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Hal & Roger Hunt Adventures #13
Tiger Adventure
Hal and Roger Hunt are in India, investigating rare and dangerous animals for their father. But on the trail of the rare white tiger, high in the Himalayas, disaster strikes and the brothers realise they are walking into the jaws of death.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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153 people want to read
About the author
Willard Price
142 books78 followersWillard DeMille Price was born in Peterborough, Ontario, and moved to the US when he was four. He got his MA and Litt.D from Columbia. He held a special interest for natural history, ethnology and exploration and made numerous expeditions for the American Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society. Price also went on to edit various magazines on travel and world affairs and spent six years working in Japan as foreign correspondent for New York and London newspapers. He travelled in seventy-seven countries before his death in 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 23, 2021
As I come towards the end of the Willard Price Adventure series of books, I’m delighted to finally see one of my favourite animals featured. Having covered many of the continents of the world, the boys finally reach the main part of Asia, taking in India’s Gir Forest and then moving into the Himalayas. The Indian continent has several unique species, such as tigers, as well as variations on animals they had previously encountered in Africa, like elephants and lions.
The brothers’ hunt for animals is made more difficult by the presence of three men in a nearby cabin who are only interested in killing animals without a permit and this results in them being arrested for hunting. When they are released one of the men, Vic, takes some money from them and demands to be paid to helping them capture animals, but really intends to steal them. Fortunately, the boys are able to make friends with many of the locals and even manage to grab a holiday before they head into the mountains.
Whilst I really wanted to like “Tiger Adventure”, it seems that Price may be running out of ideas by this point in the series, the thirteenth novel. Far too many of the brothers’ animal encounters and captures are completed by Roger being nice to an animal and it essentially following him and capturing themselves. Whilst the holiday they take to the Vale of Kashmir does provide a welcome change of pace, albeit one that sounds like it was written by the tourist board, as does the hunt for the Yeti, which is dismissed almost before it begun, this is a very repetitive story.
Price’s character building has always been weak, and the character of Vic is worse than many in the series. He is written with virtually no motivation and his back story is presented almost in passing. He also seems to be written to fulfil two roles, that of the antagonist and as comic relief, as virtually everything he tried to disrupt the Hunts ends up with him injured in a physical incident resulting from his own ignorance and incompetence. As with the nature of the animal captures, this does get a little repetitive and it’s made worse by the character change he goes through at the end which is entirely unbelievable and hasn’t been prepared for.
Whilst the story in “Tiger Adventure” had more aspects to it than most of the others in the series, thanks to the side stories involving the holiday and the switching between completely different environments of the forest and the mountains, there was too much wrong with it for me to like it. The side stories seemed to be written as an afterthought and didn’t hit quite the right tone and the antagonist was one of the sulkiest, entitled people I’ve ever met in fiction and whilst having an antagonist with no redeeming features isn’t a bad thing as a plot device, he carried no threat other than complaining the Hunts to death and this made his dual role as comic relief and the change the novel’s ending relied upon even less believable than it would otherwise has been. As much as I wanted to like this novel because it had some of my favourite animals in it, the story and writing were so weak as to outweigh any pleasure I might have taken in seeing them featured.
The brothers’ hunt for animals is made more difficult by the presence of three men in a nearby cabin who are only interested in killing animals without a permit and this results in them being arrested for hunting. When they are released one of the men, Vic, takes some money from them and demands to be paid to helping them capture animals, but really intends to steal them. Fortunately, the boys are able to make friends with many of the locals and even manage to grab a holiday before they head into the mountains.
Whilst I really wanted to like “Tiger Adventure”, it seems that Price may be running out of ideas by this point in the series, the thirteenth novel. Far too many of the brothers’ animal encounters and captures are completed by Roger being nice to an animal and it essentially following him and capturing themselves. Whilst the holiday they take to the Vale of Kashmir does provide a welcome change of pace, albeit one that sounds like it was written by the tourist board, as does the hunt for the Yeti, which is dismissed almost before it begun, this is a very repetitive story.
Price’s character building has always been weak, and the character of Vic is worse than many in the series. He is written with virtually no motivation and his back story is presented almost in passing. He also seems to be written to fulfil two roles, that of the antagonist and as comic relief, as virtually everything he tried to disrupt the Hunts ends up with him injured in a physical incident resulting from his own ignorance and incompetence. As with the nature of the animal captures, this does get a little repetitive and it’s made worse by the character change he goes through at the end which is entirely unbelievable and hasn’t been prepared for.
