In a world that's still fascinated by Indiana Jones and the stereotypical explorer finding riches among ruins, there's always room for another adventure story, and it's even better when the story is true. In The Lost City of Z, David Grann reexamines the story of Percy Fawcett, one of the most intrepid explorers of the early twentieth century, whose obsession with finding the fabled City of Z (also known as El Dorado) ultimately led to his disappearance and death in the jungles of the Amazon.
Fawcett had already successfully explored many uncharted areas of the world under the flag of the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain, mapping new areas and dealing successfully with hostile natives and unhealthy conditions. But he was endlessly fascinated with stories of the fabled City of Gold, hidden somewhere within the jungle. He launched several expeditions to find it before he ultimately disappeared and was never seen again. In the years since then, many people have tried to find out what became of Fawcett, without success.
Enter author David Grann, a reporter who also became fascinated with Fawcett and his fate. Grann ultimately decided to make his own expedition into the jungle to see if he could discover what became of Fawcett, and with help from local people and an archaeologist, he found what seems to be the most definitive answer yet to Fawcett's fate.
What really makes this book a wonderful read is Grann's ability to interweave Fawcett's story with his own modern search for information about the explorer. The result is a readable and exciting narrative that is never dull or dry. It's a great way for an armchair adventurer to experience the excitement and hardships of a trek through the Amazon jungle without the bugs, heat, or leaving the comforts of home.
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