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The Return of the Mullet Hunter
Simon Varwell is a man on a mission. Albeit a ridiculous one: to visit various places in the world with the word “mullet” in their name. The Return of the Mullet Hunter charts his continuing global mission, and includes his travels in England, Canada, New Zealand and the USA as he hunts down obscure backwaters linked together only by their names.
It’s a journey that takes him from the quiet English countryside to the Californian desert via dull suburbs and uninhabited islands. It leads Simon into the media spotlight and into the welcoming hands of people across the world keen to help this mad Scottish mullet hunter find his destinations.
But more than that, The Return of the Mullet Hunter is an adventure in search of the quiet beauty that lies far off the beaten track in unassuming, rarely-visited places. And it charts the dilemmas as he faces up to the huge costs and obvious stupidity of his whimsical quest – one which, on an epic road trip through the USA, looks like it might begin to fall apart…
The Return of the Mullet Hunter is Simon Varwell’s second book, and the sequel to Up The Creek Without a Mullet.
If you like light-hearted travel stories in the vein of Bill Bryson, Dave Gorman, Danny Wallace or Charlie Connelly, then The Return of the Mullet Hunter may be the book for you.
It’s a journey that takes him from the quiet English countryside to the Californian desert via dull suburbs and uninhabited islands. It leads Simon into the media spotlight and into the welcoming hands of people across the world keen to help this mad Scottish mullet hunter find his destinations.
But more than that, The Return of the Mullet Hunter is an adventure in search of the quiet beauty that lies far off the beaten track in unassuming, rarely-visited places. And it charts the dilemmas as he faces up to the huge costs and obvious stupidity of his whimsical quest – one which, on an epic road trip through the USA, looks like it might begin to fall apart…
The Return of the Mullet Hunter is Simon Varwell’s second book, and the sequel to Up The Creek Without a Mullet.
If you like light-hearted travel stories in the vein of Bill Bryson, Dave Gorman, Danny Wallace or Charlie Connelly, then The Return of the Mullet Hunter may be the book for you.
- GenresTravel
Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2013
3 people want to read
About the author
Simon Varwell
3 books5 followersSimon Varwell is a compulsive traveller, a keen amateur photographer, and spends too much time having "what if ..." moments.
His first two books, Up The Creek Without a Mullet and The Return of the Mullet Hunter, chart his search for places around the world with the word "mullet" in their name. His third book, The Next Stop: Inverness to Edinburgh, station by station, tells the story of a journey to all twenty three railway stations between Inverness and Edinburgh.
He lives in Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland.
You can find out more about him at www.simonvarwell.co.uk.
His first two books, Up The Creek Without a Mullet and The Return of the Mullet Hunter, chart his search for places around the world with the word "mullet" in their name. His third book, The Next Stop: Inverness to Edinburgh, station by station, tells the story of a journey to all twenty three railway stations between Inverness and Edinburgh.
He lives in Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland.
You can find out more about him at www.simonvarwell.co.uk.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 20, 2014
I received an eCopy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2...
The Return of the Mullet Hunter has a very open and welcoming narrative as the author recounts his adventures in England, Canada, New Zealand and the USA in search of places sharing the name “mullet”. He does a wonderful job in explanating the reasons behind his particular travel mission and recaps quite nicely some of his previous adventures that I’m guessing were covered in his first travelogue, Up the Creek Without a Mullet. I learned quite a bit from the places he visited, the contrasts between life in these different countries were interesting to read about. It was also interesting to read how his travel goals gained some attention in the respective local media, which was pretty cool.
While venturing out to these places, he also recounts a lot of the interesting people he meets along the way, the strange cultural differences he comes across (the word association between the UK and the US regarding chips, crisps, biscuits, and scones cracked me up because it’s so true!), and some of the theories and ideas he’s come up with based on his experiences and observations to these different locations.
Overall this book was a pretty unique read in terms of the author’s goals as a traveller and all of these small spots that he ends up visiting. The accounts did drag a little bit towards the end, probably because I’ve been to the US a few times (though not on the West Coast) and am familiar with much of their landscape and culture. Every elated moment and disappointing turn is felt with every page. If you enjoy reading travelogues and other travel-related books, I would recommend checking this title out.
