COLIN ANGUS
1 Refreshing tale of fearless adventure
Angus' straightforward and readable tale of daring adventure and relentless stamina is a refreshing insight into one of the least documented regions of earth.
Although not as well written as the version penned by his expedition team-mate Ben Kozel, "Five Months in a Leaky Boat", it is nonetheless a most enjoyable read and highly recommended to anyone with a spirit of adventure.
I suggest readers ignore Bozeman's review of this book on this page, as it looks suspiciously like a bad case of sour grapes from someone who didn't have the skills and perseverence to get his own dream expedition up and running.
2 Impersonation ---- URGENT
I am very concerned that a review of the book "Lost in Mongolia" by my son, Colin Angus, appears under my name in one of a series of reader reviews on your web-site. My name is Valerie Spentzos, and I DO live on Vancouver Island, but there is no way in the world that I would submit a review, plagiarized at that, on any web-site, for a book by a family member. Colin and I believe that someone is using my name (easily discovered in the book), to discredit his favourable reviews. Kindly remove this review, which I certainly did NOT write, from the web-site, and if possible, print my disclaimer, as such dishonesty is really reprehensible.
3 Magnificent!!
I received this book on Christmas day and, much to the dismay of the rellies, I finished it on the same day. As the miserable weather outside lashed at the windows and my Aunt Jennifer babbled about napkin handling etiquette, I was far removed to another world; a land of gushing rivers, Russian mafia, indigenous people, and non-stop action. "Lost in Mongolia" is a true modern-day adventure and Angus vividly details the trials and tribulations that he and his team encounter as they attempt to become the first to fully navigate the length of the world's fifth longest river. It is obvious that the quest to be "first" comes secondary to the team's desire to simply get out and explore the most remote regions of our planet from a unique perspective. Angus' strongest writing comes through as he describes the varied characters that they enounter the whole way down the river. For me, the most haunting moment came near the end where, at 71 degrees lattitude in the perpetual grey twilight of the tundra, they come across a scattering of human bones, remnants of Stalin's period of terror. And amongst the bones a small rotted leather shoe is found, obviously from a little girl. It is a mystery that leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable, juxtaposed near the team's triumphant ending at the Arctic Ocean.
This adventure is definitely worth reading about. It is an insightful and difficult journey through one of the last regions on the planet untouched by tourism.
4 Magnificent!!
I received this book on Christmas day and, much to the dismay of the rellies, I finished it on the same day. As the miserable weather outside lashed at the windows and my Aunt Jennifer babbled about napkin handling etiquette, I was far removed to another world; a land of gushing rivers, Russian mafia, indigenous people, and non-stop action. "Lost in Mongolia" is a true modern-day adventure and Angus vividly details the trials and tribulations that he and his team encounter as they attempt to become the first to fully navigate the length of the world's fifth longest river. It is obvious that the quest to be "first" comes secondary to the team's desire to simply get out and explore the most remote regions of our planet from a unique perspective. Angus' strongest writing comes through as he describes the varied characters that they enounter the whole way down the river. For me, the most haunting moment came near the end where, at 71 degrees lattitude in the perpetual grey twilight of the tundra, they come across a scattering of human bones, remnants of Stalin's period of terror. And amongst the bones a small rotted leather shoe is found, obviously from a little girl. It is a mystery that leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable, juxtaposed near the team's triumphant ending at the Arctic Ocean.
This adventure is definitely worth reading about. It is an insightful and difficult journey through one of the few-remaining regions on the planet untouched by tourism. And lastly, although it's not clear by the cover, these extraordinarily tough guys are Canadian. Good on ya Canucks!
5 One Really Hair-Raising Adventure
While Colin Angus is hardly Shakespeare in the writing department, and the voyage he describes was spotted with ineptitude and a lot of luck, this has to be one of the most exciting and hair-raising adventure diaries of recent years. Note that the title is not really representative of the book, as "Lost in Mongolia" merely describes one aspect of the journey. Only the upper headwaters are in Mongolia, while the expedition down the Yenisey River mostly takes place in Siberia.
Regardless, Angus and his mates had a perilous adventure through unforgiving landscapes with friendly people, surrounded by corrupt government officials and the depressing leftovers of Stalinism. The voyagers made some unbelievably stupid decisions along the way, like rafting the river at flood stage, which got them shipwrecked in a forest. Angus then went off on his own in a kayak in search of a lost camera bag, with no supplies and wearing nothing but a pair of pants. He presently got "Lost in Mongolia" for several days, and without the help of some friendly locals and a huge amount of luck, it's amazing that he lived to tell the tale. After the team reunited, more ineptitude ensued when they bought a small rowboat to traverse down the now large and tumultuous Yenisey, dealing with supertankers, dams, and disgustingly cramped living quarters.
