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The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar
Since the age of dinosaurs, Madagascar has thrived in isolation off the east coast of Africa. In this real-life "lost world," hundreds of animal and plant species, most famously the lemurs, have evolved here and only here, while other creatures extinct elsewhere for tens of millions of years now vie with modern man for survival. It's a land of striking geography, from soaring mountains to vast canyon lands, from tropical rain forests to spiny desert. And its people are a conundrum unto themselves, their origins obscure, their language complex and distinct, and their beliefs fascinating. In The Eighth Continent, Peter Tyson will guide you into this, the planet's most exotic frontier, so you can see for yourself why it's been called "the naturalist's promised land." Part scientific exploration, part adventure saga, part cultural and historical narrative, The Eighth Continent follows Tyson's journeys with four scientific experts as they explore the fourth-largest island in the
400 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 7, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. Every single chapter was so amazing and made me do some further research about the protagonists and results of their projects, because those described were done in 1990s. It truly made me feel like I was there (well, I actually was there on the spot while doing this read), but in different sense, as if I was part of their expeditions, doing all those observations and and interactions with local people. I highly recommend reading this book. Especially while you are there :)
March 3, 2019
This book took me a long time to read, and to be honest I'm not sure why I picked it up in the first place. I think I saw it reviewed somewhere and thought, "Ooooooo, I don't know anything about Madagascar, and I like lemurs; I want to read that." It took me a long time because there's a lot of science in this book. I prefer my science to be of the "pop" variety, and this was a little more in-depth than that, but that is in no way a criticism of the book itself, which I think is very well-written.
Madagascar is a pretty amazing place. No one actually knows where the first humans on Madagascar came from -- Indonesia? Africa? Arabia? all three are represented there now. Madagascar is home to an amazing range of biodiversity for an island of its relatively small size, but many of its species are also threatened because the desperate poverty of Madagascar's inhabitants compels them to destroy habitat. Conservationists have a strong presence in Madagascar, but their effectiveness is compromised because the attempt to conserve habitat and species naturally places the interests of the human inhabitants in second place, which is itself an ethically questionable position.
The book not only talks about the history and animals of Madagascar, but also keeps the human interest thead entwined with stories about the locals and the researchers. I won't say the book is never dull, because it is -- see my earlier comment about science -- but in the end, I have learned something about a part of the world I previously knew nothing about, so it was worth it.
Madagascar is a pretty amazing place. No one actually knows where the first humans on Madagascar came from -- Indonesia? Africa? Arabia? all three are represented there now. Madagascar is home to an amazing range of biodiversity for an island of its relatively small size, but many of its species are also threatened because the desperate poverty of Madagascar's inhabitants compels them to destroy habitat. Conservationists have a strong presence in Madagascar, but their effectiveness is compromised because the attempt to conserve habitat and species naturally places the interests of the human inhabitants in second place, which is itself an ethically questionable position.
The book not only talks about the history and animals of Madagascar, but also keeps the human interest thead entwined with stories about the locals and the researchers. I won't say the book is never dull, because it is -- see my earlier comment about science -- but in the end, I have learned something about a part of the world I previously knew nothing about, so it was worth it.
February 26, 2013
This was a 3+ read for me.
This was a delightful narrative non-fiction read. I knew very little about Madagascar until I read this book. It is part armchair travelogue, part scientific narrative on the past and ongoing explorations, part historical and culture representation. For me personally, I enjoyed the discussions on the origin of the Malagasy people and learning about the different groups of people, their customs and how they have adjusted to often living in harsh environments. The book speaks to the uniqueness of Madagascar and the efforts to preserve the environment.
This was a delightful narrative non-fiction read. I knew very little about Madagascar until I read this book. It is part armchair travelogue, part scientific narrative on the past and ongoing explorations, part historical and culture representation. For me personally, I enjoyed the discussions on the origin of the Malagasy people and learning about the different groups of people, their customs and how they have adjusted to often living in harsh environments. The book speaks to the uniqueness of Madagascar and the efforts to preserve the environment.
January 4, 2025
I enjoyed this book. It does a great job of giving an overview of a variety of scientific and politic topics relating to Madagascar. Everything is covered with enough depth to understand the situation. It also does a great job of explaining why Madagascar has some of the problems that it does. I was fairly invested in a couple of characters which influenced me to do a little reading outside of the book to see what became of certain projects.
The referenced texts are interesting, sometimes more interesting than the text itself. I checked out a couple of the sources from a university library to get a better understanding. I appreciated the inclusion of some colonial adventure logs since I am unlikely to read those on account of their age and manner of writing. Tyson touches on some of the impacts of colonialism, such as Europeans settling the coastlands prompting Malagasy people to have to move inland towards areas that aren't as efficient to farm. This has the impact of furthering deforestation. More focus could have been paid to other negative impacts of colonialism but given the scientific nature of the book its understandable that it was not included.
One thing I appreciated less was repeated anecdotes and offhand statements about the mystery of various tribes and how the Western mind will struggle to comprehend them. Again, this is not so much a sociological analysis of Malagasy society but the trope is rather tried at this point. Granted, this was written in the 90s so it may have been a fresher perspective when written.