The Return of the Mullet Hunter has a very open and welcoming narrative as the author recounts his adventures in England, Canada, New Zealand and the USA in search of places sharing the name “mullet”. He does a wonderful job in explanating the reasons behind his particular travel mission and recaps quite nicely some of his previous adventures that I’m guessing were covered in his first travelogue, Up the Creek Without a Mullet. I learned quite a bit from the places he visited, the contrasts between life in these different countries were interesting to read about. It was also interesting to read how his travel goals gained some attention in the respective local media, which was pretty cool.
While venturing out to these places, he also recounts a lot of the interesting people he meets along the way, the strange cultural differences he comes across (the word association between the UK and the US regarding chips, crisps, biscuits, and scones cracked me up because it’s so true!), and some of the theories and ideas he’s come up with based on his experiences and observations to these different locations.
Overall this book was a pretty unique read in terms of the author’s goals as a traveller and all of these small spots that he ends up visiting. The accounts did drag a little bit towards the end, probably because I’ve been to the US a few times (though not on the West Coast) and am familiar with much of their landscape and culture. Every elated moment and disappointing turn is felt with every page. If you enjoy reading travelogues and other travel-related books, I would recommend checking this title out.
February 12, 2014
The Return of the Mullet Hunter is a travel narrative that follows the author as he travels to New Zealand, Canada, England and the United States to see the places that have all been named Mullet, in an ironic homage to the mullet haircut. This book is a sequel to his first book, Up the Creek Without a Mullet. In this book, Varwell laments this impossible task of seeing all Mullet locations (since they multiply and take over his freedom to have leisurely travels to other desired locales), yet he finds and captures the beauty and essence of the people and sights that he sees in each place he visits.
Simon is a friend of mine and I am thrilled to finally read this novel (I have yet to read the prequel to this one) that captures part of his travels finding mullets in the world. I first visited Simon in Glasgow and when I heard he was coming to Los Angeles to visit a mullet and tour the west coast, I gladly invited him and his friend Justin to stay with me and take him around LA as much as I could (and as much as his schedule would allow). Despite being friends with Simon, I really enjoyed this book. First of all, it reminded me of how much I really enjoy travel literature, a genre which I have not read in the past few years (must change that!). Secondly, I really enjoyed reading about his experiences interacting with people from other cultures in the places that he visited. What is neat about his particular mission is that it takes him off the beaten path and into the wilds of unexpected experiences with people. In particular, I enjoyed reading about the beauty of New Zealand and the openness of that country to welcome a quirky outsider into their fold. I also really enjoyed reading about his experiences in the United States. It is so interesting to have a view of your own country from an outsider's eyes.
Simon is a friend of mine and I am thrilled to finally read this novel (I have yet to read the prequel to this one) that captures part of his travels finding mullets in the world. I first visited Simon in Glasgow and when I heard he was coming to Los Angeles to visit a mullet and tour the west coast, I gladly invited him and his friend Justin to stay with me and take him around LA as much as I could (and as much as his schedule would allow). Despite being friends with Simon, I really enjoyed this book. First of all, it reminded me of how much I really enjoy travel literature, a genre which I have not read in the past few years (must change that!). Secondly, I really enjoyed reading about his experiences interacting with people from other cultures in the places that he visited. What is neat about his particular mission is that it takes him off the beaten path and into the wilds of unexpected experiences with people. In particular, I enjoyed reading about the beauty of New Zealand and the openness of that country to welcome a quirky outsider into their fold. I also really enjoyed reading about his experiences in the United States. It is so interesting to have a view of your own country from an outsider's eyes.
February 21, 2014
I admit it. I’m a sucker for “travel quest” books. Some quests seem to have a certain logic to them (a trip around the world or to all 50 US states, for example). This one, not so much. Yet, because of the ridiculousness of the quest, to visit every place in the world with the word mullet in the name, the story that results is full of the kinds of things that appeal to me. Getting off the beaten path to obscure parts of the world is one. To me this is the point of this kind of quest, the serendipity of discovering places you’d never visit or a reader would never hear about otherwise. The other appeal is the human element, “meeting” a variety of people from these sometimes obscure places. Varwell’s frequent use of “couch surfing” (overnighting on someone’s couch or using their extra bedroom) and staying in hostels sets up more of these situations than normal.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews