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Animals
A “moving, multifaceted” thriller based in the dark world of animal trafficking (Publishers Weekly) and read by an AudioFile Golden Voice: South African defense force veteran Cobus Venter takes on a vigilante mission after poachers kill his friends. Meanwhile, Florida insurance investigator Randall Knight uncovers a deadly scheme at a private roadside zoo… “I highly recommend this book” ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ).
When rhino poachers kill two of his fellow rangers in Kruger Park, South African Defense Force veteran Cobus Venter reaches his breaking point. Quitting his job, he embarks on a vigilante mission to take down the animal-trafficking syndicate from the inside.
Meanwhile, in Florida, insurance investigator Randall Knight is called to a private roadside zoo, where a new tiger cub of suspect lineage brought a virus that wiped out all the zoo’s tigers. The disease is just one species jump away from erupting into a deadly global human pandemic. What starts as a simple insurance claim leads Knight to discover a shocking new evolution in the business of illicit animal trafficking. Both men’s journeys take them from the darkest corners of Southeast Asia to the VIP gambling rooms of Macau, where they must stay alive long enough to stop a vicious international triad from ending wildlife as we know it.
Animals is set in the world of global animal trafficking and follows converging story lines into a dark maze of corruption and organized crime, and through the journeys of the main characters, the novel explores the factors driving the exploitation and ruin of the natural world.
Though the story is fiction, the characters, locations, and plot points are almost entirely rooted in fact. They are the product of hundreds of conversations with everyone from Jane Goodall to the CIA, to Damien Mander (an ex-mercenary turned animal activist). To experience the issue firsthand, Will Staples took a month-long research trip spanning three continents and seven countries. The journey was a profoundly transformative, life-altering experience.
______________________________________________________________
When rhino poachers kill two of his fellow rangers in Kruger Park, South African Defense Force veteran Cobus Venter reaches his breaking point. Quitting his job, he embarks on a vigilante mission to take down the animal-trafficking syndicate from the inside.
Meanwhile, in Florida, insurance investigator Randall Knight is called to a private roadside zoo, where a new tiger cub of suspect lineage brought a virus that wiped out all the zoo’s tigers. The disease is just one species jump away from erupting into a deadly global human pandemic. What starts as a simple insurance claim leads Knight to discover a shocking new evolution in the business of illicit animal trafficking. Both men’s journeys take them from the darkest corners of Southeast Asia to the VIP gambling rooms of Macau, where they must stay alive long enough to stop a vicious international triad from ending wildlife as we know it.
Animals is set in the world of global animal trafficking and follows converging story lines into a dark maze of corruption and organized crime, and through the journeys of the main characters, the novel explores the factors driving the exploitation and ruin of the natural world.
Though the story is fiction, the characters, locations, and plot points are almost entirely rooted in fact. They are the product of hundreds of conversations with everyone from Jane Goodall to the CIA, to Damien Mander (an ex-mercenary turned animal activist). To experience the issue firsthand, Will Staples took a month-long research trip spanning three continents and seven countries. The journey was a profoundly transformative, life-altering experience.
______________________________________________________________
The author’s goal with this novel is to expose this issue to as many people as possible. To that end, all his income from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.
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First published March 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 25, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This is one of the most eye-opening books I have personally read in years. It’s probably best described as a political thriller, with the main topics of the book being poaching and endangered species. Before the book even begins, the author gives us numerous pages of research that he did on the topic and he hooks you from that very Preface.
There is not a lot of major character development here, as many of the characters include Rhinoceros, Elephants, Sumatran Tigers and Pangolins. It is a book that takes us from South Africa to Tanzania, to China, Macao, and the jungles of Southeast Asia. While Staples writes a book that’s topic is not sexy, he writes a thriller that is both fascinating and educational as to the plight of these animals.
The book has numerous storylines that easily converge, as we follow a former soldier who was a park ranger at Kruger National Park in South Africa, a Chinese narcotics agent, and an insurance adjuster who is both clamoring for wealth as well as trying to protect these endangered animals.
The CIA are also drawn into this as there appears to be a link between poaching, endangered species, Traditional Chinese Medicine and the funding of terror organizations. And throughout the book we get an inside look at the Chinese triads that control this trade, along with being taken to remote jungle areas where tigers are bred for nothing more than being able to harvest their bones, bile, paws and even are used to make Tiger Wine. We also get an inside look at South African poachers who are decimating the rhinoceros and elephant populations all for horns and tusks that are turned into jewelry, and aphrodisiac powders. It is a world most of us know little to nothing about and which exists because it is next to impossible to stop.
This book may not be for the squeamish as the reader is exposed to the dark side of the this international trafficking, and distribution system and we also see how these animals are abused by these groups.
This is a thriller like few others that I have read, and the author is going to give all his royalties from the book to anti-poaching organizations, and NGO’s that fight the daily battles on behalf of endangered species throughout the world. It is a book that shows the worst of humanity, as well as giving us hope that there are those out there who are doing all they can on behalf of the animal kingdom. This is an important book that we all need to read.
This review was previously published at www.mysteryandsuspense.com
This is one of the most eye-opening books I have personally read in years. It’s probably best described as a political thriller, with the main topics of the book being poaching and endangered species. Before the book even begins, the author gives us numerous pages of research that he did on the topic and he hooks you from that very Preface.
There is not a lot of major character development here, as many of the characters include Rhinoceros, Elephants, Sumatran Tigers and Pangolins. It is a book that takes us from South Africa to Tanzania, to China, Macao, and the jungles of Southeast Asia. While Staples writes a book that’s topic is not sexy, he writes a thriller that is both fascinating and educational as to the plight of these animals.
The book has numerous storylines that easily converge, as we follow a former soldier who was a park ranger at Kruger National Park in South Africa, a Chinese narcotics agent, and an insurance adjuster who is both clamoring for wealth as well as trying to protect these endangered animals.
The CIA are also drawn into this as there appears to be a link between poaching, endangered species, Traditional Chinese Medicine and the funding of terror organizations. And throughout the book we get an inside look at the Chinese triads that control this trade, along with being taken to remote jungle areas where tigers are bred for nothing more than being able to harvest their bones, bile, paws and even are used to make Tiger Wine. We also get an inside look at South African poachers who are decimating the rhinoceros and elephant populations all for horns and tusks that are turned into jewelry, and aphrodisiac powders. It is a world most of us know little to nothing about and which exists because it is next to impossible to stop.
This book may not be for the squeamish as the reader is exposed to the dark side of the this international trafficking, and distribution system and we also see how these animals are abused by these groups.
This is a thriller like few others that I have read, and the author is going to give all his royalties from the book to anti-poaching organizations, and NGO’s that fight the daily battles on behalf of endangered species throughout the world. It is a book that shows the worst of humanity, as well as giving us hope that there are those out there who are doing all they can on behalf of the animal kingdom. This is an important book that we all need to read.
This review was previously published at www.mysteryandsuspense.com
March 13, 2021
Animals
by Will Staples
Narrated by Dion Graham
Blackstone Audiobooks
This book is based on extensive research by the author. The proceeds from this book will be going to help fight animal poaching and smuggling. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this book.
The details and research that went into this book is really telling. There are things in here I never would have guessed was going on. I am not naive when it comes to animal smuggling and animal rights. I have tried to stay abreast of the news and laws but these things are so far behind the scenes...it's a wonder the author didn't get shot trying to find this information out.
This is a scary world but unfortunately it seems to be profitable for some. In this book, the author takes two fictional characters and on separate tracks, leads them through the maze of poaching and smuggling. Both want to end this.
The book is full of suspense and heartache. Corruption in all agencies at all levels. It seems money can buy just about everything and anybody. I hope a million people read this and each of them get 10 people to read it. This is something that needs spread world wide!
by Will Staples
Narrated by Dion Graham
Blackstone Audiobooks
This book is based on extensive research by the author. The proceeds from this book will be going to help fight animal poaching and smuggling. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this book.
