Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey [Paperback]

Lawrence Blair (Author), Lorne Blair (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

The true story behind the internationally award-winning PBS television series, Ring of Fire charts the Blair brothers' 10-year journey through the world's largest and least-known archipelago--the islands of Indonesia. Amid seemingly impenetrable rain forests, erupting volcanoes, and unimaginable natural beauty, the brothers hoped to capture on film and in words the customs, beliefs, and wisdom of the islands' inhabitants.

Their odyssey began with a 2,500-mile voyage through the Spice islands, guided by the notorious Bugi pirates, in search of the Greater Bird of Paradise. An entire decade of exploration followed, during which the authors lived among the Asmat cannibal tribe of West New Guinea and the sages and healers of Bali; encountered man-eating dragons of Komodo, and the elusive "dream-wanderers" of Borneo; and learned the legends of starship ancestors in the Clelebes highlands. With extraordinary courage, humor, and passion for the unknown, they draw us into their extraordinary journey to a magical land where ancient myths still flourish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Incomparable adventure teeming with thrills, chills, mystery, and the bizarre."
(

Los Angeles Times

)

"The striking color photos of the land and people of the many Indonesian islands are complemented by a first-person travelogue which invites readers to explore the variety Indonesia has to offer.The book is every bit as striking as the TV and video versions, and readers partial to the written word will have a lasting impression of the varied journeys of these adventurous brothers."
(

The Midwest Book Review

)

"Sets sails and sights for lands as unfamiliar and spectacular as anything dreamed up for a Steven Speilberg movie. Thoroughly fascinating nearly every harrowing step of the way."
(Washington Post )

From the Back Cover

TRAVEL / MYTH AND MYSTERIES

"Sets sails and sights for lands as unfamiliar and spectacular as anything dreamed up for a Steven Speilberg movie. Thoroughly fascinating nearly every harrowing step of the way."
Washington Post

"Incomparable adventure teeming with thrills, chills, mystery and the bizarre."
Los Angeles Times

The true story behind the internationally award-winning PBS television series, Ring of Fire charts the Blair brothers' 10-year journey through the world's largest and least-known archipelago--the islands of Indonesia. Amid seemingly impenetrable rain forests, erupting volcanoes, and unimaginable natural beauty, the brothers hoped to capture on film and in words the customs, beliefs, and wisdon of the islands' inhabitants.

Their odyssey began with a 2,500-mile voyage through the Spice islands, guided by the notorious Bugi pirates, in search of the Greater Bird of Paradise. An entire decade of exploration followed, during which the authors lived among the Asmat cannibal tribe of West New Guinea and the sages and healers of Bali; encountered man-eating dragons of Komodo, and the elusive "dream-wanderers" of Borneo; and learned the legends of starship ancestors in the Clelebes highlands. With extraordinary courage, humor, and passion for the unknown, they draw us into their extraordinary journey to a magical land where ancient myths still flourish.

LAWRENCE BLAIR is also the author of Rythms of Vision (Destiny Books). He has appeared on television and radio on both sides of the Atlantic and has lectured in psycho-anthropology at University of California. LORNE BLAIR worked for the BBC until 1971, when he began his work as an independent filmmaker. In addition to Ring of Fire, his films appearing on international television include the prizewinning Lempad of Bali. Lavishly illustrated with more than one hundred of Lorne's photographs, Ring of Fire tells the story of one of the most captivating and intriguing journeys ever made. It will stand as an enduring record of a vanishing world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892814306
• ISBN-13: 978-0892814305
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey, November 5, 2003

By 

Dr. Vivienne Kruger (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey (Paperback)

