Last of the Giants: The Rise and Fall of Earth s Most Dominant Species

by Jeff Campbell, Adam Grano (Illustrator)

Today, an ancient world is vanishing right before our the age of giant animals. Over 40,000 years ago, the earth was ruled by mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths. Of course, those creatures no longer exist, and there is only one likely reason for the evolution and arrival of the earth's only tool-wielding hunter, the wildly adaptive, comparatively pint-sized human species. Many more of the world's biggest and baddest creatures―including the black rhino, the dodo, giant tortoises, and the great auk―have vanished since our world became truly global. Last of the Giants chronicles those giant animals and apex predators pushed to extinction in the modern era. The book also highlights those giant species that remain―even though many barely survive, living in such low numbers that they are on the brink of leaving this world within the next few decades. However, there is hope, for many endangered species can still be saved. As it profiles each extinct and endangered animal, Last of the Giants focuses on the conservation efforts that are trying to preserve the world's remaining charismatic species before they are lost forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Palaeontology, Nature, Natural History, Ebooks

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Jeff Campbell is a freelance writer, book editor, and creative writing teacher. He's published three nonfiction books for young adults: "Glowing Bunnies!?: Why We're Making Hybrids, Chimeras, and Clones" (Zest, 2022); "Last of the Giants" (Zest, 2016), about extinct and endangered animals; and "Daisy to the Rescue" (Zest, 2014), about animals saving humans and animal intelligence. For twelve years he was also a travel writer for Lonely Planet, coauthoring over a dozen guidebooks to US destinations.

Reviews

[Diane]

While there were many interesting and fascinating facts and creatures within the book. This book was hard for me to get thru. I felt it was more of a reference book than a free reading book.

[Kelly]

An engaging, at at times difficult, book to read about a number of "giant" species that have gone extinct in the last 500 years. Campbell explores the whys and hows of the extinctions, with some interesting -- at times slightly judgmental -- ways that humans have impacted these natural beasts. The backmatter is great, and I turned to one of the videos referenced back there and definitely got a little teary-eyed. This isn't a book that can be read easily in one sitting for that reason, especially for those who get heated up about animal rights, climate change, or other similar natural issues.

Criticism: the layout is bizarre. The pull quotes make no sense and take up way too much room. I'd have liked more sidebars and more "did you know" kind of things sprinkled throughout that would make the text a little more digestible. There were times I had to stop because it made me a little weepy.


Interesting tidbit: I found the discussions about how different islands were megafauna lands and awesomely rich ecosystems to be especially interesting. There's a chapter about New Zealand and one on Madagascar that made me want to know more about the history of those islands...and made me want to build a time machine to see them thousands and thousands of years ago.

[Brooke Nadzam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes through 13 of the Earth's giants who have gone extinct. I got to learn about animals I didn't know about--the moa in particular comes to mind.

I'm surprised this was the best nonfiction available to the GMBA group this year. I've found that I've really liked their nonfiction in the past, and thus one, while interesting, was not on par.

[Jory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I most wanted to encounter a sea cow after reading this book. Sounds like the gentlest, chillest sea mammal out there. Not quite sure how it fell into the category of "dominant", but certainly would fit my definition of a "gentle giant." The premise of this book was terrific, and there is a wealth of information in its pages. From the baija to lions to the moa -- so many species I hadn't even heard of before opening this book. The format wasn't always visually appealing, or easy for me to follow. I also got a little caught up on the use of exclamation points and "whoa! can you believe this creature could have been alive if only humans hadn't done X..." attitude. I totally get it, and it's heartbreaking, but wish the info could have been left to speak for itself a little more.

[s.e · Rating 3 out of 5]

To make it abundantly clear, I did not the read the book in whole, just the chapters which interested me. (Those being about the animals I've never heard of/thought sounded cool) I did this because some of the animals like lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) I had already heard about.

The chapters I did read, those being the ones about the moa, the auchochs, the steller's sea cow, the passenger pigeon, the thylacine, and the red wolf, were excellent.


The three main parts of the chapters: but take in mind I've only read 6/13 chapters
What the species was
The history/story of the species
Bringing back the species (???)

The last part of the chapters is a really great addition I think. Anyway, according to this book in the upcoming years we may be getting some of these beasties back.

Man, I sure did learn a hell of alot about old animals, awful people, and extinction!

The moa: This was a giant bird boi who lived in New Zealand. Then some people called Maori went there and ate so many they died.

