The raven stuff was interesting but not very. The author would be a great companion over lunch or with a group of people who have never got anything to say, he'd keep the party going as it were. Yay for blowing up people and carrying 100lb (or whatever) backpacks and mucking in with the lads in a cold, muddy forest. It is mostly a litany of all he achieved and how great he was and how great army life was and how he couldn't have achieved all that in any other way but the army. It was 50% ravens and 50% the author's life in the army since he was 16 up until he became a Yeoman of the Guard at the Tower of London. The author has a rather dry sense of humour! The book was not quite what the title implies. An incredible sight, though maybe not for everyone.' I rushed over and saw Erin and Rocky devouring a bird: they were actually eating the pigeon from the inside out while it was still alive. Not long ago I was taking a tour around when I heard a lot of screaming and crying from people in the queues by the Jewel House. 'Two ravens can kill and strip down a pigeon in a matter of minutes.

Shining a light on the behavior of the birds, their pecking order and social structure, and the tricks they play on us, Skaife shows who the Tower’s true guardians really are-and the result is a compelling and irreverent narrative that will surprise and enchant. In The Ravenmaster, he lets us in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year.Ī rewarding, intimate, and inspiring partnership has developed between the ravens and their charismatic and charming human, the Ravenmaster, who shares the folklore, history, and superstitions surrounding the ravens and the Tower. The title of Ravenmaster, therefore, is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. The ravens at the Tower of London are of mighty importance: rumor has it that if a raven from the Tower should ever leave, the city will fall.

The first behind-the-scenes account of life with the legendary ravens at the world’s eeriest monument

The ravenmaster