The details and research that went into this book is really telling. There are things in here I never would have guessed was going on. I am not naive when it comes to animal smuggling and animal rights. I have tried to stay abreast of the news and laws but these things are so far behind the scenes...it's a wonder the author didn't get shot trying to find this information out.
This is a scary world but unfortunately it seems to be profitable for some. In this book, the author takes two fictional characters and on separate tracks, leads them through the maze of poaching and smuggling. Both want to end this.
The book is full of suspense and heartache. Corruption in all agencies at all levels. It seems money can buy just about everything and anybody. I hope a million people read this and each of them get 10 people to read it. This is something that needs spread world wide!
April 2, 2021
The blurb contains all the details of the story one could expect, so I'm noting only my take. It is thriller enough to keep the reader engrossed, and the subject matter is meaningful, what I would call an eco-thriller.
On the whole the author presents a serious, realistic aspect of the extent of uncaring pleonexia prevalent in humankind, one that is hastening even worse problems for all of us. Likely, many have heard of the issues brought out in the story, but I doubt many have visualized them as starkly and realistically as presented. The squeamish reader may find latter parts of this book sickening and/or maddening, especially those readers that care about animals.
I hope the author succeeds in raising the bile of readers apathetic to the malignant dark stain in humankind's soul, and see where it is leading us.
On the whole the author presents a serious, realistic aspect of the extent of uncaring pleonexia prevalent in humankind, one that is hastening even worse problems for all of us. Likely, many have heard of the issues brought out in the story, but I doubt many have visualized them as starkly and realistically as presented. The squeamish reader may find latter parts of this book sickening and/or maddening, especially those readers that care about animals.
I hope the author succeeds in raising the bile of readers apathetic to the malignant dark stain in humankind's soul, and see where it is leading us.
May 25, 2021
Written as a novel, this book does a good job painting a picture of the abhorrent world of poaching and animal cruelty. A handful of main characters, their lives intertwined, are all in the business of either profiting from or trying to stop the practice of harvesting animals (elephants, rhinos, tigers) by the underworld. The storyline is engaging in itself, but the real accomplishment of this book is its ability to reveal a shocking, but true tragedy which takes place even today.
June 27, 2021
This was shocking, horrific and excellent. The author did a massive amount of research about animal trafficking and how this digusting practice is intertwined with private zoos, traditional Asian (pseudo-)medicine, human trafficking and funding of terrorism. He traveled around Africa and Asia and consulted with the CIA and animal activists such as Jane Goodall, among others. I learned a lot about this subject while enthralled with the story and characters.
This fictional story was riveting. We have a CIA agent, an American animal insurance provider and a South African activist who, from different points of this complex trafficking web, find their paths ultimately converge.
The subject matter is an important one that is not publicized or written about in the news as much as it should be. Entire species are being eliminated due to poaching by the ultra-rich, as a thrill activity and by the poor, as a means of survival.
My understanding is that the author (who is a very successful screenwriter) is writing a screeplay for Leonardo DiCaprio, about animal trafficking. He wanted to spread the word about this little-understood topic, so I think that's why he published it as a novel. I'm really looking forward to the movie, too. All proceeds of the book are being donated to support animal welfare and anti-poaching activities.
Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book.
This fictional story was riveting. We have a CIA agent, an American animal insurance provider and a South African activist who, from different points of this complex trafficking web, find their paths ultimately converge.
The subject matter is an important one that is not publicized or written about in the news as much as it should be. Entire species are being eliminated due to poaching by the ultra-rich, as a thrill activity and by the poor, as a means of survival.
My understanding is that the author (who is a very successful screenwriter) is writing a screeplay for Leonardo DiCaprio, about animal trafficking. He wanted to spread the word about this little-understood topic, so I think that's why he published it as a novel. I'm really looking forward to the movie, too. All proceeds of the book are being donated to support animal welfare and anti-poaching activities.
Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book.
February 23, 2021
Wow! Anyone who knows me knows that animals are one of the things I'm most passionate about. I haven't read a book about animal trafficking before and this was pretty intense. I didn't think going into this that it would elicit such a strong emotional response from me but it did, I was so upset and infuriated because this stuff happens in real life. I really appreciate Will Staples for writing this book, bringing a voice to this issue, and you can tell he put his all into it. The amount of research alone this had to take is astounding. As far as the story goes it had me hooked from the beginning. Every chapter I read just had me wanting to keep going to find out what happens. I did find it a lot to follow at some times but it all came together nicely and the characters really felt like real people. I will definitely be recommending this to people I know!
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
April 20, 2021
This is a tough book to read for an animal-lover. I’ll say that right from the start. It dives deeply into the world of wildlife trafficking and can be very disturbing. It is fiction, but the things that happen in the book do happen in real life. The author did extensive research on the phenomenon and used that information to write this book. So, what you read is very close to what really happens to the animals. If this disturbs you, that is the intention. The more you know, the better you will be able to make informed decisions that will help wildlife.
Sadly, the animals suffer the worst in the world of the illegal wildlife trade. This book follows a fictional game ranger, Cobus Venter, who witnesses rhinos killed in South Africa. He loses his partner to poachers and vows to find those ultimately responsible. His mission takes him all over the world, following the evildoers who trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife parts. The descriptions of what happens to the animals can be gruesome, but it is reality. I think this book is the author’s way of sending out a wakeup call to the world that we need to be aware of this issue and we need to do something to stop it before our endangered wildlife species are wiped out.
In the fictional world, Cobus leaves his home and follows the trail of traffickers who trade in such things as tiger cubs and rhino horn. By the way, rhino horn, although it has been given special status in some traditional medicines, is made of keratin, which is the same substance making up your fingernails and animal hooves. It has no known medical benefits that have been proven by science. It is simply a legend that it can cure cancer and other illnesses. It is not an aphrodisiac, as some believe, but that is what drives the demand for such rare things.
Taking a page from current world events, the secondary character, Randall Knight, is following up on a sick tiger cub whose illness could lead to another pandemic. The stories intertwine, with some of the same people being investigate by both of our heroes.
The criminals who perpetrate these horrors on wildlife are all contributing to the demise of rare and endangered species worldwide. With this book, Staples is calling attention to an issue that we all need to be concerned about. It’s time we did something to stop this travesty and save our wildlife before it’s too late. This book will open your eyes and make you want to do something to make a difference.
Sadly, the animals suffer the worst in the world of the illegal wildlife trade. This book follows a fictional game ranger, Cobus Venter, who witnesses rhinos killed in South Africa. He loses his partner to poachers and vows to find those ultimately responsible. His mission takes him all over the world, following the evildoers who trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife parts. The descriptions of what happens to the animals can be gruesome, but it is reality. I think this book is the author’s way of sending out a wakeup call to the world that we need to be aware of this issue and we need to do something to stop it before our endangered wildlife species are wiped out.
In the fictional world, Cobus leaves his home and follows the trail of traffickers who trade in such things as tiger cubs and rhino horn. By the way, rhino horn, although it has been given special status in some traditional medicines, is made of keratin, which is the same substance making up your fingernails and animal hooves. It has no known medical benefits that have been proven by science. It is simply a legend that it can cure cancer and other illnesses. It is not an aphrodisiac, as some believe, but that is what drives the demand for such rare things.
Taking a page from current world events, the secondary character, Randall Knight, is following up on a sick tiger cub whose illness could lead to another pandemic. The stories intertwine, with some of the same people being investigate by both of our heroes.
The criminals who perpetrate these horrors on wildlife are all contributing to the demise of rare and endangered species worldwide. With this book, Staples is calling attention to an issue that we all need to be concerned about. It’s time we did something to stop this travesty and save our wildlife before it’s too late. This book will open your eyes and make you want to do something to make a difference.
August 2, 2024
The author clearly did a ton of research for this book which definitely shows and is eye opening to read. That being said, I felt the book was poorly plotted out and the way it was written detracted from any sort of character development. Overall not a bad read, just not one I would necessarily recommend.
