Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico

by Marty Essen

Endangered Edens is the long-awaited follow-up to Marty Essen’s six-time award-winning book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents.

Whether traveling with Marty and his wife, Deb, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, or going solo with Marty in the Everglades, readers will experience nature’s Endangered Edens in a way few others way.

In addition to Marty’s entertaining stories, Endangered Edens also features more than 180 stunning color pictures—merging the genres of wildlife photography, adventure travelogues, and environmental education into one unforgettable book.

Winner: Readers' Favorite Book Award for Environment
Winner: National Indie Excellence Book Award for Nature
Silver: Nautilus Award for Animals & Nature
Silver: Nautilus Award for Middle Grades Nonfiction

Genres: Travel, Nature, Nonfiction, Environment, Biology

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2016

About the author

Marty Essen began writing professionally in the 1990s as a features writer for Gig Magazine. His first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, won six awards, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune named it a “Top Ten Green Book.” His second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico, won four awards.

His novels, Time Is Irreverent, Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again! Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds, and Doctor Refurb have all become Amazon #1 Best-Sellers in at least one category.

His seventh, Doctor Refurb, was a Booklife by Publisher’s Weekly Editor’s Pick and a Top-5 Finalist in the Shelf Unbound 2022 Best Indie Book contest.

The Silver Squad, published in early 2025, is Marty’s eighth and most mass appeal book to-date.

Marty is also a popular college speaker. Over the past seventeen years, he has captivated audiences with the stage-show version of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet, performing it on hundreds of campuses in forty-five states.

Reviews

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nature-lover’s “bucket list”
After an author has already written about “Exploring the Seven Continents” (the subtitle of Marty Essen’s award-winning first book), one might wonder what is left, but Marty Essen and his wife Deb had not finished exploring, and Marty has not finished writing about it. For this book Marty chose four “paradisiacal locations that face an uncertain future because of human activity.” The chapter titles aptly convey the tone as well as the subject matter:
Puerto Rico Herpin’ or: I Thought This Was a Girl Trip
Arctic Eyewitness
I Got Cottonmouth with Two Russians in the Everglades, But I Swear I Didn’t Inhale
Bat an Eyelash and Monkey Around in Costa Rica
The book jacket promises readers “laughing and learning”, and the book is a mixture of travelogue and nature lore, about which Marty and Deb are impressively knowledgeable. Although the travel anecdotes were my favorite parts of Essen’s first book, in Endangered Edens the natural history and the accompanying photos provided the high points. For example, there are two “WOW” photos of blue herons that attracted me at first for their sheer beauty and then even more when Essen revealed that they show the same bird. These herons have foldable necks, and they really do look like different species depending on whether their necks are pulled in or extended. There were other fascinating little insights like the explanation that dark-colored leaves absorb heat and help Arctic plants survive in the extreme weather.
Essen’s Cool Creatures, Hot Planet, was delightful, but I was afraid that a book called Endangered Edens could be a real downer. Fortunately, any such expectation couldn’t be farther from the truth! You open to a full-page photo of a colorful Costa Rican wren. It made me smile, and my smile got even bigger on the next page in the introductory material on Animals, Photos, and Thanks. Its first paragraph reads: “I took liberties when determining the gender of some animals. If I knew their correct sex, I used it. If not, I took my best guess....Referring to animals I shared moments with as either “him” or “her” just seemed more appropriate than using a generic ‘it’.” That opening tells lot about both the book and the author.
Not that there was not a somber message about environmental danger, especially in the chapter on Alaska. Essen describes his visit to the oil-drilling region of Prudhoe Bay and includes a photo of people earning their Polar Bear Plunge certificates for frolicking in an Arctic Ocean whose shore seems to be bordered by oil sludge.
Although the book is only 152 pages, about 1/3 of which are filled with photos, do not expect a quick read, as you will linger over the stunning photos and dream of future travel or relive your own explorations of nature’s wonders.

NOTE: Although I am a big Kindle fan, I recommend you buy this book in hard copy to get maximum benefit from the beautiful photos.

DISCLOSURE: I received an advance copy of this book with a request for a fair review.

