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Great Story

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I love Neil's writing...both his lyrics and his books. I thought this was a fun little tale about his bike journey in Africa. I recommend it if you're a Neil Peart fan..

A Bicycle Adventure

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"The Masked Rider" by Neil Peart is the author's first book, published in 1996. The book describes his month-long bicycle tour in Cameroon. Peart describes in detail the challenging riding conditions and "rustic" accommodations, in addition to his relationship with his travel companuions and talks about the people he encounters. The book was an interesting, easy read. It is however the first time that I read a travel memoir that doesn't make me want to take the journey. It was difficult and uncomfortable and at times just nasty.

Although this is his first book, it's the third one of the four that he's written that I have read. Having already read his second book "Ghost Rider" - where he describes his cross-US motorcycle trip after his wife and 19 year-old daughter had died unexpectedly within a year of each other (accident and cancer respectively) - this was somewhat bittersweet. In this book he tells of how he can't wait for the end of the journey when he meets his wife in Paris to enjoy a vacation with her. At another point as he tells of the poverty he encountered and how the some of the children were underfed and sick, he says that he can't imagine the pain a parent must feel upon losing a child - little could he have known he would know that pain all too well the following year whne he would lose his daughter.

It's also interesting to compare traveling conditions in that part of the world prior to 9/11. He complains about the inconveniences they had to endure at security checkpoints and when flying - it's nothing comapred to what goes on now.

I'd recommend it to Neil Peart fans and to people who enjoy travel memoirs.

Masked excellency

Customer Rating:
Recently I picked up all four books by Neil Peart on Amazon.com and plan on reviewing them in the near future. This is the first one.

I spoke with a co-worker who is from West Africa and he concurred with Mr. Peart's portrayal of the harsh living conditions there. The friend tells me, "That is why I am here" [United States].

Peart's book has an excellent quality that I don't see in memoirs today. I love the way he captured his fellow riders' habits, spirit and most importantly, their irritations. In a world that is consumed with finding common ground, often our differences are overlooked. This talented writer illustrates this difficult topic of how we all wear masks and how easily they can fall off in a group dynamic under stress.

As stated above, it gives the reader a clear understanding of life in West Africa. Reading this will take you through villages of the region and you will be captured right in the moment. Whether it is a tribal leader or drunken soldiers, the author takes you on his journey and you will be joining this bicycling tour. Me? I don't plan on going anytime soon - but I love to read about other areas of the world and the subject.

There are other gems in the book - the conversations between the cyclists, loosing passports, having a gun pointed at the author, among others. But, you have to read it yourself to enjoy them.

Lastly, I was impressed with Peart's humbleness. At times, I thought he would dive into his drumming prespective when he encountered African musicians and drums, but rather he simply chooses to report the facts. I appreciated that.

I thought it was a great first effort and I highly recommend the book to fellow travelers, lovers of bicycling, and of course, Rush fans.

Breathtaking.

Customer Rating:
Breathtaking. Artful. Thoughtful. Funny. Sad. Shocking.

Neil's craft with theme and prose is as precise and thrilling as his drumming. I enjoyed The Masked Rider more than all of this other books, and I enjoyed them a lot. Neil muses how masks in Africa, and in all societies and people (himself included) reveal as much as they conceal.

As usual, his insights into his own character and those of his companions are humorous and without self-indulgent narcissism. The ending is cathartic, and his concluding thoughts after the trip aren't what one would expect. Written before the crippling losses of his wife and daughter, I relished the innocence of the `old Neil', with his boundless hope and shaking-his-fist-at-the-sky verve. You will remember a sweet little girl that changes a bad day he had with two words, and the way he greets his wife when the journey is over.

Ashea, Neil, Ashea.

Shrek would like it

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I decided to revisit this book after reading "Travelling Music." Even if you are not a Rush fan this book has many layers; from the writer being one of a five person group, where the squeaky wheel is also the least competent, to the daily adventures of cycling through Africa and dealing with its inhabitants and (sometimes)hostile enviroment. Peart attempts a level of objectivity, trying to win the reader over with views he considers clear, but is he guilty of sharing the same level of nearsightedness as those he criticizes (only he's on the other end of the scale)? I really enjoyed reading this book since it covers more than, "next stop, so-n-so, average 'rice with junk in it.'" Peart lets you borrow his senses and mindset for a voluntary cyclist bootcamp. Is it the beat or the time between the beats that matter? You really need both for things to work.