April 6, 2021
There are 4 main characters. Three of them are white men. One is an Asian woman. The Asian woman only gets involved with the case because she ignores her son's symptoms until he's at stage 4 cancer, then violates her own code by buying illegal rhino horn in an effort to save him. The horn is poisoned and it nearly kills her boy. But never fear, the white men are on the case. They will fight the evil Asian mobsters and black poachers who are killing the beautiful wild animals for profit.
Oh, you wanted to know what happened to the kid? No clue, he's not important. He's male, but he's not white.
Oh, you wanted to know what happened to the kid? No clue, he's not important. He's male, but he's not white.
May 31, 2021
You do not have to be a pet owner or an animal lover to be drawn to Will Staples’ debut novel, ANIMALS. But whoever you are, I guarantee that you will have a completely different outlook on how animals fit into our present world and the human beings who work to protect them against those who exploit, harm and ultimately eliminate these beautiful creatures from existence.
We have all heard about animal poaching, yet only a fraction of funding is dedicated to stopping it, which is far less than the war on drugs or human trafficking. Regrettably, this criminal act goes beyond bartering in elephant and rhino tusks. It is so far-reaching that it has the power to erase entire animal species from our planet.
“This is a story about animals, some of which happen to be human” is the tagline for the book that appears right before the Preface and aptly prepares readers for what they are about to experience. Much like a Robert Altman film, ANIMALS has multiple characters and storylines, most of which converge on a trio of lead players who drive home the narrative of this eye-opening work.
Cobus Venter, a park ranger based in Kruger, South Africa, has dedicated his career to battling poachers and saving endangered species. Sadly, he has seen some of his beloved colleagues fall during this very effort. Ironically, Cobus will have to step away from his job and go undercover as a “bad guy” who knows all the players on the other side in an effort to infiltrate and take down the animal poaching and trafficking from the inside out. Before it’s all over, he'll need the assistance of Randall Knight to make this happen.
Initially, you do not get a good feeling about Randall, who works on the insurance side of the rare animal’s game. He comes across as not very trustworthy even when he is investigating an event at a zoo in the U.S. where several big cats have mysteriously died from some unknown disease. He has a “come to Jesus” moment and decides to pursue it with the aid of a CIA investigator. This takes him overseas to Asia where he finds some shady and unspeakable acts being committed on tigers.
Kevin Davis is the CIA agent, and he is given one last opportunity to carve out a niche for himself as lead investigator into endangered species of animals and animal trafficking. He strikes out when he attempts to do this on his own. It is only when he works with Randall and, by association, through Cobus and his contacts that he can make a difference for both himself and these animals who are unable to speak for themselves.
Will Staples really knows his stuff, and his extensive research shines through every page. He familiarized himself with experts in the business --- from law enforcement and rangers who fight animal poaching daily to legends like Dr. Jane Goodall, who has become famous for her work on behalf of animals and wildlife. The book reads like a page-turning thriller but with the additional benefit of opening your mind to the plight of those who are out there fighting for these precious animals around the globe. There are more than a few moments that make you stop and think.
ANIMALS is a cautionary tale that hits far too close to home with a message that hopefully will inspire readers to learn more about the subject and do something about it. All proceeds from the book are being donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
We have all heard about animal poaching, yet only a fraction of funding is dedicated to stopping it, which is far less than the war on drugs or human trafficking. Regrettably, this criminal act goes beyond bartering in elephant and rhino tusks. It is so far-reaching that it has the power to erase entire animal species from our planet.
“This is a story about animals, some of which happen to be human” is the tagline for the book that appears right before the Preface and aptly prepares readers for what they are about to experience. Much like a Robert Altman film, ANIMALS has multiple characters and storylines, most of which converge on a trio of lead players who drive home the narrative of this eye-opening work.
Cobus Venter, a park ranger based in Kruger, South Africa, has dedicated his career to battling poachers and saving endangered species. Sadly, he has seen some of his beloved colleagues fall during this very effort. Ironically, Cobus will have to step away from his job and go undercover as a “bad guy” who knows all the players on the other side in an effort to infiltrate and take down the animal poaching and trafficking from the inside out. Before it’s all over, he'll need the assistance of Randall Knight to make this happen.
Initially, you do not get a good feeling about Randall, who works on the insurance side of the rare animal’s game. He comes across as not very trustworthy even when he is investigating an event at a zoo in the U.S. where several big cats have mysteriously died from some unknown disease. He has a “come to Jesus” moment and decides to pursue it with the aid of a CIA investigator. This takes him overseas to Asia where he finds some shady and unspeakable acts being committed on tigers.
Kevin Davis is the CIA agent, and he is given one last opportunity to carve out a niche for himself as lead investigator into endangered species of animals and animal trafficking. He strikes out when he attempts to do this on his own. It is only when he works with Randall and, by association, through Cobus and his contacts that he can make a difference for both himself and these animals who are unable to speak for themselves.
Will Staples really knows his stuff, and his extensive research shines through every page. He familiarized himself with experts in the business --- from law enforcement and rangers who fight animal poaching daily to legends like Dr. Jane Goodall, who has become famous for her work on behalf of animals and wildlife. The book reads like a page-turning thriller but with the additional benefit of opening your mind to the plight of those who are out there fighting for these precious animals around the globe. There are more than a few moments that make you stop and think.
ANIMALS is a cautionary tale that hits far too close to home with a message that hopefully will inspire readers to learn more about the subject and do something about it. All proceeds from the book are being donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
January 18, 2022
In his debut novel, Will Staples enters the dark world of animal trafficking and harvesting:
Protecting the Rhino is a dangerous and deadly job, you never know who is on your side or not. When two of SADF veteran Corbus Vector friends are murders protecting on of the last Rhino’s he has reached his breaking point. He wants to put a stop to the use of Rhino horn his own way. Embarking on a vigilante mission he plans to take down as many people and syndicates as he can. Meanwhile, insurance investigator Randall Knight is called to a road side zoo where all the big cats have died except one. Knight is suspicious of the cub’s origins and begins his own investigation into animal trafficking. Both men are headed to the darkest parts of SE Asia where the crime syndicates will do anything to keep the money in animal trafficking flowing.
I believe this book is a first for me as it deals with animal trafficking and harvesting. I have read plenty of books about drugs, murder, human trafficking etc, but never one dealing with animals. Let me tell you it is Absolutely heartbreaking, Animals dying for no purpose at all other than to feed human greed. Animal ripped away from their homes to be featured in a road side zoo and do not even get me started on the parts harvesting, just horrible. This book is never expletive in what happens to some of the animal but it doesn’t take too much to guess.
I think my favourite part of the book was that Staples frames the story with following the "product" of Rhino horn from Africa to Asia. He seems to understand the full circle of where the rhino horn comes from, what is done to find the rhinos, how it is shipped over seas and then those who use it for its "magical" powers.
You cannot help but cheer for Vector in his crusade to take down SE Asian syndicate that is responsible for his friend’s death but at the same time his methods are questionable and he is very much at times and anti-hero.
The insurance side of things was also interesting, and not something that you hear or read about on a regular basis, of how animals in zoo are insured and what is done in order to get a new animal if something happens to an old one. There are really criminal markets for everything, but i think we have all known for a long time, that if is makes money, humans are willing to do it.
This was a really good debut novel and I like the international feel of the book. I look forward to reading another book by Staples.
Enjoy!!!
Protecting the Rhino is a dangerous and deadly job, you never know who is on your side or not. When two of SADF veteran Corbus Vector friends are murders protecting on of the last Rhino’s he has reached his breaking point. He wants to put a stop to the use of Rhino horn his own way. Embarking on a vigilante mission he plans to take down as many people and syndicates as he can. Meanwhile, insurance investigator Randall Knight is called to a road side zoo where all the big cats have died except one. Knight is suspicious of the cub’s origins and begins his own investigation into animal trafficking. Both men are headed to the darkest parts of SE Asia where the crime syndicates will do anything to keep the money in animal trafficking flowing.