A benefit of reading this in the future is being able to tell what predictions did and did not come to pass. The book speculates that the population would something to the effect of double in thirty years and that prediction became true. It talks about the struggle of improving literacy and several decades later we can see that now over 75% of Malagasy people are able to read. Sadly, infrastructure does not seem much better. The modern roads of Madagascar seem as fraught with peril as those featured in the text and are a limiting factor in travel. There are more national parks than ever so many conservation efforts seem to have succeeded in some form.
While discussing the topic with a friend of mine who's an ecologist, he provided the bold prediction that Madagascar is going to lose all its forests within thirty years. That matches a similar estimate provided in the book. While deforestation appears to be an ongoing problem for the Malagasy, given the large number of international conservation efforts the country seems to have beat some of its initial bad odds. Whether or not Madagascar loses everything in the next thirty years is up to ourselves. I hope to go there one day.
The referenced texts are interesting, sometimes more interesting than the text itself. I checked out a couple of the sources from a university library to get a better understanding. I appreciated the inclusion of some colonial adventure logs since I am unlikely to read those on account of their age and manner of writing. Tyson touches on some of the impacts of colonialism, such as Europeans settling the coastlands prompting Malagasy people to have to move inland towards areas that aren't as efficient to farm. This has the impact of furthering deforestation. More focus could have been paid to other negative impacts of colonialism but given the scientific nature of the book its understandable that it was not included.
One thing I appreciated less was repeated anecdotes and offhand statements about the mystery of various tribes and how the Western mind will struggle to comprehend them. Again, this is not so much a sociological analysis of Malagasy society but the trope is rather tried at this point. Granted, this was written in the 90s so it may have been a fresher perspective when written.
A benefit of reading this in the future is being able to tell what predictions did and did not come to pass. The book speculates that the population would something to the effect of double in thirty years and that prediction became true. It talks about the struggle of improving literacy and several decades later we can see that now over 75% of Malagasy people are able to read. Sadly, infrastructure does not seem much better. The modern roads of Madagascar seem as fraught with peril as those featured in the text and are a limiting factor in travel. There are more national parks than ever so many conservation efforts seem to have succeeded in some form.
While discussing the topic with a friend of mine who's an ecologist, he provided the bold prediction that Madagascar is going to lose all its forests within thirty years. That matches a similar estimate provided in the book. While deforestation appears to be an ongoing problem for the Malagasy, given the large number of international conservation efforts the country seems to have beat some of its initial bad odds. Whether or not Madagascar loses everything in the next thirty years is up to ourselves. I hope to go there one day.
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July 30, 2021Really fantastic book - what a delight it would be if such a resource were available for every country. Peter is honest, both in his naivety and in his cynicism, but consistently pulls through with some really insightful musings on Madagascar, the Malagasy people, and the many flora and fauna. There are some delightful stories and incredible facts, which are explained in a very coherent and endearing way as Peter travels with four incredible scientists throughout Madagascar. I may never see Madagascar in my lifetime but this book at least provided a small glimpse for which I am grateful, and I'd highly recommend this to anyone thinking of visiting!
October 8, 2019
This book is full of facts. Tons. I have a hard time reading non fiction that sometimes is this heavy and at times to me dense with facts. But it’s a book on science so I has to have all the facts. It took me a while but I made it through it. If you need a research paper done in Madagascar, this is the book for information. Published in 2000 I want to know what has happened to the natural science of the country in the past 20 years.
September 22, 2019
The main problem is it’s gotta be super outdated by now, which means I’m wildly curious what Madagascar is like now and how all these issues have resolved, stagnated, worsened, whatever. Fascinating but exasperating.
Also weird my old provost shows up in it.
Also weird my old provost shows up in it.
October 20, 2019
Incredibly rich and detailed overview of Madagascar, covering everything from extinct animals to linguistics. It is well written, interesting and even funny in parts, but it is dense and took me a really long time to get through. Recommended but not an easy read.
December 16, 2019
A beautifully written travelogue with hundreds of detailed examples into the still-mysterious history and culture of Madagascar. An empathetic and an heartwarming book. And a definite one for nature lovers!
August 1, 2021
This was a very satisfying read, especially the part on Patricia Wright and Ranomafana National Park.
January 15, 2022
I really enjoyed this personal account of Madagascar's history, peoples, animals and topography.
July 13, 2023
A wonderfully engaging weaving of history with Tyson's experiences of various expeditions.
September 6, 2023
pros: loved the combo of travelling narrative interspersed with more general info on Madagascar
cons: author was a bit cocky and he really did the archaeologist a disservice :(
cons: author was a bit cocky and he really did the archaeologist a disservice :(
February 23, 2017
Highly recommended for anyone who is planning to visit Madagascar, or anyone who wants to learn about the biogeography of this amazing island.
