Product Description

The Adventurist is one man's story, a story that will change the way you think about travel, survival, where you have been, and where you are going.

Enter the world of Robert Young Pelton (if you dare), adventurer extraordinaire, author of Come Back Alive and The World's Most Dangerous Places (required reading at the CIA), and host of his TV series, Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places.

A breakneck autobiography, The Adventurist blasts across six continents and spans four decades of hard-core living with its dispatches of mayhem, adventure in exotic locales, survival against formidable odds, memories of the pivotal events, and memorable portraits of the people that have shaped Pelton's obsessive spirit.

Be shelled with the Talibs on the front lines of Afghanistan; hang out with hit men and rebels in the Philippines; survive a plane crash in Borneo; narrowly escape a terrorist bombing in Africa; dance with headhunters in Sarawak; crew with pirates in the Sulu Sea; explore the events that led Pelton to his unusual calling (including how he honed his survival skills at "the toughest boys' school in North America"); and, perhaps most important, discover Pelton's secret mission--to understand the hearts and minds of the people he meets.

The Adventurist is a real book about the real world, an inspirational read that takes you places you might never willingly go.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #351088 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-19
• Released on: 2001-06-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Amazon.com Review
Readers for whom the word travel ordinarily conjures images of white-sand beaches or Tuscan hill towns might wonder what person of above-average intelligence leaves home in hopes of face-to-face contact with Afghan rebels, Malaysian pirates, warlords, headhunters, or terrorists. That person, apparently, is Robert Young Pelton. Among adventure enthusiasts, Pelton is probably best known for The World's Most Dangerous Places, his utterly unique, tough-guy's guide to where not to travel, and a similarly named series on the Discovery Channel. Part travelogue, part memoir, The Adventurist is Pelton's attempt to explain what some would call his lifelong death wish, but that the author describes as "an expedition of discovery, a dangerous one with no scripted endings."

The Adventurist juxtaposes scenes and reminiscences of Pelton's youth and young adulthood with stories of his latter-day adventures in the jungles, waterways, and deserts of some of the planet's most perilous locales. "It's in vogue now to blame things on your parents or society. I don't blame anybody for anything," Pelton explains, but considering his descriptions of his abusive parents and his harrowing stint at "the toughest boys' school in North America," it is difficult not to draw connections between the privations of Pelton's youth and his obsessive need to confront danger--and the people who survive it--in order to feel alive.

Although at times Pelton's prose style is about as subtle as the firing end of an AK-47 ("It was time to live like the wind and then to die like thunder"), The Adventurist delivers on its "invitation to you to join me on the wire. To take that first step, look forward, fight your fears..." It offers views of places and experiences that most readers would otherwise never know, with the careful reminder that, "like home, adventure is not places so much as people." --Svenja Soldovieri

From Publishers Weekly
In this jumble of exploration tales, Pelton (The World's Most Dangerous Places) combines biographical anecdotes, travel log entries, personal musings and philosophical realizations. Tests of survival begin early on when his parents enroll him in the "toughest boys school in North America," where he partakes in grueling excursions in the wilderness of Alberta, Canada. Painful but crucial childhood memories are often interlaced with accounts of his defiant journeys to the world's most dangerous places. One wonders why he seeks out outrageous peril, such as walking through minefields in Afghanistan, dancing with headhunters in Sarawak, communing with pirates on the Sulu Sea or simply visiting Algeria. He counts among his global acquaintances Robin Hood-like ruffians, freedom fighters and terrorists, including Taliban members in Afghanistan and hit men in the Philippines. His thirst for adventure appears insatiable. But behind Pelton's wild exploits lies something deeperAthe search for meaning in life: "I am happy running, at high speed, through danger, past even the most remote and unseen places. There is something here that is deeper than religion, a timeless window to what makes life worth living." Pelton's self-assurance can be supercilious, but the denouement of each episode brings personal reflections imbued with humility. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Part autobiographical, part adventure story, The Adventurist is one of the funniest books this reviewer has read in a long time. Pelton, author of World's Most Dangerous places most people would not set foot in and there he befriends waiters and shopkeepers as well as hitmen and terrorists. He then mixes these travel experiences with the tale of his rise as a professional journalist through comical anecdotes. Whether he's dodging gunfire and bombs n Algeria or earning his keep as a copywriter in Ontario, Pelton keeps his reader laughing and on the edge of his seat as he leads them into the always interesting and sometimes scary places and situations. Although some of the chapters have already appeared in Blue, Road and Track, Soldier of Fortune, and World's Most Dangerous Places, all of the tales in this most enjoyable book are worth reading again. Highly recommended for any travel collection.
Stephanie Papa, Baltimore Cty. Circuit Court Law Lib., MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Pelton Outta Control!
I have a hefty amount of admiration for Robert Young Pelton: not only is he a guy who gets to go to all the places I'd like to see, but he's a pretty talented writer with a nifty wit as well.

So what's my beef with this book then? It seems like RYP admires himself equally well. To his credit, he never actually comes out and says so; nevertheless, his overly florid prose gives the secret away. While there is some great writing in this book (most of which has appeared before in his Dangerous Places books, see below) there are far too many passages that reek of an author out of control. Where was the editor on this book?

I have no problem with the content here: the biographical passages describing his youth are just as compelling as his travel stories. It's a great story... I just wish he had written it with the same modest restraint that characterizes his other work.

For his great stuff, pick up a copy of The World's Most Dangerous Places (preferably the new edition.) Required reading for the enlightened traveler and citizen of the 21st century.

good material marred by poor writing
I could even forgive the ego if the writing weren't so dreadful. For me, the fact that he adores his wife and beautiful twin daughters makes up somewhat for his arrogance, but nothing makes up for this writing which makes the Let's Go guides look like Flaubert. Plus, the editing was weak in that we jump ALL OVER the place with no logical starts and finishes. I enjoyed all the travelogues (even though I hate that present tense stuff -- I see the lion, it moves towards me) but just as you're getting into the Talibans, boom, you're in Borneo. I feel like I read the first half of 30 short stories. Plus, a book like this with not ONE map seems a shame since Pelton has visited some great places. What was the publisher thinking not to include maps.

Though I enjoyed the stories and even the parts about the author's upbringing (I didn't find much egoism here), this book falls short in the adventure genre since so many others write so much better.

An extraordinary adventure
A very cinematic, powerful journey through one man's life. Powerful, exotic and enligtening. Those who enjoy the detached stories of Sebastian Junger or the vicarious quasi adventure from Outside, Mens' Journal, Vanity Fair might find this life a little intense. An existance were Pelton has real consequences of being thrust into the front lines, deserts, jungles and rebel camps. Those who know Pelton's book The World's Most Dangerous Places will quickly realize that the Adventurist might be the Dangerous journey of all. It will truly change the way you view your own life.

The Adventurist is filled with nuances and clues to what makes Pelton tick, but they are equally relevant to anyone who wants to know how to overcome fear and attack life. Better yet is the deep understanding he brings to the amazing list of people he meets and befriends.

Anytime you think life is dull or whine about why you can't be like Pelton...just pick up the Adventurist.

A book you can read again and again. Stay alive Pelton we need you leading from the front !