The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish

AN INTRIGUING AND WELL WRITTEN BOOK.

The Dragon Behind the Glass is part exposé, part travelogue, part scholarship, and part descent into madness. It’s a combination as addictive as a skillfully made desert.Ahab had a great white whale. Emily Voigt had a great red fish.Voigt is pursuing the arowana. She first hears the name from a law enforcement who is talking to her about the exotic pet trade in New York. She learns that the arowana is a large fish prized by a certain kind of aquarium owner: usually Asian, male, and rich. The latter is the most necessary feature for many arowana owners, because single individuals are fetching hundreds of thousands of American dollars.The arowana is the center of an unusual market, often shrouded in secrecy and both threats and acts of violence. Again and again throughout the book, arowana are stolen, smuggled, and fought over, both in the professional and literal sense of the word.The strangeness of it all is compelling for the reader and Voigt, who ends up pursuing this fish through multiple countries and jungles. She’s accompanied by a memorable set of other people, who I found myself constantly googling to see by the time I reached the second half of the book.The Dragon Behind the Glass is not an academic work, but it almost could have been. Voigt’s research on the pet trade and the science is flawless. There is lots of solid biology and scientific history.Voigt provides many thoughtful asides about the pet trade. She considers the pros and cons of collecting from wild populations, CITES listings, and the paradox of the arowana being “a mass produced endangered species”.While I was originally interested in this book because of its relevance to my own research, I kept reading because it was intertwined with the personal stuff, and her own jungle adventures, in such an entertaining way. Voigt is self aware enough to realize that her interest in this fish is... not normal. There’s a recurring “Am I really doing this and is it worth it?” that I think anyone deeply invested in a project will recognize.

I like books about the intersection of fish and society--books like Cod, Season of the Gar, and Snakehead a Fish out of Water. Also, Heiko Bleher is an interesting "character." Additionally, I am very interested in Osteoglossiformes including the Asian Arowana. I was excited to learn of this book and ordered it soon after it was available.But the introduction to this book is very depressing; describing a brutal robbery/murder where the items taken were Asian Arowanas. People are victims of robberies all the time; countless people have been killed for the money in their pockets, so why is it surprising that someone would be killed for valuable livestock? And the way the author/editor framed the introduction is so sad--telling it from the point of view of the victim's father. My heart goes out to the victim's father.I thought the book improved as it went along. The author's point of view evolves as she immerses herself in the fish world. I also admire her bravery and perseverance during her trips into the "wild."As far as Heiko Bleher--I never realized he was such an egotist, but as the author says in the epilogue; most things he says are based on a kernel of truth. And he truly is one of the last great explorers. He uses the convenience of modern air travel to go more places than Wallace ever could have gone; unfortunately there are exponentially fewer unexplored places to go.Overall, I recommend this book--just skip the introduction. I cut out those pages, so when I go back to read it again I won't re-read the introduction. Rest assured, the rest of the book is without graphic depictions of violence; and it is entertaining and educational.

I enjoyed this book, and it would have earned another star if not for the last few chapters.The introduction story is a great opener, the exotic animal trade is as fascinating as it is deadly, and the characters from Aquarium fish fanatics to ichthyologist adventurers populating the book are captivating. It is sometimes hard to believe the truth in the book and other times dismaying - particularly when the book epxlores the environmental impact of fish farming and the bureaucracy of endangered species protection. Where it falters is it's accuracy.The fixation on the "one wild fish" that is most desirable for arowana owners and poachers is understandably rare in nature and, like any grande pursuit, full of twists and disappointments. The meandering journey, back and forth to different continents, and communication with the colorful characters, some nefarious and others quite one dimensional, is reflective of the reality that I'm sure Voigt experienced pursuing this fish. But, where it lost me was how the objective changed from this one fish, to another rarer fish, to an even more exotic expedition in another completely different part of the world, and with a payoff that is not as thrilling as the journey.As a nonfiction book that is meant to spark a discussion or open your mind to a culture and world the reader isn't familiar with it is easily five stars. As an adventure with compelling characters and story if tapers off quite sharply towards the end. Overall it is a good read, but I was hoping for more of a fascinating real-life adventure book in a documentary style that has a rewarding conclusion. It just isn't that kind of read.

Real simple : I am hoping she publishes another book as good as this one.

Very good book if you are interested in Asian Arowanas. The book arrived fast and as described. I would recommend this book. Thank you.

Este libro me ha mantenido cautivo en una montaña rusa de emociones, la forma de describir el mundo alrededor la Arowana Asiática y la forma en que la autora da vida a ésta historia es cautivadora, ideal para cualquier entusiasta de la acuariofilia o para quien esté interesado en una excelente historia de suspenso, científicamente correcta.

Interesting insights into the insane world of fish fanciers, greed, criminal elements in trading in globally endangered species in complete deference of biological facts. Most of the real life characters in this book are wealthy, urban east Asian entrepreneurs completely out of touch with the natural world that produced the blood red Arowana fish for their living room aquariums and those in America; the manifestation of an obsessive compulsive disorder to possess and in some cases, kill others to own.

いきなり殺人事件が起こって読む本間違えたのかと思った。本当にミステリー小説みたいな出だしから始まるアロワナ（アクアリウム）業界の闇。レッド・ドラゴンに、内戦下故に逆に守られていた新種のミャンマーアロワナ。アホみたいな値段が付くペットがいることは知っていたが、いくところまでいけばこういう状況が生まれるのもまあ必然か。今となっては少し古い話だが、知らない世界を垣間見せてくれる。業界顔役の日本人も出てくるが、日本がバブル期この業界でも無茶苦茶やったことは容易に想像がつく。逆に今はプレゼンス低下してるんじゃないかと邪推。

An interesting and somewhat entertaining read, but at times I found the author’s obsession with the fish a bit tiresome.