Into the Carpathians: A Journey Through the Heart and History of Central and Eastern Europe (Part 1

Bronze Medal, 2016 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards: Best Regional Non-Fiction - Europe. Finalist, 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Travel.
An engaging and informative chronicle of a hiking and wildlife research expedition along the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains, from Romania to Germany, some 800 miles as the crow flies. (This volume, Part 1, covers the first half of the journey, through Romania and Ukraine.) On the trail of wolves, we are led deep into the misty hills, enchanting forests, and intriguing history of this fabled landscape, where encounters with wolves, bears, and lynx; werewolves, vampires, and witches; lumberjacks, shepherds, and outlaws; poets, tyrants, and saints; deities, demons, and sirens--and such ancient peoples as Proto-Indo-Europeans, Dacians, and Rus', and such imposing historical figures as Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler, and Volodymyr the Great--provide broad insight into the natural, historical, and mythological forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, the nations, cultures, and psyches along the way. 63 illuminating color photographs also emblaze this memorable trek.

Alan E. Sparks is the award-winning author of "Dreaming of Wolves" and "Into the Carpathians," and has written articles about wolves for International Wolf Magazine and other publications. As a writer, teacher of English as a second language, commercial actor, and web designer - and as an avid hiker, wolf tracker and caretaker, and student of history and culture - he has lived, worked, and trekked extensively in the Carpathian Mountain region of Central and Eastern Europe.