[B. Sinsational · Rating 5 out of 5]

❗️Spectacular ❗️ Outstanding ❗️ Stunning ❗️
This a book that you can place with pride on your living room table as a showcase, readily catching the eye of your guests. Or have as a chosen book to be read and discussed in your bookclub. It has so many levels of grandeur, making it exceptional in so many ways. For me it was a bit unexpected that I found so many possibilities where it became useful, I had actually never considered a book in any way but as reading material or mind-candy.
In this fantastic book we get to se some very special places, the Edens of this world that still exists. In a uncomplicated and honest way, we go on a journey to gently explore and envision these stunning places that is so descriptively depicted by the author. Its in a sense not “just” a mere travel journal, and its not “just” merely a gorgeous book with amazing pictures, it’s not “just merely” any thing, its so much more.
With anecdotes, and historical background, the vivid retelling of what transpires enchants and most definitely it beckons the mind to care for the surroundings you have.
Added admiration from my side for the stunning photographs, vivid, breath taking, unforgettable! A genuine aesthetic feast. This is a “must have” in a home, and in my humble opinion it can be a very good base to teach our children and grandchildren via curiosity to find the love and care that’s necessary for our environment and our world. ♥️

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a newspaper editor, which makes me a semi-professional photographer, and an amateur nature photographer, I appreciated this book for several reasons.

First, of course, is the overview of the different places Deb and Marty visited.

Second is specifics of wildlife "hunting" on each trip.

Third, per my intro, is Marty talking about shooting wildlife, and how to get at least decent pix with even a point and shoot. (And, yes, Marty, I've occasionally been caught unable to change lenses in time on a DSLR myself.) While not written as a photography book, Marty notes that patience, timing and "framing" are keys to getting the best with the material at hand.

Fourth is that they come off as real people.

Fifth, can't beat the price in today's book world.

I did receive a review copy; I still appreciate the book anyway.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for supplying me with a free copy of this book for review.

In Endangered Edens, Marty Essen travels to four areas in the world where wildlife is threatened. These four areas provide the four sections of the book. The areas included are: Puerto Rico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Everglades and Costa Rica. Throughout his travels Essen confirms that these locations provide rich sources of wildlife viewing. These places are, sadly, endangered edens.

In visiting these areas Essen is in search of wildlife. Essen, is particularly keen on herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians). Consequently, many of the adventures included in this book were in search of said animals. That said, there are some features of birds and mammals as well, especially in the Costa Rica section which included toucans and macaws.

This book is best viewed on the kindle reading app on your tablet instead of on your kindle. The book is heavily reliant on pictures which are best viewed in colour.

Being that photos were a large focus of the book, I expected all the images included to be brilliant shots. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Some shots were great, but there were a lot that were blurred, grainy or lacking sharpness. The author also chose to include a lot of holiday snaps of his wife in their hotel, or him and his wife at dinner. This did help the reader develop a kind of bond with the author, but mostly it was off-topic to the focus of the book, which should have been on wildlife.

Essen seems to find wildlife everywhere he goes – not just in the national parks or reserves. I really enjoyed that the author included how he could find wildlife even in the hotel grounds. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Puerto Rico section of the book.

Essen's Puerto Rico travels bought them to find creatures living among urban sprawl and even in hotel resorts. So often my wildlife travels have me focus on travelling to remote locations to spot wildlife. But, really, as Essen proves, it’s all around us.

Essen has such an easy-to-read writing style which made finishing this book a breeze. The theme of his book however needed more work. The book was a little un-focused; including snippets of environmental trivia, tips for locations to spot animals and reviews of hotels. Mostly, it read as a journal of his holidays, which didn’t show a lot of thought behind who his reading audience was, and why he was writing this book.

Overall, this is a pleasantly average book. I really enjoyed the unusual locations for finding wildlife that were included in the book. I love wildlife, and I enjoyed reading this as a suggestion for beautiful places in the world to go see animals.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some years ago I read and reviewed Marty Essen’s beautiful and irrepressible wildlife adventure book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents.” “Endangered Edens” is a bit more modest in scope and Marty has mellowed a bit and left out probably a hundred corny jokes and off the wall observations, but this book is if anything even more beautiful than his first. The main reason is the photography. Some of the best nature still shots you’ll ever see are in this book. Some are landscape and environmental shots but most are of beautiful animals, large and small, some rare some not so rare. And yes Essen’s prose is very readable as he strives to connect with a wide range of readers.

