Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 8/9/2016 + 1183 more book reviews

I have always been fascinated by stories of exploration and adventure -- both fiction and nonfiction. When I was younger, some of my favorite books included such pulp adventures as the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Doc Savage pulp adventures, Jules Verne's novels, H. Rider Haggard, and A. Merritt. All of these were stories of exploration and adventure with many of them including tales of lost worlds and cities. When I got older, I also discovered some real life explorers such as Sir Richard Burton and John Speke, who were in competition to find the source of the Nile River; Stanley and Livingstone; Ernest Shackleton and other polar explorers, etc. It always amazed me how these men had the courage to go into the unknown and do what they did.

The Lost City of Z tells the story of another explorer, Percy H. Fawcett, who at a young age joined the Royal Geographic Society and then was sent off to explore the Amazon.

Fawcett made several explorations of the region and was able to endure when many others had failed. This region was filled with so many things that could kill you or make you ill, including animals, insects, and the native Amazonian Indians. As Fawcett made his explorations in the Amazon, he gradually developed a theory that the Amazon contained a large lost city that was populated by a group of people that prospered there. His theory was based mainly on tales of early Spanish explorers who were seeking the lost city of gold -- El Dorado. Fawcett called this lost city Z. After many years of setbacks, including serving as an officer in WWI, in 1925, Fawcett set out to find Z along with his son and his son's friend. And then the group vanished, never to be heard from again.

This book also tells about the many parties who tried to find Fawcett after he vanished including the author's quest to discover what happened to him as he formed the basis of the book. I really enjoyed this story and the information included about Fawcett (who I had never heard of before this) and others who explored the Amazon in the early 20th century including Theodore Roosevelt. The details of the horrors of the region were also fascinating.

I also read that there is a movie version of this book coming out later this year. See trailer. I'll be looking forward to seeing it! A high recommendation for the book.

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