The acclaimed author of Conquistador and Labyrinth of Ice charts
one of history's greatest expeditions, a legendary 16th-century
adventurer's death-defying navigation of the Amazon River.
In 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.
Interweaving 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.
Levy 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.
Violent and beautiful, noble and tragic, River of Darkness is riveting
history and breathtaking adventure that will sweep readers on a voyage
unlike any other.
