Wild by Nature: From Siberia to Australia, Three Years Alone in the Wilderness on Foot by Sarah Marquis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wild by Nature is the account of the 10,000 mile hike that Sarah Marquis made across Mongolia, China, Siberia, Laos, Thailand before a journey on a cargo ship and then a further walk across the Australian Outback. Whilst she had backup and sponsors, Sarah undertook this walk solo. Not only is this a huge physical achievement, she had to stay sharp whilst facing thieves, drug dealers, tropical diseases, lethal wildlife, life threatening illnesses and natives who were not always best pleased to see a foreigner. She had to cope with freezing temperatures in the Gobi desert, scorching temperatures in the Australian deserts, being blasted by the winds on the Mongolian Steppe and survived some unbelievable thunderstorms.

It is quite an challenge for anyone to undertake, but for a single woman in some of these countries it is even more of a trial. This is not her only achievement wither; she has walked 23 countries in total; earning herself the National Geographic’s title of Adventurer of the Year. She is tenacious and stubborn, two qualities that you need to push yourself to the physical and mental limits that a walk like this demands, but there are times even for her when it all seems too much. But I think that there are a few things that let it down a little, one is that her journey seems to jump around somewhat without following any logical route. I would expect a journey of this type to flow nicely, but it doesn’t. You got a good sense of her emotional highs and lows, but it was also difficult to connect to her as a reader at times. This is one worth reading if you like walking books, but could have been much better.

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The Bees by Laline Paull
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Flora 717 is on the bottom rung of the hive. Given the lowest task of ensuring it is clean she has only three orders.

Accept, obey and serve.

She, like her sisters, are prepared to sacrifice everything for their beloved Queen. But Flora has skills that mark her out as different from a regular sanitation worker; normally it would ensure that she would be eliminated. Trusted enough to feed the newborn bees, she begins her ascent of the strict hierarchy in the hive, and becomes a forager collecting the life giving nectar. But this simple bee also holds a secret; a desire to break the most sacrosanct of laws in the hive, one that her enemies would use against her without any hesitation.

There were a few things that I liked about this; the dystopian feel of the book; the totalitarian society and strict etiquettes of the bees, and the sole protagonist (can you call a bee that?) who sets out to fulfil her yearning. But it didn’t quite do it, for me. The plot wasn’t too bad, but even with the twists felt a little predictable and it felt a lot like Animal Farm by Orwell, where it is alien and familiar at the same time. It was a shame really as other have really liked it and I thought that I would too. 2.5 stars overall.

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Terra by Mitch Benn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most aliens think that the earth is doomed. None of them can understand why we are so intent on ruining our only planet, especially as we haven’t developed the technology to get of it safely They are not going to help us either; can you imagine the chaos that would cause! One alien thinks that the earth is worth studying, partly for the places and partly for the other creatures; just not for the humans.

The Bradbury’s were driving home whilst mid argument, as usual, and really weren’t expecting the lemon coloured and shaped spaceship to suddenly appear in front of them. Terrified, Mr Bradbury crashes the car. The parent’s climb out and run away as fast as they can. The alien discovers a child in the car. He decides that she need rescuing; from there, from Rrth and from humanity, and he decides to break every rule in the non-contact recommendations and takes her home.

Eight orbits later, Terra was about to enter formal education. As the only human on the planet Fnrr this was going to be very strange, very strange indeed. This is a time of change too, as the extraordinary world ofFnrr spirals into a terrible war.

Mitch Benn is best known for his funny songs and stand-up comedy, and this is his first venture into the realm of the novel. He has drawn on inspiration from various people, including Gaiman, Pratchett and Douglas Adams, whilst still ensuring that his own humour and voice stands out strongly. The concept of the human being the alien is a great one, and he has given her a plot that works really well too. It is definitely aimed at the younger audience, but that doesn’t make it any less readable or enjoyable. Great debut.

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The Fish Ladder: A Journey Upstream by Katharine Norbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Norbury has always been missing something from her past. She had been abandoned as a baby in a convent just outside Liverpool and had been adopted into a loving family. She had never been able to settle completely wandering and moving around the globe. Whilst living in Spain she miscarried, losing a long hoped for sibling for her eldest daughter Evie. Grief for the loss the child and of what might have been turned into an introspective look at herself, and the germination of an idea to follow a river from mouth to source. Moving back to the UK meant that she was closer to family and could start to develop this idea fully. Hoping that the walk will distract her from the grief, a life changing event means that she has to try to find her birth mother who she hopes will have some of the answers to her questions.

Norbury has drawn inspiration from several genres to write this book. Weaving travel, natural history, poetry and mythology it is also a very personal memoir. It is quite an emotive read too, with the highs and lows of family and life laid bare. The writing is poetic, lyrical and at times dreamlike and ethereal, almost with a imagined quality. Her writing is when she is describing the natural world and landscape is very evocative too; you could be standing alongside her. Painful to read at times, you live with her trials and tribulations, but she is tenacious in the face of everything. Enjoyable generally, but occasionally felt a touch fictional. Would definitely read more by her though. 3.5 stars.

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Last Tango in Buenos Aires: Sketches from the Argentine by David Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When you ask people to think about Argentina; the most popular memories would be Maradona and the ‘hand of God’ and them invading the Falklands. Other things that might spring to mind are the Perons, the vast ranches raising the beef cattle for their spectacular barbeques and the stark beauty that is Patagonia. David marsh want to push past these stereotypes and discover the real people that live in this troubled country of contrasts.

On his journey he meets the real Argentinians; war veterans, gold diggers, teachers, priests and the indigenous Indian peoples. They tell him their stories, brining alive an Argentina that we know almost nothing about. There are tales of happier times when it was a rich and potentially key player in the world, to the tragedy of the families devastated by the military dictatorship that ‘disappeared’ so many innocent people.

It is not like a lot of travel books where it is a recollection of a series of observations; he meets all the people and draws the stories out, making this such an interesting book to read. Marsh has managed to convey a sense of the landscape too, as he travels from the cities to the high Andes and onto Patagonia. Well worth reading. 3.5 stars

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