apparent to me as I travelled and developed personal friendships that the image of Pakistan that we are often fed by the media is distorted. I found the Pakistanis to be the most hospitable people I have ever met, to the point where I would have to allow time on my walks in the mountains for the delay caused by sitting down to tea and chapatti in every settlement.' Over the course of his journey, he is exposed to all sides of local life, from a Sufi shrine attended by crocodiles to a Pathan magic man competing with Saudi sponsored Wahabi clerics in the Swat Valley, a near meeting with the fairies of Nanga Parbat and the temple of a three-year-old Buddhist lama on the edge of the Tibetan plateau. Engrossing and eye-opening, Iain Campbell's account of his travels through this mesmerising land will appeal to travellers, mountaineers, trekkers, wilderness enthusiasts, anyone interested in the culture and history of the subcontinent, and fans of quality travel writing.