The White Rock

Starred review from November 25, 2002
So entertaining and appealing is Thomson's story of his exploration of the Inca empire that readers will wish they could take off and follow in his footsteps. The British documentary filmmaker relates his travels 20 years ago deep into the Inca empire, through the high Peruvian Andes and Bolivia, and a second trip 17 years later, to the last Inca stronghold in the Amazon basin. In his early 20s, he launched a successful expedition to find the lost Inca city of Llactapata. Believing that "what really was important was understanding what the ruin was about," Thomson began a decades-long study of Inca history and culture. The marriage of his intellectual and physical exploration is at the center of this compelling book. Thomson is a terrific storyteller, his skills apparent in both his recreation of the violent destruction of the Incas by the Spanish and his description of the ruins he discovers, the people he meets along the way, and the hardships and pleasures of traveling the abandoned Inca highways. Erudite and charming, Thomson is capable of comparing a carved Inca rock to the work of Henry Moore, and equally capable of conveying the satisfying incongruity of being on a crowded bus in the Peruvian outback, listening to a Spanish song titled "La Cosita," the little thing—the story of Lorena and Wayne Bobbitt. Thomson's wit, eye for detail and reverence for humanity set him apart from the average travel-adventure writer—he is as good a companion as a traveler could hope for. 45 b&w photos, 3 maps. Agent, Capel and Land.

December 1, 2002
Part travelog, part history lesson, this narrative by documentary filmmaker Thomson (Out of India, Great Journeys: Mexico) recounts a successful expedition he led in 1982 to "refind" Llactapata, the "lost city of the Incas," and to explore other Inca sites spanning three countries. Among pages of encounters with flora, fauna, and fermented beverages, Thomson provides a good dose of Peruvian history: the Inca emperors come off as heroic defenders of the land, but we also learn that they had built their empire by subjugating other tribes, exploiting forced labor and other spoils of war. When the Spanish came, some of these conquered tribes were only too glad to help. Thomson returns in 1999 (after the Shining Path guerrilla group is gone) to visit Vilcabamba, the "last city of the Incas," where the final Inca emperor retreated before turning himself over to the Spanish Viceroy. Thomson is an impressive adventurer and an equally skilled writer. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Lee Arnold, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2002
This book, the author posits, "is an attempt to present a clear-sighted view of Inca culture, drawing on . . . journeys throughout the Inca heartland near Cuzco, Peru, and across the vast empire they created." In 1982,Thomson, a journalist, photographer, and filmmaker, traveled to some of the most remote Inca sites and talked to archaeologists and explorers working there. He combines the story of his own discoveries with accounts of famous explorers who preceded him, including Hiram Bingham, who discovered Machu Picchu in 1912. Having hiked treacherous Inca paths with two friends, several native guides, and heavy packs, Thomson describes the region's people; the rain forests and mountains; the ruins of the lost Inca world; the heat and butterflies and condors; and his efforts to cope with snakes, bats, and mosquitoes. With 45 black-and-white photographs, this is a thoroughly and thoughtfully researched narrative of the Inca's rise and fall.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)