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)

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.

Works on you

Took me a few chapters to become invested in the story. After becoming aware the story was being written from a biographical point of ideas an autobiographical view.
Almost unbelievable the hardships and the little monetary gain Percy Fawcett and those that joined him received from his explorations.

Interesting but a synopsis read is enough

This book is a valiant attempt to make a history read accessible and exciting. The reader was monotone and boring and this may have infected the story for me. honestly the end is interesting but the time wasted to get there was not worth it.

A Good Story Expertly Written

A very entertaining listen that is very well produced in all aspects of the audio format. The author does a great job with admittedly sometimes scant and speculative material.

An "OK" book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not, I would try to help them find something better.

Any additional comments?

Too much filler. It got slow at times, and didn't really get interesting until the latter part.

Enjoyed the history of the amazon

This was a nice compliment story for someone interested in the Amazon. There probably isn't enough information about the Fawcett journey to write actual details about the last trip and what happened to them so the bigger picture story was enjoyable. I appreciated that he connected this to 1491-- which could of used some of this action in that book!

Great book, compelling and highly detailed

Begins with adventure and mystery, but the deeper you go into fawcetts life you see a compassionate, loving humanist which seemed to be in short supply in the eta of WWI. Highly recommended for anyone looking to venture outside the realm of city life and or a father looking to make a connection with their children. Fawcwett is all of us.

Good stuff

That’s some history I haven’t studied yet. I appreciate the introduction. I hope to find some other books along the same sort of history.

Obsession

Reminded me of the the Journey to San Cristobal of A. H. An obsessed of exploration of the degree I find difficult to understand. While this was a good, solid read, I preferred The Wager by Mr. Grann.