Naturalist Montgomery (The Soul of an Octopus) explores what can be learned from birds of prey in this impassioned introduction to falconry. Blending memoir and research, Montgomery shares stories from her own experiences with raptors while weaving in thoughts from other naturalists, wildlife conservationists, friends, and her falconry instructor, the late Nancy Cowan. Montgomery began taking courses in falconry because of her love of birds, and she soon realized she'd entered "a strange new world" when she watched Cowan get bitten. With flowing, intimate, occasionally humorous prose--"A bird of prey, in fact, is so rarefied that it doesn't even shit like the rest of us"--Montgomery reveals the uniqueness of falconry and the birds it involves. As she travels from upstate New York to parks in New Hampshire to visit raptors, she reveals them to be enigmatic, sensitive animals that are prone to outbursts of violence. She also finds them alluring creatures, and conveys vividly their hold on her: "My whole soul feels like a yawning hole that only this bird can fill." The result is a heartfelt and informative primer, just right for adventure- and animal-loving readers. Photos. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency. (May)

Naturalist and author of 31 books for adults and children, including the National Book Award finalist Soul of an Octopus, Sy Montgomery's adoration of and respect for hawks is exuberantly communicated throughout this mix of natural history and memoir. Montgomery tells how her first encounter with a Harris hawk named Jazz fueled a years-long fascination with these remarkable creatures. She spends years learning with trainer Nancy Cowan, and is fiercely passionate as she describes falconry, past and present, and discusses the emotional and physical lives of hawks. She has no sentimental illusions about the birds' inner lives and emphasizes, despite her deep enjoyment in pursuit of falconry, that the raptors simply do not like humans. VERDICT Though listeners must rely on a supplemental pdf to view photographs of Montgomery's training and close-ups of the hawks, the author's irrepressible enthusiasm, vivid oral storytelling, and a brief clip of hawk sounds make this short listen, that grips and soars, an essential purchase.--Lauren Kage

The bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus and The Good Good Pig turns her attention to hawks. Montgomery hooks readers with a striking opening line--"Inches from my face, I hold a living dinosaur"--the first hint of her passion for the subject. This slender, graceful work, featuring Strombeck's vivid photos, is more a monograph than a book, though scientific rigor is not its strong suit. Throughout, the author displays her abundant enthusiasm for this unique predator, but she sometimes gets carried away, giving the impression that working with the hyperfocused hawk is like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun. Not that devotees will complain. Montgomery offers a good amount of stimulating information about raptor behavior, a primer on the language of falconry, and some surprising insights into what is thought to be a hawk's mindset. Montgomery's fervor echoes that of her mentor, the late master falconer Nancy Cowan, whose 2016 book Peregrine Spring possessed some of the same merits and deficiencies--most notably, too many flights of fancy. This is not to say that Montgomery isn't factual on the basics of humans hunting with hawks, including proven stratagems. She also explores at length, with admiring acceptance, what it means to be the bird's subordinate partner in the hunt. Occasionally, Montgomery's lyrical bent finds her indulging in the sort of dramatics and anthropomorphism that are more romantic than empirical: "On my hand, I hold a waterfall, an eclipse, a lightning storm. No, more than that. Jazz is wildness itself, vividly, almost blindingly alive in a way we humans may never experience." It's a lovely thought but overwrought. Yet the author helps us forgive these excesses, and a rather selective love of animals, with her powers of observation and total absorption. Not Montgomery's best but mostly enjoyable reading on a consistently intriguing raptor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Montgomery famously loves all animals, but she is especially in awe of birds. Like The Hummingbird's Gift (2021), this is a succinct, intimate, and captivating chronicle graced with color photographs, but here she focuses on a very different bird-human relationship, the ancient bond between hawk and falconer. Raptors remain inexorably wild, Montgomery reports, no matter how close a hawk and handler become. "If you do everything right, a hawk will allow you to act as its servant. And for this, the falconer is profoundly grateful." Hawks are vigilant, easily angered, and dangerous. They are also, Montgomery rhapsodizes: "Magnificent, graceful, strong, big, brave, and smart." Montgomery recounts her lessons with falconer Nancy Cowan, describing gear, techniques, and the experience of having a hawk fly straight at you, land on your arm, and grip you hard with its sharp talons, its lacerating beak inches from one's face. Hawks have the sharpest vision on the planet; "the tigers of the air, they hunt like no other predator." Montgomery's rapture in the presence of hawks and their "fierce, wild glory" is gorgeously illuminating and deeply affecting.