that the story is entirely unbelievable. My advice to Mr. Fletcher would be to do a little research before his next attempt to portray the figments of his imagination as non-fiction. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of bear behavior and biology will quickly recognize that this story is completely inplausible. My personal favorite was the account of the bear charging forward on its hind legs, "running as any man would do." I will not pass judgement on whether the climbing account is true, but if it is, I would invite Mr. Fletcher to kindly confine his adventures to Europe. American wilderness has no need of hikers who take delight in toppling rock formations and prying crystals from caves. If you must read this book, do yourself a favor and check it out from the local library. |
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Gripping, but real? |
I've been to Alaska a number of times, dropped off, almost everytime, just me and one other person, in the absolute wilderness. So the tale was gripping. I've always been fascinated by these big bears, coupled with a huge dose of respect.
I eagerly read every page--was totally enthralled. And I was impressed with certain aspects of the author's wilderness and mountaineering skills. But on a whole different level, I just had to wonder if it was real. He's such an outdoorsman, but makes such blundering errors.
Everyone knows, even if they've never ventured into the wilderness, that a she bear grizzly is ferocious when it comes to her cubs. Imagine killing a cub and surviving the fist 15 minutes. And instead of skidadling, you hike up a ridge, and the next morning roll boulders down the slope and announce to the world where you are. And imagine not looking over your shoulder every fifteen minutes. And imagine camping at the end of a box canyon, with not much escape. And imagine hearing a bear on the glacier and not putting two and two together. And imagine crawling down into a crevasse where you've made your base camp, smelling a bear, seeing that she's strewn the rock slide everywhere in her rage. Imagine slinking down into that hole. Oh, and by the way, you really don't starve in several days, so any degree of hunger would not drive me down that hole.
So, I did really, really, enjoy it. But there's alot that just doesn't make sense to me. I'd like to see a picture of the author, before and after, without and then with white hair. |
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A True Story? |
This is not so much a review as a comment/question.
I have, indeed, read the book, and I am troubled by some of the events and details described.
Fletcher describes the damage done to his backpack by the bear, and this, alone, is enough to make me doubt the non-fiction status of this book. A grizzly does, indeed, have large claws, but they are not particularly sharp, and would not leave five clean rips in the material as described. Nor would one of the claws puncture his boot unless the boot were pinned against some object.
I am very skeptical of the "facts" as recounted in this book. |
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