The author had a life-altering accident that nearly killed him, forcing him to face solace in his one true love—honey. So he traveled to some of the most remote places on earth to discover the ancient techniques of collecting honey. Being a big fan of bees, I enjoyed his excursions to the ends of the earth to witness death-defying methods to collect honey and one scary chase by undomesticated bees! Highly recommended. ( )

Interesting - glad I read it but there were fewer bees, fewer beekeepers and less honey than I was expecting. I felt strangely disconnected from the beekeepers that he met - I've never met a beekeeper yet who was not ready to talk until kingdom come about beekeeping and bees. And I wasn't really interested in the wild bee hunting that fascinated the author. Or the meditation. ( )

Reading about the adventures of Piers Moore Ede in his quest to track ancient apiculture (beekeeping) methods in the modern world was just a delight. It appealed to me on so many levels.

As a travelogue of several Asian countries, it worked well. I especially loved the part about Lebanon and Syria as I had once lived in the Middle East and found so much of Ede’s experiences familiar (the hamsin winds, the game of backgammon, drinking tea, and so forth). What I enjoyed most was how he described his encounters with others he met and the respect that he afforded those people. Ede's descriptions of the Annapurna region of the Himalayas seemed as magnificent as the vistas shown on pictures I recently received from my cousin during his own trek to that region. In writing about unfamiliar terms, the author helpfully provided adequate footnotes to help otherwise bewildered readers along.

This is an easy and engaging read. Some parts are hilarious. For instance, when Ede was in Lebanon, he was pretty much forced to try some samne (lamb fat) with honeycomb which the author described as looking “like a bloated slug which had fared rather badly against a gardener's boot". Another time, the author went to see the making of anayi (Arabic cream), a process which he decribed as his host's niece "stoking a roaring blaze under a large witch's cauldron".

In addition to a great sense of humor, Ede has a particular inkling for danger. Both of these attributes kept me deeply involved in his story. At one point, where the author is about to fall off of a cliff, I just took a deep breath and read on.

I am a “foodie” and find the author’s concern about the declining population of bees and his interest in beekeeping and honey-gathering most interesting and newsworthy. Ede is also an advocate of the now popular Slow Food Movement. I commend the author for his views on earth stewardship and taking some time to discuss this with his readers. ( )

While occasionally I did feel a need for more information this is a gentle story of a love affair with honey and the search for the ultimate honey. While searching Ede also finds a path to recovery from a serious hit and run accident that takes his carefree sense of youth.

It's interesting and I would like to try the different honey that he tries. Even if only once. Much of the story is quite gentle and there's a sense of wonder that never leaves. ( )