Whilst the story in “Tiger Adventure” had more aspects to it than most of the others in the series, thanks to the side stories involving the holiday and the switching between completely different environments of the forest and the mountains, there was too much wrong with it for me to like it. The side stories seemed to be written as an afterthought and didn’t hit quite the right tone and the antagonist was one of the sulkiest, entitled people I’ve ever met in fiction and whilst having an antagonist with no redeeming features isn’t a bad thing as a plot device, he carried no threat other than complaining the Hunts to death and this made his dual role as comic relief and the change the novel’s ending relied upon even less believable than it would otherwise has been. As much as I wanted to like this novel because it had some of my favourite animals in it, the story and writing were so weak as to outweigh any pleasure I might have taken in seeing them featured.
January 5, 2026
I had a feeling that this book wouldn't hold up to adult scrutiny (I read it when I was a kid, and loved the whole series), which was initially true. I probably read about 1/3 of it and set it down, not sure if I'd finish. But when I picked it up again, I ended up enjoying it quite a lot.
I haven't re-read any of the other books in the series, so I'm not sure that the cast of characters includes a zoo supplier's sons, Hal and Roger, but not their father. (I seem to remember the father being in the books.)
In this book, Hal, the older son, is quite capable, but he and his younger brother alone collect all sorts of wild animals to sell to zoos. Zoos aren't currently in great favor, and the books are old-fashioned, but I think with a little dusting off and clarity that this was from "the old days" (which I understand Gen Alpha refers to as "the nineteen-hundreds," which somehow seems much further away than "the twentieth century"), some kids would really enjoy them, un-realistic as they are.
The reason they are unrealistic, of course, is that nobody, now or back in the nineteen-hundreds, would let a couple of kids go collect tigers, or any other animals. But that doesn't really matter to these books.
Even though I couldn't suspend disbelief, once I picked it up again what I enjoyed most (along with the plot, which isn't bad), was learning about animals I'd never heard of (the "tigon," for instance), and learning more about animals I knew about. For instance, the Gir tiger:
Because there wasn't the internet back then, I wasn't able to look up more information about ones I was curious about online, which I did this time.
And there's also some good stuff about actually treating the animals well:
I haven't re-read any of the other books in the series, so I'm not sure that the cast of characters includes a zoo supplier's sons, Hal and Roger, but not their father. (I seem to remember the father being in the books.)
In this book, Hal, the older son, is quite capable, but he and his younger brother alone collect all sorts of wild animals to sell to zoos. Zoos aren't currently in great favor, and the books are old-fashioned, but I think with a little dusting off and clarity that this was from "the old days" (which I understand Gen Alpha refers to as "the nineteen-hundreds," which somehow seems much further away than "the twentieth century"), some kids would really enjoy them, un-realistic as they are.
The reason they are unrealistic, of course, is that nobody, now or back in the nineteen-hundreds, would let a couple of kids go collect tigers, or any other animals. But that doesn't really matter to these books.
Even though I couldn't suspend disbelief, once I picked it up again what I enjoyed most (along with the plot, which isn't bad), was learning about animals I'd never heard of (the "tigon," for instance), and learning more about animals I knew about. For instance, the Gir tiger:
"This lion doesn't look a bit like the ones we saw in Africa. Why is that?" [Roger] "Lions differ according to the country they are in. Much of East Africa is six thousand feet above sea level. So it is quite cold all the year round. The Gir Forest is only about a hundred feet above sea level. It is very hot here most of the year. The African lions have heavy coats to keep out the cold. Lions in the hot country wear light coats. Nature is pretty clever. She tries to make animals comfortable no matter where they live." [Hal] (83-84)
Because there wasn't the internet back then, I wasn't able to look up more information about ones I was curious about online, which I did this time.
And there's also some good stuff about actually treating the animals well:
"Several times before this Hal had used this method of getting a great beast into a cage. It had all been done without worrying either animals in the least. Some 'take-'em-alive' men use more brutal methods. They force the animal along by beating it, prodding it with sharp sticks, shouting at the top of their lungs to terrify it, and shooting in to the air to paralyse the animal with fear."I'll probably grab another of the "Adventures," because it's easy, quick reading, and I can see if I enjoy the same things in other volumes.
March 5, 2012
I really enjoyed this book as it was the first of Willard Price's massive series of adventures that I read, and it lead me to reading most of the other books. When they are in search of animals in India and the Himalayas' such as Tigers, Snow Leopards, Indian, Elephants, Rhinos etc. This book is especially descriptive when it comes to the animals, and for a book that has been published in the 1980's, you wouldn't of had as much access to these exotic creatures in Canada as you would today. There is also a very descriptive moment when one of the main characters (Hal) connects with the Snow leopard up high in the Himilaya's. Overall I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who is interested in Adventure, which is a bit of a giveaway as the title of the book is "Tiger Adventure"
August 15, 2015
I read these as a kid and found this one at a second hand book store recently. One of the things I've done with my kids over the years is to read aloud to them . I read this to my 7 year old son and my girls ended up listening as well. Dan can't wait for me to read the next one. Great simple read especially for boys.
