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)

Amazing book

Couldn't stop listening, heard about it on NPR book club excellent source.
The narrator was very captivating as well, much recommended.

Interesting story

True stories are always interesting to me. This was no exception. The disappearance of Colonel Fawcett and two others while on an exploration expedition of the Amazon in the 1920's in well known. This author gives us a good back story on the man and his motives for risking his life and fortunes and those of his oldest son and the son's best friend.

great story line. great narration!

great story line. it flows will. the narration is great, not monotonic. will listen to again!

Story was a bit of a slog in places, which is appropriate to the historical subject matter

Like I said, the story of slogging through uncomfortable jungle and all the descriptions of physical and mental hardship made this one of those books I kept having to will myself to go back to.
But really, that, if anything just gives you a sense of what a masterful journalist David Grann is.

A bit of a ho-hum

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

No. I thought it would be an adventure but it read more like a piece of history.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'll be tuning into Deep Survival

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?

The performance was fine, very even keel.

Was The Lost City of Z worth the listening time?

No. I didn't even finish it. I got to about the last 20 minutes and decided it was enough. I may return to finish it up.

Any additional comments?

The story was hard to follow. There was the central thread of Percy Fawcett's exploration but there were so many other search parties going on that I couldn't follow what year it was and which exploration was being discussed. A little confusing and not really an adventure. More a historical dissection of the exploration of the Amazon.

Push me, pull you

I found this book enthralling by fits and starts. The portions that discussed the experiences of the turn of the century Amazon explorers were very absorbing. My attention drifted, however, during the portions that discussed the author's own preparations and ultimate experience. Those parts left me finally feeling like I'd listened to a shaggy dog story, with an ending crafted toward meeting a deadline.

slow start but ends with a bang

the author takes sometime to get to where he's going what the story is great

Long but informative

Great performance by the narrator. I feel the author went in to way too much detail. A large section of the book was forgettable but I found the ending the most interesting and informative.

Was "OK"

Choppy... Thought I would enjoy it more. Was lack luster. Needed more excitement. BUT I did because curious and started to read about the truly real lives of the characters. Thank you for that inspiration.

probably a better read than a listen

It's a decent story but a weak narrator. And be warned, the writer's Amazon trip part of the search is only the last hour or so of the book, the rest is about what happened before.
Story is better than 3 but less than 4 stars, maybe 3.7