The bestselling author of "Great Plains" delivers a dazzling Russian travelogue in which he trains his eye for unforgettable detail on Siberia. He explores many aspects of this storied, often grim region and writes about the geography, the resources, the natives people, the history, the 40-below midwinter afternoons, and even the bugs. (Foreign Travel)

Reviews

"["Travels in Siberia "is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin--"On the Road" meets "The Gulag Archipelago" . . . As he demonstrated in "Great Plains," Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale." --Joshua Hammer, "The New York Times Book Review
""Frazier is a sophisticated, intense writer who--Twain-like--uses a deceptive style of naivete and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions....Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact." "--The New York Review of Books
""While the hand- and mind-numbing trip through geographic purgatory couldn't have been a joy, the humor and genuine awe Frazier injects into his depictions are the stuff of a great vicarious vacation. Grade: A-" "--""Entertainment Weekly
""Frazier is besotted, happy, free, on high alert, drunk with space....He expands to fill it, and his awe is contagious." "--""Los Angeles Times"
"Siberia provides Frazier with the perfect canvas to paint what may be his masterpiece." "--""The Boston Globe
""It's always easy to figure out whether you should read the latest book by Ian Frazier: If he's written it, then you'll want to read it . . . Much more than 'travel writing, ' ["Travels in Siberia"] covers memoir, history, literature, politics and more. There are many reasons to love it, including the fantastic ending, possibly the best of any book in recent memory. "Travels in Siberia" is a masterpiece of nonfiction writing--tragic, bizarre and funn