Donkey business  Jem Poster is disappointed by Magnus Mills's
unconventional historical novel, Explorers of the New Century
Explorers of the New Century by Magnus Mills  Explorers of the
New Century by Magnus Mills 192pp, Bloomsbury, £10.99  In the
early years of the 20th century, two parties of explorers are
struggling across a bleak land of shifting scree, wild waters
and towering rock formations, searching for the "Agreed Furthest
Point" - the furthest point, that is, from civilisation. Johns,
the leader of the larger group, is an affable Englishman with a
tendency to leave matters of discipline to his deputy, while his
Nordic counterpart, Tostig, commands his own small band of men
with cold efficiency. Tostig has stolen a march on Johns, making
landfall a few days in advance and taking what appears, at first
sight, to be the easier route; Johns decides to take the other
route rather than follow in his footsteps. There's no contact
between the two parties during their respective journeys, and
the narrative