Guest Review: Tembo Makaburi by John Isaac Jones

Tembo Makaburi by John Isaac Jones
Narrator: JD Kelly
on 20 October 2017
Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
Genres: Horror, Psychological
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author

Tembo Makaburi, the Swahili term for “elephant cemetery,” is the stuff of which dreams are made for ivory hunters. This is the story of a greedy man's quest for riches and glory as he relentlessly pursues a bull elephant and his valuable ivory tusks across the vast expanse of the Serengeti plains. A chilling tale of greed and revenge!

©2017 John I. Jones (P)2017 John I. Jones

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This novella is set in the days before the ban on ivory. Walter Cravens is out to get his fortune by hunting elephants and taking their tusks. Abasi is a servant, guide, and translator to Cravens who is set on bringing ‘progress’ to Africa. An old woman tries to give him some advice, warns about the elephant graveyard. Of course, Cravens won’t be warned off.

I liked the mouse and cat game that Cravens plays with an old bull elephant as they go ever deeper into the wilds. Cravens comes off a little strong in his pompous attitude but it serves the plot well. He’s dead sure that no animal could outsmart him and he’s got the imperious attitude to prove it – ha!

Meanwhile, Abasi and the porters do all the work. In some ways Abasi is the true center of this story. He gathers all the intel (chatting up locals, doing the tracking) and lays it at the feet of the great White hunter Cravens. I liked that Abasi makes mistakes too and isn’t really averse to killing elephants even if he gets a bit spooked later on in the story. He’s not perfect but he’s not the hero of the tale either.

As the story progresses, the tension builds. Something a little supernatural is going on here, right? Or is it just that Cravens and Abasi are making idiot choices and Nature eventually wins out? It’s left up to the reader to decide and I really enjoyed this slant to the story. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: JD Kelly has one of those rich voices that makes you want to listen to darn near anything that he reads. I loved his voice for Cravens and he also had a distinct voice for Abasi with a believable Swahili accent. Abasi’s fear and skepticism and placating charm all came through loud and clear even as Kelly made Cravens sound like a pompous jerk as he’s meant to be. 5/5 stars.

This review first appeared on DabOfDarkness.com

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