Synopses & Reviews
Tim Flannery is one of the worlds most influential scientists, credited with discovering more species than Darwin. In Among the Islands Flannery recounts a series of expeditions he made at the dawn of his career to the strange tropical islands of the South Pacific, a great arc stretching nearly 4,000 miles from the postcard perfection of Polynesia to some of the largest, highest, ancient, and most rugged islands on earth.
Flannery was traveling in search of rare and undiscovered mammal species, but he found much more: wild, weird places where local taboos, foul weather, dense jungle, and sheer remoteness made for difficult and dramatic exploration. Among the Islands is full of fascinating creaturesmonkey faced bats, giant fats, gazelle-faced black wallabies, and moreand the adventure of discovery. This is an idea read for anyone who has ever imagined voyaging to the ends of the earth to uncover and study the rare and the wonderful.
Review
Praise for Among the IslandsFlannery is not just an internationally acclaimed zoologist; hes also an adventurer and storyteller who has discovered creatures no other human has seen. His latest record of exploration traces the beginnings of his career during the 1980s and takes him through more than a decade of study in remote islands of the South Pacific.
Flannerys writing is generous and exuberant. His enthusiasm is enough to infect even the least science-minded of readers
A breathtaking, informative tour of faraway lands.”Kirkus Reviews
"Tim Flannery is a crackerjack storyteller."-Publishers Weekly
Praise for Tim Flannery:
Absorbing, funny and wondrously learned.” Bill Bryson, on Chasing Kangaroos
[Flannery] makes anthropology, geology, biology, and physics not only readable, but also understandable and interesting.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch
In the league of the all-time great explorers like Dr. David Livingstone.”Sir David Attenborough
One of the world's leading writer-scientists and an internationally acclaimed explorer and environmentalist.”Australian of the Year Award
Flannery has a rare gift for bringing the macro down to the micro
Flannery can jolt you into understanding the significance of the humblest of critters.”On Earth Magazine
Think Indiana Jones crossed with Charles Darwin.” -Financial Times
Review
In [Flannerys] chest beats the wayfaring heart of a discoverer, and in this book, which details his colorful adventures among the flora and fauna of the South Pacific Islands, he reminds us that even right here on Earth, incredible things are waiting to be known.” -
Newsweek Flannerys account pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of South Pacific geological, natural, and cultural history with well-grounded knowledge as well as respect and wonder for the natural world. We are lucky to have such an exuberant explorer to illuminate the intricate network of life in the South Pacificand the perils and possibilities that life embodies on this precious planet we share.” -National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)
Part travel diary and part field notebook, Among the Islands is a rollicking good adventure-science readsomething like what youd get if Charles Darwin starred in an Indiana Jones flick.” -Audubon Magazine
"Flannery is not just an internationally acclaimed zoologist; hes also an adventurer and storyteller who has discovered creatures no other human has seen. His latest record of exploration traces the beginnings of his career during the 1980s and takes him through more than a decade of study in remote islands of the South Pacific.
Flannerys writing is generous and exuberant. His enthusiasm is enough to infect even the least science-minded of readers
A breathtaking, informative tour of faraway lands."Kirkus Reviews
"Tim Flannery is a crackerjack storyteller."Publishers Weekly
"Australian field zoologist and conservationist Flannery cements his reputation as a true descendant of the great nineteenth-century naturalists and explorers with this look back at his expeditions to southwest Pacific islands.
Flannerys prose is electric, aptly combining history, politics, and wide-eyed excitement as he recalls these experiences.
Among the Islands exemplifies the sort of writing that was once commonplace, when adventure meant contributing to our knowledge of the world. Absolutely fantastic in every sense of the word."Booklist (starred review)
A story told with Flannerys signature clarity and lively readability
. this is scientific adventure-writing at its finest.” -Open Letters Monthly