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Distant Suns - wBW
Book Review
Distant Suns
by Sam Manicom
ISBN: 978-0955657320
Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
Publisher:
Sam Manicom UK, 2008
368 pages, Color Photos and B&W Illustrations
Available From:
Amazon.com (wBW Affiliate)
webBikeWorld.com Book Review by Lori B.
Sam Manicom quotes Paul Theroux on the back cover of
this book “…take the leap. Go as far as you can.
Try staying out of touch. Become a stranger in a
strange land…”
And boy, did he ever leap as far as he could, where
no one could reach him…even if they wanted to.
Distant Suns is Sam Manicom’s third book chronicling
his eight year 200,000 mile journey around the world.
His first two books --
Into Africa and Under Asian Skies (wBW Review) --
covered his first four years of travel.
Distant Suns takes you with him on his three year
adventure exploring Southern Africa and South America.
On this trip he is accompanied by his partner Brigit,
and Distant Suns is based on her diary.
The forward promises that Distant Suns will “spit you
out as a convert to the dream of over-landing by
motorcycle.” I disagree. To categorize this
book as “an adventure motorcycle travel book” limits the
book’s potential appeal to a broader audience.
Distant Suns will appeal to the non-rider as well.
It proves to be a universally enjoyable way to sample a
buffet loaded up with history, geography, human drama,
danger and human relationships with the added bonus of
cycles for aficionados.
The author’s journey started in 1996 -- before cell
phones and satellite navigation became affordable and
portable for the masses. In 1996 it was all about
maps and telephone exchanges.
Add to that the fact that when he started on his
journey, the author had only been riding a motorcycle
for three months. The Author refers to himself as
“… a pretty ordinary bloke…” when he started out on his
adventure, but I beg to differ -- this is no ordinary
man and no ordinary journey!
While the vivid photos included in the book visually
illustrate the exotic locales, it is the author’s words
that really bring the trip to life for the reader.
Whether it is bringing to life the beauty of the
landscape, the people they meet, the endless dicey
border crossings, how they get to where they are going
and where they stay when they get there-it is all told
in Sam’s richly descriptive style.
This is a great story which reads with the ease of a
novel. Distant Suns has it all: love, good guys, bad
guys, beauty, danger, history, geography and last but
not least-bikes! Distant Suns is a fast, easy and
thoroughly enjoyable read.
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