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Neil Peart
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The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa Paperback – January 1, 1999

by Neil Peart (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 740 ratings
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Peart, Neil
Previous page
  1. Print length
    286 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pottersfield Pr
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1999
  5. ISBN-10
    1895900026
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1895900026
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Neil Peart cycles his way through West Africa and brings us along with him, dysentery and all. The Masked Rider details his physical and spiritual journey, through photographs, journal entries, and tales of adventure. Peart's "masks" are the masks that we wear--culture, psychology, labels, expectations--and his book reveals how traveling in a very foreign land allows us to peer behind them.

From the Back Cover

"Cycling is a good way to travel anywhere, but especially in Africa. You are independent and mobile, and yet travel at people speed--fast enough to travel on to another town in the cooler morning hours, but slow enough to meet people: the old farmer at the roadside who raises his hand and says, 'You are welcome,' the tireless women who offer a smile to a passing cyclist, the children whose laughter transcends the humblest home."

So begins the text of Neil Peart's extraordinary journal about riding a bicycle on the roads and off the beaten track in West Africa. The Masked Rider is about the bike trek and the people who travel along with the author, including literary sidekicks Aristotle and Vincent Van Gogh. Sometimes it's a story of a tour of hell--Dante on a bicycle--as he suffered the pains of dysentery and stares down the muzzle of a drunk soldier's machine gun. Other times it's a journey of exalted discovery and African adventure of the highest calibre.

Neil Peart is the drummer and lyricist of the rock band Rush.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pottersfield Pr (January 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1895900026
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1895900026
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 740 ratings

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Neil Peart

Neil Peart

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
740 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Z. Williamson
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
Very well written. Though it seems like a lot of the trip was blisters, flat tires, food poisoning, and sleeping in huts. My takeaway is I can fly in and see the high points without cycling a thousand miles, but impressive that Neil did so.
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Brian Wallace (Co-author of It's Not Your Hair)
5.0 out of 5 stars great wheels of thought
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2004
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a superbly written account of an insightful man's journey through Africa. For such an astounding musician to also be an adept writer is almost mind-boggling (and jealousy-inducing!). Some have argued that the author comes across as arrogant or condescending. I felt that any movements in that direction were nicely tempered by insightful self-reflections and assessments. That being said, I would certainly hate to be "Elsa" who comes across as old, lazy and whining - which perhaps she was - but the author sees fit to mention this at almost every turn. Maybe he's just being honest, but at times I did feel that this brilliant Canadian was dabbling in a tad too much hubris (directed at Americans and Africans).
Any complaints about this marvelous work are easily offset by an engaging, highly intelligent, but readable account, of exploring Africa by bike. Not to mention a keen sense of humor, informed by a breadth of knowledge way beyond most "rockers." We all knew that Peart could write great rock songs; but in this work he really pushes the envelope and succeeds at a literary travelogue that can hold its own against any other.
I would have liked to have seen him participating in drum rituals or sessions with African drummers. That would have added so much to the text, but perhaps he wanted to avoid that and simply write as any other journeyer. Despite his marked cynicism, which one would expect from such a great mind, a real sense of humanity shines through. He gives life to those he encounters with all their frailties, but also strengths and charms.
All-in-all this is a lively, vivid and enriching journey that is worth every drop of ink on the pages.
Very, very entertaining.
4 people found this helpful
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jmoonx14
5.0 out of 5 stars Just a Man on a Harrowing Journey!
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015
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This book surprised me. Yes, I am a huge Rush fan and I have the utmost respect for Neil Peart. However, I read this based on my love of cycling and have a keen interest in the adventures it brings as well a the grueling nature of long touring on two wheels. So my expectations were that this would be a focus of the book. There was some of this but not so much in a technical nature and not much content was dedicated to that directly. I was not disappointed but realized I had assumed incorrectly.

