The Travellers’ Tales

THE TRAVELLERS' TALES IS A LOVE STORY CLEVERLY DISGUISED AS A TRAVELOGUE SET "ON THE ROAD" TO AFGHANISTAN IN THE EARLY 70'S. TO ANYONE WHO TROD THAT PATH IT IS A NOSTALGIC READ. TO THOSE WHO WERE TOO YOUNG TO DO SO IT IS AS INSPIRATIONAL AS THE BEST OF TRAVEL WRITING. WHERE ARE THOSE PLACES? WHO WHERE THOSE PEOPLE? IT'S GRIPPING, WRITTEN WITH PACE AND STYLE. IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT THE AUTHOR HAS LIVED A LIFE FULL OF ADVENTURE IN DANGEROUS PLACES. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN HIM ON A VICARIOUS RIDE, YOU HAVE ONLY TO PURCHASE THE BOOK.

I thought this was a really interesting read and loved that it was a fictional book but based on the travels of the actual author. You could feel his eyes and senses written in the subjects on page and many a time I felt that the descriptions were so real and understood, and I thought this man knows this item or this place. It was so authentic and I love that. But being fiction ment we could still read it like a story and the author could write it with a bit more freedom. It was interesting to learn of a time we all all think we know a lot of, but I think we only touch on the very good or very bad parts of that time in history and there was so much more undertone to that moment in time, and how different cultures were dealing with the same period of time. I found this book so intriguing and so immersive. I reallly enjoyed it.

I bought The Travellers Tales believing it to be written within the Travel genre. It is. There are beautiful and well worded descriptions of places and people. It is also a love story. Young love. I cried with joy and wept with sorrow. When is there a sequel?

The central part of this book is the stunning narrative of a fictional young couple who travel overland from Istanbul to Afghanistan in the 1970's. The author made that journey himself from England many times as a trader. It begins with the hero travelling through Europe with a childhood friend, picking up hitch-hikers who narrate their stories as in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. These hikers often re-appear on the route eastwards, enriching their stories. After meeting up with his girlfriend in Istanbul, the two lovers travel onward together seeking adventure. They sleep in the mysterious white caves of Cappadocia, and are welcomed into individual’s homes deep in the countryside. Beautifully written, covering the sights, sounds and political news of the times, as well as their sometimes intense personal problems, the unceasing drama of the story continues until the very last page.

Alastair Hull opens a fresh horizon of historical fiction in The Travellers' Tales. This superb book highlights a unique piece of travel history often overlooked in the war torn chaos that has divided much of Central Asia and the Middle East over the past half century. It details the wonders and dangers faced by a British couple travelling overland through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan in the 1970's. Along the way they meet dozens of other young adventurers from throughout the world traveling by bus, train, car, truck, camper and even hitch-hiking on a route sketched out by Marco Polo over 650 years ago. Alastair focuses on the use of drugs, the rich heritage of music and anti-war idealism shared by this moving kaleidoscope of wide-eyed young men and women eager to absorb new lessons and values from a vastly different world This book brilliantly echoes a time, a place and a worldwide cast of characters in a series of adventures. For readers like me - who once shared in those times and adventures - or for those who have never heard of them, this traveller’s tale is a welcome insight into the fictional lives of two young college graduates. As the reader will discover, it is far safer to read about the ups and downs of this traveller’s tale than to have faced them yourself.