TripFiction.com:Stunningly captures the feel of Pakistan, from Karachi to the hills, an absolute must-read for anyone contemplating picking up their backpack and heading off! - Sam GoodsonAbout the AuthorHuw Francis traveled, lived and worked in Asia and Europe for many years, and built the experience of travelling through Pakistan and Afghanistan into Mule Train. He has authored a number of non-fiction books, contributed to others and written extensively on the subject of living and working internationally. Huw Francis now lives and works on an island off the west coast of Scotland. what is the best book ever Mule Train
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. PAKISTAN: Carry on up the Khyber (without the innuendo)By TripFictionThis is a backpacking novel that any of you heading out to the opium growing areas of the world need to read! It won't put you off going because the author vividly captures the life and people - in this instance Pakistan - but it will encourage you to be wary of chance encounters! All set against the beautiful and imposing backdrop of the Himalaya.Helpfully to start with, there is a small map of Pakistan (although the bordering countries could also be usefully included in the next edition, as a lot of the action heads towards Afghanistan). It would also have been lovely to have a bit of background about the author, as he clearly knows this part of the world really well and writes with passion about the country, the food and the customs.The opening pages of the book set the scene nicely for the ensuing encounters between Matt and Annie, Ricky (also known as Raseem Hasni) and Ishmael Khan, border policeman, and various other characters who glide in and out of the storyline. It is a good story and the writing itself is smooth and very readable, as the various backpackers set out on their journeys and chance upon each other. From hostel to hotel, via tuk-tuk and bus, each character has his/her own backstory, which drives each onward and deeper into the country. "Four lives come together in the remote and spectacular mountains bordering Afghanistan and explode in a deadly cocktail of treachery, betrayal and violence". And there you have the nub of the storyline.This is a novel that also informs. Inspiration is drawn from Eric Newby's wonderful travelogue A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush and Rudyard Kipling's Kim, both are mentioned in the novel. Annie travels on the same train from Peshawar into the Khyber tribal area that her Grandfather had described to her as a child, which she finds thrilling - and we thrill along with her. Little snippets bring understanding to the reader - for example the men of Chitral and Gilgit now play polo but not so long ago were fighting each other. And it wasn't the British who introduced the locals to the game of Polo; Polo in fact originated in Persia and came from there to Britain. In many ways, this hugely informative book brings this multifaceted country to life, its history but it also brings the hazards of opium production and drug smuggling to the fore. Beware the traveller who enters this region in a naive state of mind, and further clouds it with drug use whilst there. Trouble could well lie ahead!I certainly felt hooked by this book, and looked forward to picking it up again after each break in reading; the storyline and the region come together really well. The plot does, however, become a bit threadbare as the novel heads towards the end, meandering over the potholed roads and rugged terrain of the north of the country in search of its conclusion. The adjective 'nervous' was a favoured term and was gratingly over-used. And Ricky and Chris were the least plausible characters: the former because his chance encounter that is central to the book seemed too staged; the latter - in his role of Customs Official - seemed to have carte blanche over his expense account and activities, which seemed an unlikely scenario as an employee of The UK Border Agency (who hopefully in reality has a more structured response than mere whim and one drugs arrest at Heathrow when it comes to combatting drug smuggling and searching for disappearing UK nationals). In the next edition no doubt it will be possible to get rid of the volley of hashtags that appeared in our copy from about the middle of the book, and also to rectify some of the small typos that popped up intermittently - although these didn't really affect the overall positive reading experience.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Muletrain: The Adventure of a LifetimeBy K K ScottA cautionary tale of good people caught up in terrible circumstances, Mule Train is a compelling fast paced thriller. The narrative is set against the forbidding beauty of the mountainous border region of Pakistan, a land of secrets, cultural intrigue and spiritual landscapes. Few of the complex characters are who and what they appear to be on the surface. Cultural conflicts add a unique twist to the storyline pertinent to Pakistan and increase the suspense.I enjoyed the authenticity of sensory experience from the cacophony of Karachi to the beguiling stillness and spirituality of the mountains. The sights, sounds and smells of the local culture provide an enriching glimpse into another world, a place this reader will probably never get the opportunity to visit. The author's vivid imagery of harrowing travel through the narrow mountainous roads is both exciting and heart stopping and illustrate why this region is so isolated.Every gap year student contemplating a trip alone to a country where they don't speak the language or understand the culture should read this book before they venture off.