The Walking Drum
When I was a young man, my father liked reading Louis L'Amour, who traditionally wrote westerns. I read the book on my first summer away from home, which turned out to match the theme of the book perfectly. The main character is a young man separated from his father in 1100's Europe. Confident and cocky, along the way he becomes a soldier, slave, scholar, doctor, acrobat and merchant. This book is filled with great quotes such as: "Explorers and Discoverers are often those who draw attention to what simple people have been doing for years." It's fun to see his wisdom grow as the story progresses.
My favorite thing about this book is trying to understand what it would be like to live in Moorish Spain while Islam was still young. Details about finances, travel, communication, economies, languages ... everything is touched on in one way or another. Trust me, it's a fun book for a young man with an adventurer's heart.
I saw it on Audible this year, and on a whim decided to try it out as an audio book. Man, John Curless is an amazing reader. I'm more impressed with him than by any other reader I've encountered.
-Destin
