River of Darkness by Buddy Levy

Before River of Darkness, I couldn’t have told you much about the Spanish Conquistadors from the mid 1500’s, and honestly I didn’t know I cared.  But, a few pages in, and I was along for the ride through the chill of the Andes, down into the hot dense forest, swatting relentless mosquitos on the path to finding one of the many tributaries of rivers of the Amazon. 

Gonzalo Pizarro, and Francisco Orellana joined forces to carry out their vision on the search for El Dorado, a mythical city of abundant gold, along the fabled path of La Canela, known as the land of cinnamon.  Drawing on inspiration from Conquistadors before them, they set out with the approval of the King and hopes of acquiring riches beyond their beliefs. Relying on their stores of food, and supplies they progressed slowly, and food was dwindling fast. Hungry, tired, and resorting to eating leather as a last resort, they were forced to make tough decisions.

Within a short time the Amazon River quickly showed the conquistadors how little control they had, as Orellana and his men split off into unknown lands in search of survival. Lands inhabited by indigenous tribes, both friendly, and fierce. At times they offered abundant food, knowledge of the area, and patience to teach language. On other occasions the conquistadors were met with aggressive attacks, poison arrows zipping by their heads and misleading information. Each shoreline approach felt like a wildcard of opportunity all while on a swiftly moving and converging 2,500 mile stretch of unpredictable water ways.  By the final chapter, I felt like I was a part of their journey of pure grit, quick thinking, composed planning, and fortitude to keep going.  If you’re ready for a true story told as an epic adventure novel, River of Darkness will pull you in and not let go.