Blog Book Tour | “Race to Tibet” by Sophie Schiller

Posted Saturday, 28 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Race to Tibet” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of “Race to Tibet” direct from the author Sophie Schiller, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Interest in reading:

I have held an appreciation for World Religions since I was quite young – one of my favourite World Religions to research and read about is Buddhism which led me to readings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Anyone who becomes familiar with his texts, will start to see the traditions of Tibet emerge and a cultural heritage that was nearly taken out. Tibet has been the centerpiece of novels, motion pictures and non-fiction releases for quite a long time now. The expeditions to Tibet are legendary and they were fraught with difficulties – both to the people on the expedition and to the conditions the expediters found themselves inside.

I appreciate seeking out novelists and writers who hold a like-minded appreciation for Tibet and honour the legacy of Tibet through positive and well-researched stories; when I saw this book coming back round the blog tour circuit, I felt perhaps I should re-consider my original instinct to fear it was too much for me to consume and take a chance on reading it now. This novel previously toured with France Book Tours, and I had turned it down in the Spring (of 2015) to review but decided perhaps, I had been a bit too quick in that assessment. Thus, I am re-approaching it in the Autumn by having the chance to participate on the HFVBTs blog tour instead.

Blog Book Tour | “Race to Tibet” by Sophie SchillerRace to Tibet

By 1889 Tibet is the last unexplored country in the world. Gabriel Bonvalot is determined to be the first Westerner to reach Lhasa but lacks a sponsor. When the Duke of Chartres promises to pay his expenses Bonvalot agrees, even after he learns he must bring along the Duke's wayward son, Prince Henri d'Orléans. Along the way Bonvalot meets Camille Dancourt, the wife of a missing surveyor, who attaches herself to the expedition in order to find her missing husband. During the journey the intrepid explorers are besieged by freezing temperatures, volatile winds, mountain sickness, hostile Tibetans, and duplicitous Chinese Mandarins. Nearing collapse, Bonvalot realizes they will have to resort to force if they ever wish to escape Tibet alive.

RACE TO TIBET is an adventure thriller that will take you on a suspenseful journey to the Roof of the World.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780692254097

on 26th January, 2015

Pages: 342

Self-Published By: Tradewinds Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook

About Sophie Schiller

Sophie Schiller

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies amid aging pirates and retired German spies. Among other oddities her family tree contains a Nobel prize-winning physicist and a French pop singer. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. She was educated at American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently working on a new historical thriller set in the Caribbean.

My review of Race to Tibet:

It takes courage to be daring and to be forthright amongst your peerage – apparently, Bonvalot had not realised how much courage he would need to summon in order to put together his expedition to Tibet, until he heard the words voicing his plans of this expedition to his society of explorers. This on the heels of a disgraced Prince needing a swift and hard lesson on how to appropriately spend one’s time when a title is bequeathed to you; the stage is quickly being set where explorer and vagabond are about to cross paths towards destiny.

Before the men took up the journey towards seeking a passage into the heart of Tibet, Bonvalot sought out information from a Professor who had gone further than most whilst he was visiting Tibet. At this point in history, only a handful of explorers were granted access to the capital city of Tibet or any entrance at all into the tightly protected country whose secrets were legendary simply due to the lack of knowledge and understanding on behalf of Tibet. When man cannot conquer his quest, the mind endeavours to ponder what ‘could be’ rather than acknowledge ‘what might be’ true. The expeditions in of themselves were benign as they sought to seek a way towards bridging the unknown with the known, however, most of the expeditions presented at the behest of Bonvalot’s enquiries were a bit more rough around the edges than diplomatically inclined. Even by Bonvalot’s standards, I am unsure if his intentions are entirely honourable or if he simply wants to become a legend himself.

