Ian is a former SAS officer tasked with putting together a team to apprehend Ivory poachers. While on a mission he discovered that his long-lost love Rebecca is taken hostage. An exciting thriller and mystery. Great characters and backdrop. The story flows well and keeps the reader engaged in the story.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Mandevilla Press for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Mandevilla Press for allowing me to read and review The Last Savanna on NetGalley.

Published: 08/15/13

Stars: 4.5

Amazing. This is the story that block buster movies are made from. I was shocked to see this was published in 2013. This is for smart people.

The synopsis says it all and I'm including the About the Author at the end of the review. It explains what I can't put into words.

Bond put me in the jungle. I could smell the blood. I felt the hatred and fear. Several times I had to stop reading to let my heart and brain come together. I cried a couple times -- once thinking I wouldn't have made it out alive, I would have gotten everyone killed from my crying. It is one thing to know that elephants are killed for their tusks, lions are killed for their skins, etc., but it's different when you experience the kill. The author had me.

His writing is truthful as well as beautiful. As much as I appreciated his talent and want to explore his other works through his eyes, I'm not sure if emotionally I'm strong enough.

This is definitely giftable: A basket with a fine wine, nice liquor, cheese, and chocolate.

* I saw this after reading The Last Savanna and find it matches his book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hawaii-based bestselling novelist, international energy expert, war and human rights correspondent and award-winning poet, Mike Bond has lived and worked in many dangerous, remote and war-torn regions of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the vanishing beauty of the natural world.

This book was a very interesting, although at times difficult, story to read. Elephant poachers in Africa is a very difficult problem, and the author takes that on with descriptive writing that makes the reader visualize both the surroundings and the action. As SAS office Ian McAdam goes after the poachers to save elephants, he then finds that he must save woman from his past, archeologist Rebecca Hecht, who they have kidnapped. Chapters told from character viewpoint give different perspective to what is happening in the story. Lots of action along with some dragging sections.... but overall a very good read! Thank you to NetGalley and Mandevilla Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheLastSavanna

Bond transports you deep into the savanna to the unknown world of elephant poaching. Adventurous, graphic violence, yet sympathetic to the characters, this is a gripping thriller that Bond is known for. Although not my cup of tea, this will appeal to many who enjoy that rugged type of story that keeps you on the edge. Many thanks to #netglley #mikebond #thelastsavanna for the opportunity to read and review this book. I give it a 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Two different cultures clash in a violent way in this book. It begins as a tale of poachers killing elephants, but ends up in a violent confrontation between the poachers and the men who follow them to rescue a kidnapped scientist.

The hunters are poverty-stricken Somalians who cross the border to hunt elephants for their ivory. The scientist who ends up kidnapped by the poachers is part of the other culture; those who have come to study the ancient cultures of this land. The juxtaposition of the two totally opposite cultures makes for an interesting narrative as each ends up interpreting everything through their own lens. The man who pursues the poachers to try to rescue his former lover, the scientist, is of a different culture. He came to this land from England to farm it and raise sheep. He works as a tracker to catch poachers too.

The desert itself is almost a character because it is ever-present and it affects everything the human characters do. The heat and lack of water drive all the players to survive the extreme circumstances of this land. It affects their decisions and their motives.

I really wanted to learn more about the poaching and the trackers who work to find the poachers and stop them. This is a risky career, but there are many who pursue it to save the remaining elephants and rhinos. When I read the book description, that was what I hoped it was about. It ended up being more of an action/adventure story. It was OK, but I think it might have been better if it approached the story from the perspective of stopping poaching, which I think is the larger issue. The whole kidnapped scientist angle makes for an adventure story, but I felt like it lost focus on the issue of poaching. That was a story that could be told in any setting. I was hoping that the setting in Africa/Kenya would lead to a more wildlife-oriented story.

The story is constructed from two different points of view.

One is the do-good group of soldiers and a few ex-soldiers who are instructed to find and kill the poachers of the last elephants in Kenya.
The opposing group, the poachers, are poor, desperate Somalian men who have no other means of survival.
In between the two groups are international role players, such as embassy personnel of ivory-seeking countries, local corrupt politicians and big global corporations.

It is really based on much of the reality of modern day Africa, with not too much fantasy added.
Every element in this narrative is either possible or true.

It is not the last book I want to read from the author, Mike Bond.

I appreciate his observations of all the countries he has covered as journalist.
He has many good, as well as valid, stories to tell.

I really wasn’t sure what to except from the blurb but it sounded like a story I would be interested in reading although I knew it might be a emotional story based off of the authors experience. The author description of Africa. Made me feel like I was there which I’ hope to see one day..
This book has a lot of information as to what goes on in the poaching world which sadly still goes on. The book was a little slow mid way but kept me interested. Thank you netgalley

I think I wasn't the right audience for this book - at first, with the animals acting unusually, I thought it might be a thriller about that, so maybe my expectations were at fault. The story is about elephant poaching, and told primarily from the points of view of a group of poachers and the group hunting them down.