I believe this book is a first for me as it deals with animal trafficking and harvesting. I have read plenty of books about drugs, murder, human trafficking etc, but never one dealing with animals. Let me tell you it is Absolutely heartbreaking, Animals dying for no purpose at all other than to feed human greed. Animal ripped away from their homes to be featured in a road side zoo and do not even get me started on the parts harvesting, just horrible. This book is never expletive in what happens to some of the animal but it doesn’t take too much to guess.
I think my favourite part of the book was that Staples frames the story with following the "product" of Rhino horn from Africa to Asia. He seems to understand the full circle of where the rhino horn comes from, what is done to find the rhinos, how it is shipped over seas and then those who use it for its "magical" powers.
You cannot help but cheer for Vector in his crusade to take down SE Asian syndicate that is responsible for his friend’s death but at the same time his methods are questionable and he is very much at times and anti-hero.
The insurance side of things was also interesting, and not something that you hear or read about on a regular basis, of how animals in zoo are insured and what is done in order to get a new animal if something happens to an old one. There are really criminal markets for everything, but i think we have all known for a long time, that if is makes money, humans are willing to do it.
This was a really good debut novel and I like the international feel of the book. I look forward to reading another book by Staples.
Enjoy!!!
December 4, 2020
Firstly, I’d like to thank Will Staples for taking the time to research this subject, and write this book. This is my special subject, and I don’t think it gets nearly enough attention in the world, and few people care to take a real interest in it. I try to get my hands on every single book regarding the subject, fiction and nonfiction.
There are many of the main ingredients woven into the book: Kruger national park, Mozambican kingpins, rhinos, corruption, tigers, traditional Chinese medicine, CITES, zoos, agencies, you name it. In fact, I think there is enough subjects in the book for 2-3 separate books. I understand it though, being a subject so close to my own heart I would want to tell it all as well.
Despite that, I enjoyed seeing so many familiar issues tackles. I believe I am as concerned about these subject as the author is, and I hope as many people as possible will educate themselves by reading this book. It was a bit hard to keep up with all the people in the book, because there were so many, and it kept on going back and forth between many locations and people.
It’s possible to see that the author has spent hours and hours researching different angles regarding illegal wildlife trade. I would like to read more about the anti poaching unit and rangers that were in the beginning of the book. The characters felt real, and I really appreciate the work they do to protect precious wildlife.
I love it that so many people have given their input, like Jane Goodall, what could be better?! I’m happy that Damien Mander, someone I respect very much, has helped out the author with showing him around, taking him to special places. I could feel his presence in this book. I hope there will be more books like this in the future.
There are many of the main ingredients woven into the book: Kruger national park, Mozambican kingpins, rhinos, corruption, tigers, traditional Chinese medicine, CITES, zoos, agencies, you name it. In fact, I think there is enough subjects in the book for 2-3 separate books. I understand it though, being a subject so close to my own heart I would want to tell it all as well.
Despite that, I enjoyed seeing so many familiar issues tackles. I believe I am as concerned about these subject as the author is, and I hope as many people as possible will educate themselves by reading this book. It was a bit hard to keep up with all the people in the book, because there were so many, and it kept on going back and forth between many locations and people.
It’s possible to see that the author has spent hours and hours researching different angles regarding illegal wildlife trade. I would like to read more about the anti poaching unit and rangers that were in the beginning of the book. The characters felt real, and I really appreciate the work they do to protect precious wildlife.
I love it that so many people have given their input, like Jane Goodall, what could be better?! I’m happy that Damien Mander, someone I respect very much, has helped out the author with showing him around, taking him to special places. I could feel his presence in this book. I hope there will be more books like this in the future.
March 29, 2021
Animals excels at showing the horrors of animal trafficking, including its cascading effects on society with issues such as the drug trade and funding for terrorism.
Will Staples did extensive research for this book, and it absolutely shows in his writing. This is action/adventure with striking realism.
The story is plot-driven, with a wide variety of characters. I normally prefer character-driven stories, but here the animals’ plight is the focus, and it works perfectly. The content made me incredibly sad, which it should, but wow, humans, get it together already. The destruction we leave in our wake is horrifying.
I listened to this on audio, and the narrator works magic in his ability to not only capture each character’s personality, but also in mastering the wide variety of accents. I was totally invested.
*I received a review copy from Blackstone Audio, via NetGalley.*
Will Staples did extensive research for this book, and it absolutely shows in his writing. This is action/adventure with striking realism.
The story is plot-driven, with a wide variety of characters. I normally prefer character-driven stories, but here the animals’ plight is the focus, and it works perfectly. The content made me incredibly sad, which it should, but wow, humans, get it together already. The destruction we leave in our wake is horrifying.
I listened to this on audio, and the narrator works magic in his ability to not only capture each character’s personality, but also in mastering the wide variety of accents. I was totally invested.
*I received a review copy from Blackstone Audio, via NetGalley.*
March 29, 2021
A story that had me in tears, so much brutality and waste of life, so senseless. The more you know about what is happening the more you want to do something, it is such a helpless feeling.
Poor people who kill animals to feed their family, and why do the animals have to die, for their horns, feet, disgusting and so the men in charge get richer.
When you think of the horns of a rhinoceros is really like toenails, and people believe they cure cancer? I know different cultures have different beliefs, but this is bad.
I am so glad that the author is bringing awareness with this book, and he is donating the proceeds to help fight and bringing this issue to the forefront.
This is a fictional read, that is filled with facts, with the hope of bringing awareness!
I received this book through Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.
Poor people who kill animals to feed their family, and why do the animals have to die, for their horns, feet, disgusting and so the men in charge get richer.
When you think of the horns of a rhinoceros is really like toenails, and people believe they cure cancer? I know different cultures have different beliefs, but this is bad.
I am so glad that the author is bringing awareness with this book, and he is donating the proceeds to help fight and bringing this issue to the forefront.
This is a fictional read, that is filled with facts, with the hope of bringing awareness!
I received this book through Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.
Want to read
March 30, 2021Recommended by Andrews & Wilson
February 12, 2024
This book is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, powerful, and disturbing. It is an informative, deeply researched and important book dealing with animal poaching and trafficking. It is a disturbing read. Most of us know very little about this subject because drug and human trafficking are more publicized, and efforts to stop these crimes are more heavily funded. It is with the hopes of raising awareness of these horrific criminal activities that the author, Will Staples, hopes to highlight some unflinching details of the evils of animal cruelty and of present efforts to stop this trade. All his income from the book will be donated to groups protecting wildlife.
'Animals' is a book that deserves to be widely read for the educational value of the shocking information it provides. This well-researched story involved the author travelling to Myanmar, Laos, Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Macau, South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania. He interviewed officers from the Organized Crime and Narcotics Bureaus in Hong Kong and learned how criminal mobs traffic animals and launder their illegal money in casinos. Also interviewed were park rangers, CIA, environmentalists. He mentions luxurious private hunting lodges that cater to American and Russian billionaires. This fictional thriller is based upon real practices, places, and people trying to stop the trade in animals or reduce it as much as possible. Some of the animals mentioned are sadly on the verge of extinction.
The main characters, besides the criminals, are a Park Ranger from Kruger Park who witnessed his fellow workers gunned down in a battle with poachers. He is an ex-soldier. A policewoman and mother whose son is dying of a fatal disease. An American insurance broker wants to ensure that zoos only receive healthy, legally obtained animals and become even wealthier. Also, there is a CIA agent whose career has gone downhill and is considered a failure. He has come up with a scheme to connect the proceeds of animal trafficking to funding terrorist groups and convince his boss that this is a valid course for CIA pursuit. As the plot progresses, all are in danger of their lives, and their moral compasses are severely tested.
On a personal note, I become quite upset when animal cruelty is inserted into a novel. This might involve an animal being killed or wounded, or even a pet feeling sad or dying of old age. However, I am very glad I read this book and urge others to do so. It is an educational and uncomfortable experience, and I am grateful to Will Staples for bringing these crimes and tragedies to our attention.
