Rate: 3/5

Medium: AudioBook

Overview (No Spoilers): The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon chronicles the life and mystery surrounding the British explorer Col. Percy Fawcett, as well as David Grann’s quest to retrace Fawcett’s last doomed journey. Fawcett is a fascinating character that seems too big to have really existed with his legendary stamina and will under dire circumstances throughout his explorations in the Amazon region being well documented. Grann does an excellent job detailing the horrors faced by the surveyors, e.g., a myriad of blood sucking, poisonous insects, snakes, starvation, maggots, diseases, and hostile tribes, thereby relaying to the reader the dreadful and deadly situations experienced during the explorations. Fawcett, upon becoming obsessed with the concept of a lost city in the Amazon, orchestrates several failed missions to find the hidden city of riches. On the last fateful expedition, Fawcett’s disappearing with his 21 year old son, Jack and Jack’s best friend Raleigh Rimell. Due to the worldwide attention, received by the ill fated party, along with the mysterious, secretive nature adopted by Percy for this trip, additional explorers soon ventured into the dangerous jungle to attempt a rescue, often sacrificing their own lives. Overall, Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon was a highly enjoyable, easy read which takes the reader into the unbelievable, all too real world of the Amazon. As a side note, I’m very much looking forward to watching the 2016 movie adaption of Percy Fawcett’s life staring Charlie Hunnam. I may have to switch gears add movie critiques to my blog.