The Lost City of Z

A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

By: David Grann

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon.

After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century": What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?

In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history.

For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions, Fawcett embarked with his 21-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization, which he dubbed "Z", existed. Then he and his expedition vanished.

Fawcett's fate, and the tantalizing clues he left behind about "Z", became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party and the lost City of Z. As David Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett's quest, and the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle's "green hell". His quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett's fate and "Z" form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.

©2009 David Grann (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"The story of Z goes to the heart of the central questions of our age. In the battle between man and a hostile environment, who wins? A fascinating and brilliant book." (Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point)

Good not great

This story lures you with the promise of early twentieth century adventure. But the record of Fawcett’s incompleted attempt to discover an ancient Amazonian city is simply lacking in enough details that the reader is left to speculation without much drama. The explorers who tried to account for Fawcett’s disappearance don’t have compelling stories themselves but much of the book is about their own failed attempts. There’s just not a lot of THERE there until the final pages.

A Worthy Read for Armchair Explorers

David Grann produces a worthy read with "Z". He painstakingly pieces together the mystery of Percy Fawcett's fate while undergoing his own quest. This is an exciting, well documented journey into one man's obsession that alighted the world in the 1920s -- and you'll walk away with a sense of what it was really like to enter an unknown world. The unbelievable hardships and courage to undertake such an adventure will astound -- and just when you think you've got it all figured out -- the ending will amaze.

Onward to the Amazon

If you could sum up The Lost City of Z in three words, what would they be?

This books tells the fascinating story of world famous explorer Fawcett and his numerous treks to the Amazon. Part history book, cultural analysis and the description of a man whose maniacal quest that put himself and his entire family at risk. Fascinating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has to be Fawcett. The term obsessive-compulsive gets thrown around a lot today, after reading this book your definition will change. I guarantee it.

Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I thought he did a good job. This is fundamentally a fist person account, and the author is a relatively young man. the author captured his enthusiasm and perspective very well. Solid job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It cannot be discounted how much courage it took the author to do what he did. From an apartment in NYC, to a trip to a sporting goods store to going to the Amazon... wow. the authors journey was fascinating and added to the back-story of Fawcett and his maniacal quest.

Any additional comments?

The style of the book is essentially reporting based. There is no real narrative, but several levels of history, current events and historical documentation. If you are interested in learning about this fascinating region, and the efforts to understand it over the years, you will enjoy this book. I did ad I highly recommend it.

A good historical overview of Amazonia.

An entertaining introduction to the rich history of western exploration of Amazonia and the perils of trekking through the unwelcoming jungle.

Amazing story

The first few hours were very drawn out and if you can stick with it through that, the story keeps you compelled the rest of the way until the very last word.

Great story, mixed narrative and narration

The story itself is fascinating, but the narration jumps around a fair amount between the story of Percy Fawcett in the modern-day author's related Adventures. Perhaps this would be easier to follow if reading, but in the audio version it can get a bit confusing. the narrator himself doesn't okay job, if not a bit ho-hum.

short story

it felt like it just stops. I was expecting some kind of adventure through the Amazon. It wasn't

Very Interesting

I was not aware of Fawcett before this book. He is a character who is definitely worth reading about.

fantastic

i really enjoyed this book and all the details, except I kept getting confused and lost of who is who and what period of time he was talking about. the narrator did a great job.

Great story about the American abyss!

If you could sum up The Lost City of Z in three words, what would they be?

Great read for those who like unsolved mysteries of the past. The writing and narration were spot on.

What did you like best about this story?

It had great depth and historical relevance.

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?

He is a great narrator with appropriate emotion and cold delivery when necessary.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Must see true story.