What is Under Asian Skies all about? Reviewed by Tiger Coward
Tiger Coward is a man who devotes much of his time to family, riding his bike, reading motorcycle travel books, and reviewing them. I’m delighted that he took the time to review Under Asian Skies.
These are his thoughts.
‘There is a great book in the Tiger Coward Adventure Motorcycle Library that I read but somehow never reviewed: Under Asian Skies by Sam Manicom .
I read and loved this book before I regularly started reviewing motorcycle travel books. But this one deserves a review.
So, let’s go.
From there, we travel with Manicom across Australia, to New Zealand, and then north through Asia and back to Europe. The incredible diversity of the countries, cultures, and experiences provides a wealth of rich stories for the reader.
As in his first book, Into Africa, the author gives us the unsanitized, raw, and truthful picture of life as an around-the-world traveller. The good, the bad, and the stinky.
Sam is a great storyteller, and his writing is descriptive and compelling. He balances tales of his experiences with background on the places he visits, the people he meets, and the trials and tribulations involving his motorcycle.
The result is a well-rounded, compelling, and brilliant travel story.
Here are the five things I loved most about this book:
1. The Author
If you don’t know Sam Manicom, then you really need to.
Adventurer, author, podcaster, presenter, and adventure-motorcycling advocate, he is an icon in the motorcycle community. Most importantly, he is often described as being the nicest guy in the room.
All of these attributes are amply demonstrated in this book.
Without being too much of a fanboy, I am convinced that after reading this book, you will join me in the Sam Manicom Fan Club.
2. The Writing
Sam’s writing is a step above the norm in this genre.
His immersive writing puts you right there with him. You see the colours, feel the heat, and smell the smells.
It is difficult for someone who doesn’t write particularly well to describe great writing, but trust me when I say this book is very well written.
3. The Relationships
Like most of the best travel books, it isn’t the places that are ultimately important. It’s the people.
This book is filled to the brim with interesting relationships.
Starting on the ship from Africa, Manicom makes friends with the crew, and that continues everywhere he goes. From grumpy field workers to millionaires in Australia, from grumpy hostel mates to carpet-smuggling, adventure-seeking bus mates, and even romance, this book has it all.
This book is fuelled by relationships.
4. The Bike
Sam’s motorcycle plays a major role in the story: a 1992 BMW R80GS that he named Libby, for liberty and the freedom he finds riding her.
As always, it is the mechanical failures and the sagas surrounding the repairs that make some of the best stories, and there are a fair share of those challenges in this book.
But it is the personification of the motorcycle, and the relationship Sam develops with her, that I find most interesting.
Don’t know what I’m talking about?
You’ll just have to read the book.
5. The Quotes
Each chapter of the book brings new places, cultures, and experiences. The author begins each chapter with an epigraph—a quote about the importance of travel.
These quotes set the tone for each chapter and demonstrate the author’s understanding of the deeper meaning of travel.
In Summary
This is a great book that stands entirely on its own, but I highly recommend reading it in conjunction with the first book in the series.
For that matter, I would just buy all four books and travel the world with Sam.
Generally, I much prefer reading the actual physical book, likely because I am an old man.
But I will say that having the book read by the author, as this one was, is something special. The emphasis and emotion of the experiences can only truly be conveyed by the person who lived them.’
Thank you Tiger!