The aurochs: These were the great grandparents of modern cattle. It seems to me they were used for... Sport? Did people actually keep these guys? This chapter was not very clear.

The steller's sea cow: This was one of my favorite chapters, favorite species, and favorite character. The sea cows were big nice floaty friends who lived by a chilly island by themselves and were seemingly already peacefully dying out before unfortunately having a ship crash onto their island. Then those ship wrecked noobs discovered they tasted good and ate so many they died.
The only smart guy was that guy Steller who they're named after. He also discovered the land bridge from asia to alaska because he thought it made sense. He was smart anc cool and I want to learn more about him.

The passenger pigeon: These guys have always fascinated me since I heard about them. They just seem to me the coolest birds ever and I wish I could have been around to witness one of their giant nestings. They have one of the saddest stories, especially the theory about how they became one giant flock near the end.

The thylacine: Thylacines actually sound so cool. I wish they were alive today because apparently they could be kept as pets. For some reason people just hated the guys... Also in this chapter was a terrible thing I'd never heard about, the elimination of the aboriginal tasmanians by the British.

The red wolf: This wasn't the best chapter, and I kind of skimmed through it because it was less about red wolves and more about hybrid animals.

Two more things:
Why is there a sabertooth tiger skull on the front if the book isn't about them?

and the theme song for this book should totally be Holocaust of Giants by Rasputina

Happy Ending Rating: N/A

[Hanseul Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses the extinction of giant species in three steps: why did they go extinct, the role of humans in the wave of extinction, and how to preserve endangered species. Yet animals are not my cup of tea, I started to gain interest on the ecosystem and environmental science from this year. Hence, I was bewitched by how easy it is for humans to massacre certain species with or without knowing. Thankfully, there is a list of websites that provides information on how to take action for the endangered animals at the end of this book. I may not be able to help out every animal like the expert rescuers, but I may try several of them. In conclusion, this was a highlight of our Branksome motto, "I shine when you shine", in a new perspective. Humans flourish when the food web and food chain is intertwined with each other firmly.

[John Pitcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bad & The Good

This was the worst formatting for an eBook on Kindle. Nearly every other page would have 1-3 overlaps of lines. VERY ANNOYING...!!!

The book seemed somewhat over detailed with some deviations from the central part of each chapter.

Those are the “Bads”. The Good was the fact that this brought more attention to me about animals going extinct in my lifetime. So awareness by more of us will hopefully help slow this down. It also showed successes in turning around the extinction of various species. Thereby giving us hope for a better future by making us all stewards of this planet.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt so confused by this book.

I REALLY wanted to read a book about the megafauna, and judging by the smilodon skull on the cover, I knew I would at least get to read about it… except the smilidon isn’t in this book. Neither is any of the megafauna…

Instead, it’s mostly about animals that either went extinct recently… not at all a story about the “rise and fall of the most dominant species.” The red wolf for instance- not a giant nor a dominant species. The passenger pigeon… not giant… not dominant.

This book suffers from bad marketing, promising a book on the cover that does not exist within. Unhappily returning.

[Ashlee Raddant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that gives an honest look into human lead extinctions.

I appreciated the wide variety of animals and cultures discussed, and it was a pretty easy read overall. I’m used to reading academic articles, so when I wanted a bit of a break, I picked this one up so I could still stay in the same genre.

A bit more difficult to read compared to your average novel, but I think it’s still fairly digestible overall and offers a very complete and thorough insight into the demise of the mentioned megafauna.

[Syndle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book, easily.

[Hannah Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

big animals hehe

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was interesting, but, as I found myself getting bored and skimming, I wondered whether a student would feel the same way. I also really didn't like the way this book was designed. For example, there are a number of gray-paged sidebars. First, they aren't listed in the table of contents. Second, often they occur in the middle of a section, which means that the reader has to decide whether to interrupt the current narrative to check out sidebar or to ignore it or to come back to it later. I read a book just on tigers a few years ago, and I liked that one so much more because it had a stronger narrative. Each section in this book has a little bit of a narrative but not quite enough to hook me into the story of the moa, for example.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last of the Giants: The Rise and Fall of Earths Most Dominant Species by Jeff Campbell is a nonfiction book for children and adults. Today, an ancient world is vanishing right before our eyes: the age of giant animals. Over 40,000 years ago, the earth was ruled by megafauna: mammoths and mastodons, saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths. Of course, those creatures no longer exist, due to the evolution and arrival of the wildly adaptive human species, among other factors. Many more of the world's biggest and baddest creatures—including the black rhino, the dodo, giant tortoises, and the great auk—have vanished since our world became truly global. Last of the Giants chronicles those giant animals and apex predators who have been pushed to extinction in the modern era.

