Full Circle: A Pacific Journey with Michael Palin (Radio Collection)

Pole to Pole represents what is probably Palin's most ambitious piece of travel writing to date, as he gradually begins to piece together a common Pacific culture, as he travels through Russia, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and South America. Often the sheer scope of the journey becomes overwhelming and slightly impressionistic, but as ever Palin's wit and wonder at his discoveries and encounters is unflagging, from the wonders of the ancient civilisations of Asia to the startling modernity and squalor of Latin America. It's all enough to turn you into a Buddhist, and, in Full Circle, Palin comes as close to conversion as it's possible for an old Python. --Jerry Brotton

The trip covered 50,000 miles through 17 countries in ten months. Specifically, these countries were visited: USA (Alaska), Russia (Siberia), Japan, S. Korea (entry to N. Korea was denied), China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, USA (California and Washington), Canada (British Columbia) and back to Alaska again.

This trip, like the other ones done by Michael Palin for the BBC, was filmed for viewing as a television mini-series. (This version is available on DVD.) Afterwards, Michael Palin and Basil Pao (the stills photographer in the filming crew) created this book as an alternative record of the trip.

The book is richly illustrated with Basil Pao's beautiful photographs. Michael Palin's text is wonderful because he has a way of finding interesting places and people and of describing them with warmth and humor.

The diversity of the many countries and places is amazing. Artic wilderness, tropics, deserts, cramped cities, huge rivers, high mountains, etc., etc. There are many high points along the way, the most exciting being when Michael Palin had to lasso a camel while standing in the back of a pickup truck that was going over bumps and around bends at break-neck speed!

At the same time, Michael Palin does not shy back from visiting and describing the thought-provoking places along his journey. The Russian Gulag in Siberia, Hiroshima and the remembrance of the atomic bomb, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and the border between Mexico and the United States are all discussed with unusual insight.

This book easily deserves five stars. Except for the audio version, that is.

The nice thing about the audio version is that Michael Palin reads the book himself, and he does a great job as a reader. But the audio version does not include Basil Pao's beautiful photographs, of course, and worst of all, it's abridged. My dislike of abridged audio books results in me giving the audio book version only three stars.

Rennie Petersen


Going through the motions   June 24, 2003
J. Maher (Rochdale , Lancs, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Michael Palin's adventures without doubt have caputured people's imagination. Most of the time Michael Palin seems to be enjoying himself in hi own idiosyncraitic way.
With previous journeys Around the World In 80 Days and Pole to Pole under his belt it seems that Full Circle wasn't something that he was to keen on doing.
Starting his adventures in Alaska and making his way through the bleak Eastern Russian seaboard through into China and Vietnam.
Unfortuntely Palin's wife suffers from a brain tumour whilst he is the Phillipines he shares his worries and concerns as he makes a round trip from Northern Australia back home and bravely returns to complete the adventure.
The disappointing thing about the audiobook is you only get an abrigded version of Palin's adventures and don't match the TV series for humour or fun.


Skimmed the surface, did not delve the depths.   March 12, 2003
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Half way through the book, i realised that he was on day 87 of the trip, and I could not recall any notable incidents or memorable moments. The amazing difference between cultures, people, places and events were all skimmed over, leaving a book with little heart or depth. The word bland jumps to mind, yet this would be unfair, as some of the anecdotes were interesting, and I am sure the trip was way more eventfull than the impression left with the reader.
I think the constraint of trying to fit such a big journey into such a small book, has resulted in too many compromises being made, and hence a disapointing read.


Not in his usual spirit of adventure   September 18, 2000
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm a bit saddened about the way Palin has diverted from the intensity of adventure he shared with us in his first travel diary "Around The World In 80 Days". I saw the T.V. programmme before reading this book and found myself flicking through the photos and missing parts of the story out. It's just not the kind of adventure I expected from him after reading his first two books. All the same, the photographs were fantastic with some particularly inspiring ones taken in Patagonia. A bit disappointed all the same.


Stupendous!!!   January 21, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

This was an extremely good book. It was extremely well writen and very comical. Michael Palin does it again.