There is a sense of urgency infusing the book because, let’s face it, a lot of what he and his wife, Deb Essen, experienced in their travels to the Arctic, Costa Rica, the Florida Everglades, and Puerto Rico won’t be around for much longer. I was going to write “if the exploitation continues,” but there’s no “if,” sad to say.

Some nice tidbits:

In the Inupiat town of Kaktovik (population 239) on chilly Barter Island he and Deb found the “Waldo Arms” hotel and fresh polar bear tracks. The 13-room hotel was constructed entirely from linked together shipping containers! I think the Jim Beam that Essen brought brightened the place a bit. (pp. 55-56)

In Fairbanks they attended the Midnight Sun Baseball Classic and watched Bill “Spaceman” Lee pitch six innings. Yes, the very same Red Sox star from many years ago now 61. Essen noted that the game continued until after midnight without the use of artificial lights. (pp. 60-61)

I was a bit surprised to learn that in Wiseman, Alaska people live entirely off the grid using windmills and waterwheels and even solar panels--solar panels that far north, wow! (p. 63)

Essen makes the points that Viceroy butterflies mimic monarch butterflies because “Monarchs taste bad and are mildly poisonous. Viceroy’s taste good—like a butterfly should!” (p. 93)

In Costa Rica Marty and Deb had to dodge streams of howler monkey urine from above. Essen wonders if it came with purpose. Well, chimpanzees will even throw feces at humans below (as I’ve seen in TV documentaries) and yes it’s on purpose. But maybe, as Essen writes, the howlers just had to go.

Still in Costa Rica Essen watched capuchin monkeys bite once into some kind of round fruit and then toss it to the ground. Maybe the fruit wasn’t quite ripe as Essen suggests, but maybe the monkeys bite into the fruit looking for some protein rich insects.

From crocs to geckos, from the Jesus Christ lizard to the great white egret, from a rainbow over the tundra to terns over the water in Costa Rica, the photography above all captivates.

Bottom line: a beautiful book and a fine adventure.

--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”

[Terri Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marty Essen's new book defied my expectations. From the main title, "Endangered Edens," I anticipated a somber discussion of global warning, overpopulation, and other looming ecological disasters. The fiery sunset cover photo called to mind the recent devastation of the Sumatran Rain Forests and caused me to waver in my desire to read on. But I had received a free copy in exchange for a fair review, so I plunged in. I soon discovered that the truth of the book is in the sub-title, "Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico," with an emphasis on the first word. Rather than a dire ecologue, "Endangered Edens" is an entertaining chronology of travel adventures and wildlife sitings interspersed with brief reflections on the value of wilderness and the threats facing animals and their habitats in each of the locales.

Since I was familiar with Essen's photography from his Facebook page, I expected to find myself focusing on the photos at the expense of the story. Surprisingly, the opposite was true. The photos are uniformly well made, beautiful, and interesting, although some are too small to do their subjects justice. Perhaps purposefully, the minimalist captions tend to drive the reader back to the text.

I also thought I would tire of the chronological nature of travel writing: "We got up, we went there, we ate this, we took a nap, etc., etc." There is plenty of that, but Essen's engaging and lively style makes for a fun and compelling read. Happily hiking, kayaking, driving and creeping though the bush with him and his wife, Deb, I stopped only occasionally to wonder: Is "herping" legal in all 50 states? Where is the photo of the beautifully described King Eider? And how did such an observant person travel the globe (as recorded in his first book, "Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents") and not discover the glory of birds until he visited Costa Rica?

Finally, I was surprised by how well the four stories from three corners of the hemisphere-- tropical, semi-tropical, and thermally-challenged -- experienced and written over a span of six years, hang together as one book. Although I will probably never fully share Essen's love for the "lesser" species of the world -- snakes, reptiles, and rodents -- I shared his joy in discovering that these and other wild creatures can and are thriving even under pressure from human activity and climate change. If you just look hard enough, you will find them, and once you find them you will want to save them.