January 5, 2025
The weakest book in the series by far. I was quite disappointed when I finished reading as it was riddled with incorrect facts and a lame plot.
Set in India , Hal and Roger encounter Vic Stone , a lawbreaking and dishonest American youth with big dreams of being a wealthy hunter. The story mainly revolves around Vic's attempts to derail the Hunts' efforts to collect wildlife specimens or steal what they had captured. I admit some of those scenes were hilarious as Vic attempted to nick an Elephant and a lioness of course leading to a comical conclusion. Hal and Roger taste success as usual with Price introducing the reader to a vibrant collection of India's wildlife such as the Sloth Bear , One Horned Rhinoceros, Gaur to name a few. Hal and Roger caught a man eating leopard, trapped a rogue elephant and had a variety of dangerous encounters.
The last part of the story is set in the Himalayas where Vic reconciled with the Hunts after Hal saved his life. Vic pays back his debt in full by rescuing Hal and capturing an entire family of white tigers. The boys also investigated whether the Yeti really exists.
Unfortunately, the book was packed with incorrect facts. Price wrongly wrote the Gir Forest is at the foothills of the Himalayas while it's actually located in India's western coastal state of Gujarat. Lions and Tigers were not found in the same habitat. Indian Rhinos exist only in India's NorthEast nature reserves. There are too many errors to list unfortunately.
The Tiger despite claiming the book's title isn't the star of the show. Unlike Lion Adventure where the reader becomes an expert on lions , information about the tiger was quite limited and simplistic in this book.
As it's part of Price' legendary Hal and Roger Adventure series , do give it a try but you'll find yourself disappointed as it pales in comparison to his earlier books.
Set in India , Hal and Roger encounter Vic Stone , a lawbreaking and dishonest American youth with big dreams of being a wealthy hunter. The story mainly revolves around Vic's attempts to derail the Hunts' efforts to collect wildlife specimens or steal what they had captured. I admit some of those scenes were hilarious as Vic attempted to nick an Elephant and a lioness of course leading to a comical conclusion. Hal and Roger taste success as usual with Price introducing the reader to a vibrant collection of India's wildlife such as the Sloth Bear , One Horned Rhinoceros, Gaur to name a few. Hal and Roger caught a man eating leopard, trapped a rogue elephant and had a variety of dangerous encounters.
The last part of the story is set in the Himalayas where Vic reconciled with the Hunts after Hal saved his life. Vic pays back his debt in full by rescuing Hal and capturing an entire family of white tigers. The boys also investigated whether the Yeti really exists.
Unfortunately, the book was packed with incorrect facts. Price wrongly wrote the Gir Forest is at the foothills of the Himalayas while it's actually located in India's western coastal state of Gujarat. Lions and Tigers were not found in the same habitat. Indian Rhinos exist only in India's NorthEast nature reserves. There are too many errors to list unfortunately.
The Tiger despite claiming the book's title isn't the star of the show. Unlike Lion Adventure where the reader becomes an expert on lions , information about the tiger was quite limited and simplistic in this book.
As it's part of Price' legendary Hal and Roger Adventure series , do give it a try but you'll find yourself disappointed as it pales in comparison to his earlier books.
March 15, 2021
This is the 13th of the 14th book series in which Hal and Roger travel the world collecting animals for their father to sell to zoos.
Tiger Adventure sees them in India and the Himalayas. Most animals are collected fairly easily.
There is a villian, a spoilt city boy Vic Stone who resents the boys but Hal is a hero and all is forgiven in the end.
Presumably this meant to be the last installment as the boys go back to their studies. This and the last book, Arctic Adventure were written long after the first 12 books in the series but seems to have run out of steam by now.
Tiger Adventure sees them in India and the Himalayas. Most animals are collected fairly easily.
There is a villian, a spoilt city boy Vic Stone who resents the boys but Hal is a hero and all is forgiven in the end.
Presumably this meant to be the last installment as the boys go back to their studies. This and the last book, Arctic Adventure were written long after the first 12 books in the series but seems to have run out of steam by now.
October 15, 2022
I like books about animals; especially wild animals.
The golden cat is a very rare breed of cat in the Gir Forest; Roger and Hal found two and are going to take them to the zoo. Vic Stone is out for revenge against Hal. He keeps trying but often gets attacked by animals.