In Siberia, they met many interesting people who really make this book a great read, from mafia dons who offered huge amounts of assistance and supplies in return for a little intelligent conversation, to friendly and helpful villagers who gave from their hearts and asked nothing in return. The human side of this adventure is the most revealing, as Angus and the team would have surely been unable to complete the voyage without help from the people of Mongolia and Siberia, assuming that they would even get out alive. This book is both an exciting tale of a real seat-of-the-pants expedition, and an enjoyable showcase of interesting cultures and landscapes hidden behind the decayed Iron Curtain. [~doomsdayer520~]
6 Very Enjoyable
I bought this book for my brother's Christmas present. Having some spare time on my hands, I thought I'd read a few pages... Three days later I finished the book and loved it. I haven't read any other adventure books so I have nothing similar to compare it to, but it sure kept me hooked. Colin turns a journey of chaos and uncertainty into silky prose that will satisfy the non-adventurers. It's an entertaining way to learn about Mongolia and Siberia.
7 Suberb Adventure Literature
I never thought I'd come across another book as good as Don Starkell's "Paddle to the Amazon". Well this is it! This is a story about true adventure, exploration, interaction with extremely remote cultures and a beautiful portral of a seldom-visited region. The journey starts in North-Eastern Mongolia and it takes five months for these intrepid explorers to travel right through Siberia to the Arctic Ocean. One of the most gripping parts of the book is when Angus is separated from the group for 12 days with nothing but a pair of pants. Through this period he is forced to live off the land until he meets up with his companions 500 km downstream. With nights dropping below zero and without a shirt, shoes, tent or sleeping bag, things start to get quite interesting for Angus. Definitely recommended if you like reading about adventure.
8 Great Read
I read Colin's first book, Amazon Extreme, and felt compelled to read up on his follow-up adventure. Although I was interested to learn about Siberia and Mongolia, I felt there was no way that Lost in Mongolia would be as exciting as Amazon Extreme. Well I was wrong! Although they weren't shot at by guerrillas or lost in a desert this time around, a whole set of new, and even more intriguing, setbacks plague this intrepid team. Colin is separated from his colleagues for 12 days with nothing more than a pair of pants and a kayak - no food, no money, no shoes, and not even a blanket to keep him warm through the sub-zero nights. This is probably the most interesting part of the book. In the lower Yenisey, the adventurers are almost hit by large ships in the fog and are bombarded by freezing Arctic storms. This was one hell of an adventure!
The thing that impresses me most about Colin's expeditions is that they are fueled by hardly anything more than the sheer determination of following a dream. Coming from a working-class background, Colin never allowed finances to get in the way of his ambitions. As is chronicled in Amazon Extreme his adventure in South America was completely self-financed - money earned from his firewood business. I'm glad to see in Lost in Mongolia that the team was finally able to get some assistance from sponsors.
I would definitely recommend this book for people looking for an adventure read different than the usual run of the mill. The writing isn't quite the style of Thubron, but the story will keep you hooked from beginning to end
9 Excellent Adventure Book
The best way to summarize the way I felt after reading this book is jealous! The concept seemed so simple: to voyage the complete length of the world's fifth longest river, yet it is unbelievable that in the 21st century no one had done it before them. I thought all the firsts had been done! This book isn't just about rapids, waterfalls, and man against the elements, it is also very insightful and Angus does a wonderful job of portraying the varied characters that the team encounters in remotest Mongolia and Siberia. This book is a Bryson meets Hyerdhal: it is humorous, interesting and very exciting. Definite thumbs up!
10 A badly written tale of a faux adventure
This book, and the film that Banff Film Festival actually accepted (much to their discredit) are the result of the absolute worst pretensions of idle first-world youth cooking up an "adventure" so they can capitalize on the instant fame attendant with convincing some publisher and several gear companies to front the money for an exercise in hubris.
Think of "Huckelberry Finn" acted out by a bunch of spoiled frat boys and you come close to the ethos of this story.
The protagonists portray their own ineptitude in planning and sheer good luck at not drowning as some sort of virtue. Had they done any kind of research they would have realized that at least through Mongolia, their route was very well worn. The only thing that made their float on the Selenge (upper Yenisey) interesting was that they were stupid enough to try to float it at flood stage. Even the most novice boater knows that is an purely unforgivable thing to do, particularly when a cursory glance at a map would have shown the braiding of the river which resulted in their near-death experience wrapped in the willows.
These guys, and their supporting gear companies (who would sponosor a cannibal feast if it meant product placement), are exactly the reason why term "adventure" is a hackneyed joke. This entire enterprise confirms the notion that 'truth is for losers'. Why bother with the facts when some glib editing and even more glib writing can transform the three stooges into modern day "explorers".
Don't buy this book. If you value integrity, if you are sick of the commercialization of "adventure" as something to slot into the Thursday TV lineup, please, don't buy this book.
