Product Description

Intrigued by tales of the Vazimba people - a mysterious tribe of white pygmies according to some accounts; an invisible telepathic people according to others - Mark Eveleigh travels to the ancient 'Isle of the Moon'. He treks along Madagascar's north-west coast, accompanied first by his pack bull Jobi and then by an intrepid Malgasy guide, Eloi, who prudently dons a bullet-proof vest for the trip. Braving the dangers of the 'Zone Rouge', Mark is probably the first European in more than a century to cross this forbidden bandit country. Before he comes to the end of his quest, and hears the story of the last of the Vazimba at the feet of an old village headman, he explores the difference between myth and reality in a land that has spawned sacred crocodiles, schizophrenic tyrant queens, blood-guzzling spirit animals and people-eating plants. Mark Eveleigh exuberantly captures the spirit of Madagascar in this magical modern-day adventure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1730244 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 221 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Travel writer Eveleigh's account of his journeys through the "great red island" as it was termed by Marco Polo, its first European visitor is a remarkable and essential look at "a country where daily life is governed by supernatural powers." In an attempt to understand the place, Eveleigh buys a pack bull and sets out on a 2,200-kilometer, three-month trek down the western edge of the world's fourth largest island. His journey is inspired by legends of the Vazimba people, a perhaps apocryphal tribe of supernatural white pygmies invisible in some stories, telepathic in others. Not surprisingly, he doesn't find them; instead, along with varying versions of the Vazimba myth told by a range of village leaders, he finds a rugged and treacherous landscape. As perhaps the first European to cross the "Zone Rouge" populated by feuding, armed tribesmen and equally threatening plant and animal life in more than a century, Eveleigh feels "nightmarishly vulnerable," but his terror is balanced by obvious love for Madagascar's "never, ever boring" history, people and daily life. His final days in the wild, street-fighting festival of the city of Antsalova bring his adventures to a riveting close: "If the Zone Rouge, with its prairie hamlets, cowboys and bandits, was like the old-time Wild West, then the dusty, brawling streets of Antsalova were Dodge City." (June)Forecast: A worthy addition to Lonely Planet Journeys, a series of travel reports published as an addition to the already popular Lonely Planet travel guide series, this book will interest anyone planning a trip to the island.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
"Maverick in Madagascar" is the newest title in Lonely Planet’s Journeys series, a unique travel-writing collection. In his travels through the ancient ‘Isle of the Moon,’ Eveleigh encounters sorcerers and shamans, tyrannical queens and snakes said to be the spirits of the dead as he treks through rainforests and mountains. Uncovering an Indonesian and African influenced culture, Eveleigh’s journey takes you through a rich kingdom full of faces and places teeming with legend – from a pirate whose entourage include a rebel French army, an Arabian princess and a young Italian priest, to Madagascar’s greatest king, Andrianampoinimerina. Mixing fable with fact, "Maverick in Madagascar" beautifully captures the spirit of Madagascar.

Customer Reviews

Reviews
What Holiday: `The simple and uncluttered style of Mark Eveleigh's second book belies the adventure and achievement of his trek across the badlands of Madagascar. The book is written in a tremendously well-observed, yet understated way - a welcome antithesis to the bragging and sensationalist hyperbole of much travel-writing. Maverick in Madagascar manages to be both adventurous and meticulous. Engaging yet educational. In a world where travel writers are incessantly conspiring to plan spontaneous adventures and discover unspoilt places, Mark manages to achieve both in an effortless, modest and low-impact way that will serve as an example to his contemporaries whilst uniquely entertaining and inspiring his readers.'

Global Adventure: `Maverick in Madagascar' is a fascinating mix of adventure, history and humour that makes for excellent reading.'

Observer: Forget tranquil tales of discontented urbanites setting up home in Provence or Tuscany, Mark Eveleigh's latest offering is travel writing at its grittiest. Certainly not for the nervous traveller, Eveleigh's book explores this strange land of superstition and folklore. Not only tremendously absorbing, but packed with fascinating facts about this unexplored country - over three-quarters of its wildlife is unique to the island - Maverick in Madagascar is a very exciting read.'

Reviews
What Holiday: `The simple and uncluttered style of Mark Eveleigh's second book belies the adventure and achievement of his trek across the badlands of Madagascar. The book is written in a tremendously well-observed, yet understated way - a welcome antithesis to the bragging and sensationalist hyperbole of much travel-writing. Maverick in Madagascar manages to be both adventurous and meticulous. Engaging yet educational. In a world where travel writers are incessantly conspiring to plan spontaneous adventures and discover unspoilt places, Mark manages to achieve both in an effortless, modest and low-impact way that will serve as an example to his contemporaries whilst uniquely entertaining and inspiring his readers.'

Global Adventure: `Maverick in Madagascar' is a fascinating mix of adventure, history and humour that makes for excellent reading.'

Observer: Forget tranquil tales of discontented urbanites setting up home in Provence or Tuscany, Mark Eveleigh's latest offering is travel writing at its grittiest. Certainly not for the nervous traveller, Eveleigh's book explores this strange land of superstition and folklore. Not only tremendously absorbing, but packed with fascinating facts about this unexplored country - over three-quarters of its wildlife is unique to the island - Maverick in Madagascar is a very exciting read.'

Nice try, Not really
To say that the author was the only European to travel the North-West coast of Madagascar in the last century is a complete marketing fib. I know of two Frenchman who rode the length and breadth of Madagascar, including the so-called "zone rouge" on horseback in 1995. I personally bought gems in the region in 1997. This book deserves its obsucurity in the dust bin of overblown travel writing. A lone white man facing the dangers of unexplored Madagascar... please, spare us.