The Fear Beneath

The idea of being dead doesn't scare us modern people. But the process and way of dying terrifies us. Sharks do not submit to humans and they do not recognize our alleged superiority. And so, it is hard for us to imagine that we, too, can be part of the food chain (and not at the very top) because we no longer feel as a part of nature. In our over-mapped, overpopulated, over-explored world, it's not often that an animal gives up such mystery. But we do not need to know everything. Some things are in good hands in the fog of secrets and mystery. I am glad that there are still unresolved questions, because after all they are the ones who stimulate the imagination. Sharks are beautiful in a scary way and the epitome of all the unknowns that still exist apart from our civilization. In a time when human mastery of our terrestrial realm grants us the illusion that we can control everything from atoms and genes to the destiny of our planet, it is humbling that something as simple as a big fish can put us back in our place. In a 1987 interview with Time magazine, Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson put our situation into irreverent and incisive perspective: I think it's wonderful that we live in a world in which there are things that can eat us. It keeps us from getting too cocky. Food for thought? My first 2 shark books are only available in German. After many requests from my English-speaking friends, I thought it's about time to write a book about sharks in English. Thus, this book contains the best of my first two books and the best of my articles.

Christian Kemper's readers dive into the fascinating world of underwater predators in his new book The Fear Beneath. Sharks are fascinating but misunderstood animals, often reduced to the role of horror movie predator. To the author, sharks are frightening and beautiful at the same time and epitomize the unknown. Human ingenuitiy grants us the illusion of complete control: from atoms and genes to the destiny of our planet. This makes it especially humbling that these large fish put us back in our place. A shark will eat a human, regardless of whether the human considers themself higher in the food chain. For the shark, food is food.

Autorentext
Christian Kemper is a TV journalist from Germany and freelance writer for three of the biggest diving magazines in Germany. He has been diving with and studying sharks for more than 25 years. The author has written two books about shark attacks and is about to publish his first English language book about sharks titled The Fear Beneath. He has also written a book about crocodiles and a biography about his father, a former world champion in cycling.