BOOK REVIEWS
I
Títle: Ride To The Midnight Sun
Writer: Stephen Mason
Year: 2013
Stephen Mason's Ride To The
Midnight Sun is not your ordinary
motorcycle adventure story.
At just under 100 pages it's a short
read; fitting really, as it's a short ride
to a place many of us have been,
Nordkapp, at the top of Norway.
In telling his story Stephen admits
that this is his first 'real' adventure
but an adventure that many would
consider nothing more than a ride
along a highway.
That could well be the case how-
ever, Ride To The Midnight Sun,
makes it clear that every adventurer
must start somewhere and that of-
ten means taking the first step and
moving into areas that challenge
your level of comfort. This is possi-
bly where Stephen is going.
It's a two week journey that chal-
E
Títle: The Totem Pole
Writer: Paul Pritchard
Year: 1999 (2018)
W
Paul Pritchard says, "he's not suf-
fering anymore. His life has been
altered. He's just different." Under-
statements, perhaps.
Yet, reading The Totem Pole,
Paul's account of that fateful day in
1998 when a television sized piece
of rock fell from Tasmania's stone
column of the same name and met
with Paul's head you realise that
perhaps it is you, the reader, who
changes.
Paul's beautifully written account
of the accident and the subsequent
12 months often takes you to a place
where you don't want to go howev-
er, Paul's observations and good hu-
mour pull you through. You consid-
er your own life and what it means
to live.
Not once does Paul's story dwell
TRAVERSE 109
lenges Stephen yet for many read-
ers you might think "what's the big
deal?"
Ride To The Midnight Sun doesn't
challenge the reader with tales of
encounters or challenges and, un-
fortunately, at times reads like a
blog, yet the reader should consider
that this is Stephen's first motorcy-
cle adventure and is helpful in con-
vincing those of us that are unsure
that we should take the first step
and head into the unknown. For
that, Ride To The Midnight Sun, is
worth the read.
S
on the accident, feeling sorry for
himself, instead he comes to the
realisation that this is just a part
of the adventure, perhaps this was
the adventure all along. The reader
soon realises that the adventure is
life itself.
There's little wonder that The To-
tem Pole is a multiple award winner
and as a re-release for the 20th an-
niversary it's sure to stir emotions
again.
No, it's not a motorcycle travel
book, it's much more important;
The Totem Pole is about living, and
for that very reason it needs to be
read. It is a book for everyone, for
anyone who seeks adventure, any-
one who's adventure is life itself.