I learned a lot about animals from reading this book. Such as the golden cat can be very affectionate to its master, but savage in the wild.
The golden cat is a very rare breed of cat in the Gir Forest; Roger and Hal found two and are going to take them to the zoo. Vic Stone is out for revenge against Hal. He keeps trying but often gets attacked by animals.
I learned a lot about animals from reading this book. Such as the golden cat can be very affectionate to its master, but savage in the wild.
December 2, 2020
Totally loved this book as a kid, but now it seems so contrived and silly. But it's written for kids, as I said.
April 7, 2021
Reliving my childhood with these well written boys adventure stories
Read
December 25, 2022good book, just as entertaining as I remember it being, with a nice message of conservation weaved into it
November 7, 2023
Interesting
January 8, 2026
hal and vic could be gay lovers
March 27, 2019
Action, adventure, survival, environment, conservation...
I loved these books when I was a kid. At the time, they seemed to border on sci-fi regarding the at-the-time-amazing technology the boys used.
Of course, looking back you can see how these stories are flawed, but I still think they are enjoyable. In fact, it would make for a really interesting middle school science project for children to read one of these books and then compare them with the knowledge of the world and technology we have today.
I loved these books when I was a kid. At the time, they seemed to border on sci-fi regarding the at-the-time-amazing technology the boys used.
Of course, looking back you can see how these stories are flawed, but I still think they are enjoyable. In fact, it would make for a really interesting middle school science project for children to read one of these books and then compare them with the knowledge of the world and technology we have today.
January 6, 2021
Things start to go downhill with the last two books in the series, as though Willard Price were running out of enthusiasm and imagination. Hal and Roger have been sent to catch new animals from the Gir forest and the Himalayas in India, particularly tigers, the largest cats in the world. Despite the title, they do not spend a lot of time hunting tigers, nor is the reader taught much about them. This book may more aptly have been titled 'India Adventure.' The writing here seems a lot flatter than the others and the plot is extremely weak, jumping from one animal capture to the next. Most of the animals are caught in absurd, unexciting ways, such as being led back to camp by a rope, and tamed almost immediately. The antagonist is Vic Stone, an arrogant sponger who tries to steal their collection. Unlike all the other villains in the series, this character is redeemed near the end and becomes an ally.
Besides collecting the rare animals of the forest and mountains, the boys are also tasked with investigating stories of the legendary yeti. This involves listening to tall tales from the Sherpas, examining supposed yeti relics, and eventually debunking it all as hokum. Being a big cryptid enthusiast as a teenager, I was disappointed by their conclusions. On the other hand, even though many of his books stretch the imagination to breaking point, Price displays his reverence for scientific integrity and evidence based fact. He does, however, takes some great liberties by introducing species from china with the flimsy excuse that they could have made their way over to India through a Tibetan mountain pass. Locals are predictably portrayed as foolishly superstitious and greedy.
Besides collecting the rare animals of the forest and mountains, the boys are also tasked with investigating stories of the legendary yeti. This involves listening to tall tales from the Sherpas, examining supposed yeti relics, and eventually debunking it all as hokum. Being a big cryptid enthusiast as a teenager, I was disappointed by their conclusions. On the other hand, even though many of his books stretch the imagination to breaking point, Price displays his reverence for scientific integrity and evidence based fact. He does, however, takes some great liberties by introducing species from china with the flimsy excuse that they could have made their way over to India through a Tibetan mountain pass. Locals are predictably portrayed as foolishly superstitious and greedy.
May 10, 2009
The Gir Forest of India and the Himalayas should have been the setting for an outstanding Adventure, but this book is unsatisfying. It suffers from the same problem as Gorilla Adventure, where too many animals are captured with little or no difficulty, diminishing any potential excitement. In addition, Vic Stone and his companions are tiresome villains. Perhaps the high point is the marvellous description of the Vale of Kashmir, a fine rendering of a beautiful area that acquires poignancy given the current troubles over this disputed region.
September 6, 2014
I thought I'd dip into this to see how the Willard Price formula worked, and because is is set in a region I know and love, but this was a disappointment. Actually I skipped a lot and even then didn't finish it. The wildlife detail - as ever - is interesting but this doesn't make a good story, and some of the details are simply completely unbelievable. Pity - as I think this series has got some reluctant readers reading.... and others too, no doubt.
July 23, 2010
The only problem with this book, was the seemingly complete ease with which the majority of the animals were captured; that really did detract from the 'believableness' of the plot.
October 21, 2010
Willard Price is clearly one of my favourite authors.
August 12, 2013
aS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2014
Delivers exactly what the title promises. Tiger + adventure = awesome.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews