{"product_id":"river-of-darkness-the-deadly-first-voyage-through-the-amazon-9781635769197","title":"River of Darkness: The Deadly First Voyage","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eConquistador \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLabyrinth of Ice \u003c\/i\u003echarts one of history’s greatest expeditions, a legendary 16\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eth\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e-century adventurer’s death-defying navigation of the Amazon River. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1541, Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his lieutenant Francisco Orellana searched for La Canela, South America’s rumored Land of Cinnamon, and the fabled El Dorado, “the golden man.” Quickly, the enormous expedition of mercenaries, enslaved natives, horses, and hunting dogs were decimated through disease, starvation, and attacks in the jungle. Hopelessly lost in the swampy labyrinth, Pizarro and Orellana made the fateful decision to separate. While Pizarro eventually returned home in rags, Orellana and fifty-seven men continued into the unknown reaches of the mighty Amazon jungle and river. Theirs would be the greater glory. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterweaving historical accounts with newly uncovered details, Levy reconstructs Orellana’s journey as the first European to navigate the world’s largest river. Every twist and turn of the powerful Amazon holds new wonders and the risk of death. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLevy gives a long-overdue account of the Amazon’s people—some offering sustenance and guidance, others hostile, subjecting the invaders to gauntlets of unremitting attacks and signs of terrifying rituals. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eViolent and beautiful, noble and tragic, \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness \u003c\/i\u003eis riveting history and breathtaking adventure that will sweep readers on a voyage unlike any other. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Buddy Levy and \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e, Buddy Levy recounts Orellana's headlong dash down the Amazon. Like Mr. Levy's last book, \u003ci\u003eConquistador\u003c\/i\u003e, about the conquest of Mexico, \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e  presents a fast-moving tale of triumph over seemingly insurmountable  odds. . . . Though impromptu, the expedition was one of the most amazing  adventures of all time.” \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal \u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  “\u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e immediately takes its place as the definitive  book on one of the great voyages into the unknown of all time,  Orellana's accidental first descent of the Amazon. Not only is it a  solid contribution to the scholarly literature on Amazonia, but it is a  riveting and irresistible read, narrative history of a literary quality  rarely encountered that compares with Alan Moorehead's great books on  the Nile. Bravissimo!” \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—Alex Shoumatoff, contributing editor, \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e; publisher, DispatchesFromTheVanishingworld.com, and author of \u003ci\u003eIn Southern Light\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Rivers Amazon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe World is Burning\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e   “In \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e, Buddy Levy proves that the scariest  stories are the true ones.  Filled with fascinating details and the  terror that comes with exploring something for the very first time, this  is history coming back to life.” \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Fate\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Inner Circle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Buddy Levy’s compulsively readable book about the first European descent through the Amazon puts us right next to the vampire-bat-and-mosquito-bitten conquistadors and on a wild ride through the mighty river and a force of nature down to the Atlantic Ocean.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Andrés Reséndez, author of National Book Award Finalist \u003ci\u003eThe Other Slavery\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eConquering the Pacific\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e   “Buddy Levy is one of those rare and gifted authors whose books are  virtual time machines that effortlessly transport us back through  centuries.  In \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e, we participate in one of  history’s signal explorations, Francisco Orellana’s descent of the  Amazon River. We see blood, smell smoke, hear screams of joy and agony.   Levy’s impeccably researched book is at once harrowing adventure and  revealing history. Better than any in recent memory, \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e sheds new light—and reveals the darkest aspects—of the Conquistadors’ brave and bloody New World forays.” \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—James M. Tabor, Author of \u003ci\u003eBlind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e   “In this fluid account, Levy narrates the story of the conquistadors who  become the first Europeans to navigate the length of the Amazon River.  After plundering the Inca empire, Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisco Orellana  set out from Quito with an expedition of soldiers and Indian slaves in  search of El Dorado. The two explorers became separated and the  expedition quickly became lost in the jungle, then decimated by disease,  starvation, and native attacks. Desperate, Orellana and the remaining  conquistadors built a large boat and sailed downriver. Realizing that he  would be unable to wait for Pizarro, Orellana set his sights on the  Atlantic Ocean thousands of miles away. Levy does a fine job of  organizing an enormous amount of historical material and balancing the  accounts of Orellana and Pizarro after they separated. As one conflict  follows another in rapid succession, they tend to blur into each other,  though Levy provides enough descriptive detail and pacing to  differentiate between the various native groups and aspects of the  river. He also addresses the new archeological research that is changing  our understanding of the cultures of the pre-Columbian Amazon Basin.” \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cp\u003e“An exciting, well-plotted excursion down the Amazon River with the early Spanish conquistador. . . . [A] richly textured account of the rogue, rebel and visionary whose discovery still resonates today.”\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A  rollicking adventure . . . Levy successfully conveys the Amazon’s power  and majesty, while shedding light on the futility of humanity’s attempt  to tame it.” \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe A.V. Club \u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Diversion Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51359833260375,"sku":"9781635769197","price":16.04,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781635769197.jpg?v=1754125848","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/river-of-darkness-the-deadly-first-voyage-through-the-amazon-9781635769197","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}