Recently, I finished reading the book
The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers by
Bryan Christy. I’d like to share with you a brief review that I wrote about it, to encourage others to read it as well.
A great story on the history of reptile smuggling, 4 out of 5 stars.
Overall I really liked this book. It contained many intertwined stories about how the history of the reptilekeeping hobby got to be what it is today. I was amazed at the audacity of the smugglers in their lack of humanity and care for their cargo and the lengths that they would go to for profit and notoriety.
However, I didn't feel that the actual writing was very smooth or flowing, as the author jumped around in the story and some of transitions to new ideas seemed choppy and discordant.
Otherwise, based on the considerable research done for this book, and the fascinating information that was imparted, I would recommend this to anyone interested in the "behind the scenes" aspect of the reptile hobby. It had a lot to offer in the shock value department, and contained sordid details on individuals and companies that are still around today that might not be as easily accessible in any other avenue.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only based on the writing style, as the content itself was remarkable.
-The Toad Talker
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