[Robert Yokoyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endangered Edens is the perfect book for people who don't either have the time or money to travel. I use a wheelchair too, so travelling is very difficult because of the accessibility obstacles that I have. Marty Essen captures the beauty of Puerto Rico, the Arctic National Refuge, the Everglades and Costa Rica.

I learned that Puerto Rico is a small over populated island with 3.6 million people. There is a beautiful shot of San Juan and another photo of the Guanica forest. I learned that San Juan gets much more rain than in the forest. I would love to relax near the water in San Juan and walk through the cactus in the forest.

I love the pictures of the animals in the book. I am afraid of snakes. I have never seen one up close, but Marty really captures the beauty of snakes. I did not know that an eyelash vipers could be pink or white in color. There is another photo of a snake called the cotton mouth and of another called the fer de lance. There are so photos of snakes in this book. It really makes me think about the ecological value that snakes have in the environment. Marty could write an entire book about snakes with the knowledge he has about them.

There is a photo of a Jesus Christ lizard. It is called a Jesus Christ lizard because it can run on water. I learned that monarch butterflies are poisonous. I learned that there is a lizard named the Jesus Christ lizard that can run on water.

There is a beautiful photograph of ice in the Arctic. I have never seen any pictures of ice floating before. Marty writes about canoeing near the Arctic Ocean. This sounds so exciting to me. It is sad to think that human intervention and possibly global warming are two factors that can endanger any place on the globe. The most beautiful photograph of the sun setting in Costa Rica. It contains the colors of red and yellow. I have never seen a more breath taking sunset quite like the one in this book.

The writing in this book is interesting and the photographs of the animals and nature are simply beautiful. I really enjoyed this book.

[Bryan Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may well be the final book I read in 2015, and that's fine. It's a great way to end the year. I had the great good fortune of working with/for the author when he was traveling and writing his first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet, and I got to read that book as it was being written, a work in progress. I feel a bit of a tie to this new book in that I helped Marty's company a bit while he took one of the trips described herein--the Costa Rica 30th Anniversary Trip. As a matter of full disclosure, I should state that the author gave me an autographed copy of Endangered Edens with the understanding that I would write an honest review of the book. That is not hard to do. Marty's writing is such a pleasure to read, even when he's talking about dreadful places (Prudhoe Bay, anyone?). Reading Endangered Edens, I felt as if I were along for the trips involved, which is saying something in that of the four places described in this book, I have been to only one--the Everglades. Alaska and Costa Rica are on my bucket list, and now, having read about Marty and Deb's adventures in Puerto Rico, I certainly wouldn't mind going there in person. Marty's photographs are stunningly beautiful, even if I don't share his interest in herps (reptiles and amphibians). I would recommend this book (and the author's first book as well) to anyone interested in good travel writing, good adventure writing, great photography, and, perhaps most important, to anyone at all interested in the fate of our beautiful planet and what steps we can take to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and generations to come can enjoy it the way we have.

[Rick Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part photo essay, part adventure, with a wee bit of education thrown in, Marty Essen's Endangered Edens is a delight to read for anyone with even the slightest interest in broadening their horizons about this incredibly diverse planet we inhabit. A book like this makes a comparative homebody such as myself long to pick up my belongings and see some of the sights that lay beyond my normal set boundaries. At the same time, it also instills in one the sense to be careful when doing so. The title of the book is not just there for effect. It's meant to convey a sense of just how delicate the balance of man vs. nature truly is and how quickly that balance can be tipped.

Speaking of balance, Essen does an excellent job of providing an entertaining and informative narrative while presenting some truly stunning wildlife photography taken by both himself and his wife Deb. He paints an exquisite picture of the sights and sounds he beholds and then backs them up by allowing the reader to experience a small slice of what he's seen through his own eyes. All the while, the underlying theme of conservation is presented. This message is layered more heavily in some chapters than others, which could be a turnoff to those of the mindset that this world exists to be exploited for all one can get out of it; however, at no time does Essen become overly preachy. Instead, one gets a sense of an adventurous soul with a love of nature, the wonders contained within it, and a deep hope that future generations might also be able to appreciate it as well.

