One of Theroux's best. A marvellous report of his travels from Cairo to Capetown. Some shocking descriptions of the results our 'aid' to Africa has. ( )

Theroux is an amazing travel writer - he is genuine. When he is irritated or finds something to be disappointed about he tells us, but it doesn't seem contrived or as though he is being deliberately ironic or negative (looking at you Bill Bryson). When he is enthusiastic about something, he is not gushing, but you appreciate what he is sharing.

Many readers have not liked this book because Theroux is obviously disappointed with Africa. Having lived in a third world country myself, I felt in so many places that I could relate to his disappointments, his realistic dry-eyed assessment of the people and the situations around him. Fact is, much of what he comes across is total crap, and much of it is due to the people who continue to live in a dire situation without helping themselves. While that is not a particularly PC or romantic view, Theroux tells it as he sees it; therefore when he praises something you feel that is equally as genuine.

This book worked for me - the romance of the travel makes me want to jump on a train and take off for an adventure; but the description of Africa makes me realise that is not where I would want to be heading. ( )

Paul Theroux is a national treasure. Publishers should be offering him huge advances, although I know that they don’t. I would take a trip with him just about anywhere, and what I mean by taking a trip with him is that I would read anything he chooses to write. His travel books are particularly interesting. Theroux understands that travel is struggle, inconvenience, boredom, and hardship, the essential elements of ‘adventure’. Don't pick up any of his travel books if you want to read about local cuisines, ruins, and churches. But if you are up for an adventure with a companion who truly engages creatively with his surroundings and likes to reflect on what he is reading while he is traveling (and he is always reading something interesting), then Paul Theroux is for you. Consider the opening sentence from DARK STAR SAFARI - ‘All news out of Africa is bad. It made me want to go there, though not for the horror, the hot spots, the massacre-and-earthquake stories you read in the newspaper; I wanted the pleasure of being in Africa again.’ Theroux avoids doing it the easy way. I found his observations on the questionable value of paternalistic foreign aid particularly interesting and took from his book a number of new ideas about Africa to consider. A thought-provoking and truly enjoyable book. ( )

[Dark Star Safari] has generated widely differing reviews. Some people find Theroux's insights into contemporary Africa well-informed and valuable. Others deride him as a constant complainer, arrogant know-it-all and secret hater of all things African. I think both sides have valid points.

This is a fast-paced narrative that quickly takes the reader off the beaten African track. The author's self-designed 'safari' takes him from Cairo to Capetown on everything from careening minibuses and broken down steamers to luxury trains and dugout canoes. Along the way Theroux can't help but keep reminding us that he is seeing the Africa most people never experience because he is willing to travel without an itinerary and passively outwait the delays. At times he comes across as smug. Other times his comments (particularly about tourists visiting Egyptian ruins and East African game parks) degenerate into nastiness and serve only to underscore that he is losing his battle with time and becoming an old crank.

The two things I enjoyed most about Theroux's recounting of his journey were the way he wove history (both ancient and contemporary) into the narrative and the pains he took to continue asking difficult questions (why Africans are so violent, why international aid fails in Africa, what missionaries think they are actually bringing to Africa) well past the point of politeness. These conversations don't make the author likeable in the least, but they do make for an interesting read.

The thing I liked least about the book was Theroux's unending fascination with prostitution, female circumcision and how often Africans have sex. Only mentioned with a sly wink or nudge, these topics were not broached in any meaningful way and would have, for the most part, been better either left out or explored further. As handled, these topics only reinforce my perception of Theroux as an aging alpha (at least in his own mind) male. Also irritatingly, Theroux spends numerous hours in the book working on an erotic story which is not included in the text either.

Nevertheless, the story wouldn't be the story without Theroux and in my opinion he is a lot like someone you meet at a dinner party -- full of bold swashbuckling stories and opinions on everything, a conversation partner you feel lucky to get to pass the time with, but not someone you'd want to spend every waking hour with. For me, Dark Star Safari lived up to its name. It gave me a better understanding of how different Africa truly is (like a dark star), how severe its problems are, and how difficult they will be to solve. I also left with a keen appreciation of the varied cultures and geography that make up the continent and some insights into why one-size solutions will probably fail. Faced with several harrowing situations and many nights in uncomfortable conditions, I found Theroux's complaints valid as presented. His criticisms were harsh at times, but seemingly voiced out of true concern for Africa and its people. ( )

Well written and engrossing travel journal across modern Africa. Theroux doesn't want to come out and say it but most of the anecdotes detail the utter incompetence of the vast majority of Africans. He surrenders to the idea that there may be no hope and that subsistence farming and limiting the effects tyrants may be th ebest that can be accomplished. ( )