The author did a good job in that the poachers were sympathetic - they were poor and desperately trying to survive. And even with that, the killing of the animals seemed awful. I actually liked the poachers better than the main character, MacAdam, who I just couldn't grow fond of.

I think a lot of other people may really enjoy this book.

This was a very interesting book, and worth the read. The author is truly gifted in the way he conveys the feeling of a place, complete with smells and textures. He makes the reader feel as if they are right there with the characters. I will definitely read more by him. So why not five stars? I wasn't so sure some of the situations would have happened the way they did in the book. Maybe I'm wrong, but I had difficulty with credibility in some areas. That's all. Maybe you won't. As I said, I do recommend you read it. You will feel as if you are right smack in the Kenyan desert.

I loved this book even if some parts or it left me a little perturbed I recommend it to every one who wants to experience a good adventure-

His writing is very descriptive and paints a vivid picture for the reader. It was full of interesting thoughts, stories, drama and love. I was left wondering at the end about what happened to a few of the characters, but I suppose that leaves me to ponder

very reminiscent of Tom clancy's Op Center novels.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this review copy.

The Last Surviver is a sweeping story about survival of the men, the wild animals in Africa, and the continent of Africa itself. The book is narrated by Ian MacAdam, hunting down Somali poachers and eventually attempting to rescue Rebecca, an archeologist and his former lover. Rebecca's voice is the second narrator. The third narrator is Warwar, a Somali poacher.
The book is suspensful and filled with African adventures, descriptions of the land and animals, as well as an ongoing theme of the horrendous neglect, misuse and the seemingly sucking dry of the essence of the land and animal inhabitants of Africa. Although I enjoyed The Last Savannah. I found parts to be tedious and too descriptive. The messages about the future of Africa were important, but got in the way of the story for me. I also found the ending of the book to be abrupt. Four stars for a good story. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Savanna by Mike Bond is an action packed mystery full of intrigue & mystery.
Bond has created a highly intense read. This book is full of action from start to finish.
There are plenty of highs and lows throughout the narrative. Bond did a masterful job of research, which provided the reader with plenty of background information.
The characters are relatable, settings and dialogue are realistic. And this was a very gripping story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Mandevilla Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing
eARC!

5 stars for giving me a taste of the brutal beauty of the African savannah. 2 stars for a pointless plot and slightly interesting characters. Averaged at 3 stars. The story left the airport without a flight plan and never landed. This was profoundly disappointing given my expectations for a Mike Bond book. If I was writing in Roman times, I would say veni, vidi, veni, "I came, I saw, it floundered." I am guessing Mr. Bond really, really wanted to write a raw, gritty book about Africa, and the publisher used that to negotiate another round of book commitments from him. Sorry, but other than that, I do not see much value or interest here.

The opening of this book is quite graphic and gets worse as it goes on. I didn't really understand the premise and some of the plot just didn't make sense. McAdam is about as likeable as a toothache. The fact that he could care less about the elephant population being destroyed in the place he calls home was extremely offputting. I couldn't find anything in this book that made me want to finish.

I received this book as a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This, although really well written, was a very hard novel for me to read. I spent almost two weeks on it and only read a couple of chapters a day because it was so very convoluted. It is basically the story of poachers who killed a pair of elephants for their ivory and meat; the authorities who chased and killed some of them and the various animals’ thoughts about mankind and the changes in Africa. The author obviously loves Africa as it used to be and hates what it is turning into. His descriptive passages make you feel as though you are there traveling on foot or camel through Kenya to Ethiopia. The smells and heat are with you all the way. As I said earlier, it is really well written. Thanks to Net Galley and Mandevilla Press for an ARC for an honest review.

The first chapter of this novel is one of the finest literary accomplishments I have come upon. The description of the savanna and the life and death confrontations that occur in Africa are so brilliantly depicted the reader feels they are part of this incredible scene. I was transported. This book will not have broad appeal but I truly loved it. The subject matter is controversial and distressing. Africa is a continent that kills and thrills. Yet those that love it do so with devotion.

The story is presented from two different points of view. One is the do-good group of soldiers and a few ex-soldiers who are instructed to find and kill the poachers of the last elephants in Kenya. The opposing group, the poachers, are poor, desperate Somalian men who have no other means of survival. In between the two groups are international role players, such as embassy personnel of ivory-seeking countries, local corrupt politicians and big global corporations.

The story also highlights the fundamental and very real challenges in Africa. Although it is also applicable to the rest of the world, it is more so in Africa which is exploited from all over the planet for its natural resources. Apart from the selfish greed of everyone involved, the men are inspired into action by the loss, or hope of their love for women which drives them. A rebellion against a love that conquers and tames them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mandevilla Press who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a well written book by an author who obviously knows the area very well, and the characters are very interesting. The plot and story are also generally very good, but the descriptions, although good, are just too extensive and vague. Characters can mix reality and imagination, readers better not. Most readers also prefer some positivity in a book, but here's very little.