The Fire Never Dies: One Man's Raucous Romp Down the Road of Food, Passion and Adventure
Sterling, who has authored or edited numerous travel books,  including Lonely Planet World Food: Spain, Vietnam, and Hong  Kong, is a veteran of the Vietnam War and seven navy tours of  duty. He also possesses itchy feet, strong sea legs, and an iron  digestive tract. His tales of naval escapades and civilian  adventures are abundantly laced with testosterone, well soaked  with beer, and occasionally spiced with bordellos. In his latest  writing endeavor, he shares some of his most memorable travel  experiences, such as eating meals of potato bugs and fiery  chilies, baiting pickpockets in Saigon, transferring nuclear  weapons in the South China Sea (heroically ignoring wounds  received in the process), and dancing with headhunters in  Borneo. Locations shift erratically from Baja, CA, to Southeast  Asia, Europe, India, and Africa, and the writing style swings  wildly from the swaggering to the sophisticated, with many of  the stories seemingly more fantasy than fact. Both scattered and  scatty, this collection of tales will appeal to the Walter  Mittys of the world. With a cover that recalls pulp fiction of  the Thirties and a trade paper format, it is a questionable  purchase for most libraries. Janet Ross, formerly with Washoe  Cty. Lib. Syst., Sparks, NVCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.