A Land So Strange

The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca

By: Andres Resendez

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1528, a mission set out from Spain to colonize Florida. But the expedition went horribly wrong: Delayed by a hurricane, knocked off course by a colossal error of navigation, and ultimately doomed by a disastrous decision to separate the men from their ships, the mission quickly became a desperate journey of survival.

Of the 300 men who had embarked on the journey, only four survived - three Spaniards and an African slave. This tiny band endured a horrific march through Florida, a harrowing raft passage across the Louisiana coast, and years of enslavement in the American Southwest. They journeyed for almost 10 years in search of the Pacific Ocean that would guide them home, and they were forever changed by their experience. The men lived with a variety of nomadic Indians and learned several indigenous languages. They saw lands, peoples, plants, and animals that no outsider had ever seen before.

In this enthralling tale of four castaways wandering in an unknown land, Andres Resndez brings to life the vast, dynamic world of North America just a few years before European settlers would transform it forever.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2007 Andres Resendez (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Told from an intriguing and original perspective, Reséndez's narrative is a marvelous addition to the corpus of survival and adventure literature." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A must-read for anyone interested in the early history of European exploration in North America—or in real-life adventure, compellingly told." ( Bookmarks)

Loved It!

I love SW Spanish American history! So different from the typical colonial USA stories.

This one is a must read!

Excellently crafted story, wonderful adventure history. Concise and to the point, very clear.

Performance is flawless! One of my favorites ever!

Both an adventure novel and a history book

This was in essence a very well written adventure novel using only factual accounts of the real life events. At times this does mean the listener is left to speculate or ponder certain things, but that's true of most any objective account of history where perfect knowledge is impossible. I found the entire thing deeply captivating and very educational on the lesser known early period of European and native American interactions (as opposed to the much more often considered 1800s timeframe). highly recommended read!

compelling story!

extraordinarily narrated, I've enjoyed it twice in a row! highly recommended to all the history buffs!

Slow build up, but worth the effort

The author took a bit of time setting the scene, but it developed into a great story with perfect background.

Fabulous story and historical piece!

We are so lucky to have Cabeza De Vacas and the crews story to look back on. Such an incredible peak back into truth of how the Americas were settled and taken from the original native inhabitants. The tale moved me to tears at various points. I hope humans can stop dominating each other one day.

Eye opening encounters of different native cultures

Highly recommend this audiobook/book to anyone interested in conquistadors or the age of discovery. Huge differences in the way tribes reacted to the European adventurers, and the hardships they endured exploring our broad country.

Wonderful book

Enjoy this book a lot! It starts out slow and hard to follow! The part about Cabeza de Vaca life among the Indian of early American is fascinating and like no other description of them.

History that reads like a novel

The journey of Cabeza de Vaca, Durantes, Castillo, and Estebanico reads like a high concept drama of hubris, tragedy, and ironic twists of fortune. Get a perspective on 16th century North America from the first Europeans to set foot in many parts of the Gulf Coast and what is now northern Mexico.

It's a shame that no one wanted to hear from Cabeza de Vaca that there might be a better way to interact with the Indigenous people of the "Indies" - not that his approach was any good by today's standards, but one wonders how many lives it would have saved, and what legacies would have resulted. Of course, we catch a glimpse of his approach in action near the end of this narrative, but you'll have to read it yourself to find out what resulted from that....

Solid story

Pretty good story. This could be converted to an incredible TV series or movie. I enjoyed the listen.

Remarkable

This story is totally nuts. The people, the interactions, the astronomical chances… everything. It’s worth reading this gripping adventure to help better understand how the Spaniards traversed and went about conquering the Americas, and the many missteps that occurred in the process.