A curious turning point is when Bonvalot received the letter of intent (to join his expedition) from Camille Dancourt – as this was on the footheels of butting heads a bit with the Prince, whose main occupation is attempting not to infuriate his father the Duke. For some reason, up to this point, I found myself falling in and out of step with the story. The pacing was lit well, as there is ample back-story and footing to get you oriented with where Schiller is taking you on the expedition as much as where she wants to take you on the journey of her characters. Yet for whichever reason, part of me was waiting for ‘something’ to happen where it pulled this novel together for me. Seeing the letter from Ms Dancourt, a moment of suspense regarding the condition of her husband (lost on expedition to Tibet; presumed dead) gave a bit of a jolting of my lack of appeal to keep with the pages. It presented a bit of drama, rather than a droll recounting of one man’s intention to set a world record – as part of this story felt it was reading a bit too close to Robinson Crusoe which is my Achilles heel for literature. In this instance, where my heart wants a story to read one way and is disappointed in finding it is reading another way altogether. Finding this letter at this point in the story, gave me a bit of hope the pace would pick up and my interest would resume.

Camille Dancourt is formidable, assertive and self-confident in a way that proves her moxie is a bit of a surprise strength in the face of Bonvalot; who’d prefer to dismiss her out of hand, than deal with her properly. To him she’s a nuisance and someone who will slow down his own journey; in return, she sees him as an assurance to reach Tibet, where she can finally seek out what befell her husband’s fate.

Unfortunately for me, her brief appearance did not resume as quick as I had hoped, and I found myself falling further out of sync with the story. Partially as I’ve outlined below in my Fly in the Ointment because one particular character started to offset the balance of the story. I simply stalled on my patience to continue reading this novel because it started to drag out a bit too much for me. I was expecting it to be riveting and a bit more on the edge of my seat kind of adventure, wherein instead I was wondering when the action would begin. Even the quick-fire dialogue of intrigue between Camille and Bonvalot would have added a bit of spice, as their tension could bring it’s own drama to the tone. I do highly recommend this to any reader who appreciates the pacing of Robinson Crusoe because for me, this became my downfall in appreciating it myself.

Fly in the Ointment:

It finally struck me what was disassociating the story out of the context of the novel’s pacing for me, and it was the vacillation between reality and hallucinogenic delusions of a Russian explorer intermixed into Bonvalot’s discourses. I think it’s due to the high improbability of this happening that took my mind astray from taking merit out of the exercise of seeing Bonvalot’s mind dwindle down the line between sanity and insanity. There wasn’t too much lead-in on this supposition of his psychological state, except for extreme physical and mental fatigue, which by itself would parlay into a psychosis of some sort, but it was far more telling to show his insecurities and his short-temperament than his conversations with Prejevalsky. They were distracting at best. Plus, Prejavalsky started to come across stronger in his character than Bonvalot because he was stealing the scenes away from the main protagonist.

I wonder if it would have been better to have Prejavalsky alive and an arch nemesis for Bonvalot; to create more drama out of the race to Tibet? Part of this story I realise is rooted in historical research, but if the time frame of events was bent a bit out of context to history itself, and then re-apportioned to fit the story as it was reading – I think it might have fixed the problem for me, as Schiller wrote Prejavalsky’s ghost too realistic to ignore as mere delusion of a fatigued mind.

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The Virtual Road Map for “Race to Tibet” can be found here:

{ click-through to follow the tour & find more reader’s impressions! my review was delayed due to an unexpected bout of fatigue that led to illness. Blessedly the author and HFVBTs were patient whilst I recovered and could share my ruminative thoughts slightly outside of the blog tour. }

Race to Tibet blog tour via HFVBTs.

To follow the blog tour from the Spring, please visit France Book Tours page for Race to Tibet where you can visit more reader insights and guest author features.

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I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments on behalf of this review. Especially if you read the novel or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst bloggers who picked up the same novel to read on a blog tour.

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{SOURCES: Cover art of “Race to Tibet”, book synopsis, author photograph of Sophie Schiller, author biography, the tour host badge & were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin. Tweets were able to be embedded by the codes provided by Twitter. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.

Comments via Twitter:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Saturday, 28 November, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Ancient Civilisation, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Mental Health, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Self-Published Author, Vulgarity in Literature




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