Endangered Edens by Marty Essen is a visual treat to behold and you may just come out of it a little wiser for the effort.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have traveled with Marty and his wife, Deb throughout the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades and Puerto Rico. I have laughed with them, explored with them and have been moved by the sheer beauty of this wondrous world we live in. The photos are just stunning. They are so stunning that they feel like they are pulling you right in. My kids and I were just so enthralled by the images as we were looking at them. I want to hop on a plane and head right back to Costa Rica. It made me want to travel anywhere really. Isn't that what great books do...inspire? But you will also want to protect the wonders in our world because they are captured in photos in such pure beauty. I know that this is one of those books I will keep coming back to because it was just a joy to read. 4.5 stars

[Jon Turk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scientists have identified a limited number of unique, critical ecosystems on this planet. All are endangered. Marty Essen’s travel memoir, Endangered Edens takes us into four of these regions with words, and perhaps more importantly, vivid and stunning photography. The result is that we want to go there, be there, commune with the animals and the landscapes, and perhaps do our part to preserve them. Congratulations, Marty, on a job well done.

[Danny Deshong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journey from Puerto Rico to Alaska to the Everglades and Costa Rica. This book was filled with not only personal accounts but tons of photos to go along with the sightings of animals. There was some humor threaded inside the book as well. This book was also one of the shorter ones an easy read no doubt. Do not confuse this book with a dire warning of humanities destructive appetite it is more a personal journey and account of earths beautiful edens.

[Kayt18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos, wonderful writing. A pleasure to indulge in my own journey to fascinating places by opening this book. The photographs are diverse and interesting to be sure. With a wide array of subjects this read has something for everyone.
I won this book at Goodreads and have given my honest and unbiased opinion

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endangered Eden is a book everyone should have on their shelf. Marty Essen takes adventuring and environmental concerns and blends them into a wonderful story. After reading this book I felt like I knew the places he wrote about. The pictures are beautiful! I couldn’t put the book down.

This book would appeal to anyone and everyone.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable travelogue tinged with sadness.

[Twagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A travelogue

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful photography; enjoyed the narrative.

[Rory Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I want to point out that. I really like this type of content. Boating, yachting, sailing, fishing and anything that falls under the concept of a marina.

I leave this information below for those who want to read it. A look at Boat and Yacht History:

the ships we encounter today are; They are large, robust and self-propelled watercraft used to transport cargo across the seas and oceans. This was not the case hundreds of years ago, and current ships went through centuries of development until they became what they are today.

In ancient times, sailors used rafts, bamboo logs, reed bales, inflated animal hides, and baskets covered with pitch to cross small bodies of water.

As a matter of fact, the first boat; it was in the form of a simple frame made of interconnected rods and sewn animal hides that skillfully covered them. These boats could easily carry large and heavy loads. Information about similar old boat examples; You can find it among bull boats, Eskimo canoes, and British Islander merchant ships on the North American plains. In addition to these, another old-style boat is the one carved from the log and the ends of which are sharpened. Some of these were 60 feet (approx. 18 m) long.

When we look at the history of seafaring in ancient times, we come across a very interesting study of human strength and survival instincts. For example, in ancient times, the simple shovel mechanism we know was not used. Instead, people used their hands to move through the water in tiny boats. They propelled their rafts forward, pushing the masts to the bottom of the rivers. Increasingly, using his creative instincts and ingenuity, man redesigned the posts by straightening them and widening one end, thus making it usable in deeper waters. Later, this form was masterfully redeveloped and the blade fixed to the sides of the boat was transformed into the shape of a wide oar.

Invention of the sail
The invention of the sail was the greatest turning point in maritime history. Sails replaced human muscle movements, and sailboats were able to travel longer with heavier loads. The first ships used square sails, which were best suited to sail downwind. Side sails were invented later.

The Egyptians credit the emergence of advanced sailing cargo ships. These were made by connecting and stitching together small pieces of wood. These cargo ships were used to transport large stone pillars used in the construction of monuments.

Here are the contents I love about two beautiful marinas.

https://foodlord.net

https://theboatyacht.com/everglades-2...
https://numberoneboats.com/everglades...
https://theboatyacht.com/everglades-2...
https://numberoneboats.com/everglades...
https://theboatyacht.com/everglades-3...
https://numberoneboats.com/everglades...
https://numberoneboats.com/boats-for-...
https://theboatyacht.com/boats-for-sa...

