Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Mari El, and Udmurtia. They sound like countries out of a Conan comic or planets Captain Kirk might have visited. But they are very much real, and Daniel Kalder has visited them — chiefly because they have "no representation in the Western imagination."

You'll learn that the capital city of Tatarstan was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible in 1552; Kalmykia's president, who was recently re-elected as the head of the International Chess Federation, believes he was abducted by aliens; some natives of Mari El's Yoshkar Ola still worship trees; and the inventor of the AK-47 hails from Udmurtia.

Kalder's travelogue is an odd book. It begins with a manifesto that concerns the behavior of "anti-tourists" (if the words "four-star," "first-class," or "fanny pack" are part of your travel experience, you're definitely not an anti-tourist). The book is riddled with black-and-white photographs bearing captions such as "The Secret History of the World #15, 611" and subtitles such as "An Irritating Interlude to Build Suspense" — of which there is very little.

Admittedly, Lost Cosmonaut is, on occasion, boring, but it's meant to be. Kalder refuses to invent or enhance his experiences. If the highlight of an evening in, say, Elista is a crap meal in the Sputnik Café, that's exactly what he describes. Extreme journalism it's not, but it just might be the perfect book to take with you on your next trip. Most travelers will be grateful that they're not in one of the "noplaces" that Kalder so lovingly describes; but perhaps some travelers, inspired by this anti-tourist manifesto, will stray from their hotels, wander off the grid, and discover something completely ordinary.

-Jim Ruland