Description:
The first thing you should know about Fielding's The World's Most Dangerous Places is that it is not a comforting book. Its pages bristle with tales of land mines, war zones, terrorists, mercenaries, mafiosi, massacres, kidnappers, drug smugglers, and all the other unpleasant travel disasters that are the stuff of nightmares. But then, as the editors point out in their foreword, "as travelers are kidnapped and executed in Cambodia, a recognized dangerous place, they also are hunted down and murdered in Los Angeles." In other words, the most dangerous thing in the world is ignorance. The second thing you should know about The World's Most Dangerous Places is that it is not meant to be used as a guidebook. True, there will be some adrenaline junkies out there who, upon perusing the pages about the war in Chechnya, decide that that's the place they want to be. The most likely audience for this book, however, is comprised of people who either have to visit the perilous corners of the world--journalists, foreign-service employees, etc.--or have a desire to learn more about such places without necessarily visiting them. It's also a good compliment to more mainstream guidebooks for the growing legion of adventure travelers whose quests for higher mountains to climb, fiercer rivers to raft, and wilder trails to hike often take them to hazardous regions. Whether you're planning a trip to a dangerous place or just want to learn more about one, The World's Most Dangerous Places is the right book at the right time.
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