Uncovering the Mystery of the Lost City of Z: A Story of Perilous Pursuit in the Amazon Rainforest

bolar guru prasad: A book worth reading to appreciate the hardships and adventures encountered in Amazon

India on Sep 30, 2023

G. C. Carter: This 2005 book entitled: “The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon” by David Grann is a well written and entertaining story of explorations of South America primarily by “Colonel” Percy Harrison Fawcett and those who followed in his path to explore South America mainly in the vicinity of the Amazon river. This reviewer selected it after first reading another more recent excellent book by David Grann: “The Wager”. The lost city of Z provides great insight into indigenous tribes, how they lived and how they interacted with European explorers. Both books are worth purchasing and reading.
Illustrative of how Grann tells this story about exploring the Amazon, he writes: “I had come simply to record how generations of scientists and adventurers became fatally obsessed with solving what has often been described as “the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century”—the whereabouts of the lost City of Z… For nearly a century, explorers have sacrificed everything, even their lives, to find the City of Z. The search for the civilization, and for the countless men who vanished while looking for it, has eclipsed the Victorian quest novels...

United States on Jun 27, 2023

Arlete: Não fala só da aventura em si, acrescenta vários fatos reais e contextualiza com passado e presente. MUITO melhor que o filme

Brazil on Jun 09, 2020

Gaby: Un eccellente racconto di uomini avventurosi che sfidano il pericolo per la conoscenza.

Italy on Jan 31, 2020

Nézondet: A fascinating story of a man who went to the end of his quest and dream.

France on Jul 16, 2019

Wolf: Es un buen libro para cerrar el día desde cama, las descripciones no son tan profundas como en cualquier otra novela/historia pero tiene suficientes datos como poder despertar tu curiosidad y leer más de PHF. Completamente recomendable si te encanta la historia y los relatos de aventuras

Mexico on Jan 24, 2018

J. Puckett: I'll keep this short and sweet, since most other reviews have covered everything. This book was a great read, steeped in mystery and intrigue. I had never heard of Percy Harrison Fawcett before I started reading this book, and now I'll never forget his story.

Overall, the book was well written. The style accentuates the material, and what could become boring tales of endless hacking through the jungle, doesn't. Luckily for us, PHF was trained in the art of notation, and luckily again, the author's research was well traveled. All the detail you could want is here, and even in a jungle that is thick and barely passable, you can see everything clearly.

I gave this book four stars instead of five for two reasons. The first is that the ending seemed a little too abrupt for me. It could be because I was reading it on the Kindle, and the book literally ends with around 70-75% left on the progress bar. The rest is references and pictures at the end. I also had read some reviews here that proclaim a "surprise" ending, one that I personally did not happen upon. It seemed the final conclusion was merely another man's guess, however intriguing. My second grievance with this book...

United States on May 13, 2009

James R. Holland: Forty years ago, when I was young and crazy, I made three trips down the Amazon River or it's tributaries. That's what made me want to read this true-life story of one of the most enduring mysteries of jungle exploration. I can vouch for the book's descriptions of endless jungle, every kind of insect and disease one can imagine, poison snakes everywhere, piranhas (although this book failed to point out those flesh eating fish are usually only found in quiet pools, not where the current is strong) and the fact that traveling on the ground is next to impossible. It would have been much more dangerous when explorer Lt. Colonel Percy Fawcett was doing it. Starvation was one of the reasons that so many explorers died in the jungle, because as described so accurately in this account, it is next to impossible to even see any game that could be eaten, much less managing to kill and eat it. Living off the land is next to impossible for non-Indians. Some insect bites wouldn't cause much of a problem at the time they occurred, but would kill the victim years later. The Amazon jungle really is a "Green Hell." Fawcett's friend Conan Dole used some of Fawcett's tales in his classic "The Lost...

United States on May 09, 2009