Jackson Landers is a interesting fellow to say the least, so when I saw that the name of his latest book was Eating Aliens I had to drop the dough to get it. Jackson's first offering "The beginner's guide to hunting deer for food" is a how to book aimed at introducing novice or even non-hunters into a locavore lifestyle concentrating on hunting deer. Eating Aliens however is a departure from that format. The book is broken into short easy to read chapters that are more like short stories. I found it very enjoyable to read a chapter a day as though this was a collection of separate stories instead of a memoir. While Jackson's stories do provide some information about invasive species, it is far more memorable for Jackson's antics and adventures. His stories bare all from his failures to his successes. This book is basically the story of Jackson Landers deciding he wants to do this for a living and just taking off and doing it. His courage makes the reader wish they could live out their dreams with such reckless abandon. It is this feeling adventure that makes the book different from other books in the modern hunting genre. The Characters he meets along the way are colorful and bring a some realness to the book that makes you feel like you could do this to with him. While I believe the original point of the book (controlling invasive species by eating them) is tore apart by Jackson himself when he states all of the roadblocks (mostly the USDA) that stand in the way of commercially selling the meat of most of the invasive species, he somehow draws you in and makes you want to join the hunt. Jackson makes hunting snails seem fun and entertains while educating. While we come from very different backgrounds I would love to catch dinner with Mr. Landers someday. He seems to be one of the good guy when it comes to hunting and conservation and finds a way to walk the fine line between ex vegetarian tree hugger and blood thirsty redneck hunter. For less than $10 you can score this book and it would make a great companion for a hunting trip. I give this short entertaining book 4 out of 5 stars. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.
