Graham Field’s New Book Ureka – Review

Other than being on the road, I can’t think of a better way for a travel enthusiast to spend their time than reading this book. To those who are fascinated by travel and are planning their own journeys, Ureka is a treasure trove of emotions and descriptions. The more experienced overlander is going to instantly relate to the flow of challenges, self-doubt, the unexpected, the crossroads where life really does change and the marvellous mix of opportunities the road offers to those who keep their eyes and minds open.

Writing a book from/as a diary is a potentially perilous thing to do; some books of that ilk are no more than a mildly interesting mix of ‘I did this and I did that’. But this author has more than mastered the ability to include all of those things but succeeds by mixing in all the highs and lows, the mental disruption, the personal challenges, and the awe. This mix takes Ureka just about as far from the risks of a diary book as is possible.

Ureka is written with often mind-blowing honesty and that is just one of the things which makes this book such a refreshing tale of the road. Dry humour and the most outrageous puns pepper the book. Graham’s humour will have you groaning at times, but then grinning. A word of warning; at times he says things that are simply not PC. He will challenge you with those comments, but you know he is also challenging himself. Some will dislike this book for those comments but I think their numbers will be very few indeed. In part a journey is about opening one’s mind and questioning preconceived ideas. It’s also about reinforcing ones principles. I found this layer within the book and enjoyed reading the interesting processes he goes through. Many times I admired his attitude and respect of other people, and at other times he challenged my own thoughts. Good. A travel book which does not do these things risks being bland and full of picture postcard descriptions. This book is far from any of those, though his descriptions may well have you standing or riding next to him.

Graham Field brings alive a part of the world that many transit on their way to somewhere else, but few linger. He flits between the rush of normal life where a plan and a dream are important, to taking advantage of the opportunities of the lands he travels through and the people he meets.

My hat is well and truly off to Graham Field. Ureka is a cracking read that leaves you knowing that your time and money have been well spent. This book will without doubt have a place in my collection of travel books, and one of the highest forms of praise I can give it is that I’ll be reading it again. The fast flowing pace has you wanting to know what happened next and I know that the second time around I’ll be finding new layers. Ureka stands as the best new motorcycle travel book I’ve read this year.

Where can you snag a copy? A signed copy direct from the man himself or from Amazon.