Paradise of the damned The true story of an obsessive quest for El Dorado, the legendary city of gold

One of history's most enduring get-rich-quick fantasies was European explorers' conviction that a great city of gold existed somewhere in the Americas. Thomson (Born to Be Hanged, 2023) follows the quest of Sir Walter Raleigh across the Atlantic and into the jungles of the north coast of South America. In competition with the Spaniard Antonio de Berrio, Raleigh searched the Orinoco River delta and surrounding territories, which he called Guiana. Legend held that a local ruler covered himself in gold dust, but procured artifacts turned out to be worthless fool's gold. Raleigh made several expeditions, forging better relations with the Caribs and other tribes than had Spanish explorers. Securing expedition funds from Elizabeth I and then James I, Raleigh continuously harassed the Spanish and acted the pirate. When political fortunes changed, James allied with the Spanish king. This proved fatal for Raleigh, whom the Spanish wanted dead. Raleigh's failure to produce gold led to his son's death and his own execution. Thomson admirably details Raleigh's domestic life and voyages as well as his political machinations.

Elizabethan-era English explorer Walter Raleigh's quest for the mythical gold-filled city of El Dorado is vividly recreated in this rollicking account from bestseller Thomson (Born to Be Hanged). Shifting between Raleigh's South American expeditions and his futile attempts to protect his interests at court as the Tudor dynasty gave way to the Stuarts, Thomson depicts the quick-witted Raleigh as surprisingly more effective in the former endeavor. Raleigh's jungle treks reveal his strength as a diplomat and his personal integrity; he convinced multiple Indigenous communities that England wanted to protect them from their common enemy, Spain, and followed through on his promises, establishing long-lasting, comradely relationships that rewarded him with the location of a "secret" gold mine (somewhere in modern-day Venezuela) and key military alliances. Back in England, Raleigh's political acumen crumbled as he was sidelined by courtiers who outcompeted him for royal favor, resulting in a long imprisonment. However, the never-idle prisoner's popularity was propelled to new heights by the 1614 publication of his Historie of the World and his constant output of medicinal recipes concocted in his jail-cell chemistry lab. Thomson's breezy and puckish narration makes the historical subject matter sizzle ("On ships... the confines... could give undue prominence to something as picayune as the way a man cleared his throat"). Readers will relish this enticing romp through the Age of Exploration. Illus. (May)

An account of a famous explorer's quixotic quest for an infamous "golden city." The lure of gold has driven many men crazy, never more so than in connection with the quest for El Dorado, the legendary Incan city that many believed was literally constructed from the precious metal. The Spanish launched scores of expeditions to find it as part of their conquest of the New World. Thomson, author of Born To Be Hanged, chronicles the less-well-known efforts of the British, led by Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618). He was a junior court figure who won attention by laying his cloak down so Queen Elizabeth could cross a muddy puddle. He parlayed this chivalrous act into a fleet of ships, which he took to South America (although he was supposed to go to Virginia), with the aim of searching for the golden city. Readers will be unsurprised that the jungle adventure was plagued by crocodiles, snakes, mosquitos, vampire bats, and mutterings of mutiny; Raleigh was forced to turn back and return to England. However, he fell victim to the labyrinthine intrigues of the royal court and landed in prison, charged with treason. He ultimately lost his head. Though El Dorado has been a fascinating topic for centuries, it has already been covered in numerous books about Raleigh and the Age of Exploration, and Thomson adds only moderately to the historical record. The section at the heart of the book--Raleigh's search for El Dorado--is a mildly interesting account of a meandering, misguided failure. Ultimately, this book may interest aficionados of this period of history, as well as those unfamiliar with the life of Raleigh, but others will not find much that is worth the effort. A middling exploration of the turbulent life of Walter Raleigh, including his futile search for gold. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.