I finished this book as a matter of principle more than anything else. I was determined to finish it, so I did.

In my opinion, the book deserves a solid three stars. It wasn't despicable enough for me to put it down, but it certainly wasn't a page turner, and I disagreed with some of the rhetorical moves Herzog made (such as defining some terms while leaving the reader to guess others, and unnecessarily repeating information). Beyond that, the language is extremely colloquial (he even throws in some hard language here and there), which slightly undermines the credibility of the author.

The discussion, while well-balanced, was unsatisfying. He spent time arguing both sides of particular scenarios, without really coming to a conclusion. Of course, that might have been the point-- "these questions are fun to think about but too hard to answer." Insofar as answers, I gained nothing from this book; Herzog spent too much time on middle ground. I did, however, glean a few random facts about people and animals that may one day come in handy. The book also forced my to think more deeply about my own relationship with animals, though I was not swayed to make any changes.

All in all, the book is good for a once-through, but not much more than that.