- Hardcover: 321 pages
- Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group (19 Feb 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 030726694X
- ISBN-13: 978-0307266941
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 3.3 x 23.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Review
** 'Shukman skilfully blends his genres: political intrigue, drug lords and South American militia edge this novel towards a contemporary Boy's Own adventure in the style of Buchan or Rider Haggard, while the poetic prose harks back to Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS ... A powerful debut' DAILY MAIL ** 'A gripping story of adventure, casual treachery and intrigue ... We want to pray for Jackson's safe passage as he pursues a penitent's journey across a forbidding landscape that is not only brilliantly evoked, but is also a moral and philosophical entity in itself' GUARDIAN ** 'Exquisite ... A big, hearty work that is both gripping and intensely moving. Shukman's breathtaking, lyrical prose propels a pacy plot which, at its most visceral, becomes cinematic in its scope. On the strength of the writing alone, this is a contender for book of the year ... The echoes of a Conradian geographical and psychological journey into the heart of darkness are obvious but Shukman is adept at blending genres and this is a also a tale of political intrigue, espionage and, ultimately, a love story' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY ** 'The protagonist, Jackson Small, is the archetypal adventure hero: handsome and strapping, artistic, noble-natured and possessed of an uncanny knack for surviving unaided in the jungle' NEW STATESMAN ** 'Shukman proves himself a master of driven narrative and psychological drama ... At times the prose has the terse muscularity of a Hemingway adventure, at others an almost biblical thunder, underscored by touches of Graham Greene ... Jackson's trials in the jungle present one of fiction's most gripping descriptions of human distress. The physical landscape is omnipresent, the inner dreamscape haunting and dire. This is Shukman pushing his talent to the edge' SCOTSMAN ** 'With enough gunfights and explosions to spark a bidding war for film rights, this might seem like Boy's Own stuff. But Shukman is also a fine poet and travel writer, and the adventure is matched by the beauty of the descriptive writing' INDEPENDENT ** '[A] gripping tale of adventure and passion set against an evocative Latin American backdrop' WANDERLUST ** 'Breathtaking prose' TATLER ** 'Shukman has a poet's eye for detail' TLS ** 'His skill in rendering detail vibrantly alive is apparent; it's the closest you'll get to the sensation of a rainforest jungle adventure without buying a ticket to Chachapoyas' TIME OUT ** 'Paints the steamy jungle as a territory beyond the borders of human knowledge' METRO ** 'Haunting ... After reading this, though I have never been within a thousand miles of a rainforest, I feel certain that this is exactly what it must be like' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY ** 'Reinforces Shukman's reputation as a writer known for superb evocations of place ... The characters are redolent of Graham Green's creations ... Jackson's journey towards the light, both physical and emotional, invests Shukman's story with dignified resonance' THE TIMES ** 'A gripping story of adventure, casual treachery and intrigue . . . brilliantly evoked' GUARDIAN ** 'Through it all there runs the pledge of genuine literature . . . contains a golden streak of imaginative art' Jan Morris, NEW YORK TIMES
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Guardian
'A gripping story of adventure, casual treachery and intrigue ...
brilliantly evoked' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
brilliantly evoked' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A former soldier, invalided out of the army because of a horrific and traumatic incident, Jackson Small goes on a journey into the Peruvian jungle in search of a lost city of an ancient race. The reasons for his trip are however rather more complicated. As well as doing it out of personal interest in the culture, he feels he has to make the journey as a pilgrimage for a dead colleague. But when he is robbed of all his equipment, money and provisions early in the trip, he is forced to undertake an undercover military operation in the dangerous, lawless region ruled by a major drug baron.
Along the way he meets many characters who propose other alternative ways of living. A young Peruvian boy latches onto him, accompanying him on his journey, and Jackson finds some sense of purpose in looking after the child. He meets and falls in love with a young American girl Sarah, who helps the young man overcome his shyness and the pain of his past. He meets a priest who dedicates himself to the poor people of the region and he meets Sarah's uncle, who has abandoned the Western lifestyle for a purer way of living in the Amazonian wilderness. He also meets people dedicated to political causes, people that because of his military past he can't escape. Eventually, he has to make his own way to the outcome of his quest.
There are a lot of contradictions in Henry Shukman's new novel, but in this case it's a good thing. A thriller, a love story, a journey of personal discovery - each of the different elements blend together extremely well and give the book an unexpected depth and lyricism. The author's own experience as a travel writer with an interest in exploring and learning from ancient cultures (Sons of the Moon: A Journey in the Andes) undoubtedly contributes greatly to the authenticity and the keenness in the description of his character's discoveries in the Peruvian rain-forests. The major discoveries however are clearly more personal than archaeological and Shukman is equally adept at pinpointing their intricacies in this exciting, intelligent and satisfying novel.
Along the way he meets many characters who propose other alternative ways of living. A young Peruvian boy latches onto him, accompanying him on his journey, and Jackson finds some sense of purpose in looking after the child. He meets and falls in love with a young American girl Sarah, who helps the young man overcome his shyness and the pain of his past. He meets a priest who dedicates himself to the poor people of the region and he meets Sarah's uncle, who has abandoned the Western lifestyle for a purer way of living in the Amazonian wilderness. He also meets people dedicated to political causes, people that because of his military past he can't escape. Eventually, he has to make his own way to the outcome of his quest.
There are a lot of contradictions in Henry Shukman's new novel, but in this case it's a good thing. A thriller, a love story, a journey of personal discovery - each of the different elements blend together extremely well and give the book an unexpected depth and lyricism. The author's own experience as a travel writer with an interest in exploring and learning from ancient cultures (Sons of the Moon: A Journey in the Andes) undoubtedly contributes greatly to the authenticity and the keenness in the description of his character's discoveries in the Peruvian rain-forests. The major discoveries however are clearly more personal than archaeological and Shukman is equally adept at pinpointing their intricacies in this exciting, intelligent and satisfying novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is quite a strange book. The underlying story is good and does keep you reading, but Shukman has the protagonist (Jackson) asking himself almost continous philisophical questions, often in the most unlikely of circumstances. These get very, very annoying. He also has a strange style of writing which at times is very poetic but at other times, for me at least, really doesn't work. The bits of the book dealing with Jackson and Sarah, his girlfriend, I found very difficult reading and quite odd. Having said all this, I did finish it so there was definitely something there to keep me reading.
Format:Paperback
evokes memories of 'the beach' with some of its themes . has some interesting characters and vigniettes, and enough intrigue and tension to stay the course. I did have some problems accepting the lost city's seemingly relentless pull on the central character - but much more self questioning and none of us would have wanted to go there! Also the relationship with Sarah was a bit low key, but perhaps it struck the right note next to the immensity of everything else.
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