Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo by Any Means

by Charley Boorman

Using quad bikes, hovercrafts, wooden scooters, canoes, paragliders, and of course his favorite mode of transportation—motorcycle—Charley travels through some of the most exotic and exciting countries in the world. Along the way he encounters fascinating people and tests his endurance to the limit. Packed with adventure, and written with Charley's trademark humor and enthusiasm, Right to the Edge: By Any Means will delight fans and new readers alike.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Travelogue, Motorcycle, Motorcycling, Biography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Charley Boorman grew up in Ireland, spending much of his childhood riding motorcross bikes. From 1998 to 2002, he ran a British motorcycle team with Ewan McGregor, winning the Superstock Series with David Jeffries.
His first film role was as Ed's Boy, Jon Voight's son in Deliverance, directed by his father John Boorman. Since then, he has appeared in Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, Karaoke, The Serpent's Kiss and The Bunker.
Married with two daughters, Charley rides a Ducati 748, lives in London and takes part in rallies, if his wife lets him.

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although better than his first By Any Means book, Charley Boorman's Right to the Edge follow-up is far from the pure joy of his collaborations with Ewan MacGregor, and the adrenaline rush of his solo Race to Dakar.

There's a travel weariness in Right to the Edge that has begun to diminish the shine that was so much a part of his earlier journeys. In the past, Boorman's trips had very specific boundaries that forced him or his team to tough out everything from impassable stretches of road and bad accidents to racing against self-imposed timetables or the elements. This led to genuine moments of adventure that were formed and shaped within the journeys themselves.

In Long Way Round, Ewan and Charley found themselves taking a train to the Road of Bones because Siberia was just too damn huge; in Race to Dakar, Charley broke both his wrists early in the race, but stayed to chronicle the progress of the team he'd assembled, giving the Dakar a different face than is usually seen; in Long Way Down, the boys were faced with tough decisions brought on by having Americans with them on the trip, decisions that kept part of their crew out of Libya, changed their already tight schedule, and created team tension that bore some genuine drama; in By Any Means, Charley's dedication to using as many means of transportation as possible -- excluding commercial aircraft -- led to two harrowing experiences on the ocean, a thrilling water-ski from one country to another, and some tropically drenched dirt bike rides through South-East Asian jungles.

These adventures made for compelling reading, even if they weren't always as entertaining as they could have been. But Boorman's Right to the Edge (an embarrassingly misleading title) is more comfortable than compelling -- both for him and us. Charley pretends to have the same conviction to use anything other than a commercial airplane to travel, but he is more than happy to hop on a plane if there's even a whiff of high seas or rough weather or pirates. And while he does spend a little time playing around with modes of transportation that are unique to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines, he spends most of his time with his beloved motorcycles. This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but it is safe and comfortable, and for the first time, one of Charley's trips felt more like an extended vacation than an adventure.

It's kind of nice to spend some mellow time with Charley Boorman, especially because his own relaxation led to an increase in the time he spent getting to know the people he met along the way rather than putting all his focus on the machinery he was using to move from place to place. I think, though, that he needs a break from his trips, some real time away so that his wonder of the world can be restored. Charley Boorman is now a bonafide world traveler, and while there is still much out there to see and do, his traveling innocence is gone.

Sure he'll never get the innocence back, but a breath or two away from his experience will cut down on his jadedness and the readers'. This is worth a read if you're a fan of Charley Boorman, but if you're coming to his travels for the first time make sure you start at the beginning. Long Way Round is still his best.

[Terri Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've watched and read Charley's adventures for decades. They are amazing and this one is no exception. I highly recommend this companion book and the series that it goes with. The is the second By Any Means series, and both of them are well worth watching and the companion books are definitely worth reading. Must read.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing, fun read, for a good cause.

[RA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ever-familiar Charley Boorman, who friendship with Ewan McGregor has turned him into a motorpsycho-Michael Palin, the travel bug inherent in his geographic challenge after vehicle challenge.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

My dad likes it
I do not
My dad is 50
I am 23
All you need to know

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read on his journey from Sydney to Tokyo and everything, good and bad, that happened on the way.

[Molly Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

And I thought I was reading a travel-book! Our bookgroup had as its theme 'Travel writing in Asia' and this title was included, but it could honestly have been set anywhere at all and it would not have made the slightest difference to what actually appeared on the page. Most of what I read (which admittedly wasn't much before I abandoned it on the 'life's too short' premise) was about Mr Boorman and his false modesty ('tell me I'm super really'), and the various modes of transport he is astride/in/clinging to etc (yawn). I know these books are really popular but I guess it's just not for me for the same reasons that I can't stand Top Gear! The sort of book for people who think they ought to own books, but actually just watch the DVDs.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid effort from Charley- this second By Any Means book and TV series focuses less on the travel and more about the people and culture. There's less countries and no Russ, but the countries Charley visits are covered in much more detail. The book covers even more than the TV series and explains things in more depth. For biking fans, there are many more motorbikes this time round.

The writing is not high class literature, but the telling of Hiroshima's Genbaku Domu had me wiping away tears- I think Charley captured the emotions you feel there beautifully.

[Oggie Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have one other book in the series which I enjoyed more than this one. I tend to agree with the other reviews which termed the book as frantic. Maybe it's because Charley is first and foremost a biker/motorcycle enthusiast first and traveler second that the pace is like this. certainly not muy idea of travel though from the writing, I can sense his sense of British humor. I looked forward to reading his accounts here in the Philippines but they were a tad short. The book could've also benefited from stringent proofreading.

[Lilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read Charley's Long Way... adventures with Ewan McGregor, but have not come across his solo adventures. What really caught my interest here was that he traveled across my country, and I did not know about it!! I especially liked reading those chapters about the Philippines. My hunch was also correct that he went to Handlebar -- I've been to that club and it is a well known haunt for Harley riders.

Reading all these books about travel and motorcycle riding really convinces me I'd like to see travel the world in a similar way, too. Someday.

[Rachel]

Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. There wasn't enough description of the places he visited. I know that he loves the bikes and the different methods of transport but I feel like he just shoots straight through places without stopping to enjoy the travel experience. Or maybe I just got bored of reading about bikes and trucks.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting light read, but not as compelling somehow as Long Way Round & Long Way Down. If you like motorcycles you will no doubt find the details about which bikes Charley rode on his trip riveting.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love travel books and enjoyed the programs on TV featuring Charley Boorman. The book was very interesting and gave you a great insight in to different cultures. I'm not into motorcycles so a bit of the detail was lost on me at times but I still really enjoyed reading it.

[Lucy Houser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not interested in motorcycles in any way, but I enjoyed this book because I love Charley's outlook on life. He's positive and cheerful in the face of difficulty, and that's a good frame of mind.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Littered with name dropping, ignorance and banality.

By far the worst travel book I have read from a distinctly poor and smugly over privilaged writer.

I confess I was drawn to the book due to familiarity with the authors fathers films. Think I'll stick with the movies.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again Charley has shared his adventures with us and I enjoyed reading about them, particularly Australia and Japan.

[Ewald · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Christmas present from my wife, who wishes that I join Charlie on a long, long, very long trip away from home... But it does sound fun, being around Charlie!

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I like the idea of travelling places by any means possible, this one just didn't intrigue me :(

[Phil Beswick · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read, i wonder just who pays for these trips Charley does, but either way witty, informative and recommended for any kind of traveller

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid - interesting mix of adventure and social commentary across Asia