I am not a traveler but I love reading about people who do. Actually, I'm interested in people who are adventurers. It starts out as a buddy book but the partnership quickly falls apart when Tim, the partner, romances Yulia the Siberian guide. Colin asks his girlfriend to join him from Moscow to Lisbon and from there, an ocean crossing complete with two hurricanes, two tropical storms and one crammed rowboat. The second half of the trip and the book is slightly romantic as Colin finds out that Juile really is his soul mate and better half.

I wasn't going to read this book but I keep getting drawn in by people who choose to put themselves in peril and hardship. Colin also wrote a book about his Amazon adventure. He also wrote, "Lost in Mongolia" but it isn't in the library collections.

What an incredible journey, and a great way to bring attention to global warming! There is plenty of adventure and many amusing stories to boot. I felt he may have spent too much time on the drama and competition with his former partner, but I suppose that's understandable if he had been misrepresented in the media and wanted to set the story straight. I plan on also checking out Julie's book Rowboat in a Hurricane. ( )

Colin's story is a testatment of determination and daring (maybe a little crazy too) in his human powered travel around the world. As I read this I couldn't imagine bicycling across Siberia, after rowing across the Bearing Sea, musch less continuing on the way he did around the globe to yet again row another ocean amid hurricanes to cross South America & U.S to end again in Vancouver.
I found myself wanting to follow him on my globe & atlas wishing he had more maps & pictures to help put myself in his geographic locations as well as seeing his path. An amazing trip and well written story. I was put off by the conflicting stories of his competitors and realised that each person has their own twist on what happens. ( )

"Beyond the Horizon" is a travel/adventure narrative about Colin Angus' attempt to become the first person to circle the world using human power only. I found the travel sections of the book highly entertaining -- Angus and his partners survived some truly amazing adventures. However, I felt like quite a bit of the book was spent by Angus defending himself against accusations made by his former partner or anyone who had publicly stated doubts about the expedition. A map showing the exact route of the journey would have been a nice addition to the book as well.

Personal impressions of the first chapter:
* Round the world by human power – a great and noble goal.
* Lining up sponsors to finance the endeavor – perhaps just a necessary evil.
* Hearing the myriad details necessary to qualify as an official circumnavigation – starting to sound a bit like a gimmick.
* Comparison to other teams currently attempting similar trips and the sneaky non-announcement so this team will be the first – it’s official, this feels like a stunt, not a true adventure.

I know a little about true adventures and the adventurers that attempt them. I grew up and hearing about and then working for the first (American) to summit Everest. My friend’s dad held the rope that saved his four team members at 28,000’ on K2. I know numerous people who have circumnavigated the world by sail. I lived next to a Sherpa man who (at the time) climbed Everest 11 times. These people all had something in common. It is hard to describe exactly, but it started with a sense of humility.

The start of this book lacks that humility I have seen in true adventurers. Call me an aging 20th century adventure purist is you must, but I couldn’t finish this book. There is probably a good story embedded beneath, but I couldn't stand the wrapping. ( )