Shadow of the Silk Road
By: Thubron, Colin
Thubron has penned a number of entertaining and insightful books over a long career, and he may be one of the last in the British tradition of “gentleman travelers.” His is an elegant style. He writes with crystalline clarity and his narratives, and travels, inevitable veer from the beaten track, bringing us vivid tales from faraway places inhabited by strangers who soon become our familiars. In this book, he details his journey through modern Asia along the ancient Silk Road from China to the Mediterranean through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, revisiting some of the same people and places he detailed in two earlier books, only twenty years on. His descriptions of history, cultures and people are vivid and unforgettable.
Reviewer: Tim Strawn
