I won't score it because I did not make it to the end. I gave up. I thought it would be about following in RLS's footsteps through the islands -- instead it's about the author and his ongoing 12-step program.An early joke (I assume it was a joke) about our president being a Muslim from Africa made me want to throw the damned book across the room. I had let slide an earlier error on the history of Micronesia. Troost stated that Japan claimed the islands in order to place troops and fortifications there. Wrong. Japan received a mandate to care for the islands, and then established civilian colonies which flourished for 20 years. I'll concede there was economic exploitation, but there were no military bases until the late 1930s when WWII was already a given.I loved The Sex Lives of Cannibals -- having spend half a decade in the Pacific myself. Troost is a fine writer who needs to focus on something other than himself. Like other readers of this book, I had high expectations that the author would write with much of the same humor he did with his other books. It was hard to get through it. The first 100 pages were mostly about the author's alcoholism and recovery. The remainder of the book was some of that too. I didn't find much Stevenson or any ghosts in the writing, maybe 10% was actually about Stevenson's voyage to the Marquesas. The only reason I didn't give it one star is because there was a little bit of the author's humor that notched it up a little. I really wanted to read more about his unusual experiences written in the comic style he is known for. I barely laughed at all reading this compared to "Lost on Planet China" where I laughed through most of the book. I wish the author the best in his efforts not to relapse and hope this book helped him get through what he needed to...
So disappointed. I couldn't even finish the book. Sorry.
—audrey
Troost writes well, but his other books are much better.
—Katie
My least favorite Troost book thus far.
—Brianna95
I should've reread his old stuff.
—crecre
