Trail Riders Fellowship – Full Review of The Moment Collectors ASIA
‘I’m impressed. For a start it’s a lot of book for your money, 404 pages. And while its paperback format, there’s undoubtedly quality in the cover lamination and paper chosen for the pages, plus the design, the print quality, the editing and flawless proofreading is all to a professional level. Bearing in mind this is self-published by Sam (with all the financial risk that entails), it’s a top job.
The concept is a good one, too. With some 20 adventurer writers each contributing their Moment (each a short story of 20 pages or so), there’s a great range of writing styles and experiences. And it’s a reminder just what adventure riding should be about. In fact, as Sam correctly identifies on the cover, these are ‘travellers’ tales’. There are many synonyms we could use here, let’s try explorers, wanderers, travellers, overlanders and yes, adventurers. Now the motorcycle industry is transfixed, it seems, with rallying as their depiction of adventure. It suits their dumbed down sales pitch – fastest, biggest, flashiest wins. And given that notion is essentially portrayed by professional riders going sideways, mono-wheeling, jumping and generally racing through the wilderness like raped-apes, this portrayal no longer plays in these ecologically sensitive times. So it’s 100% a good thing that Sam should publish a book such as this, reminding us that the journey (the adventure) is about the experiences, the nature, the people, the cultures – not the speed.
Now the reading… For me there are two types of writers in this genre, those who write factually and those who write emotionally. That’s over-simplification, but the most rewarding reads (for me) are those that immerse you in their experience, that can paint a vivid scene using an economy of words, that exposes something of their soul, that reveal a humanity, often in strangers, that connects us. We’ve all seen enough travel doco’s on TV now to know a lot of what the world out there looks like, so, it’s the experiences, the connections we’re (or at least I’m) looking for. And across the collection of 20 stories here you’ll find a good selection doing exactly that.
Top connection for me was Jeffry Franz’s excerpt from his trans-Asia ride: raw, gritty, honest, warming and downright scary in parts. Great writing style too. I really enjoyed Sherri Jo Wilkin’s recount of riding the Road of Bones as a dirt-riding novice in the company of Walter Colebatch: funny, alarming, relatable and intense, both physically and emotionally – again top storytelling. And big credit to TRF’s own Fern Hume who crafted a great account of travelling across Iran, superbly describing each policeman, each taxi-driver, each mechanic with such colour – you could almost smell the atmosphere. Great penmanship.
Not all the stories will ‘float your boat’ but that’s to be expected, different strokes for different folks. But there’s enough here and in total it does the most important job, for somewhere along the way you’ll begin to form a kernel of adventure/travelling truth that will remind you, or inspire you, as to what this riding a bike down the big road is all about.’
Available direct from Sam at Adventure Motorcycle Travel Books or from Amazon.