{"product_id":"river-of-darkness-francisco-orellana-and-the-deadly-first-voyage-through-the-amazon-paperback-1","title":"River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana and the Deadly First Voyage Through the Amazon - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBuddy Levy\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWith a new introduction, the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eConquistador\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLabyrinth of Ice\u003c\/i\u003e charts one of history's greatest adventures of discovery, a legendary 16th-century explorer's death-defying navigation of the Amazon, river of darkness and pathway to gold--the first complete exploration of the world's largest river by a European.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1541, the brutal Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his well-born lieutenant Francisco Orellana set off in search of La Canela, South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon, and the fabled El Dorado, \"the golden man.\" Driving an enormous retinue of mercenaries, enslaved natives, horses, hunting dogs, and other animals across the Andes, they watched their proud expedition begin to disintegrate even before they descended into the nightmarish jungle, following the course of a powerful river. Hopelessly lost in the swampy labyrinth, their numbers diminishing daily through disease, starvation, and Indian attacks, Pizarro and Orellana made a fateful decision to separate. While Pizarro eventually returned home barefoot and in rags, Orellana and fifty-seven men, in a few fragile craft, continued downriver into the unknown reaches of the mighty Amazon, serenaded by native war drums and the eerie cries of exotic predators. Theirs would be the greater glory. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Interweaving eyewitness accounts of the quest with newly uncovered details, Buddy Levy reconstructs the seminal journey that has electrified adventurers ever since, as Orellana became the first European to navigate and explore the entire length of the world's largest river. Levy gives a long-overdue account of the native populations--some peaceful and welcoming, offering sustenance and life-saving guidance, others ferociously hostile, subjecting the invaders to gauntlets of unremitting attack and intimations of terrifying rituals. And here is the Amazon itself, a powerful presence whose every twist and turn held the promise of new wonders both natural and man-made, as well as the ever-present risk of death--a river that would hold Orellana in its irresistible embrace to the end of his life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Overflowing with violence and beauty, nobility and tragedy, \u003ci\u003eRiver of Darkness\u003c\/i\u003e is both a riveting history and a breathtaking adventure that will sweep readers along on an epic voyage unlike any other.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBuddy Levy\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of seven books, and his work has been featured or reviewed in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Daily Beast, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe A.V. Club\u003c\/i\u003e. He was the co-star, for 25 episodes from 2010-2012, on HISTORY Channel's hit docuseries \u003ci\u003eBrad Meltzer's Decoded\u003c\/i\u003e, which aired to an average of 1.7 million weekly viewers and is still airing as reruns today. In 2018 he was an on-camera expert on the 4-part TV Series \u003ci\u003eThe Frontiersmen: The Men Who Built America \u003c\/i\u003e(HISTORY, Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLevy was a contributing writer on the 2018 documentary film \u003ci\u003eThe Weight of Water\u003c\/i\u003e, based in part on the book \u003ci\u003eNo Barriers\u003c\/i\u003e, which Levy co-authored with blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 05, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45769792061637,"sku":"9781635769197","price":27.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/qH4j54X5sG9781635769197.webp?v=1783633183","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/river-of-darkness-francisco-orellana-and-the-deadly-first-voyage-through-the-amazon-paperback-1","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}