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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.


Sawa Sawa   February 18, 2003
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.


Out of Africa   January 16, 2003
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.


Tiresome Tripe   September 4, 2002
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Definitely not worth its price. I kept waiting for the book to start, to inform me, to entertain me, to even tell me something which I already knew in a fresh manner or from an engaging perspective. I came away thoroughly disappointed. I would return the book in a flash if I could muster the energy.
Those interested in this genre would be much better served by anything written by Peter Hathaway Capstick or even the more recent ruminations of Philip Caputo in "Ghosts of Tsavo".

This book is not beautiful; it is silly and self-pitying.