Monster of God: the Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind.

Early hominids roaming the Saharan plain kept a constant lookout for saber-toothed tigers. Today, travelers through Yellowstone National Park have to be wary of grizzly bears. People have usually lived in fear of certain animals that view us as tasty prey. Quammen believes that this fear of "alpha predators," such as crocodiles and lions, is deeply grounded in our collective past and remains embedded in our minds. In the tradition of his book The Song of the Dodo, Quammen writes an eloquent ode to beasts that remind us that we don't sit unchallenged atop the food chain. Monster of God combines travel narrative with science, history myth, and adventure to examine the relationships people have had with Asiatic lions, brown bears, and Siberian tigers. With the advent of weaponry, population growth, and destruction of natural habitats, such predators are likely to meet their demise once and for all, Quammen predicts. He then considers the questions: How will ecosystems be altered? and, What will be the spiritual and psychological dimensions of these losses? Norton, 2003, 515 p., hardcover, $26.95.