MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Narrow Escapes & More Close Calls

by Steven Rinella, Clay Newcomb (Narrator), Vince Merritt (Narrator)

Ten harrowing firsthand tales of survival from the creators of the New York Times bestselling audio collection MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls.

In Campfire Stories: Narrow Escapes & More Close Calls, storytellers take us from Florida to the Northern Rockies to the Arctic Ocean with wild and true stories, a reminder that the natural world is rugged and unpredictable. Including stories from MeatEater's Steven Rinella and Clay Newcomb, and spearfishing champion Kimi Werner, this immersive audio collection also features tales from listeners who survived falling through the ice, gunshot and arrowhead wounds, hand-to-hoof combat with a deer, and a spearfisherman who made the best shot of his life to save a friend from certain death.

Campfire Stories: Narrow Escapes & More Close Calls features tales from MeatEater crew members Steven Rinella and Clay Newcomb with additional stories by Vince Merritt Allen Jones Kimi Werner Roy Getson Casey Frank Cory Holloway Cameron Kirkconnell Bruce Batten and Vic Barnes.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Outdoors, Short Stories, Nature, Survival, Adventure

Audiobook

Published August 2, 2022

About the author

Steven Rinella is the host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of six books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler.

Reviews

[Walter U. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good collection of stories, not all are great. The last few are just filler and I'm genuinely annoyed they were not edited out. Could have been a podcast episode.

[Courtlyn Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for a night around the fire with a cold beer in hand.

This was such a well done audiobook, i LOVE when audiobooks have background sounds that really add to the ambiance of the story. I’ll definitely be listening to his other audiobook soon!

These stories were equal parts entertaining and heartbreaking. The real people who lived these events are the ones telling the stories and you can hear and feel the anguish that some of them felt in those moments which makes it so interesting and intense. 5/5!

[ladybreww · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore these stories. So fun to listen to and I love that the person tells it from their perspective so you get to hear a bunch of different narrators. Although Steven is always my favorite storyteller - he is such a natural.

Please keep making these!

[Chandler Kleinhesselink · Rating 4 out of 5]

These close calls put my and Shannon’s “close calls” to SHAME. Very fun to listen to. I will definitely be checking out the podcast.

[LaDonna Mead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio book we listened to while traveling.. real life near death stories

[Sarah Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book but lots of cool stories in this one. Enjoyed it.

[Michelle Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, since my thoughts and feelings about the first MeatEater Campfire Stories book are literally exactly the same as this one, here's my review for the first one!

I always enjoy watching and listening to the MeatEater crew share their experiences in wild places. Their knowledge and passion for conservation always comes through in a way that is laid back, approachable, and often humorous.

But boy howdy, did this one put me all the way on the edge of my seat. The only thing laid back about it was the fact that it was stylistically an unscripted first-person reminiscence rather than the audio recording of pre-written text. If anything, that made each of these short memoir pieces even more harrowing. It especially got tough to listen to whenever the narrators began to get emotional as they recalled how close they came to death, planned what they were going to say in one last phone call to their loved ones, etc. The desperation to survive that was central to every single story made the audiobook minutes fly past without my awareness that the time was gone.

The immersive elements of campfire sounds in the background, ambient musical score, and sound design that lined up with the events happening in the story were nice little touches.

Last thing and then I'll go: It struck me how often those telling their stories said things like, "The life-saving measure that I desperately needed to take just so happened to make itself available just when I needed it most." Guys and gals, that was God making sure you got through that alive.

[Riley Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first book and enjoyed this one again. I think hearing these stories and realizing how fragile mortality can be is humbling and helps us value our lives and the world around us. This one had 2 spear fishing stories that were scary, but hard to relate to for never being that extreme in the water. He also tells a story about his son contracting Lyme disease that he tells in his parenting book so some repeats. There is a story about a guy surviving on a Sheep/goat hunt after getting stranded cliffed out on a ledge that was sobering to me. I don't love the blood loss stories but they also are a good reality check. The story about a bow hunter impaling his own face and a duck hunter blowing his leg off in the boat and crawling to safety showcase how confused and disorienting I'm sure it can be to keep moving in the midst of one of these traumas. Great stories, could have been podcast episodes but I like the format.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve come to love Steven Rinella’s writing, but initially just loved his voice. This collection of short stories came highly recommended from my partner (not a big reader), and it did not disappoint. It’s so cool to me that these stories are told by the people they happened to! Hearing someone narrate their own experience makes it infinitely more powerful to me, and I so deeply enjoyed this aspect, as well as Rinella’s interludes between stories that really helped tie everything together. There are some fantastic, incredible, and jaw-dropping stories in this book and the last one with his son made me sob. It’s a reminder of what my partner has shown me about hunting and outdoor-pursuits. These are activities so deeply entrenched in family lore and history, and they’re activities that draw generations together. And the recognition of that deeply personal and emotional connection makes me appreciate these things that feel somewhat other-worldly to me.

