This Is The Next Century" by Jonny Blair: Aftershot and Starogard Girl reviewed

Travel Writer Jonny Blair has backpacked over 200 countries in the last 20 years, releasing 10+ books on those journeys, to coincide with his 5,000 post, robust Don't Stop Living blog. His 2015 to 2021 series is called "This Is The Next Century", and as the title suggests, it is covering the countries on Jonny's "next century" of his insane journey, that is of course, countries 100 to 200. Where he will end up is anyone's guess as he traverses through wacaday republics, unknown states, disputed nations, closed borders, outlandish regions, micronations, teenage pipe dreams, curious projects, lonely islands and all that tends to a true whackpacking madness. What is perhaps most intriguing, is Blair's invention and prolonged use of his own words and phrases throughout his journeys, such as whackpacking, nutsloyal and aftershot...

"If it exists as a place, I'll go to it" - Jonny Blair (2016).

Volume 1: AFTERSHOT

And so with no further ado,"Aftershot" is the title of the first book in the "This is the Next Century" series. This book is authored by Jonny Blair, a Northern Irish writer and travel blogger from the seaside city of Bangor in North Down. The full title of this volume is "This Is The Next Century Part 1: Aftershot", and it serves as the first volume in his series documenting his travels after visiting his 100th country, hence why it is the next century. This volume covers the period from March 2015 to June 2016, detailing his experiences in countries such as Tunisia, Bangladesh, and the Faroe Islands, as well as lesser-known countries like Austenasia, Podjistan, and Adammia. 

Blair will also delve into Chernobyl here, backpack overland in and out of Afghanistan with tales of love lost, wanderlust and Ulsteric charm. There would never be an ordinary day in this wild tale of wandering feet.

The book Aftershot was published on Lulu on January 17, 2024.

Volume 2: STAROGARD GIRL

"Starogard Girl" is the second volume in Jonny Blair's "This Is The Next Century" series, chronicling his travels from his 100th to 200th country. Perhaps his most secretive and scrumptious work yet, the book intertwines poetry, travel narratives, and a personal love story centered around a lady who appears to come from Starogard Gdański, Poland; or not as the case may be. The story unfolds itself after a sponsored tour of The Gambia and Senegal, where a lonely beach provides the start of the penning here on route to a bigger dream, in the French riviera resort of Nice.

In this volume, Blair recounts his experiences of the GAWA (if you don't know the meaning, the book will soon tell you). After a wild time in Lyon and overlanding to Belgium at the last minute, Jonny Blair highlights how his encounters with the "Starogard Girl" influenced his journey and led him on a wild one, locked in a timeshell. The narrative is noted for its unexpected twists and suspenseful storytelling.

Beyond his writing, Jonny Blair also composed an acoustic song titled "Starogard Girl," reflecting the themes of his book. An acoustic demo clip of the song was released in February 2024 and appears on YouTube. ​The poem and song go hand in hand with Starogard Girl whose charming lips salivated on a wandering Northern Irishman with a notorious backpack.

The book Starogard Girl was published on November 15, 2024.