New Release: The Royal Showdown |
| The Royal Showdown | ||
By Darren Blake
It started out simple enough, the normal 'once upon a time,` suggested narrative. But its ending was hardly anything but normal. If the goal of Marc Watts is for the reader to not put the book down until they`re finished reading all 96 pages, then well, the author has accomplished that. That is the headline as I take a deep breath and wipe the sweat from my brow as I close the back flap on this uplifting story, The Royal Showdown.
Safari hunting books aren`t supposed to make grown men cry, yet it`s not from sadness, it`s out of praise and congratulations for what he and Andre Roux have accomplished. I found myself rooting for them at every turn of the page as they embark on an almost unheard of goal of shooting two world class trophy eland in 14 days. It`s not greed, it`s not fame and it`s not the record book that motivates them. They did it for the challenge---and these two hunters are a pair of highly motivated men!
The story begins at the 2005 SCI convention in Reno where Marc was the winning bidder of a donated giant eland hunt that Andre put up for auction. For two years both men communicated via email, and of course when they`d see each other in Reno and Dallas. They discussed strategies, reviewed concession maps and got to know each other as well as they could in anticipation of their eventual showdown with Lord Derby in Central African Republic come March 2007. Because of the unpredictability of hunting and especially given the challenges of C.A.R., both men understood there were no guarantees, but never in doubt was their commitment.
The Royal Showdown is told chronologically (similar to the real-time format Marc applies to his videos) and along the way the author has nicely woven biographical information and how it relates to hunting. Finally, questions of just exactly who is this man and how has he been catapulted to one of the ambassadors of safari hunting, have been answered. It becomes plainly obvious that this man`s passion for perfection, regardless of what discipline he`s practicing, runs high on his list of priorities.
Does this man ever fail? Absolutely yes, and oh how refreshing when someone of his success ratio, can admit to his hunting faults. There`s the time early in the safari that he tipped off the record eland well within shooting range because he raised his gun too quickly. He also spooks a herd within range on another day because of his inability to keep his hands from moving. It`s one screw-up after another for "Bwana Moja", and the reader gets the feeling that he just might fail altogether. But the mess-ups only strengthen his resolve.
The manuscript is enhanced with more than forty high-quality color photos. There`s even an image from a video camera one frame before Marc pulls the trigger on his first eland. Collectively I believe this work provides the safari community the best images ever available of what a Lord Derby truly looks like, dead or alive! The photos are captioned appropriately (and spread throughout the pages, not clumped haphazardly in the middle of the book).
The author heavily relies on the photos to more effectively tell his story. The close-ups of shot placement, and eland that have bounded off are most telling. There are photos of Marc as an anchor man during his CNN days from Nelson Mandela`s election and you can tell from the man`s words along with the foreword written by Andre Roux, that he and Africa`s people have a special connection.
There`s definitely something else besides just hunting Africa that drives him when he`s there. That`s why in the end the outcome seems so deserving to this fellow. Because of his marksmanship the outcome never really seems in doubt, but it`s a tasteful yarn nevertheless. Like an athlete, he has trained himself as a hunter to capitalize when the moment of The Royal Showdown finally arrives.
My wife Hanna has picked up the book now because she was wondering what all the emotion was about. She`s not really that much of a huntress but enjoys Marc`s videos because of all the stories he tells and this book is one helluva story. I read it from cover to cover and understand how he pulled this feat off, but I`m still in awe because I don`t really "get how he did it." Well time to get my butt out of the lazy boy, off to the gym, and then to the shooting bench!