Description
Book SynopsisTim Butcher is a best-selling author who blends travel with history. His first book,
Blood River, was a number one bestseller, a Richard & Judy Book Club selection and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, while his next,
Chasing the Devil, was longlisted for the George Orwell Prize. A journalist with the
Daily Telegraph from 1990 to 2009, in 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northampton for services to writing. Born in Great Britain, he is based in Cape Town with his family.
Trade ReviewEngaging...descriptions of walking through the bush, of sweltering heat, sweat and swelling blisters are juxtaposed against moments of beauty...a test of endurance -- Aminatta Forna * Sunday Telegraph *
A brave book by a writer of skill and principle... He exposes the toxic cocktail of colonial exploitation, tribal conflict, ritual violence and blood diamonds that spits out regional monsrosities such as Charles Taylor... an admirable book -- Brian Schofield * Sunday Times *
Tim Butcher has a respect and affection for West Africa that is genuine and touching, writing in a way that brings out the exuberance and wit of its people. This book is required reading for anyone even vaguely interested in this remote and enigmatic region * Daily Mail *
Butcher is really a Victorian explorer and writer endowed with the sterling grit of that age... He is tough and he's honest * Evening Standard *
Butcher's book is packed with incident... fascinating, harrowing and eventful -- Joan Smith * Independent *
