No Beast So Fierce is the compelling tale of the cat’s fateful collision with a lone human challenger, certainly a trope with archetypal roots. But unlike many of its fictional prototypes, it attempts to deal evenhandedly with the inevitable showdown, in effect telling both sides of the story. That’s why this book succeeds. Author Dane Huckelbridge guides the reader through a wide-ranging excursion into history and jungle ecology. He also supplies rich detail on the social conditions informing the plight of tigers both then and now, and he colors in some chilling background concerning the formidable power of panthera tigris ... What turns this solitary creature into a stalker of human prey? Huckelbridge offers a rich and compelling explanation here, weaving in natural and political history, jungle ecology, and a discussion of sound land management.
Relying on period writings and on-the-ground interviews, Huckelbridge paints a vivid portrait of the forces that coalesced in British colonial India at the dawn of the 20th century ... Huckelbridge writes with authority and clarity, deftly weaving strands of economics, sociology and history, explaining how changes to a land and its people upset natural systems that had held for millennia ... No Beast So Fierce excels as an intelligent social history and a gripping tale of life and death in the Himalayan foothills.
... well-written, informative and at times thrilling ... The final confrontation between Corbett and the murderous tiger is as exciting in Mr. Huckelbridge’s account as it was in Corbett’s own memoir...
[A] fascinating tale ... This multilayered approach to what is, at heart, the account of Corbett’s long-term hunt for the famous man-eater elevates Huckelbridge’s book above the sensational 'true tale' to stand as a superb work of natural history.
Dane Huckelbridge presents an awesome recapitulation of the fearsome events surrounding this notorious [tiger] and the hunter who finally trails and shoots the dreaded animal. In detailing the exploits of this aberrant animal behavior, the author richly describes the milieu in which these cats survive, their habitat and the indigenous population’s regard for them ... The story is thrilling, bone-chilling, and hopefully, it will be transformed into a film for public awareness.
In No Beast so Fierce, Dane Huckelbridge tells the exciting true story of the extirpation of a man-eating tiger in colonial India in 1907 ... Huckelbridge allows himself some philosophical musing and imagined episodes which detract a bit from the veracity of his account, but overall No Beast So Fierce is an exciting read well worth your attention.
No Beast So Fierce is an intriguing read that deftly mixes suspense with backstory and the general psyche of the country during the years that the Champawat Tiger rose to infamy among all beasts.
Overwrought ... Intriguingly but somewhat clumsily, Huckelbridge joins the tale of the tiger to the history of colonialism and its extractive economies ... Such flourishes are unnecessary given the inherent drama of the story ... An overwritten narrative that will be of some interest to fans of apex predators.
Huckelbridge showcases his storytelling skills effectively ... The narrative’s dramatic impact is lessened by endemic speculation, including attributing thoughts to the animal itself. The facts require no such embellishment to hold the reader’s attention ... corroboration of many details is lacking ... Despite its flaws, this is a gripping page-turner that also conveys broader lessons about humanity’s relationship with nature.
