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ccollard58's review
3.0
was interested to read this after enjoying Christie Wilcox's "Venomous".
the early chapters that cover more general biology and the evolutionary adaptions of stinging insects were very fun and informative. the later chapters are more like an encyclopedia of many particular species and get a bit repetitive. probably more interesting to an entomology undergrad.
overall slightly above average for a biology non-fiction.
the early chapters that cover more general biology and the evolutionary adaptions of stinging insects were very fun and informative. the later chapters are more like an encyclopedia of many particular species and get a bit repetitive. probably more interesting to an entomology undergrad.
overall slightly above average for a biology non-fiction.
jon288's review against another edition
5.0
The Schmidt Pain Index raises this up to 5 stars; it's my favourite scientific scale ever. The rest of the book is a little dry, although interesting, but the scale has amazing descriptions. The bullet ant takes the top spot, partially for how long the pain lasts
chombychomp's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
This is a great book for learning about various stinging insects including wasps and hornets which I've thought were cool for a while now. It included funny anecdotes from the author's life that helped break up the sometimes tedious science (though a lot of it was interesting; don't get me wrong). I appreciated the pictures that were included at the end as well. They were a treat!
kfolezzz's review
3.0
men will literally get stung by everything on the planet instead of go to therapy
hank's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up. Another good science book about a topic I know little about (insects), Schmidt is a true entomologist-geek and it gets a bit too geeky in the middle but all of the insects he covers are fascinating. He is famous for developing a sting pain scale which he covers, does not over sell and adds some good humor. Just for quick reference, bee stings=low, bullet ant=avoid at all costs.
whichthreewords's review
3.0
3.5 stars rounded down for being a bit repetitive. The appendix with all the sting descriptions is pure gold, though.
gilmoremk's review
2.0
I think I would have liked this more if it was marketed better. This was less "the story of the man who got stung for science" and more a deep dive into stinging insects with small detours into his personal stories (And I mean deep. He goes into heavy scientific detail about things like the compounds in the venoms that make the stings painful.) It was halfway to being a textbook. Lots of interesting facts, for sure, and the pain scale is very evocative, but it wasn't an enjoyable read.