BOOK: Lost City of Z

Percy Fawcett at Mato Grosso where he disappeared.

They were never heard from again, gone disappeared swallowed by the jungle of the Amazon. Percy Fawcett’s, his son and a companion seemly swallowed by unknown factors as they searched for the legendary “Lost City of Z.” The expedition and it's inconclusive end have fascinated the world since 1925. Fawcett was the last of the great expeditionary explorers financed by the Royal Geographical Society in London. He was obsessed with this legendary, “city of gold,” supposedly an ancient place of great sophistication and culture; a city that beckoned with the lure of ancient riches and treasures, yet was shrouded in danger, mystery and excitement. It all sounds like an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel and it is out of that era of exploratory jungle adventures that this story grew and had its genesis. The legend had been around for 400 years and many had perished in the jungle trying to find what was also called El Dorado. Fawcwt believed the stories and headed for the jungle. But word never came from that jungle, months passed then years, Fawcett had vanished like others before him. The mystery went unsolved for decades, but in 2004 author David Grann stumbled upon the story and also became obsessed. The result, Grann’s own expedition and then book, “The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession In the Amazon.” If you like classic tales of adventure this book is for you. In the first part of the book Grann describes the jungle terrors that Fawcett and his small party of three faced daily: starvation, bloodthirsty tribes, maggot infestations, tropical diseases, deadly rapids, poisonous snakes, anacondas and piranha. But the draw of this book is the mystery__what happened to Fawcett? Did you think I would tell you and spoil the book and your fun. And fun it is, which comes from reading this book and anticipating its ending. It’s truly an adventure and a well written one at that. But I can say there is a satisfying ending. Does Grann romanticize Fawcett’s story? Perhaps, but this is just too good of an adventure story not to read. And my hunch is that Grann’s assessment of Fawcett’s expedition is pretty much on the money. If you want to read a true to life adventure in the vain of Edgar Rice Burroughs or H. Rider Haggard, read this book.