September 6, 2013
If you are looking for a book that will almost literally take you to Madagascar, this is the one you need to pick up. From the very first page I found myself wanting to learn more. I took in each page as if I were standing on the beach somewhere, soaking everything up with my eyes. There were many times when I found myself fascinated by something described, not only because it was new and different, but because the writing was so good that even the simplest of things felt new and amazing. Often I discovered I was brought so deeply into the story that I had to go and relive it for myself and searched the internet for images, video or information on a certain topic.
This is exactly what a non-fiction book encouraging conservation should be like. The author has managed to find a perfect balance between education and discovery and shares that with anyone who devours his words. And devour is exactly what any reader interested about Madagascar will do. The Eighth Continent should come with a warning on the cover: "Do not pick up this book unless you intend to develop a sudden desperation to visit!" The words "I couldn't put it down" don't often come with informational books of this nature, but they fit perfectly with this one.
This is exactly what a non-fiction book encouraging conservation should be like. The author has managed to find a perfect balance between education and discovery and shares that with anyone who devours his words. And devour is exactly what any reader interested about Madagascar will do. The Eighth Continent should come with a warning on the cover: "Do not pick up this book unless you intend to develop a sudden desperation to visit!" The words "I couldn't put it down" don't often come with informational books of this nature, but they fit perfectly with this one.
July 20, 2015
Sjaldan hefur jafn mikið verið skrifað með jafn litlum árangri. Eftir lestur bókarinnar hef ég ágæta innsýn inn í líf og störf nokkurra sérfræðinga frá vesturlöndum, en litla innsýn inn í líf, störf, sögu og menningu eyjarinnar. Höfundur gerir sér ekki mikið far um að kynnast lífi og störfum innfæddra en ræðir í löngu máli um þær rannsóknir -aðallega á dýralífi- sem hann hefur tekið þátt í í gegnum tíðina. Þetta er mikil synd, því bækur um eyjuna eru ekki á hverju strái og eyjan er að blæða út vegna offjölgunar og ágangs á land og skóga. Það er sagt að þeir sem fljúga yfir eyjuna í fyrsta skipti fái áfall yfir því hvernig staðan er og pólitískt stendur eyjan ekki vel heldur, þar sem valdarán átti sér stað árið 2009 og lítið hefur gerst síðan. Ég er einnig litlu nær um fallegustu ráðgátu heimsins - hvernig komust íbúar frá Borneo til Madagascar, yfir Indlandshafið -og hvernig stendur á því að íbúar meginlandsins við hliðina komust ekki til eyjarinnar.
November 13, 2010
I picked this book up because it is about Madagascar -- and I am fascinated with Madagascar. I have so many orchids that grow only there. I would love to travel there -- see the wild, the bizarre and the orchids. :)
This book isn't about orchids at all, but is instead part travelogue part funny stories about time spent identifying, searching for and documenting various species of reptiles and amphibians. But the stories of the place, the Malagasy people and just the wonders that are Madagascar were fascinating. I did find it a bit disturbing that in order to preserve these animals, they had to capture and anesthetize so many of each variety -- surely there is a better way. But I suppose that is what researchers do.
This book isn't about orchids at all, but is instead part travelogue part funny stories about time spent identifying, searching for and documenting various species of reptiles and amphibians. But the stories of the place, the Malagasy people and just the wonders that are Madagascar were fascinating. I did find it a bit disturbing that in order to preserve these animals, they had to capture and anesthetize so many of each variety -- surely there is a better way. But I suppose that is what researchers do.
November 12, 2016
This was a fascinating and informative books to read ahead of (and it turns out, during) my trip to Madagascar. It provided a lot of historical and scientific background information which provided fantastic context to the trip. And while it is certainly written in an enjoyable, storytelling method, sometimes the subject matter wasn't quite compelling enough (to me) to really keep at reading this. In fact I didn't actually finish the book until my plane ride LEAVING the country! Even so, I really enjoyed getting the information and how this books contributed to my holiday in Madagascar both before and during the trip. Highly, highly recommended to anyone traveling to the country.
December 1, 2014
For anyone interested in Madagascar this book is amazing. It is funny, well-written, and full of interesting facts. Interesting, that is to an ecologist, biologist, or naturalist, or anyone who has been to Madagascar. I'm not sure anyone else would find it funny or interesting. I did!
To learn about a place that is very different, where the people are very poor, and the animals amazing, read this book.
To learn about a place that is very different, where the people are very poor, and the animals amazing, read this book.
July 19, 2014
This wasn't really what I was looking for. I wanted to learn about Madagascar, but this is really a story about the people who are researching/trying to preserve Madagascar. Nevertheless, this was good.
May 4, 2009
Great insight into a little known corner of the world
March 7, 2014
A really fascinating story of the country, though I wasn't a huge fan of the author.
September 3, 2016
Fascinating look at this island--had to skip over some of the science jargon.
December 18, 2014
Loved it. I'm going to Madagascar in 5 weeks and this book is exactly what I needed to channel my excitement! A wonderful mix of herpetology, culture, history and a search for extinct megafauna.
April 25, 2017
Even if you haven't been to Madagascar (you should totally go!), this book is great in opening up a whole world you haven't learned about and the mysteries that are still unsolved. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews