Whether or not you intend to visit the islands of Malaysia, this book will entertain you with the adventures and perils faced by the various visitors to the different islands. Written in a narrative style, it provides readers with handy and insightful information on how to go about planning a trip and what to expect from day to day, which no other travelling handbook can compete. The authors draw a realistic and colourful picture of the different islands and what they have to offer. This book is bound to tug at your heartstrings, enticing you to experience the charm of the Malaysian islands firsthand.

A picture says a thousand words. To me, this book is better than a thousand pictures. The interesting tales told by independent travellers bring me closer to the actual experience of being on these islands, compared to any other commercial travel books. I'm already looking forward to volume 2!

I will use this partly as a guide for my next trip to asia and the malaysian islands ...

Malaysian Islands: the Good, the Bad and the Finest is a fun, personal tour through the, well, Malaysian Islands. Packed with humour, paranoia and personal insights, it goes beyond the usual cut and dried information offered in travel guides and gets straight to the questions that every traveller asks about a foreign place including: 'How prudish are the people?', 'How do I stay out of jail?' and 'Will I get eaten by a man-eating shark?'

Instead of giving you dry facts like other guidebooks do, the stories in this book offer lively reports of Malaysian resort spots based on firsthand experiences. Because of the nature of the book, what’s written in it may be different from what you feel. In fact, you may not agree with anything the writers say since they all wrote from their hearts. But what I can tell you for sure is that this book WILL make you want to go to Malaysia to see if the writers are telling the truth.

I have visited quite a few islands in Malaysia and my choice of resorts had always been the result of word-of-mouth, which often comes to me in bits and pieces. This guide is valuable to me for two simple reasons: the book speaks from true experience without hype and misleading facts; it also allows me to choose the best island destinations, which my family and I deserve.

If you have heard so much about tropical islands in Asia, especially Malaysia, and if you are thinking of diving or snorkeling or just getting tanned while enjoying powdery white sand, crystal clear water and fresh coconut juices, then this book tells it all. A collection of stories from backpackers and travellers to the popular islands of Malaysia - downright honest and straight to the point - of what's great and what's not so pleasant. Stories and facts that travel agents wouldn't know themselves. Stories that left me imagining how it must have felt when being surrounded by hundreds of colorful fish while scuba diving in the marine parks, or when spotting your first huge greenback turtle while snorkelling, or how nauseating it must have been to ride on a bumpy speedboat after a long night of drinking and partying with a bunch of crazy backpackers and hilarious locals. Peter also did a commendable job by finishing his book with useful "Malaysian" resources - of local places, food and anything Malaysian that was mentioned in the tales.

Want to know more folk tales of Malaysia? This is definitely the book you need. Although I am born a Malaysian, I am ashamed to say that I have not heard of half the stories that has been compiled here. The contributors did a great job as well - the stories are narrated in such a way that you actually see the islands through their eyes. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I have.