Read: May 2008.
Reading Time: 1 and 1/2 days.
Despite the reading time, this book is a little bland, for what it is. It is a retelling of the author (and friend and girlfriend's) circumnavigation around the globe by human power, in 2003-2004. He was the first, apparently to ever accomplish this awesome feat. And, despite my not thinking the book is all that great, I do recognize this as something awesome.
However, if you like adventure/trekking stories (and I'm a sucker for them - I must have been a little British boy in my former life), you'll like this. However, I've read better-written accounts.
A couple of things turned me off about this book - the author's whiny, defensive tone, as he spends half the book lambasting his friend and once fellow traveler; and the lack of comment and detail about the places and cultures they traveled through. While I enjoy hearing about the techniques and logistics of hiking and biking trips, it's not exactly entertaining reading for others. I guess I was hoping for more of a story.
And the incessant whining about his friend who ultimately bailed on him is a little unbelievable. Maybe the author needed some scandalous element to enliven an otherwise dull story, or maybe he actually has recieved a lot of flak which he feels he doesn't deserve. Either way, I don't care, and it left a bad taste to the read.
I recommend you read a magazine article about Colin Angus's trek, instead of this book. Look for it on OUTSIDE online, or National Geographic, something like that.
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