Rating: 
Summary: Neil's as great a writer as he is a drummer!
Review: Yes, I bought 'The Masked Rider' primarily because I'm a huge Rush fan, and truthfully, no, I wouldn't have bought it had I not heard of Rush nor known what a great lyricist and writer Neil is. For me, though, my love of Rush as well as biking made my interest in this book two-fold, and thus it proved to be one of the best journal-style works I've ever read. Neil's frankness, honesty, and yes, even humour, exposed a new facet of him that I had yet to see. The books flows quite well, as it's his recorded journal of his voyage thru west and central Africa. I was fascinated by some of the mental images he was able to paint of the African landscape, and his interest in the land its people peaked my own. If you get this book and like it, and you have yet to buy a Rush CD, don't hesitate to do so. His writing style shines in both his prose and lyrics, and I have no doubt you'll get hooked on it just like I have. Oh yeah, and his drumming is the best you'll ever hear, hands down, in case you haven't heard!
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful look at Africa, it's customs,people and geography
Review: I was 12 in 1975 when "Caress of Steele" was released (3rd Album of Rush) and I was instantly hooked on Rush. I immediately bought a 5 piece Stewart drum kit and haven't looked back. So I could say that my appetite for Peart paraphernalia has never stopped. I feel like taking a bike trip to Africa myself after reading this incredible novel for the "second time"! Neil makes you want to be there, to feel what he has and to experience all that he does. He pulls no punches and tells it like it is, there's and honesty and realism about the way Neil writes that makes this book very real and truthful. I passed the book around the office and all that read it where very surprised that a "rock" drummer could have such an incredible writing style, they should hear him drum! I give this book two thumbs up for an enjoyable and down to earth experience you just cannot miss in West Africa! Please write more Neil!
Rating:
Summary: Camarooned
Review: I stumbled onto this book and had no idea about Peart's books or other job/personla history. Immediately I noticed that he has a great writing stlye, very much like the way any cyclinst ponders life as they slug away on the cranks weherever their travels find them.
I was a bit surprised at the focus of the personalities of the group, I expected more on Africa itself, but I can't say it was a totally unpleasant turn.
Great book, definately didn't convince me to pack up my roadbike and spend a month in africa though, but reading the book was a good trip.
The presentation and layout was really impressive, the book was a pleasure to go through, hard to put down really. Peart's style is pretty great, I'll check out another one some time I bet.
So if you dig on cycling trips, and stories check it out, or if you're a super nuts Rush fan, you might dig it.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating travelogue with interesting insights
Review: As a longtime Rush fan, musician, writer, traveler and fledgling cyclist, I was interested in reading Neal Peart's first published novel. The transition from lyricist to prose writer can be difficult, but Peart does an excellent job. Before reading the book, I already had respect for the man, a rock and roll drummer, for going on a cycling tour in eastern Africa. I would respect anyone for undertaking such a trip, and after reading the book, I respect him even more.Peart's language is conversational throughout most of the book, as if he's relating the events over a drink at a pub. Many of his insights probed much deeper when he explored the culture of the people of Africa in general and Cameroon in particular, offering comparisons to a previous journey he had made to west Africa. We see the landscape through the writer's eyes as he cycles up hills and navigates dirt roads, rocks, gun-toting guards at checkpoints and the sometimes rewarding vantage points. Each village or stopping point is described and I felt as if I was part of the journey. In addition to the daily travels, we get Mr. Peart's reactions and thoughts to people that he encountered on his travels. He does not try to gloss over personalities with stereotypes, but tries to present things as they are. Yes, the country and continent has been exploited, but there is a strong victim mentality and Peart points out that Africans themselves participated in the slave trade. All the problems of Africa did not originate from outside the country. Yet there are also great moments of kindness experienced. The woman who says "you are welcome," the smiles from young children, or the family sharing its simple food with their guests. I found the visits to the various missions particularly interesting, and the affect upon the writer of the nuns singing vespers is moving. Mr. Peart also writes about his relationships with the other four members of his group. David is their guide from Seattle, struggling to keep a good face while helping the slowest member of the group. Elsa, a sixty-year old woman with facile new age sensibilities and a sour disposition, is the cancer of the group, constantly falling behind and complaining about everything. Leonard is the stalwart Viet Nam veteran who remains an anchor throughout the book. Annie is a twenty-something needy type who has a "good heart" but is not very thoughtful or considerate. There were several clashes amongst these personalities, and I appreciated Mr. Peart's knowledge of his own shortcomings and self-analysis. I would have liked to have seen a little more reaction of the other's toward him, but that is sometimes hard to capture or catalog unless one has a confidante within a group. The author did not have this, and the book ends with some loose ends among the different riders, or maybe they were just ready to get away from each other. Perhaps the most powerful thing about the book is the strong emotional arc experienced by the author, probably unexpected when he set out on his journey. He begins with idealism intact, but after bouts of dysentary, an encounter with a drunken soldier armed with a gun, and an offical that tries to make off with his (and David's) passport, he truly undergoes some changes. There is a shift in attitude, but also a new appreciation of things taken for granted in developed countries. By the penultimate chapter, I felt just as tired and sweaty, bruised and bloody, bitten and beaten and just plain exhausted as the writer. The final chapter, his arrival in Paris to see his wife and get back to civilization, strikes quite a contract with his previous experience. If I had to make a criticism, it would be that some parts were kind of soap box preachy, although I tended to agree with many of his views. I'm looking forward to reading his next book, "Ghost Rider."
