Big Jim

Finished reading Big Jim by David Lucero. I really enjoyed this book. Lucero has written a historical novel about professional white hunters in the year of 1935. An extraordinary amount of research was given to this book- I felt as if I was drawn into the dangerous dark continent, walking through the long stalks of grass, experiencing the same tension and excitement his characters, Big Jim and Caesar experienced. Big Jim, called 'Kubwa Jim' in Swahili, which means Legend, earned the title because he had killed and survived an attack by a bull elephant. He and his partner, Caesar Wilde owned the struggling Peck and Wilde's African Safari business. In the bush, circumstances can change in the blink of an eye- the hunter can easily become the hunted. I was surprised to learn professional hunters in the 20th century had a 50-50 chance of being attacked by lions and leopards, or be impaled and trampled by elephants, or gored by buffalo or Rhinos. Whew! makes you want to go on safari!Not only did Lucero show how professional hunters play a role in the preservation of wildlife, but he also showed how they were pivotable in fending off poachers. Lucero did a wonderful job at building tension throughout the book for the ultimate showdown at the end. Big Jim is gripping, intense, a book I can highly recommend. I also enjoyed the drawings throughout the book. I'm giving Big Jim 5 stars

Big Jim (James Peck), the main character after whom this gripping novel was named, is a professional big game hunter who leads organized safaris in the jungles of Africa together with his partner Caesar Wilde. The action takes place in 1950s and I had to keep this in mind as it was a very common practice at the time, together with Hollywood promoting the life in the safari through many movies. “Not to mention that the kills we make feed villagers in need of meat.” With this line in mind, I managed to get over the thought of being bothered by the hunting that it is a big part of the plot. I just let myself enjoy the trip in the safari, got to know many things about the nature, wild animals, bit of Swahili words and the most important about all the danger while sitting comfortably on my sofa. The more I turned the pages, the more the pictures were displayed in front of me. While there may be a bit of romance between Big Jim and Mary, a journalist going on a shooting safari and asking a lot of questions for her piece in the magazine, the main happening was something else. Maybe not fully understandable for a westerner, but totally believable for the locals, we are presented with a Jabilo (medicine man) that wants to regain power by mystically controlling an amazingly big Cape Buffalo to help him achieve his goal. The Mnyama (beast) seems unbeatable, killing a lot of locals, destroying villages and fighting the white hunters. Someone had to stop the buffalo and not having much of a choice, Big Jim takes the deal. What happens next I will let you discover on your own, not to spoil the suspense.

“Big Jim” is about the exhilarating adventures of professional big game hunters who lead organized safaris in the jungles of Africa, and James Peck and his partner Caesar Wilde in particular. In addition to leading safaris for trophy-hungry clients from all over the world, the duo also work with local governments to “crop” overpopulated herds of wild beast to keep them from devastating the open lands and native villages.Big Jim earned his title by killing an enormous cow elephant in self-defense after the odious Kowalski’s botched attempt to kill the beast for her enormous ivory tusks. Ever since that encounter, Stanley Kowalski (not the same Stanley Kowalski as in “A Streetcar Named Desire”) has gone out of his way to irritate and thwart the owners of Peck and Wilde’s African Safaris.But enemies like Kowalski pale in comparison to all the other dangers that lurk on the Dark Continent. Rogue beasts and inept, unskilled or brazen clients often make Jim and Caesar’s livelihood more treacherous. No two safaris are the same, and it isn’t always possible to protect the clients from the dangers of hunting.When one of their guests is killed on a hunt, Jim faces losing his business if the commissioner of the Game Department finds him at fault for the death of his client. In the end, a deal is struck: Big Jim will keep his license if he can find and kill the almost mythical beast that has been terrorizing and destroying native villages.The “Mnyama” is an enormous rogue Cape Buffalo that the villagers believe is carrying out the wishes of a disgruntled witch doctor who wishes to spend the rest of his days housed and waited on by the natives. The buffalo is of mythic proportions and is responsible for my deaths. There is a silent communication between this man and beast, who work in concert to bring the villagers to their knees. Not having much of a choice, Big Jim takes the deal.“Big Jim” is a vicarious thrill, a non-stop adventure into the heart of Africa. It’s full of insights into a world few are brave enough to enter. It’s a fast-paced story with loads of authentic local flavor. Skip the safari; read the book instead!

I haven't seen this style of writing for some time. Although it reminds me in some ways of Hemingway, it's a lot closer to Robert Ruark, whom I haven't read in over 40 years. It's an African safari novel set in the mid-1950s, the romantic height of that genre. It's hard to discuss the plot without giving away too much, but suffice it to say that the hero, a professional hunter (still called "white hunter" back then), has a mishap with a client and needs to redeem himself. A female magazine reporter tags along to record this. The action never stops, and it will not fail to please adventure fans.