British brothers Lawrence and Lorne Blair set out in the 1960s on a marvelous, thought-provoking, ten-year adventure through the 3,000-mile length of the remote Indonesian archipelago. Inspired by a dog-eared copy of Alfred Russell Wallace's The Malay Archipelago -and his nineteenth century voyage of scientific exploration and discovery--their unforgettable odyssey set sail out of the Celebes (Sulawesi) for the Spice Islands on a perilous schooner crossing with the seafaring Bugis. Tossed to and fro from home port Makassar to isolated Aru Island-stalked all the way by rotting ship beams and the specter of pirates-they were rewarded with one of the rarest sights on earth-the fluffy white plumage of the elusive Bird of Paradise.
Metaphysical, anthropological, and intellectual in tone-with a healthy dose of dry wit and humor-the Blairs take you along as they confront komodo dragons, chew betel nut in Sumba, witness a traditional Pasola battle, and herald the annual arrival on shore of the sacred nyale sea worms. Full of naive courage and boundless curiosity, they sought out Asmat headhunters/cannibals in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Undaunted, these dream wanderers went eye to eye with the fiery blast furnace of simmering Krakatoa. They commandeered a longboat upriver and trekked through the leech-ridden jungles of Borneo with native guides on an arduous land search for the secretive, traditional Punan hunter-gatherers. Ring of Fire chronicles their cultural encounters on Java as they visited the sultan's court (and sacred "kris" knife) and an acupuncturist who harnessed yin/yang energy to heal the sick with self-generated electric charges. Open-minded and non-judgmental about the diverse religions and customs they encountered, the Blairs became deeply enchanted by trance, and by the shadow screen nether world of the wayang kulit. Their travels took them back to Sulawesi for the funeral of the last king of Tanah Torajah-into a unique architectural-animist pocket where boat-shaped roofs rise out of the cool forest floor representing ancestral sky ships on their descent from heaven to earth.
The thrill-seeking, nomadic Blairs unexpectedly found themselves permanently landlocked and suspended-mind, soul, and body-in the island Shangrila that they discovered in Bali. An artist friend in Pengosekan-a vibrantly creative community of farmers and painters-invited them to build a new house on his land. In true, cooperative Balinese style, the brothers had only to pay for the necessary raw materials (bamboo, coconut wood, and elephant grass) and the religious celebration at the completion of the structure. The people of Pengosekan freely contributed their skilled labor and artistic expertise; this shared investment in and commitment to each other's dwellings works to further bind the village together. Sleeping and learning in their open-air platform obervatory perched high above the sculpted jade rice terraces, the Blair brothers came to call Bali their very own, lifelong island of the gods. They would return time and again-in between sometimes dangerous, always enlightening meetings with natural peoples along the equatorial frontier-to their permanent home base in Bali. It is here that they fell in love with one culture and one island out of the hundreds that they visited. Lawrence and Lorne fully explored their adopted pied à terre-from startling footage of the eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, to the cremation of famous 116-year-old Balinese artist Lempoad, to the opulent funeral procession of the last rajah of Gianyar. (When Lorne died on his beloved Bali in 1996, he was cremated and his remains returned to the sea in accordance with Bali-Hindu religious rites.) Their amazing adventures (available in book or video format) are the stuff of storybook legends-from the hidden rainforest peoples of Borneo, to islands where magicians still hold sway, to the sun-speckled spiritual haven of heart-shaped Bali.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is special., January 11, 2002

By 

"hanta-yo" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey (Paperback)

I was blown away by this book, as much by how spiritually aware it is and how well it was written. Wow! What an adventure!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, November 19, 2008

By 

Robert Lindsey (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of working with both Lorne and Lawrence Blair, separately, in Indonesia in the 1980's and 1990's. I have an autographed copy of the hard cover version of this book, "The Ring of Fire," as well as another book, "The River of Gems" about Borneo autographed by Lorne ("together we traveled the seven seas..."). Both Lorne (the older brother and videographer/writer) and Lawrence were magnificant story tellers (Lorne is deceased), and both were well-versed in the local "trade" language (Bahasa Indonesia - which became the national language of Indonesia after independence), traditions, religions, history and customs of the people living on the multitude of islands in Indonesia. Both lived on Bali at the time, and they often traveled with us on expeditions as interpreters, guides and lecturers. Through the two of them, I came to love Indonesia like no other place on earth, and some of my fondest memories are of those times and trips. Lawrence's spirited, spiritual, engaging speaking style spills over into his writing, and I can guarantee you, whether you have a current interest in Indonesia or not, you will become enchanted while reading this book and watching its companion DVDs. I would be willing to bet that you will go back to their source and read Alfred Russell Wallace's "The Malay Archipelago," the story of the original trip "the brothers Blair" recreated in their adventures while writing and filming "The Ring of Fire." And from there you will become curious about who really came up with the theory of "The Origin of Species," Darwin or Wallace (at the time of his death Lorne was trying to prove a theory that it was Wallace). And from there... oh, just read this book and watch the DVDs and become fascinated with another world, another land, another time...