I have found myself strangely (or perhaps understandably) drawn to travel books during these lockdowns and this is my second book about long distance cycling. I draw my personal line at 8 days of cycling, biked the Route Napoleon over the Alps to Nice in younger days but cannot fathom doing an around the world trip on a bike as Stephen Fables, a young British doctor did. It took me a while before settling into Stephen Fabes “Signs of Life” but then I was hooked and had to have my daily dose of his writing, an adventure, often an ordeal but always a stark raving nuts undertaking. His profession as a medical doctor must have given him the tough mental attitude one needs to persevere through all types of weather, loneliness, sleeping mostly in tents, the hair raising events particularly in Afghanistan and former Soviet states or nearly getting his head blown off not to talk about suffering through illness. But there is also the kindness of strangers he encountered so often that makes you hopeful about the nature of mankind. I felt his writing became more engaging and open during the second half of the book but his critical look at the comforts of the Western world, his curiosity about ordinary people and the political situation of the countries he visited and his medical eye were thoroughly captivating to read. Very much enjoyed his critical spirit, him sharing the lessons he learned, including the difficulties on how to adapt once the trip was finished and his view about the situation of refugees. It is a great adventure read, particularly for cyclist but also for all who love to travel suffering from being grounded these days.

A fascinating and informative read that kept me hooked till the end.
The author is a talented storyteller and this book is full of food for thought and the story of a great travel.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoy travel writing, particularly a book that does something different, as well as one that complements my fiction reading. Stephen Fabes’ ‘Signs Of Life’ does just this..

Fabes is a London-based hospital doctor and in his late twenties, relatively new to his vocation, he decides to give it all up and cycle around the world. No mean feat - but it has been done before, in various ways. Fabes sets out from London and the next six years of his life are spent exploring the world, from travelling the length of Africa, through to traversing the Mongolian steppes.

It is clear that Fabes prepared for this venture, as far as possible - and living frugally with little income, if any, would have been essential. At the start, he says that ‘uncertainty... is the heart and soul of any journey’ and this beautifully sums up his outlook. Throughout, the anecdotes are interspersed with medical knowledge, of recollections from his hospital days. Seemingly, you can take the man out of medicine but not medicine from the man - and this isn’t surprising, given the intensity of training that doctors go through.

Fabes has amazing experiences; he meets fascinating people, but has some scary times, too, from the treacherous borders of war-torn countries, to the more trivial - camel spiders in his tent! Interestingly, this contains, towards the end, references to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Fabes comments that ‘Societies are judged on how they treat their most vulnerable’ and this, although a reference to a [now closed-down] TB sanitorium in Georgia, is extremely pertinent given the global tragedy that we are all experiencing in some way or another. Fabes philosophises near the end, too, and I found it particularly thought-provoking when he writes that the world’s ‘most marginalised people’ have always been restricted. In the western world, many think they are hard done by but for so many, it’s a way of life all of the time.

This is a great book - it’s a fantastic way of travelling from your arm chair (or bed, deckchair or any other place to rest) whilst learning about medicine, motivation and doing something different. Fabes has a wonderful way with words and even though some similes (‘... my armpits raining like a Malaysian typhoon’) jar, one cannot fault this book. It’s a huge accomplishment, as are the six years that Faves spent on his bicycle.

Everything about this book is impressive. The journey undertaken by the author is mind blowing - almost 54,000 miles on a bike over six years. The book tells the story of the journey; from leaving London, St Thomas' hospital on a cold January day to celebrating a birthday in Syria with Tariq, (who he had just met) and countless other stories in many other countries. This is not a book which documents the tourist hotspots in the countries visitied, it is absolutely a travel memoir and often reflects on a 'route less travelled' in remote and off the beaten track areas. The reflections on visits to medical clinics along the way are fascinating and relevant given the authors profession. I particularly enjoyed the accounts of the TB sanatorium and the jungle in Calais.

I read an e-book copy and wished it was a hard backed book crammed with maps and photos. Those maps and photos are out there. The author has a website called 'cyclingthe6' and I was happy to see that one of his photo albums is named 'photos for the book'. The photos bring the stories to life. They extend the 'sense of place' given by the writing. There are so many pictures depicting the remoteness of the setting, the difficult terrain (either roughness or snow) as well as the good natured humanity and hospitality encountered along the way.

The writing is intelligent and engaging. There are literary quotes and scientific references throughout. In fact the references at the end are as impressive as anything else. I also enjoyed the statistics at the end - the number of different bike parts which had to be replaced along the way is quite fascinating, although I suppose not surprising.

This was a 5 star read for me from the first few pages, all the way to the end. I recommend it to anyone who likes books by Bill Bryson, Robert McFarlane and or Levison Wood(!) Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh did this book make me want to hop on my bike and get going! A fully qualified doctor decides he can't quite reconcile himself to 'normal' everyday life and so he sorts out his world into a couple of panniers, attaches them to his bike and leaves the front door of St Thomas' hospital in London to cycle around the world for six years.

Stephen Fabes has a great turn of phrase and sees the absurd in many of the situations that he finds himself in. First trip was from London to Cape Town - waking the first morning out of London to find the landscape white with thick snow. Then on to the extreme south of South America flying into Ushuaia and getting all the way to the dead boring Deadhorse. Another continent and more after that. Flying into Melbourne and cycling up the east coast before a small side trip to New Caledonia before heading north west across Bali onto Indonesia and eventually making it to Mumbai via Myanmar and Assam and Nepal. Still not content he wings off to Hong Hong and slowly, windingly, makes his way - inches his way back to Europe and home. What a trip. What stamina. What courage. He is worthy of our respect - he has mine already.

Doctor Stephen Fabes gives up his job in emergency medicine and spends six years cycling round the world.
We travel with him, encountering danger (poisonous spiders in his tent, the Taliban) as well as the kindness of strangers.
Fabes mixes his traveller’s tales with history of the places he visits, and experiences of seeing medical facilities including a TB hospital and a refugee camp.
Although Fabes dwells on themes such as the nature of connections between humans, and the politics of global health, this is essentially a well-written and often humorous travel memoir.
It’s enjoyable - the bite I liked most were the comical tales of adversity such as Fabes photographing his saddle-sore posterior - and Fabes’ medical background adds extra interest.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Oh my giddy aunt what a fabulously warm and intriguing tale I was mesmerized from being to end I actually felt as if I was there
Thank you.