[Emily Braunig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I'm always looking for audiobooks that my husband and I will both enjoy for long car rides. Since he's a big MeatEater fan, and I occasionally will watch the show, I figured this would be a good one. It's essentially a compilation of outdoorsmen and women telling their most intense stories of narrowly escaping death's door. What they all have in common is they weren't expecting things to go so horribly wrong in these moments (while out fishing, hunting, etc). It really makes you think about what you would do personally in such scenarios. I felt they were very educational from a survival standpoint - not sure if I'll ever find myself wrestling a buck, but you never know. Plus, I loved how Steve Rinella kicked off each story by sharing tips or personal experiences related to the chapter. Overall, super interesting and nail biting stuff. I recommend to any guy or gal that loves the outdoors.

Fair warning, some of these stories are pretty gruesome from a bloody accident standpoint. It didn't deter me from skipping ahead, but I'm not super squeamish.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun book to listen to, though not one for the faint of heart. I love listening to outdoorsy guys feel outdoorsy take but it does send a cold chill down my spine to hear how flipping CLOSE these close calls are. At least it’s comforting to know that even on the brink of death love of family and the unwillingness to go gently into that dark night can get you through to the other side. At least sometimes.

[Brad Bevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are great if you have never tried them. Very well produced stories introduced by Rinella and then retold by the person they happened to. It feels like more of a podcast than an audiobook, but that's mostly just because the production is so much better than most audiobooks it almost feels like cheating listening to it. Stories cover hunting trips gone wrong, miraculous rescue from the brink of death and recently solved decades old mysteries. A fun listen.

[C.J. Bolen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting continuation of the first book with more stories of close calls and near misses. Flirting with death and life altering circumstances. Makes you appreciate, and respect, the true nature of nature. What seemed like a normal day outdoors for some, turned into a life changing day for them.

I recommend the audio book version as it is shared by the very person who experienced the event.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories from hunters about close calls they have experienced. It's a good read with a lot of amazing stories.

However, I'm not an outdoorsman and after reading this book I don't think I ever want to be ... Scary

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar to the first one. Entertaining and informative. Some stories definitely better told than others but I enjoyed that they’re told from the actual person who experienced the event *listened via Audible*

[John Minch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly the low point in the campfire stories saga for me personally as I don't find long descriptions of archaeological finds super exciting, but the high adventure survival stories thrown in definitely makes it worth a read.

[David J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of incredible stories of survival--hunting, hiking, underwater adventures, etc.. Some of these accounts are harrowing, but each one was very inspiring. A very different read for me, but I enjoyed this a lot.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant MeatEater’s Campfire Stories. The audiobooks never fail to be an exciting listen with their tense yet informative tales of real dangers in the wilderness, perfectly accompanied by immersive ambient audio.

[Kolt Marquardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun!

[Megan Helmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite, I hope he continues to do this series!!

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting tales, but not as good as the first one book.

[Wade Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting situations people get themselves into. The "falling on an arrow" story--ouch!--and both spearfishing stories were my favorites.

[Sheri S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ - I found this audiobook pretty entertaining. The stories were unique and interesting! It's amazing how people are able to endure through such trying circumstances.

[Casan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was even better than the first “Campfire Stories”. I felt these stories left me on the edge of my seat, and some were quite emotional. Really, Really, good!

[Michael Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would give this 6 stars if I could! Fantastic stories... some that brought me to tears at the end.

[Rex Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a well-curated and well-told collection of stories. My wife and I were riveted. Well done, folks at MeatEater!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book (and the first one!!) The audiobook is amazing because it has the people telling their own stories. Anything from Steve Rinella and the MeatEater crew is 5 stars!

[Stephen Dearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such vivid stories, it was hard sometimes to listen. Great book.

[Haley Vancura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love hearing people’s experiences in their own words and these were some amazing life experiences to be shared.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Dome fun stories in here. A few of them made me tear up.