'Animals' is a book that deserves to be widely read for the educational value of the shocking information it provides. This well-researched story involved the author travelling to Myanmar, Laos, Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Macau, South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania. He interviewed officers from the Organized Crime and Narcotics Bureaus in Hong Kong and learned how criminal mobs traffic animals and launder their illegal money in casinos. Also interviewed were park rangers, CIA, environmentalists. He mentions luxurious private hunting lodges that cater to American and Russian billionaires. This fictional thriller is based upon real practices, places, and people trying to stop the trade in animals or reduce it as much as possible. Some of the animals mentioned are sadly on the verge of extinction.
The main characters, besides the criminals, are a Park Ranger from Kruger Park who witnessed his fellow workers gunned down in a battle with poachers. He is an ex-soldier. A policewoman and mother whose son is dying of a fatal disease. An American insurance broker wants to ensure that zoos only receive healthy, legally obtained animals and become even wealthier. Also, there is a CIA agent whose career has gone downhill and is considered a failure. He has come up with a scheme to connect the proceeds of animal trafficking to funding terrorist groups and convince his boss that this is a valid course for CIA pursuit. As the plot progresses, all are in danger of their lives, and their moral compasses are severely tested.
On a personal note, I become quite upset when animal cruelty is inserted into a novel. This might involve an animal being killed or wounded, or even a pet feeling sad or dying of old age. However, I am very glad I read this book and urge others to do so. It is an educational and uncomfortable experience, and I am grateful to Will Staples for bringing these crimes and tragedies to our attention.
July 24, 2021
This is an excellent book if you want to learn more about the animal trafficking underworld, but it is not as compelling as a more character-driven novel. There were three or maybe four main characters who didn't get enough individual development for me to like them. Perhaps, having that many points of view was necessary to cover all the issues of wildlife conservation. We learn about the connection of underworld unsavory Chinese triad gangs who buy and sell anything to make money, especially illegal goods and services. We read about the wanton and cruel harvesting of animals and animal parts in the national parks in Africa and the appalling animal farms in Asia where nearly extinct animals are inhumanely caged and bred for profit. There is even a scary scene where tigers in an enclosed caged environment have developed a deadly virus that jumped to humans and wiped out the facility. And we taken aback at the attitude of government leaders who focus on narcotic and human trafficking and ignore wildlife trafficking--after all, 'there is only so much money and so much manpower available.' The book is a morality tale and a call to action exposing the horror, greed, inhumanity, and even risks of allowing global wildlife trafficking to continue unchecked. It is a fictitious story based on "sound research and a real understanding of the issues discussed," but it somehow fell short of great writing.
August 1, 2021
Fascinating read about endangered animal trafficking. Vacillating between 3 and 4 stars. Writing was a little jerky, but the writer is a screenplay writer and it reads like it. I went on safari to a lesser known wildlife park in South Africa a few years ago led by an ex-ranger and this novel reminded me of some of the stories the ex-ranger told us.
May 8, 2021
You do not have to be a pet owner or an ‘animal lover’ by the known definition of the word to be drawn into the narrative of ANIMALS by Will Staples. However, I can guarantee that even if you identify as one of those terms you will have a completely different outlook on how animals fit into our present world and the human beings who work to protect them against other human who work equally hard to exploit, harm, and ultimately eliminate these beautiful creatures from existence.
We have all heard something about animal poaching and realize that it is a bad thing. Yet only a fraction of funding is dedicated to stopping this criminal act --- far less than say the war on drugs or human trafficking. Animal poaching, regrettably, is far more than just bartering in elephant and rhino tusks. This criminal enterprise is so far-reaching that it has the power to erase entire animal species from our planet.
‘This is a story about animals, some of which happen to be human.’ That tagline found on the back cover of ANIMALS aptly prepares you for what this novel is going to deal with. Much like a Robert Altman film, the novel ANIMALS is filled with multiple characters and storylines most of which converge on a trio of lead players who really drive home the narrative of this eye-opening work.
The first lead character we meet is a Park Ranger based in Kruger, South Africa named Cobus. He has dedicated his career to battling poachers and saving endangered species and has seen some of his beloved colleagues fall during this very effort. Ironically, it will take Cobus to step away from his role as a Ranger and go deep cover as a ‘bad guy’ who knows all the players on the other side to try and infiltrate and take down the animal poaching and trafficking from the inside out. Before things are over, he will need the assistance of another of our principal players to make this happen.
That other character is one Randall Knight. Initially, you do not get a good feeling about Knight who works on the insurance side of the rare animal’s game. He comes across as not very trustworthy even when he is investigating an event at a zoo in the U.S. where several big cats have mysteriously died from some unknown disease. He has a ‘come to Jesus’ moment and decides to pursue this with the aid of a CIA investigator and this takes him overseas to Asia where he finds some shady and unspeakable things being done to tigers.
The CIA Agent is named Davis and he is given one last opportunity to carve a niche for himself as lead investigator into endangered species of animals and animal trafficking. He strikes out when he attempts to do this on his own. It is only when he works with Knight and, by association, through Cobus and his contacts that he can make a difference for both himself and these animals that are unable to speak for themselves.
Will Staples really knows his stuff and his extensive research shines through every page of ANIMALS. The novel reads like a page-turning thriller but with the additional benefit of opening your mind to the plight of those who are out there fighting for these beloved animals around the globe. There are more than a few moments that really make you stop and think.
I cannot hail author Will Staples enough. He came right out and directly announced that all proceeds of ANIMALS will be used as donations to organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife. He spent countless hours researching this subject and immersed himself in the work of those people who are experts in the business --- from law enforcement and Rangers who fight animal poaching daily to legends in this area like Dr. Jane Goodall who has become famous in her work on behalf of animals and wildlife. ANIMALS is a cautionary tale that at times reads like non-fiction because there is so much reality blended into the narrative to make this not only an extremely engaging story but also one that hits far too close to home with a message that will hopefully make readers want to learn and do more to help in stopping it.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
We have all heard something about animal poaching and realize that it is a bad thing. Yet only a fraction of funding is dedicated to stopping this criminal act --- far less than say the war on drugs or human trafficking. Animal poaching, regrettably, is far more than just bartering in elephant and rhino tusks. This criminal enterprise is so far-reaching that it has the power to erase entire animal species from our planet.
‘This is a story about animals, some of which happen to be human.’ That tagline found on the back cover of ANIMALS aptly prepares you for what this novel is going to deal with. Much like a Robert Altman film, the novel ANIMALS is filled with multiple characters and storylines most of which converge on a trio of lead players who really drive home the narrative of this eye-opening work.
The first lead character we meet is a Park Ranger based in Kruger, South Africa named Cobus. He has dedicated his career to battling poachers and saving endangered species and has seen some of his beloved colleagues fall during this very effort. Ironically, it will take Cobus to step away from his role as a Ranger and go deep cover as a ‘bad guy’ who knows all the players on the other side to try and infiltrate and take down the animal poaching and trafficking from the inside out. Before things are over, he will need the assistance of another of our principal players to make this happen.
That other character is one Randall Knight. Initially, you do not get a good feeling about Knight who works on the insurance side of the rare animal’s game. He comes across as not very trustworthy even when he is investigating an event at a zoo in the U.S. where several big cats have mysteriously died from some unknown disease. He has a ‘come to Jesus’ moment and decides to pursue this with the aid of a CIA investigator and this takes him overseas to Asia where he finds some shady and unspeakable things being done to tigers.
The CIA Agent is named Davis and he is given one last opportunity to carve a niche for himself as lead investigator into endangered species of animals and animal trafficking. He strikes out when he attempts to do this on his own. It is only when he works with Knight and, by association, through Cobus and his contacts that he can make a difference for both himself and these animals that are unable to speak for themselves.
Will Staples really knows his stuff and his extensive research shines through every page of ANIMALS. The novel reads like a page-turning thriller but with the additional benefit of opening your mind to the plight of those who are out there fighting for these beloved animals around the globe. There are more than a few moments that really make you stop and think.
