IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY

In Australia, Bill Bryson has an intrinsically fascinating subject: spaces extreme in their vastness, primeval landscapes and improbable creatures. His travelogue, sprinkled with history and contemporary culture notes, rarely rises much above this established level of interest, though the stories he favors about encounters with deadly animals, the triumphs and blunders of early explorers, and his own exploits are often amusing. Although Bryson occasionally sounds like a disgruntled hotel reviewer, generally his even, placid reading allows the wonders of the place--ancient, stirring Uluru; foraging echidnas; dusty outback sunsets--and his experiences with them to come vividly to life. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]