[Kenneth W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, excellent writing, Beautiful photography!

Personally, I feel this is the most enlightening book I have read in a long time. Marty Essen somehow knows what words to use and how to 'string them together' to make them into something I cannot put down. (Example: I read this entire book in one day.) The pictures he included in the book are better than those anyone can see anywhere else, and the descriptions only make them better. All-in-all a wonderful reading experience!

[Lauren Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like narratives of his vacations and okay pictures. Not the stunning nature pictures I expected and more like a personal vacation and not the typical nature book vacation of animals and scenery experiences.

[Lynn Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Awesome book. I am a teacher, and I liked this book so much I have added it to my reading corner for the students.. The book is full of "ribbons", which is a good thing. Students each have a ribbon with their name on it, and they leave it in whichever book they are currently reading. This book has lots of ribbons, as students in various classes are in the process of reading this book when they are in my classroom. The writing style of the author was warm and personal. I felt like I was along on the adventure with the author. Costa Rica, with snakes of all sizes and other critters up close and personal, was my favorite. The section on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge made me angry. Why are we, in the name of oil, ruining this earth we live on? Photography was excellent. If you are planning a trip to one of these locations, you must read this book before you go. if you are not planning any trips, you must read this book and enjoy a little vacation through the words of the author.

[Marty Essen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m the author of “Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico.” So rather than giving you my true unbiased (yeah, right!) review, I thought I’d pass on some information you won’t read elsewhere:

Just two weeks ago, I received my personal copies of this book. For authors, the arrival day of a new book is always exciting. I remember when my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” was published. Because I live in rural Montana, my copies were shipped to a loading dock in town. Excited to get my books home, I promptly backed up too fast, hit the loading dock, and crumpled the tailgate of my truck. That sure extinguished my first-book-euphoria!

I’ve learned a lot since then. This time, when Endangered Edens arrived, I backed up to the loading dock slower than a slow loris. And when I opened that first glorious box of books, the first thing that struck me was the absolutely stunning print job. The book is printed on glossy art paper, so the photos just pop. It just felt great in my hands.

Cool Creatures, Hot Planet won six national awards and received great reviews—both from readers and professional book critics. Of course, not everyone loved everything. I read all reviews, and two things some readers complained about were that the book didn’t have enough pictures (although 86 seemed like a lot to me), and that I spent too much time ripping George W. Bush (the book takes place just before and during the Iraq War, so actually much of the ripping came from people I met in other countries).

I took those critiques to heart when creating Endangered Edens. This new book has 180 photos, and most are larger than the ones in Cool Creatures, Hot Planet. I have a photo for almost every animal and adventure I write about. Admittedly, I don’t have a photo for shooting river rapids in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as avoiding capsizing and dying of hypothermia was a bit more important to me at the time.

I also promise that I won’t mention George W. Bush even once. I do mention Sarah Palin, however (that “Drill, baby, drill!” thing), so consider yourself warned.

Overall, Endangered Edens merges the genres of wildlife photography, adventure travelogues, and environmental education. And while the subject matter can be serious at times, I’m a humorist writer at heart. Unless my Sarah Palin comments have you fuming, I promise plenty of laughs along the way.

I hope you enjoy Endangered Edens as much as I enjoyed creating it. I also look forward to reading your review on Goodreads!


Marty Essen, author of Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico

and

Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endangered Edens is an environmentally focused collection of travel writings by photographer/author Marty Essen. The book is divided into four trips Essen took to Puerto Rico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica and the Everglades. His wife accompanied him on 3 of the trips and one he went on his own. A short read, the book has a multitude of photos that unfortunately didn’t always translate as well on my black and white Kindle, so I went and checked out his author page and enjoyed many of the color photos on there. Clearly Essen has an eye for capturing beauty.