I cannot hail author Will Staples enough. He came right out and directly announced that all proceeds of ANIMALS will be used as donations to organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife. He spent countless hours researching this subject and immersed himself in the work of those people who are experts in the business --- from law enforcement and Rangers who fight animal poaching daily to legends in this area like Dr. Jane Goodall who has become famous in her work on behalf of animals and wildlife. ANIMALS is a cautionary tale that at times reads like non-fiction because there is so much reality blended into the narrative to make this not only an extremely engaging story but also one that hits far too close to home with a message that will hopefully make readers want to learn and do more to help in stopping it.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
September 8, 2021
Will Staples' Animals~~
With a tagline of “this is a book about animals, some of whom are human,” you are suitably warned that the contents will have some unpleasant characters. This is putting it mildly. The well-researched novel, with the approval of the likes of Dr. Jane Goodall, is not about Old McDonald's Farm E, I, E, I, O, I'm sad to say, but about the bitter reality of exotic animal trafficking. I can't imagine how distressing it would've been researching and writing Animals.
Leonardo diCaprio is to blame, or take credit, for inspiring Staples. The movie star suggested such a novel and I'm not going to say it was an enjoyable read, but it certainly accomplished its goal of showing us humans no less savage than animals.
Staples may be the best writer to pull off this ugly, disturbing book. I noticed that he's written for the Mission Impossible movies. His book is definitely fast-paced, violent, and full of thrilling action.
In a word, it feels like a testosterone-driven book.
'
With each chapter a different, adult perspective, the characters are almost all men and the narrators American and white. A few supporting characters are bad, Asian guys who are criminal warlords in animal trafficking and billionaires. On is a female police officer from Hon Kong whose young son is dying of leukemia and she desperately buys illegal rhino horn powder to try to cure him.
I can't understand why exotic animals are believed by some people to cure disease and give super powers. It's childish nonsense that tortures endangered animals and can lead to our own death.
The insurance guy had always protected animals, but when he saw an opportunity to make a killing off breeding and selling wild animals, he decided to go for it while ignoring his conscience. I hated him until shortly before the end.
A CIA agent tries to save his flagging career by finding a real link between terrorism and animal trafficking. He finally finds it with help from the aforementioned creep.
There's a lot of travel from Africa to Asia to the US.
The sympathetic hero, a wildlife conservationist, is out for revenge and doesn't realize his actions put that dying boy at risk and the hero almost dies. Mostly animals die in the book, which is painfully graphic, but a bad guy gets it too. In the end the good guys are closing in, but the warlords are still plotting to make more trouble, including a possible pandemic!
I do see why diCaprio wanted this book written, but did he read it? Goodall reviewed it, but not him.
Because of the unpleasantness of the book, I started skimming. I wanted it to be over and hoped for a happy ending. I'd say it's more realistic and all we could really hope for. I won't forget it soon!
With a tagline of “this is a book about animals, some of whom are human,” you are suitably warned that the contents will have some unpleasant characters. This is putting it mildly. The well-researched novel, with the approval of the likes of Dr. Jane Goodall, is not about Old McDonald's Farm E, I, E, I, O, I'm sad to say, but about the bitter reality of exotic animal trafficking. I can't imagine how distressing it would've been researching and writing Animals.
Leonardo diCaprio is to blame, or take credit, for inspiring Staples. The movie star suggested such a novel and I'm not going to say it was an enjoyable read, but it certainly accomplished its goal of showing us humans no less savage than animals.
Staples may be the best writer to pull off this ugly, disturbing book. I noticed that he's written for the Mission Impossible movies. His book is definitely fast-paced, violent, and full of thrilling action.
In a word, it feels like a testosterone-driven book.
'
With each chapter a different, adult perspective, the characters are almost all men and the narrators American and white. A few supporting characters are bad, Asian guys who are criminal warlords in animal trafficking and billionaires. On is a female police officer from Hon Kong whose young son is dying of leukemia and she desperately buys illegal rhino horn powder to try to cure him.
I can't understand why exotic animals are believed by some people to cure disease and give super powers. It's childish nonsense that tortures endangered animals and can lead to our own death.
The insurance guy had always protected animals, but when he saw an opportunity to make a killing off breeding and selling wild animals, he decided to go for it while ignoring his conscience. I hated him until shortly before the end.
A CIA agent tries to save his flagging career by finding a real link between terrorism and animal trafficking. He finally finds it with help from the aforementioned creep.
There's a lot of travel from Africa to Asia to the US.
The sympathetic hero, a wildlife conservationist, is out for revenge and doesn't realize his actions put that dying boy at risk and the hero almost dies. Mostly animals die in the book, which is painfully graphic, but a bad guy gets it too. In the end the good guys are closing in, but the warlords are still plotting to make more trouble, including a possible pandemic!
I do see why diCaprio wanted this book written, but did he read it? Goodall reviewed it, but not him.
Because of the unpleasantness of the book, I started skimming. I wanted it to be over and hoped for a happy ending. I'd say it's more realistic and all we could really hope for. I won't forget it soon!
October 4, 2021
The author introduces the novel with the sentence: “This is a story about animals, some of which happen to be human.” None of the human animals turns out to be particularly appealing, and many are simply awful. Apparently, the extensive research and travel for the book was motivated by a possible screenplay, the arena where the author is well-known.
There are several gruesome scenes, usually with endangered animals as the victims, but they ring true. Staples’s knowledge of the rhino poaching and horn smuggling world in southern Africa is spot on.
The story unfolds from the points of view of three main characters. They are flawed, but they develop during the book and are forced to face the consequences of their actions.
The first is Cobus Venter, a South African who is part of an anti-poaching team in the Kruger National Park. The frustration of their failures to save the priceless wildlife there depresses them all. The frustration of trying to protect the rhinos overwhelms Cobus, and he resigns to head off on his own mission. That mission is to infiltrate the rhino-horn dealers in China and to sell them horn treated with strychnine to sicken or kill the users and thus discourage the trade. He starts by pulling off a daring heist to grab the national park’s stockpile of rhino horn.
The second is Randall Knight, an insurance assessor who specializes in insuring pricey animals for wealthy racehorse owners and zoos. He prides himself on making life better for the animals, ensuring that they are well looked after and protected. However, his major motivation is money. He discovers a project to breed tigers for consumption—currently illegal but in the story about to be legalized. He sees an opportunity for his company to become involved, ensuring not only appropriate animal husbandry but also that the tigers are, in fact, bred and not poached from game reserves. However, he is forced to face the vast gap in philosophies between East and West when he meets the Sky Dragon, the triad kingpin, at a restaurant in Myanmar over a dinner of tiger steak. Knight finds his spoon isn’t long enough when he sits down to sup with this devil.
The third main character is Audrey Lam, a policewoman in Hong Kong. Committed to upholding the law, she battles as a single mother whose child is dying of lymphoma. Despite it being illegal, she’s eventually driven to trying rhino horn. It turns out to be from one of the batches that Cobus has poisoned. Although her son manages to survive, the shocking experience scars both her and Cobus.
Animals is not light reading, but the writing is strong and the characters and story believable. It should be required reading for anyone who thinks animal trafficking isn’t serious. As if Covid hadn’t already taught us that lesson . . .
There are several gruesome scenes, usually with endangered animals as the victims, but they ring true. Staples’s knowledge of the rhino poaching and horn smuggling world in southern Africa is spot on.
The story unfolds from the points of view of three main characters. They are flawed, but they develop during the book and are forced to face the consequences of their actions.
The first is Cobus Venter, a South African who is part of an anti-poaching team in the Kruger National Park. The frustration of their failures to save the priceless wildlife there depresses them all. The frustration of trying to protect the rhinos overwhelms Cobus, and he resigns to head off on his own mission. That mission is to infiltrate the rhino-horn dealers in China and to sell them horn treated with strychnine to sicken or kill the users and thus discourage the trade. He starts by pulling off a daring heist to grab the national park’s stockpile of rhino horn.
