28th June, 2007
The Wild Trees
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston.
A smallish book that is (mostly) about the redwood trees found on the U.S. west coast and the rather surprising (to me, at least) environment and denizens of the upper foliage of these majestic trees. Up until fairly recently, no one knew much about what goes on in the tops of such trees until a small group of people began climbing and exploring the heights. The biggest problem with studying these trees is their height (well over 300 feet in many cases, with no branches even vaguely near the ground) and being able to physically get to them. This is what happens when the timber industry clear-cuts every damn tree they can reach, leaving only the most inaccessible trees standing. There is a startling amount and a large variation of life up in the crowns of the trees, including some species that do not exist anywhere else, and the growth patterns of these ancient trees create some hauntingly beautiful and unworldly environments.
To be honest, this book was a bit of a letdown. I had heard a couple of interviews with the author during his promotional tour and each time I listened to the way he described the book and his adventures with the scientists up in the trees, I was quite intrigued by the passion he displayed during the interview. Upon reading the book, I’m left with mostly a flat experience, highlighted by a few, brief moments of excitement and passion. (No, there is no porn in this book). The book spends a bit too much time chronicling the lives of this small handful of redwood explorers and not enough time dealing with the trees themselves. To be fair though, the subtitle of the book is “A Story of Passion and Daring”, not “A Story of the Redwoods”.
I haven’t read any other his other books (The Hot Zone, The Demon in the Freezer…) which also received favorable reviews so I’m not sure if this book is indicitive of his writing style or if it is more of an anomaly. Maybe I had just hyped it up in my mind too much. Whatever the case, it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped.
3/5 gogs.
Posted at 5:08 am | Comments (4)
On July 22, 2008 at 19:45 M. D. Vaden of Oregon said:
July 22, 2008 at 19:45
I thought it was a good read.
But being in the groves mentioned in the book, they took the wind out of Preston’s sails.
One thing he wrote about the location of one grove is apparently fiction.
I can’t say what detail right now. But most folks who read it, remembered it, and would look for the grove of titans, would look anywhere but where they really are.
Most forest facts are accurate.
Aside, can understand your opinion about the book.
M. D. Vaden
On July 22, 2008 at 19:47 M. D. Vaden of Oregon said:
July 22, 2008 at 19:47
Forgot one thing, although it’s linked in my name in the earlier post…
Photos:
http://www.mdvaden.com/grove_of_titans.shtml
Hope you find them interesting.
On July 29, 2008 at 15:08 Gog said:
July 29, 2008 at 15:08
The size of some of those trees is simply staggering – some of your panoramas really highlight just how damn big these things are. Thanks for sharing. ^^
On July 29, 2008 at 17:58 M. D. Vaden of Oregon said:
July 29, 2008 at 17:58
You are welcome.
Hopefully the one video I linked from the page helps convey size too. I just moved it from album #1 to it’s own album at it’s own link because the enlargement setting distorted it before. Amazingly, the one called Lost Monarch is wider at the base, than General Sherman, the giant sequoia.
Our daughter is moving from south to north Oregon where we just moved, and I’m helping her Aug. 16th. So I’m leaving on the 10th, to spend 5 days in the redwoods again.
Nice to have visited your blog. Thanks.