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Unknown Sands
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$26.00
Asia Trips Trips Price: $74.99
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Dusty Spark Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 915.85
EAN: 9780976356516
ISBN: 0976356511
Label: Dusty Spark Publishing
Manufacturer: Dusty Spark Publishing
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2006-02-20
Publisher: Dusty Spark Publishing
Studio: Dusty Spark Publishing
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Editorial Reviews:
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Turkmenistan was once the world's most feared territory. Since the time of the Mongols, the nomadic tribes of its vast desert wastes were deemed ungovernable. Russians and Persians were captured as slaves and carried off by the fierce Turkmen. Even now, as an independent country located between the hot spots of Afghanistan and Iran, with one of the planet's largest natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan remains virtually unknown to the outside world. Unknown Sands penetrates this remote and harsh land. This is a personal story that blends two years of adventure with Turkmenistan’s tumultuous history to present an intriguing profile of the country and its people. This former Soviet territory offers a target-rich environment for the unusual including a surreal cult of Presidential personality, ancient ruins of the Silk Road, and a unique, mystical brand of Islam.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Travelogue
Comment: This is not a scholarly work, a detailed history of Turkmenistan, or a comprehensive survey of modern Turkmenistan. It was written by a USAID employee, not a professional author, scholar or historian.
None of that diminishes the value of the book on its own terms. It is an eye-witness account of one man's work and travels in an unknown country. And because Turkmenistan is so closed and secretive, a comprehensive survey is probably not possible at this point. This book may be the best we will get for many years, and Kropf has done us a service in publishing it.
The book has some minor spelling and grammar errors, but is still very readable, has a good pace, and will keep the armchair adventurer's interest for all of its too-brief 202 pages.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Grammatical flubs make it a tough read
Comment: While the author deserves credit for his endeavor in this rare inside look at Niazov's Turkmenistan, the overt misuse of grammar throughout the book makes this almost impossible to read. For example: "wary of England's designs and xenophobic, the Russians outright closed Turkmenistan when they took it under control in 1881." "...about which T.E. Lawrence might have romanticized." Awkward phrasing like this is a constant throughout the book, which would be much improved with a thorough editing - perhaps in a later edition?
Additionally, Kropf's lengthy descriptions of long plane flights and jet lag are for the armchair traveler rather than the road warrior. Some of the "gee whiz, I work in a U.S. Embassy now" anecdotes sound tired to anyone who has actually been there. For a first-time Turkmenistan reader (and hey, there are a lot of those), this is a worthwhile read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Average in Genre, Stands Alone on Subject Matter
Comment: John Kropf's 'Unknown Sands' was a pleasant book to read. It is more of a travelogue than a book about culture or history, but facets of both do appear in the text. Kropf's writing style is not bad, but it is evident that he is not primarily an author. While not having stated so, it seems the book was written to fill the void of information about Turkmenistan rather than because Kropf is an aspiring author. His efforts are much appreciated.
'Unknown Sands' is a very average book compared to others in the same genre, but as there are practically no other books about Turkmenistan in English it is a must read if one is interested about this little known country. Kropf was afforded an opportunity to visit all of the provinces of Turkmenistan giving his insights much value.
If you are interested in Turkmenistan this is an excellent book, if you are interested in Central Asia more generally there are many other books that would be as good or better as this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What a discovery!
Comment: I was researching books on Middle East and Asian politics and stumbled across Mr. Kropf's book through online research. Although not primarily a political discourse, Unknown Sands contains fascinating insight into the cultural, social, as well as political atmosphere of a country many don't know exists. I recommend the book highly not only for academics but as a casual read as well.
Customer Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING!
Comment: Kropf takes us on a journey which few will ever personally know, His insightful and sometimes witty writing style adds to a terrific read!
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