Book cover of A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East

Book description

Warned by a fortune-teller not to risk flying, the author - a seasoned correspondent - took to travelling by rail, road and sea. Consulting fortune-tellers and shamans wherever he went, he learnt to understand and respect older ways of life and beliefs now threatened by the crasser forms of Western…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked A Fortune-Teller Told Me as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Warned by a Hong-Kong fortune-teller not to risk flying for a whole year, the author – a vastly experienced Far East war and revolutions correspondent of the German Der Spiegel – took what he called “the first step into an unknown world.” It turned out to be one of the most extraordinary years he ever spent: he was marked by death and instead he was reborn. Geography expanded under his feet. Magnificently written in the best traditions of travel literature. A full immersion into the invisible world and belief systems that shape Southeast Asian cultures.

From Idanna's list on far-flung places and times.

Terzani is one of those grizzled war correspondents from the old days, a man of vast knowledge and keen observations. He is gifted with the storyteller’s tongue and the artist’s eyes. His travels, adventures, and reflections, noted over two decades ago, are as timely today as ever. This is a must-read semi-modern classic.

From Andrew's list on for travelers to Asia.

If you love A Fortune-Teller Told Me...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like A Fortune-Teller Told Me?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like A Fortune-Teller Told Me.

Browse books like A Fortune-Teller Told Me

Book cover of King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Book cover of From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey
Book cover of The Lover

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like A Fortune-Teller Told Me, you might also like...

Book cover of Foxfire in the Snow

Foxfire in the Snow by J.S. Fields,

It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.

Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…

Book cover of The Main Gate

The Main Gate by Yvonne Kjorlien,

Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.

Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…

5 book lists we think you will like!