{"product_id":"owls-of-the-eastern-ice-9780141987262","title":"Owls of the Eastern Ice","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eNature Book of the Year 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePEN\/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Finalist for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Remarkable. If only every endangered species had a guardian angel as impassioned, courageous and pragmatic as Jonathan Slaght'' \u003c\/b\u003eIsabella Tree, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilding\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eGripping\u003c\/b\u003e''\u003cb\u003e Dave Goulson\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eA Sting in the Tale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrimorye, a remote forested region near to where Russia, China and North Korea meet in a tangle of barbed wire\u003ci\u003e,\u003c\/i\u003e is the only place where brown bears, tigers and leopards co-exist. It is also home to one of nature''s rarest birds, the Blakiston''s fish owl. A chance encounter with this huge, strange bird was to change wildlife researcher Jonathan C. Slaght''s life beyond measure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the story of Slaght''s quest to safeguard the elusive owl from extinction. During months-long journeys covering thousands of miles, he has pursued it through its forbidding territory. He has spent time with the Russians who struggle on in the harsh conditions of the taiga forest. And he has observed how Russia''s logging interests and evolving fortunes present new threats to the owl''s survival. Preserving its habitats will secure the forest for future generations, both animal and human - but can this battle be won? \u003cb\u003eExhilarating and clear-sighted, \u003ci\u003eOwls of the Eastern Ice\u003c\/i\u003e is an impassioned reflection on our relationship with the natural world and on what it means to devote one''s career to a single pursuit.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eSlaght makes the people, wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive\u003c\/b\u003e. I haven''t enjoyed a book on remote Russia as much as this since Ian Frazier''s \u003ci\u003eTravels in Siberia'' \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSophy Roberts, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eTrue epic\u003c\/b\u003e. Powerful, passionate'' Charles Foster, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeing a Beast\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSlaght has a rare gift for startling evocations of the natural world...\u003cb\u003eA refreshingly old-school, tautly strung adventure\u003c\/b\u003e -- Helen Macdonald * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExcellent\u003c\/b\u003e...The brutality of human habitation is counterpoised with the brutality of the natural world. The reader becomes, like the author, \"stunned by the quiet violence of this place.\" -- Clement Knox * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a tale of man's endurance, determination and perseverance in search of this elusive and beautiful creature ... wonderful -- Bill Bailey\u003cbr\u003eThe \u003cb\u003eremarkable story \u003c\/b\u003eof one man's heroic quest to save the astonishing fish owl. If only every endangered species had a guardian angel as\u003cb\u003e impassioned, courageous and pragmatic\u003c\/b\u003e as Jonathan Slaght. -- Isabella Tree, author of Wilding\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gripping account \u003c\/b\u003eof the author's obsessive quest to save one of the world's most magnificent birds. -- Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex and author of A Sting in the Tale\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA vivid dispatch from the front line of conservation\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Owls of the Eastern Ice\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eengrossing and uplifting\u003c\/b\u003e; an inspiring story of vital work undertaken with utter determination in wild and distant places. -- Horatio Clare, author of Orison for a Curlew\u003cbr\u003eSlaght's story reveals the patience and determination of a true conservationist. And the ears and eyes of a poet. Above all, he makes the people, wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive for armchair travellers. \u003cb\u003eI haven't enjoyed a book on remote Russia as much as this since Ian Frazier's \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTravels in Siberia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e -- Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrue epic\u003c\/b\u003e. A \u003cb\u003epowerful, passionate and highly readable\u003c\/b\u003e reflection on the wildness both inside us and out there in the forest. -- Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast\u003cbr\u003eA\u003cb\u003e fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e account of one man's quest to conserve the magnificent fish owl of Eastern Asia, this is a book that feels both \u003cb\u003eurgent and relevant\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Christopher Skaife, author of The Ravenmaster\u003cbr\u003eFrom the very first pages, Slaght grips readers with \u003cb\u003evivid language and tight storytelling\u003c\/b\u003e ... The cast of characters he brings to life - both human and avian - illuminate the delicate symbiosis of the natural world and shed a welcome light on the remarkable creatures that are too little known. \u003cb\u003eTop-notch nature writing in service of a magnificent, vulnerable creature\u003c\/b\u003e. * Kirkus *\u003cbr\u003eA\u003cb\u003e detailed and thrilling \u003c\/b\u003eaccount of efforts to conserve an endangered species. . . Slaght evinces humor, tirelessness, and dedication in relating the hard and crucial work of conservation. \u003cb\u003eReaders will be drawn to this exciting chronicle of science and adventure\u003c\/b\u003e, a demonstration that wilderness can still be found. * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003eA\u003cb\u003e thoroughly engaging \u003c\/b\u003eread which will appeal both to those specifically interested in owls, as well as those with a wider interest in the natural world. \u003cb\u003eWill make armchair and keyboard conservationists envious and uncomfortable in equal measures\u003c\/b\u003e -- John Gray, The International Owl Society\u003cbr\u003eThis is \u003cb\u003ean epic tale\u003c\/b\u003e of hangovers, violence and obsessive ornithology. It is a \u003cb\u003esuperb \u003c\/b\u003edepiction of a far-flung corner of the world where bears, tigers and men battle with relentless environment and each other. It is a \u003cb\u003epowerful \u003c\/b\u003eantidote to saccharine nature writing; Slaght encounters such a host of pickled gritty characters that you could imagine the Coen brothers adapting it for the screen. -- The Times Nature Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWonderful... If [COP26 organisers] picked it up in the jet-lagged early hours they might find their dreams haunted, as mine have been, by huge, endangered owls swooping low through their subconscious, reminding them what survival might mean\u003c\/p\u003e -- Tim Adams * Guardian *","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49369133646167,"sku":"9780141987262","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780141987262.jpg?v=1730128513","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/owls-of-the-eastern-ice-9780141987262","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}