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Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites
by Dino J. Martins
Dr. Dino Martins, an awarding-winning entomologist of Kenya's Turkana Basin, where life was born, unspools the hidden, squirming world of parasites—some of the most misunderstood, and important, creatures with whom we share the Earth (and our bodies!).
"May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard" is the oldest sentence ever written using an alphabet. Inscribed onto an ivory comb from an archaeological site in Tel Lachish, west of Hebron in central Israel, this remarkable find dates from four thousand years ago.
When we think of parasites, we might think of terrifying tiny creatures who suck blood and steal food, and that's definitely a part of what these mysterious organisms are—but, as Martins shows, it's only a part. From the tapeworm, which can grow a remarkable 120 feet in length within the gut of a whale, to the tsetse fly, a notorious vector of disease that can pierce the skin even of crocodiles with its vicious, needle-like mouth, to perhaps the most universal symbol of parasitic behavior in our language, the much-mythologized leech, all parasites make a living by exploiting other living things.
In each chapter, Martins takes us through gaping geological time to explain the history of a particular parasite's evolution and its interactions with humans and animals alike. This is a journey across the world ten times over—from Nairobi to New York, East Africa to the Amazon, Borneo to London public parks—and to the outer reaches of the animal kingdom. Along the way, we meet the brilliant and eccentric experts who join Martins on his adventures and encounter not only parasites but their incredible variety of hosts, from hyraxes and hippos to, of course, the elusive human.
Throughout history, parasites have been used to cure disease, seen as delicious delicacies, and feared among the most dangerous banes of existence. But there is much to learn about these critters yet, and Martins is just the person to take on the task. Immersive, entertaining, driven by a curiosity that's utterly (wait for it) infectious, Hidden Creatures has the magnetic force of a David Attenborough documentary and never ceases to surprise.
"Fascinating and profound and cheerfully written...Life would not exist if not for the parasites that prey on it, and recycle it, is this book's mantra. Throughout it all, Martins is an enthusiastic guide...A gorgeous (if squirm-inducing) book on the awe-inspiring ways that 'well and truly life begets death and death begets life.'" —Kirkus Review
"An enlightening overview of parasites...Simultaneously repulsive and intriguing, this will strike a chord with the insatiably curious." —Publishers Weekly
"An astonishing, eye-opening, and inspiring guide to the world's microscopic marvels, showing how much we can learn from looking closely at the things we fear, and the beauty of nature's hidden mechanisms. Wonderfully revolting and utterly fascinating, it is a thrilling tribute to the interconnectedness of life, full of awe-inspiring detail and gripping facts. It will make you want to rush out and look at puddles through a magnifying glass. Your world will be larger for reading this book." —Chloe Dalton, author of Raising Hare
"Only one man—the uniquely gifted storyteller, exquisitely observant naturalist, and skilled artist Dino Martins—could make the (OK, disgusting) subject of parasites simply sing with fascinating horror. Hidden Creatures presents us with the vampires, hijackers, and other evil geniuses of the natural world who are continually doing their nastiest, best work around and inside us. It's a gripping page-turner, and you will certainly wash your hands before your next meal." —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words and Alfie and Me
This information about Hidden Creatures was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Dino J. Martins is an award-winning Kenyan artist, naturalist, and writer. An entomologist and evolutionary biologist, he is also a professor at Stony Brook University. He has served as the Director of the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya, founded by Dr. Richard Leakey, and previously as the Director of the Mpala Research Centre. He holds a PhD in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard University. Martins has authored a number of natural history books, several children's books, and more than a hundred natural history and scientific articles. His research and writing have been featured in Smithsonian magazine, The Guardian, TED, the BBC, Granta, and National Geographic. He lives on Long Island and in Malindi, Kenya.
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