This one was sent to me by e-mail from Mr Alan Hippman. A review of the novel "Zhetybay" by Robert Collinson. I enjoyed reading Zhetybay; it was easy for me to identify with the setting and characters, having spent much of my life in similar circumstances. The characters are true to life, although this may seem unlikely to many; in my experience I’ve come across many people with the same attitudes and behaviour. The dialogue brings the story to life, it’s fluid and allows the story to develop easily. It’s a reflection on the lives and challenges facing people working in the oil & gas industry in what are usually called “remote locations” although for the people from these areas it’s the rest of the world which is remote. The lives and traditions of the Kazakhs, in terms of their long term history and also their more recent history as part of the Soviet Union and subsequent independence, are reflected in the characters and events related. For those familiar with the setting this story will evoke recollections of their own experience. Although I found the story very accessible, for those with no oilfield experience or experience in the region it may seem far-fetched and will be less accessible.