Personally I usually read travel writings that focus on locations of historical or cultural import as I find myself most drawn to those areas as an armchair traveler. Recently however I’ve wanted to broaden my horizons so I picked up this book to enjoy a more nature-oriented travelogue. Overall, my impressions were mixed. I enjoyed Essen’s conversational style of writing which made the book a quick read, and the photos were very impressive despite being black and white. What I found off-putting however was Essen’s tone. There was an oversupply of snarky comments on everything from guides to other vacationers to Republicans. Obviously each writer brings their own unique voice to their work, and Essen is entitled to his own, I just did not enjoy it. To be fair, he made some excellent points: a guide wandering off during a grizzly bear encounter is alarming and the state of the Prudhoe Bay area was upsetting, but the way he expressed himself hurt the overall quality of the book. A good read, great photos, but the narrative voice negatively affected the content.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tarraneh Eftekhari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marty Essen's Endangered Edens is a fun and easy read for the adventurer at heart. Essen does a wonderful job of taking the reader along for the ride and allowing them to feel as though they are just a couple steps behind, all along the way. The book is filled with beautiful photographs that help paint a realistic picture of what it'd be like to be there yourself. Throughout it all, however, Essen maintains the underlying theme which suggests the true precarious nature of these endangered Edens, and how mankind's ignorance of these delicate environments and ecosystems may one day lead to their demise if we are not cognizant and proactive.

Endangered Edens is a quick and easy read that introduces you to some of the most beautiful locations on Earth while also informing you of the delicate state that these places are in, due to the damaging, and often irreversible effects that mankind imposes upon them. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to travel and explore while also being aware of the reality that we are all faced with, as citizens of planet Earth.

Disclaimer: I received this book free as part of a GoodReads book giveaway.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable. Reading Endangered Edens is like sitting next to the author, Marty Essen, and having him entertain you with tales from his eco-adventures -- all while enjoying beautiful photographs of the birds, reptiles and other animals. The vibe is casual but you can feel the author's enthusiasm for his passion of all things "herp" as well as his irritation when he is peeved at a guide or two that he finds less than responsible. It is a pleasure to be an armchair companion as he enjoys Puerto Rico, the Everglades, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Costa Rica. Through these stories, the reader learns about nature, critters big and small and how humans have impacted the environment in both positive and negative ways. While not pushing any specific locale or service, Marty Essen, makes you wish to start planning an eco-trip all of your own.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book. This in no way impacted my review.

[Paul Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a travelogue heavy on animal encounters: Puerto Rico, the Arctic, Costa Rica, and Everglades.
This is a short book even before you take into account all the photographs, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. The writing is entertaining enough, and there’s no heavy evangelizing; he gets his point across without dropping anvils on your head, or even your foot.
The photo of the polar bear paw print is amazing, seemingly more so than shots of the bear itself as far as trying to understand the size. I just wish there’d been even more on the Arctic drilling; on the one hand I don’t want it to go into the proselyting I mentioned wasn’t here, but it was so thoroughly beyond the scope of anything I could have imagined. . .
Thoughtful and entertaining. Light, but all the better for it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains many beautiful photos of many animals and insects. The scenery is also impressive. I understand that Marty Essen is adamant about protecting the environment, but I felt that he was very opinionated about his views and prejudices. This was particularly evident when he evidently does not like Republicans and Fox News. I feel that, if he wants to get his message out about protecting our environment, it would be more effective if he did not try to lump everyone who has different political views with people who are not concerned about the environment. People can watch Fox News or be a Republican and still be concerned about our environment. I wonder what size footprint Marty Essen is leaving behind with all his travels. I enjoyed the book, but not the opinionated comments.

[Britt, Book Habitue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conversational writing and gorgeous photos. My only real complaint (other than more than one instance of "republicans are the enemy" type generalizations, which felt preachy and annoying... And the "Mormon wife" thing which was also kind of annoying) would be the lack of captioning. Only some photos are captioned and while some I could figure out by the context, so to speak, others I could only admire the beauty without knowing what it was.
Overall recommended. Now I'm off to see if I can get hold of his other book.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

I was not sure what to expect based on the descriptions. I thought it would be more of narrative based on scientific information than a travel/ vacation first person story. If you're looking for a well written, informative commentary on the state of the environment in these locales, this book is not for you. However, if you'd like to read a tale about a family's travel with some decent pictures thrown in you'll enjoy this book.

[Lori Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The pictures were stunning. I loved the stories of each of the 4 places Marty and his wife, Deb, visited. It was very descriptive and his thoughts on certain subjects were conveyed. An excellent book!