The second is Randall Knight, an insurance assessor who specializes in insuring pricey animals for wealthy racehorse owners and zoos. He prides himself on making life better for the animals, ensuring that they are well looked after and protected. However, his major motivation is money. He discovers a project to breed tigers for consumption—currently illegal but in the story about to be legalized. He sees an opportunity for his company to become involved, ensuring not only appropriate animal husbandry but also that the tigers are, in fact, bred and not poached from game reserves. However, he is forced to face the vast gap in philosophies between East and West when he meets the Sky Dragon, the triad kingpin, at a restaurant in Myanmar over a dinner of tiger steak. Knight finds his spoon isn’t long enough when he sits down to sup with this devil.
The third main character is Audrey Lam, a policewoman in Hong Kong. Committed to upholding the law, she battles as a single mother whose child is dying of lymphoma. Despite it being illegal, she’s eventually driven to trying rhino horn. It turns out to be from one of the batches that Cobus has poisoned. Although her son manages to survive, the shocking experience scars both her and Cobus.
Animals is not light reading, but the writing is strong and the characters and story believable. It should be required reading for anyone who thinks animal trafficking isn’t serious. As if Covid hadn’t already taught us that lesson . . .
March 22, 2021
This is a book unlike any other I’ve read. It’s unforgettable, and while about animals, gets into the nitty gritty about some of the unscrupulous people and practices of the wild animal trade. It’s clear that the author, Will Staples, has done his homework and it shows.
The book’s cast of characters includes wildlife rangers protecting animals in Africa’s Kruger National Park, an animal insurance agent who prides himself on being someone who can smell a lie, a narcotics detective whose son has cancer and might turn to Traditional Chinese Medicine if his condition doesn’t improve, high level gang members involved in narcotics and trafficking, and a CIA agent with money laundering expertise trying to move up the ranks by proving a link between endangered species and money tied to terrorism. Caught in the crosshairs are animals like the white rhino, big cats, elephants, pangolins, and more.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves animals and to anyone who wants to see behind the scenes of animal trafficking with eyes wide open.
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the provided e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #AnimalsbyWillStaples
The book’s cast of characters includes wildlife rangers protecting animals in Africa’s Kruger National Park, an animal insurance agent who prides himself on being someone who can smell a lie, a narcotics detective whose son has cancer and might turn to Traditional Chinese Medicine if his condition doesn’t improve, high level gang members involved in narcotics and trafficking, and a CIA agent with money laundering expertise trying to move up the ranks by proving a link between endangered species and money tied to terrorism. Caught in the crosshairs are animals like the white rhino, big cats, elephants, pangolins, and more.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves animals and to anyone who wants to see behind the scenes of animal trafficking with eyes wide open.
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the provided e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #AnimalsbyWillStaples
December 31, 2023
If you get past the uncomfortable reptilian-like design on the cover of Will Staples’ novel “Animals,” know this: it only gets worse — and that’s the way the author wants it.
Uncomfortable is about the most tame adjective you can use to describe this haunting, impossibly important debut. Marrying three continents worth of research, including hundreds of conversations from those of Jane Goodall to the CIA, with the talent of a big-league screenwriter and video game scriptwriter (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”), Staples has the wheelhouse to produce a cinematic story delving deep into the underground world of global animal trafficking. And this is where he takes us, on a fictional journey with converging storylines, characters and locations that are grounded in fact.
When Kruger National Park ranger Cobus Venter is stymied by the restrictions of his job following the death of two colleagues in a shootout with rhino poachers, the veteran soldier quits and goes rogue — taking the law into his own hands to eradicate the international concern at the source. Crossing paths with American insurance agent Randall Knight, who has uncovered ground zero of a global pandemic resulting from exotic animal breeding, and Audrey Lam, a member of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau searching for the people who spiked with strychnine the rhino horn powder that nearly killed her seriously ill son, Venter’s efforts take him into a maze of corruption and organized crime where gambling, bribing and catering to the exotic tastes of the affluent are business as usual: “The whole world was for sale, Knight observed, and no amount of shopping at Whole Foods, of clicktivists’ retweeting statistics, or protests at liberal universities could stop the invisible iron fist of economics.”
The challenges before Venter, Knight and Lam are statistically damning, but challenging also is the reader’s journey into this world of corruption. Staples’ descriptions of tiger wine, the way bile is extracted from live bears and exports such as “pink tiger bones,” which involves “sedating the tiger, then skinning and deboning it alive so that the heart still pumped blood as the bones were harvested,” are the stuff of nightmares.
Which is exactly where Staples wants to take us — from ignorance to concern.
“I admittedly knew little about the world of animal trafficking when I began this project,” Staples writes, “but I ended up having what amounted to a front-row seat for the Sixth Extinction.”
The screenwriter is also putting his money where his text is: “My goal with this novel is to expose as many people as possible to this issue. To that end, all my income from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.”
In buying the book he’s asking us to do the same, which is a win-win. It’s a damn good story, and we all get a chance to help write the ending.
Uncomfortable is about the most tame adjective you can use to describe this haunting, impossibly important debut. Marrying three continents worth of research, including hundreds of conversations from those of Jane Goodall to the CIA, with the talent of a big-league screenwriter and video game scriptwriter (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”), Staples has the wheelhouse to produce a cinematic story delving deep into the underground world of global animal trafficking. And this is where he takes us, on a fictional journey with converging storylines, characters and locations that are grounded in fact.
When Kruger National Park ranger Cobus Venter is stymied by the restrictions of his job following the death of two colleagues in a shootout with rhino poachers, the veteran soldier quits and goes rogue — taking the law into his own hands to eradicate the international concern at the source. Crossing paths with American insurance agent Randall Knight, who has uncovered ground zero of a global pandemic resulting from exotic animal breeding, and Audrey Lam, a member of the Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau searching for the people who spiked with strychnine the rhino horn powder that nearly killed her seriously ill son, Venter’s efforts take him into a maze of corruption and organized crime where gambling, bribing and catering to the exotic tastes of the affluent are business as usual: “The whole world was for sale, Knight observed, and no amount of shopping at Whole Foods, of clicktivists’ retweeting statistics, or protests at liberal universities could stop the invisible iron fist of economics.”
The challenges before Venter, Knight and Lam are statistically damning, but challenging also is the reader’s journey into this world of corruption. Staples’ descriptions of tiger wine, the way bile is extracted from live bears and exports such as “pink tiger bones,” which involves “sedating the tiger, then skinning and deboning it alive so that the heart still pumped blood as the bones were harvested,” are the stuff of nightmares.
Which is exactly where Staples wants to take us — from ignorance to concern.
“I admittedly knew little about the world of animal trafficking when I began this project,” Staples writes, “but I ended up having what amounted to a front-row seat for the Sixth Extinction.”
The screenwriter is also putting his money where his text is: “My goal with this novel is to expose as many people as possible to this issue. To that end, all my income from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.”
In buying the book he’s asking us to do the same, which is a win-win. It’s a damn good story, and we all get a chance to help write the ending.
March 18, 2021
Animals is heart-wrenching and hard to read . . . as well as hard to put down, compelling and fascinating novel if you care at all about the wild creatures of the Earth, their fate, and in turn the fate of the planet they inhabit. It’s about poaching. Specifically it’s about poaching for profit—the large scale slaughter of endangered species such as African White Rhinos and elephants for their horns and tusks to feed an insatiable—and growing—Asian market for their supposed aphrodisiac qualities.
The protagonist of the novel is a South African white man named Corbus Ventner, a park ranger sworn to protect the diminishing numbers of trophy animals. After a shoot out with some rhino horn poachers in which two rangers and several of the poachers are killed, Ventner embarks on a perilous mission to Southeast Asia to try and stop the ruthless and powerful criminals financing the slaughter of animals and people in Africa. He eventually meets up with an American insurance claims adjuster named Randall Knight. He’s found evidence that an exotic tiger breeding program has created a virus which has the potential to kill all the tigers in the world . . . but also has the potential to spread to humans . . . with catastrophic results.
