⋙ PDF The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the eBook David Grann

The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the eBook David Grann

Download As PDF : The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the eBook David Grann

The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the eBook David Grann

I enjoy reading books focusing on exploration, and the Amazon basin is a source rich in possibility. The book River of Doubt, chronicling Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon adventure was particularly entertaining. I was somewhat disappointed, therefore, by this book, which is a quasi-biography of Percy Fawcett and his history of Amazon exploration.

I say quasi-biography, because it is largely focused on Fawcett's disappearance and the author's belated search for clues as to his fate. The search for Fawcett became something of a cottage industry in the early to mid 1900s as numerous attempts were made to solve the mystery, many ending tragically. It's safe to say that Fawcett and his two companions either died of starvation/disease or were killed by hostile Indians. Not really much mystery there.

Fawcett and many of his contemporaries were lured to the Amazon by the promise of riches, and the belief that a rich civilization once thrived in the region; referred to by many early Spaniards as El Dorado but termed "Z" by Fawcett. Accounts of such explorations are fascinating in their description of the hardships and unique experiences encountered by the explorers, though this book seems somewhat light in that respect, especially when compared to such books as River of Doubt and Stephen Ambrose's Lewis & Clark work. Too little detail on the travails encountered by the explorers is provided.

The book rotates between accounts of Fawcett's exploits and those of the author in retracing Fawcett's steps. As a result, the flow of the narrative is disrupted and the overall story suffers as a result. Finally, the author finally claims that an advanced civilization has actually been recently uncovered in precisely the region that Fawcett was exploring, in effect positing that Fawcett's "Z" actually existed and was at least as advanced, if not more so, than contemporary settlements in Europe and Africa. While this may be true, I have not heard of it and suspect that the author is engaging in a bit of conjecture to the benefit of his subject and story line (again, I could be wrong).

For those looking for a more satisfying experience in the realm of exploration, I would highly recommend the aforementioned River of Doubt and Ambrose's Lewis and Clark account, Undaunted Courage. Alan Morehead has written two fascinating accounts of Nile exploration and Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance is a spellbinder.


Tags : The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon - Kindle edition by David Grann. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon.,ebook,David Grann,The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon,Vintage,1867-1925?,Amazon River Region,Amazon River Region;Description and travel.,Death and burial,Description And Travel,Discovery And Exploration (General),El Dorado,El Dorado.,Expeditions & Discoveries,Explorers,Explorers;Amazon River Region.,Fawcett, Percy Harrison,,History,History - General History,History Expeditions & Discoveries,History General,History Latin America South America,History: World,Latin America - South America,Expeditions & Discoveries,History Expeditions & Discoveries,History General,History Latin America South America,Latin America - South America,History - General History,Description And Travel,Discovery And Exploration (General),1867-1925?,Amazon River Region,Death and burial,El Dorado,Explorers,Fawcett, Percy Harrison,,History,History: World

The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the eBook David Grann Reviews

I ordered this novel after reading "The Lost City Of The Monkey God A True Story" by Douglas Preston. Several reviewers of Mr. Preston's book referred "The Lost City Of Z" as being quite a bit better and more true to what has been regarded as classic archaeology. After reading "Z" I have to agree with those reviewers. This novel is mainly concerned with the exploration of the region in the early 1900's, with the technology of boat motors, airplanes, and short wave radio just beginning to be utilized. "Monkey God" is set in today's time and the explorers have new and up-to-date technology available to help them locate and analyze the ruins that they were searching for.

However, Douglas Preston's story feels more 'human' and draws you in from the descriptions of the various obstacles encountered and (sometimes) overcome. His first person descriptions of what he and his team went through take you right into the heart of their group. You encounter the rain, insects, snakes, diseases, and other hardships that they experience. It feels personal, actually uncomfortably personal, making it too easy to put yourself in their shoes and put their pain and discomfort on your own shoulders. Reading "Z" was like watching a National Geographic special. Reading "Monkey God" was like watching (and experiencing) the difficulties constantly encountered by participants on the TV show "Naked and Afraid".

It took me a while to get into the rhythm of "The Lost City Of Z" because of the shifting perspectives and time frames. David Grann obviously did a lot of research and utilized many different resources in order to compile a lot of factual and interesting information pertinent to the travails of Percy Fawcett while searching for his 'holy grail'. Colonel Fawcett is to be commended for his drive, intelligence, and physical abilities in being able to challenge such difficult conditions over and over again. His accomplishments in helping to map previously unexplored regions are surprising and extremely admirable considering the myriad obstacles encountered.

Unfortunately, while each has its place, "Z" reads more like a history book while "Monkey God" is a living and breathing adventure. Each to his own.
I loved reading this book because of its diversity. You get a well rounded history from multiple accounts of the many cursed expeditions into the . The crazy men who dared to do it (both present and past), violent tribal peoples (though you understand why they're so hostile to foreigners), the nearly impassable terrain, the odd and bizarre creatures that reside their, and in the end, a plausible archaeologically based theory behind why people thought there was a large rich city once in the . Like all things, people's imaginations run wild, but the author also brings you back down the earth with the reality of the jungle which left me with the overall conclusion that these grandiose theories of a Lost City of Z were really just grand exaggerations of much more practical evidence of a fairly developed, but long lost, past civilization.

Some people criticize the book for only getting to the final expedition at the very end of the book. But I believe this criticism is unwarranted. You can't just jump into the final expedition without getting the backstory and context of the people, place, and time. I feel the author did a marvelous job of jumping around and pacing the book, so that when you get to the final expedition, you're well versed in the context and prepared to understand why things went down the way they did.

Fantastic read, and I shall keep this book as a permanent fixture in my collection. Too bad I only got it in paperback... dang.
I enjoy reading books focusing on exploration, and the basin is a source rich in possibility. The book River of Doubt, chronicling Theodore Roosevelt's adventure was particularly entertaining. I was somewhat disappointed, therefore, by this book, which is a quasi-biography of Percy Fawcett and his history of exploration.

I say quasi-biography, because it is largely focused on Fawcett's disappearance and the author's belated search for clues as to his fate. The search for Fawcett became something of a cottage industry in the early to mid 1900s as numerous attempts were made to solve the mystery, many ending tragically. It's safe to say that Fawcett and his two companions either died of starvation/disease or were killed by hostile Indians. Not really much mystery there.

Fawcett and many of his contemporaries were lured to the by the promise of riches, and the belief that a rich civilization once thrived in the region; referred to by many early Spaniards as El Dorado but termed "Z" by Fawcett. Accounts of such explorations are fascinating in their description of the hardships and unique experiences encountered by the explorers, though this book seems somewhat light in that respect, especially when compared to such books as River of Doubt and Stephen Ambrose's Lewis & Clark work. Too little detail on the travails encountered by the explorers is provided.

The book rotates between accounts of Fawcett's exploits and those of the author in retracing Fawcett's steps. As a result, the flow of the narrative is disrupted and the overall story suffers as a result. Finally, the author finally claims that an advanced civilization has actually been recently uncovered in precisely the region that Fawcett was exploring, in effect positing that Fawcett's "Z" actually existed and was at least as advanced, if not more so, than contemporary settlements in Europe and Africa. While this may be true, I have not heard of it and suspect that the author is engaging in a bit of conjecture to the benefit of his subject and story line (again, I could be wrong).

For those looking for a more satisfying experience in the realm of exploration, I would highly recommend the aforementioned River of Doubt and Ambrose's Lewis and Clark account, Undaunted Courage. Alan Morehead has written two fascinating accounts of Nile exploration and Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance is a spellbinder.