“Walker writes with insight and compassion. . . . His intriguing conclusion is that the Songo and Lwimbi people of Angola have so venerated the giant sable antelope that concerted efforts were made to keep it alive, even in the midst of war. . . . A Certain Curve of Horn deserves to be ranked with Peter Mathiessen’s classic, The Snow Leopard. It underscores the sanctity of all life, a lesson as important for humanity’s survival as for the giant sable antelope’s.” —Ed Voves, The Philadelphia Inquirer“One of a writer’s hardest tasks is introducing his readers to a distant country few of them have ever seen and to a culture they have scarcely heard of. Walker succeeds in bringing the southwestern African country of Angola to wretched life in A Certain Curve of Horn. . . . Walker brings to life a time now largely past, when rich hunters roamed the world looking for trophies . . . . Walker’s tale of troubled Angola and its noble beast is worth a look.” —Anthony Day, The Los Angeles Times“A story of war, politics, conservation and the giant sable’s prospects.” —Dan Barber, The Dallas Morning News“Part Angolan history, part natural science, part analysis of the United States’ sorry role in the conflict, and part adventure tale.” —Mark Azzara, The Sunday Republican“Walker weaves an intriguing tale of Angolan history. . .while hoping to realize a boyhood dream of viewing a giant sable. . . . History, science, and adventure are joined in a most readable fashion.” —Joanne Ashton, Book Review“Like an Indiana Jones adventure, exotic locales, tangled politics, ethical quandaries and the occasional comic twist [jazz] up John Frederick Walker’s quest for the giant sable antelope.” —Anita Srikameswaran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“A Certain Curve of Horn is the best nature-related book I have read for a long time. It is the gripping tale of one of Africa’s most symbolic and noblest animals, caught up in Angola’s long spiral of violence. Walker fuses colonial and contemporary history with his own thrilling adventures into the African bush, to deliver a book that encapsulates like no other, nature’s struggle in the face of man’s destructive ways.” —Tarquin Hall, author of To the Elephant Graveyard“In relating, with elegant and incisive prose, the moving saga of this glorious animal and the barbaric human landscape it now inhabits, John Frederick Walker informs, enlightens and entrances. He deserves all congratulations for a very singular achievement. This is my favorite kind of book.” —Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map that Changed the World“A Certain Curve of the Horn takes us on a quest for the grandest antelope of them all. But does it still exist? The search for answers leads us into a world of colonists, slaves, explorers, revolutionaries and CIA provocateurs. At its heart is the quintessential story of colonized Africa.” —Tim Flannery“It is, in essence, an adventure story, one that embraces many of the themes and conflicts of modern Africa: its politics and poverty, its war-torn history, its search for balancing wildlife conservation with the needs of an exploding population. At the book’s center stands the giant sable, a magnificent animal that has fired the imaginations of naturalists and big-game hunters for decades.” —Wildlife Conservation“[Walker] embarks on a fascinating quest for this almost mythical creature whose very existence has become a symbol of the conservation movement.” —Smoke“A Certain Curve of Horn presents a compelling overview of the adversities faced by species in the wild (and by those who seek to protect them), as seen through the history of one endangered—and endearing—animal. Part adventure, part history, part politics, part biology, the book is informative and readable. And it makes one simultaneously long for a glimpse of the beautiful giant sables and hope that they will be kept from human view as much as possible.” —Jane Eklund, Monadnock Ledger“Fascinating. . . . A riveting account of [Walker’s] research and travels, recalls Peter Matthiessen’s tale of a similar search for the snow leopard in the frigid Himalayas. But where Matthiessen struggled against inner ghosts, Walker mainly does battle with bureaucratic bungling and Third World corruption, making his book more a chronicle of the politics of conservation.” —Laurence A. Marchall, Natural History“Walker casts a wide and authoritative net in a story that is part rich history of Southern Africa, part natural history of the giant sable, and part journalistic first-person adventure tale. He masterfully brings to life the many colorful characters involved in determining the fate of the giant sable and clearly portrays the conservation challenge faced by an isolated and beleaguered population in danger of being wiped out before it is fully known.” —J.E. Grinnell, Choice“Walker is not the only one bewitched by giant sables. Their archetypal magnetism has for centuries worked its mystery on native peoples, explorers, hunters, game ranchers, biologists, conservationists, zoo and museum curators, and soldiers of both fortune and war.” —Communique“[Walker] weaves a surprisingly fascinating story around one animal, involving colonialism, revolution, biology, and politics, both within the scientific process and the government of an unstable nation, resulting in an epic story that is hard to put down.” —Nancy Bent, Booklist“[Walker] does an excellent job of weaving the biology and natural history of the antelope with the social and political history of Angola. . . . A highly readable account. . . . [and] a detailed portrait.” —Library Journal