The direction of the book is much more of an over all experience of the journey and the education received along the way. Cultures, interpersonal relationships, conflict both large and small, sympathetic reactions, tempers and personality conflicts. I was also impressed with the very open and honest comments made throughout (some of which were really surprising coming from such a mild mannered author). Peart is never personal about his criticisms as most of it is internalized....that is to say how he reacts to situations and people along the way. He can be judgmental at times but in his shoes I think anyone would be. He approaches the trip (and prose) as just a guy on a bike and not as a world renowned lyricist and drummer.

As you can well imagine the tour taken here by a small group of strangers was difficult and it tested wills. However, the writing focuses on the authors means of taking it all in, being patient when there was none to spare, being assertive when required and remaining a strong individual as a member of a team. From The Masked Rider you will gain an insight to the author and you will probably think twice about taking such a journey. Mosquitos! Filthy floors! Sketchy toilets! Wonderful people!

A great read for anyone. Well written, open, honest, entertaining and very educational. Kudos to Neil Peart who clearly absorbed much about African culture and history which he shares key portions of to make the book much more internationally engaging. I have read reviews that state he did not enjoy the trip and I disagree. He focuses on the difficulty of many aspects of it yet he never misses a moment to share in the grandeur of Africa and many of the interesting/perplexing/crafty/wise people who call it home. He certainly knew it was going to be a challenge which is why he took the journey to begin with and he got just that.

Highly recommended.
13 people found this helpful
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Robert G. Muller
4.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Lucid
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2007
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I came upon Neil Peart's writing after watching a video my drummer had lent me ("A Work In Progress"). I had been so impressed with Neil's clarity, vision, and humility in the video, that I looked him up on the web to see what else I might find. On his web site I found some essays that he has written and was further impressed with his writing style. It was honest, open, intelligent, and conversational. I also noticed that he has written four books, three of them featuring bicycling or motorcycling. As a bicyclist, motorcyclist, musician, and writer myself, I had to dig in. I began with his first book, and was not disappointed.

I loved the style AND content of this book (not an everyday occurrence for me). Neil uses the writer's "show, don't tell" adage well, painting a picture of his bike tour that helps you to feel the heat, taste the dust, hear the blaring late-night music, and smell the sweat and sewage. In the midst of this, he relates his observations and thoughts clearly and honestly -- he doesn't sugar-coat his prose, rather he reveals what he experiences in all its warted glory.

There are two things I might change with this book to make it near-perfect: 1. More photos. There is much discussion in the book of the perils of photo-taking in Cameroon, and the fact that Neil was willing to take risks for the sake of some of these photos adds a sort of value to them for the reader. 2. I felt the book ended abruptly. I would love to have had more of a summary of his thoughts after the ride, a sort of Campbellian return of the hero and teaching of the lessons learned.

Perhaps a good implicit summary of my opinion on the book is the fact that I am already reading his next book, plan to read his others, and hope that he keeps on writing.
4 people found this helpful
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JG
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2023
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If you want to know what it’s like to take a bike across a third world nation read this book, very well chronicle of experiences, feelings and frustrations of his journey
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Top reviews from other countries

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Stephane Richard
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
I've read all or most of Neil's books. This one seemed a bit different as the setting was in Africa. He makes travel adventure interesting.
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Lle en muy buen estado.
Reviewed in Mexico on July 27, 2022
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Me agrado que llego bien y ahorita lo estoy leyendo. Muy buen trabajo del maestro Neil Peart
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Victoria large
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Excellent read
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Macumego
5.0 out of 5 stars Exelent!
Reviewed in France on April 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
As a cyclist I very much understands what was all about for Neil in Africa. Enlightening first, and help us to put our world in perspective.Thank-you For this fantastic book.
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Gis A. Bun
5.0 out of 5 stars Cycling? Ouch
Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
The late Rush drummer spends a month bicycling in West Africa in the early 2000s.
Like more recent books, you need to get use to Bubba's style where he initially concentrates on what's going on before taking a detour [usually commentary about something] and then going back but with a bit of humour or sarcasm.
If you enjoy this book, get his others.
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