Rating:
Summary: great wheels of thought
Review: a superbly written account of an insightful man's journey through Africa. For such an astounding musician to also be an adept writer is almost mind-boggling (and jealousy-inducing!). Some have argued that the author comes across as arrogant or condescending. I felt that any movements in that direction were nicely tempered by insightful self-reflections and assessments. That being said, I would certainly hate to be "Elsa" who comes across as old, lazy and whining - which perhaps she was - but the author sees fit to mention this at almost every turn. Maybe he's just being honest, but at times I did feel that this brilliant Canadian was dabbling in a tad too much hubris (directed at Americans and Africans). Any complaints about this marvelous work are easily offset by an engaging, highly intelligent, but readable account, of exploring Africa by bike. Not to mention a keen sense of humor, informed by a breadth of knowledge way beyond most "rockers." We all knew that Peart could write great rock songs; but in this work he really pushes the envelope and succeeds at a literary travelogue that can hold its own against any other. I would have liked to have seen him participating in drum rituals or sessions with African drummers. That would have added so much to the text, but perhaps he wanted to avoid that and simply write as any other journeyer. Despite his marked cynicism, which one would expect from such a great mind, a real sense of humanity shines through. He gives life to those he encounters with all their frailties, but also strengths and charms. All-in-all this is a lively, vivid and enriching journey that is worth every drop of ink on the pages. Very, very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: An Engaging Travelogue On Two Wheels
Review: Neil Peart's first book, The Masked Rider, gives life to the full reality of travelling on two wheels. These pages relate the immediacy and intimacy of a rider exposed to the elements and the open country. The country here is Cameroon, which offers a challenging and different landcape for the Canadian author, who writes that he returned to the continent of Africa a second time for the people. This is his story of that cross-country, cross-cultural, exchange. Peart is objective in his writing. The description of the landscape and of his feeling(s) for the people he encounters is clear and compelling. Sometimes the experience is not pleasant, and Peart is not afraid, for example, to address the racism, reversed, he feels as a displaced western caucasian. His honest interest and empathy for Africa is vividly apparent, however. He has placed a spotlight on one corner of the dark continent and made it shine. When Peart, reunited with his wife in Paris, France, leaves the reader, one feels the physical and emotional effort was well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: plesantly surprised!
Review: I have been a Rush fan for many years, and as a drummer, a Neil Peart fan for many years. For those who actually READ Neil's lyrics, you know that he is an intelligent, philosophical, and insightful writer. I was curious, however, how that style of writing would translate into a book about an African bicycle adventure. I had visions of long winded diatribes about the state of government affairs in West Africa...To my surprise, it was a most enjoyable, light-hearted, read that emphasized not only the African culture he encountered, but the most engaging dynamic between he and his riding companions. I found myself drawn into that interplay as much as, if not more than, the scenery and culture that he so eloquently descibes. Rush fan or not, this is an excellent book, that comes highly recommended from this reader!
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Summary: It's the Peart that makes it good!
Review: I've never read a travelogue before, and doubt I will again. Nevertheless, I had to buy Neil Peart's book, since it was Neil Peart, after all. What makes this a good read is not the "story" itself; the events are mundane despite being transplanted to Africa. The characters involved are interesting, but not fascinating. Rather, it is Peart's style and his unique perspective that bring the same value to this work that his lyrics bring to Rush's music. I attest that you could take Neil Peart and sit him down in a Barber shop for six hours, tell him to write it up, and you would have a fascinating new book to sell. There are a couple of standout moments, however. I agree with other reviewers that his description of meeting his wife in Paris is moving, and he conveys the emotional weight of the moment (even a priori if you don't know much about his recent tragedies). The whole scene reminds me of John Barth's TKTTTITT (which I won't spoil for you - go read The Tidewater Tales!). The genius in Peart is that he conveys, with a fairly minor story of taking a bike ride in Africa, the deep-seated impact of experience-as-reward, the point-of-the-journey-is-the-journey, and simultaneously validates Victor Hugo's statement "the answer of he who knows everything is the same as the answer of he who knows nothing: because." The second moment of impact that I will cite is his near-transcendance at the African convent. It saddens me to no end to reflect on this moment and on Peart's ultimate rejection. Overall, a satisfying book from an eloquent and prolific mind. A book with much more depth than you might at first realize.
Rating:
Summary: Pre "Ghost Rider"
Review: I actually read Masked Rider AFTER I read Neil's second book, "Ghost Rider." I found Masked Rider to be particularly entertaining. As a Neil fanatic, I found a lot of his little ancedotes and day to day activities on his journey to be very insightful, amusing and colorful. Neil will surprise you and entertain you even if you aren't a Rush fan.
Rating:
Summary: My Mask
Review: Just finished this book. Very insightful and interesting. Neil is a very good, colorful writer. While reading, easy to imagine what they all went through. I had good clear vision of all the people and their trip. I like the idea of the bike trip, I don't actually want to work that hard for it though. I'm thinking I will start out with that weekend biking trip. Of course, seeing Rush in concert tonight.
My favorite part was the Denbo trip. Am absolutely amazed at the remoteness of the areas and the people and their attitudes and surprise of others. Definitely a book to read and understand civilization around you.
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