At the same time, author Will Staples—who created the Disney series, The Right Stuff— pulls together a couple of other plot strings, such as the CIA making a connection between organized criminal gangs financing terrorism through poaching activity, commercial breeding of rare, endangered species of wild tigers on an industrial scale and cross-breeding of different species to produce even more exotic animals in this eye-opening and disturbing look into the plight of the world’s most vulnerable endangered animals. It’s a look all of us should take . . . then ask ourselves WHY?
The protagonist of the novel is a South African white man named Corbus Ventner, a park ranger sworn to protect the diminishing numbers of trophy animals. After a shoot out with some rhino horn poachers in which two rangers and several of the poachers are killed, Ventner embarks on a perilous mission to Southeast Asia to try and stop the ruthless and powerful criminals financing the slaughter of animals and people in Africa. He eventually meets up with an American insurance claims adjuster named Randall Knight. He’s found evidence that an exotic tiger breeding program has created a virus which has the potential to kill all the tigers in the world . . . but also has the potential to spread to humans . . . with catastrophic results.
At the same time, author Will Staples—who created the Disney series, The Right Stuff— pulls together a couple of other plot strings, such as the CIA making a connection between organized criminal gangs financing terrorism through poaching activity, commercial breeding of rare, endangered species of wild tigers on an industrial scale and cross-breeding of different species to produce even more exotic animals in this eye-opening and disturbing look into the plight of the world’s most vulnerable endangered animals. It’s a look all of us should take . . . then ask ourselves WHY?
May 27, 2022
5 Stars - A must read/listen
ANIMALS
Author: Will Staples
Blackstone Audio
Narrator: Dion Graham
Will Staples delivers a 1-2 punch right from the sentence of ANIMALS, dragging you deep into the dark world of animal poaching and the black-market animal trade, while tugging at your emotional teethers. Navigating through this fast paced and captivating “Cause and Effect” page-turner, the author takes you through a spiderweb of intersecting plotlines to discover the truly horrifying and grisly reality of this trade. While you may hear, or see, snippets of stories on poaching and the black-market animal trade, you may not necessarily feel like it affects you on the other side of the world, both literally and culturally.
As you delve deeper into the dark artistically layered underworld portrayed in ANIMALS, the more you become terrifyingly comfortable in your own skin, and mind; trying to rationalize, and potentially justify, these heinous events. Then with a quick shot to the solar plex, you are once again knocked off kilter and made extremely uncomfortable, as the author brings to light the most prime example of the rule “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Following a series of chain reaction events; started by the simplest of intentions, good or otherwise, which resulted in complex and potentially deadly consequences for all parties involved.
Audio Narration Review: Dion Graham was marvelous with his narration of ANIMALS. His cadence and voice(s) were perfectly matched to this story, which made it very easy to listen to for hours at a time. His ability to bring Will’s work to life is next level.
I highly recommend reading (or listening) to this book for its eye opening depiction of the catastrophic underworld of illegal and illicit black market animal trade, and how the ripple effect is felt world-wide.
ANIMALS
Author: Will Staples
Blackstone Audio
Narrator: Dion Graham
Will Staples delivers a 1-2 punch right from the sentence of ANIMALS, dragging you deep into the dark world of animal poaching and the black-market animal trade, while tugging at your emotional teethers. Navigating through this fast paced and captivating “Cause and Effect” page-turner, the author takes you through a spiderweb of intersecting plotlines to discover the truly horrifying and grisly reality of this trade. While you may hear, or see, snippets of stories on poaching and the black-market animal trade, you may not necessarily feel like it affects you on the other side of the world, both literally and culturally.
As you delve deeper into the dark artistically layered underworld portrayed in ANIMALS, the more you become terrifyingly comfortable in your own skin, and mind; trying to rationalize, and potentially justify, these heinous events. Then with a quick shot to the solar plex, you are once again knocked off kilter and made extremely uncomfortable, as the author brings to light the most prime example of the rule “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Following a series of chain reaction events; started by the simplest of intentions, good or otherwise, which resulted in complex and potentially deadly consequences for all parties involved.
Audio Narration Review: Dion Graham was marvelous with his narration of ANIMALS. His cadence and voice(s) were perfectly matched to this story, which made it very easy to listen to for hours at a time. His ability to bring Will’s work to life is next level.
I highly recommend reading (or listening) to this book for its eye opening depiction of the catastrophic underworld of illegal and illicit black market animal trade, and how the ripple effect is felt world-wide.
May 12, 2022
Although, this is a work of fiction, it is a very eye opening look into to the underworld of animal trafficking. I am not surprised at the revelation that organized crime has their hands in animal trafficking. If it can make them money, then they will try it out. This story paints an interesting picture of how these criminals use animals for their own personal gain, without any remorse for the animal. It is heartbreaking what some of these animals go through for human profit. It is also terribly sad to see different species going extinct right before our eyes because some individuals want to make money off of these beautiful creatures. If you are new to this subject, I would caution you. The book goes into graphic detail about animal abuse and torture. I have read and watched many documentaries on the subject and some parts were still shocking to me. 3.5/5
September 13, 2022
This book was a heavy read for me as someone who is highly sensitive to animal cruelty. However, it was an essential read and I can't recommend it enough. The subject is very well researched and delves into the billion dollar wildlife trade industry. The story is fast paced, well executed, engaging and has several plotlines that weave together to make one solid novel. The book can serve as an educational tool on poaching, hunting, zoos, private animal collections and other ills that are contributing to the extinction of wildlife as we know it. The novel also draws attention to how the wildlife trade is intertwined with diseases/viruses that jump from wildlife to humans on contact.
Highly recommend 4.5 ⭐s.
Highly recommend 4.5 ⭐s.
February 4, 2023
"Animals" is a fun romp of a thriller around the world following four main characters as they dive into the illegal animal trafficking machine.
What drew me to this book initially was its rough and highly textured cover. Then I saw the blubs on the cover from names I grew up with: Jane Goodall and Arnold Schwarzenegger. So of course I had to pick this up!
It was a fun tale! I won't go into too many details. Just know that there's a few descriptions of animal abuse and misery. The writing is fast paced (almost too fast in some instances) and it could have used another read by an editor (missing words, errant quotation marks, repeated paragraphs close together).
This book definitely deserves more readers and reviews!
What drew me to this book initially was its rough and highly textured cover. Then I saw the blubs on the cover from names I grew up with: Jane Goodall and Arnold Schwarzenegger. So of course I had to pick this up!
It was a fun tale! I won't go into too many details. Just know that there's a few descriptions of animal abuse and misery. The writing is fast paced (almost too fast in some instances) and it could have used another read by an editor (missing words, errant quotation marks, repeated paragraphs close together).
This book definitely deserves more readers and reviews!
April 17, 2021
I enjoyed it but I struggled to get into it at first. I'm glad a writer is spending time on this subject, exotic animal trade is perfect thriller material AND educates people about the issues, from tiger trafficking to bear bile. It is very brutal.
My one thing. One detail: white tigers originated in the bengal breed but are often bred to Siberians for bulk. So crossing tiger subspecies is extremely common and I would think a man whose life revolves around tigers would know that. Common mistake but white tigers aren't a breed. They are a mutation that doesn't really do well in the wild and the ones in captivity trace back to inbreeding 😜
My one thing. One detail: white tigers originated in the bengal breed but are often bred to Siberians for bulk. So crossing tiger subspecies is extremely common and I would think a man whose life revolves around tigers would know that. Common mistake but white tigers aren't a breed. They are a mutation that doesn't really do well in the wild and the ones in captivity trace back to inbreeding 😜
May 7, 2021
This is a subject I don't claim to be an expert in, but I'd like to be. I did write my senior thesis on global wildlife trafficking, and so I consider this very close to my heart and I'd love to eventually work in international wildlife conservation.
That being said, I was incredibly excited to find this book, and I highly recommend everyone read it. It is global, so it jumps around to different narratives and locations, which can make it hard to follow. But it's so well-researched and enlightening on this problem our wildlife faces.
That being said, I was incredibly excited to find this book, and I highly recommend everyone read it. It is global, so it jumps around to different narratives and locations, which can make it hard to follow. But it's so well-researched and enlightening on this problem our wildlife faces.
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