Last of the Giants is a highly informative book that will appeal to readers that love animals, care about the environment, and see the connection between the two. I was glad to read about animals I had never studied before, and see the thorough and thoughtful way their existence and extinction. The use of history and biology together give readers a better picture of how thirteen large animals became extinct, or nearly so. I really like that the author includes some hope for readers that some of these creatures, and others on the brink of extinction, might yet survive. This hope includes information on conservation efforts, which just might encourage young readers to make some effort and changes to help locally or with the larger efforts already in place.

Last of the Giants is a very interesting and informative book. I learned new things, and liked how the author made what could have been fairly dry reading quite engaging. This will be a valuable resources for anyone that wants to learn about extinction, for the environment and people can greatly effect the world around them, and the creatures we share it with.

[Bruce Gargoyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.

Ten Second Synopsis:
This is an in-depth exploration of giant species - loosely defined - that have become extinct, aimed at a secondary-school aged audience. The book features recent and historical extinct species and examines how these extinctions can inform our conservation efforts today.


You'll definitely find out some things you didn't know - or expect - while exploring the life patterns of extinct animals while reading this book. I, for instance, discovered that Maoris of old apparently epitomised that "hangry" feeling and that if you happened to be a large, tasty reasonably defenceless sort of creature in the olden times, chances were high that you, and all of your relatives, would eventually end up as a human's dinner. The Steller's Sea Cow case study I found to be appallingly sad - it beggars belief the amount of times you humans have continued to eat a species until it was extinct! The most interesting thing about this book is that the author has not just defined "giant" as "physically large", but includes the Passenger Pigeon, due to its immense swarming impact, and the Tasmanian Tiger, due to its achievement of hanging on to top predator spot when other large mammals in the same location went extinct. Overall, this is an interesting read with some concerning implications for the current state of the world's wildlife...including humans.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the stories of thirteen giant species that have gone extinct, or nearly extinct, in the last 500 years. Some are animals that I'd never heard of before, like the enormous Moa bird and the Thylacine. Others are well known, like tigers, lions, and rhinoceros. With schools mandating more informational reading, you can never have too many good nonfiction books on your shelves.

Last of the Giants was a wildly interesting read. Not only did the author cover the animals' current plight, but he also discussed their history, where they came from, how they evolved, and what role they played in their ecosystem. Of course, he also covered the decline of each animal, how the rise and spread of humans affected each species, and efforts to conserve them.

I learned so much from this book – New Zealand was a land of walking birds, where most bird species had given up flight (including owls and swans). Australia used to have a wide variety of marsupials, including a carnivorous kangaroo. And carrier pigeon flocks contained billions of individuals in a single group.

If you, your teen, or your classroom are interested in animals, conservation, history, or plain old cool facts, this is a great book. It's easy to read and has sections in the back with resources, additional reading, and ways to get involved.

Content: Clean

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.

My blog: Batch of Books

[Foggygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Truly sad to read about the lost giants, makes you wish that they were still around, although it would be very startling to run into a sabretooth cat or giant sloth while out walking in the woods! Running into a moose or a bear is dangerous enough these days.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - The information is definitely fascinating and I love what Campbell was doing here! But the presentation can be a bit dry at times making this a hard sell for readers, especially for teens, who aren't already interested in the subject matter.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read, informative and interesting. As a person without a science background, I found it very readable. The background information on each species was very thorough.
I can recommend this book highly.

[Zest Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

“These timely, important, and fascinating stories will encourage readers to save all life, no matter its size.”—Booklist, starred review

[Becket · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high-interest concept, with some cool graphic art, but a LOT of unbroken text. The chapter/species breakdown might appeal to pick-up-and-put-down readers.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and well written, but wildly depressing given the subject matter. Also not formatted very well for ebook

[Rhea]

I am a fast reader. This particular book took me almost half a year as I usually read other genres. The reason it took me so long is because my interest kept wavering and I often had to reread parts to process the information. It isn't a thick book. It's a thin book with words of choice that make you think and delve into research about conservation efforts. I was able to connect this book to many random facts I have heard over the years. This book help me put into perspective how fast humanity is destroying a beautiful world and then lamenting over the loss of another species while not taking any action to preserve the endangered. It's much easier to save what little is left than to attempt to recreate nature.