Stories from the Dirt

John Long is a genre unto himself. Few other writers can match his lean and unpredictable prose, and this latest collection proves that he remains a shrewd witness of today's cutting-edge adventure sports. ~Andrew Bisharat, climber, National Geographic writer, and editor of eveningsends.com John Long makes me sick-with envy, I mean. How a futuristic ultra-elite-athlete became a truly accomplished writer of literary adventure stories-delivering complex emotions and characters alongside throat-grabbing thrills-is, well, nothing short of miraculous. ~ Daniel Duane, Men's Journal contributing editor and author of Lighting Out: A Golden Year in Yosemite No one spins literary adventure yarns like award-winning author John Long. In Stories From the Dirt, Long writes of his world travels, driven by discovery, a chance alignment of cosmic happenings, or by a `curious-sounding village or tribe that nobody knew much about.' My favorite, `Last Place on No Map,' is a literal journey to one of Dante's rings of hell, a jungle slop hole in Brazil where `40,000 muddy men, effectively slaves, gripped by gold fever, sustained by jungle tubers and coconut juice,' shovel and sluice the watery earth hoping to find a nugget. Most find disease and ruined lives, but Long finds a story. Then it's onward, upriver to that curious-sounding village. -Duane Raleigh, publisher, Trail Runner, Ascent, and Rock & Ice magazines