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“Most inspiring sports book for Christmas” Sunday Times 2011
“Sports Books for Christmas” Sunday Telegraph 2011
“Best summer holiday reads” Sunday Telegraph 2011
“Essential summer reading” Sunday Times 2011

National Press

“Complex and ambitious. Compelling and lyrical.”
Mail on Sunday *****
“An engrossing introduction to Spain’s ‘great feast of art and danger’…brilliantly capturing a fascinating, intoxicating culture.”
Sunday Times
“A compelling read, unusual for its genre, exalting the bullfight as pure theatre.”
Sunday Telegraph
“An informed piece of work on a subject about which we are all expected to have a view.”
Daily Mail
“Thrilling. An engrossing introduction to bullfighting.”
Financial Times
“Fantastic. A fascinating insight into a world we know little about but are quick to judge.”
Metro

International Press

“An informative and breathtaking volume of gonzo journalism”
The Herald (Scotland)
“Intoxicating. Pulses with the writer’s love of the world and the people he has found himself among.”
The Australian (Australia)
“A thoughtful, well-researched and deeply felt investigation… vivid evocations of men who risk their lives in a beautiful, vulgar battle with the bulls.”
The Prague Post (Czech Republic)

Magazines

“An entertaining account seeks a demonstration of the values which distinguish bullfighting from butchery.”
The Spectator
“Particularly good. Transposes spectacle into words with great success, conveying the drama with eloquence and precision.”
Literary Review
“An engaging adventure story of a young man pursuing a dream with determination and courage.”
The Times Literary Supplement

Pro- & Anti-Bullfighting Organisations

“To his credit, Fiske-Harrison acknowledges the morally questionable nature of the bullfight. And the book contains interesting explorations of concepts such as fear, bravery and drive.”
League Against Cruel Sports
“A larger than life character. A hugely enjoyable and easy read. Moving and instructive.”
Club Taurino of London
“One of the most engaging books on the Bulls I have ever read. One feels every failure, every success, every thrill.”
Taurine Bibliophiles of America

Post Script: An epilogue to Into The Arena, a final chapter concerning the return to the ring of the author’s first teacher, the matador Juan José Padilla, with only one eye following a near fatal goring last year, is in the current issue of GQ magazine, on shelves now. Into The Arena also tops GQ magazine’s recommended books list.