Last Chance to See
Feb. 17th, 2008 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreI'm often apprehensive about rereading books I remember liking a lot. All to often, they don't stand up well to my memories of enjoyment.
I'm pleased to say, however, that Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine is just as good as I remember it being. I pulled it off the stack of things to reread because I knew there was something there about Madagascar. And, indeed, there is something very useful to know, namely the proper pronounciation of Antananarivo. (You don't pronounce the first and last syllables, apparently, so it's more like "Tananarive.") But it was the description of a particular night in a guest house in an Indonesian village that struck me as a classic, complete with cockerels being confused about when dawn is, a sequence of dog fights, etc., which had me howling with both laughter and sympathy.
Adams had a good ear for absurdity. It worked as well for writing about endangered species as for writing fantasy. That made this a true pleasure, even the second time around.
I'm pleased to say, however, that Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine is just as good as I remember it being. I pulled it off the stack of things to reread because I knew there was something there about Madagascar. And, indeed, there is something very useful to know, namely the proper pronounciation of Antananarivo. (You don't pronounce the first and last syllables, apparently, so it's more like "Tananarive.") But it was the description of a particular night in a guest house in an Indonesian village that struck me as a classic, complete with cockerels being confused about when dawn is, a sequence of dog fights, etc., which had me howling with both laughter and sympathy.
Adams had a good ear for absurdity. It worked as well for writing about endangered species as for writing fantasy. That made this a true pleasure, even the second time around.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 05:57 pm (UTC)