River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile

When I was a teenager one of the things that intrigued me was Explorers, especially those who searched for the source of the Nile. As a result, I have read and collected several books on the topic. It was automatic when I saw Candice Millard had written her latest book on this subject that I would pre-order a copy. I have read and liked her three previous books (especially THE RIVER OF DOUBT). I would recommend that if you have never read another book on this subject her new book is a good starting point. You might even want to find a copy of the 1990 movie that tracks this same story, THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON. I thought I would use this review to also mention some of my favorite books on the subject of the search for the Nile.Millard’s book for the most part only focuses on Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke's searches (and Speke’s lone discovery of the source). She also elevates the major role played by their African guide Sidi Muarak Bombay, a former slave who co-led other White English Explorers (such as Henry Morton Stanley). Bombay helped Stanley to find Livingston and became the first to cross the entire African continent, sea to sea, from East to West with explorer Cameron. It was not until 2009 that the Royal Geographic Society commissioned a major museum exhibit that recognized native explorers’ contributions.I still have my first book on the subject of the River Nile. Read some 60 years ago all I can recall is that it was one of those books that amazed its teenage reader. It is Alan Moorehead’s THE WHITE NILE (1960). The book includes the Speke/Burton exploration in addition to Livingston, Samuel Baker with his wife, Stanley and finally covering the Muslim uprising that killed “Chinese” Gordon leading to Kitchener's British victory. Moorehead wrote a second book, THE BLUE NILE (1962) which includes the history of this major river tributary.Another book that digs deeper into the amazing person that was Richard Burton (not the actor who borrowed his name). Edward Rice’s CAPTAIN SIR RICHARD BURTON: THE SECRET AGENT WHO MADE THE PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA, DISCOVERED THE KAMA SUTRA, AND ROUGHT THE ARABIAN NIGHTS TO THE WEST (1990). In addition, led with Speke the expedition into the Mountains of the Moon in search of the source of the Nile. Burton spoke 29 languages and was long before Lawrence of Arabia an Englishman who emerged himself in foreign cultures. Like Lawrence Burton was an obsessive writer of great talent and intellect who immersed himself in Araian Muslim culture (who disguised as a Muslim entered Mecca).More biographies and focus have highlighted Burton over Speke. If you do not know the story it is best I not give it away here except to say Speke did not have the charisma or talent to provide for a lasting legacy. Richard Burton married late in life to a very interesting woman, Isabel. Their relationship and Burton’s story is well told in Mary S. Lovell’s biography, A RAGE TO LIVE, RICHARD AND ISABEL BURTON (1998).A very entertaining book about a fabulously interesting footnote to the people attracted to the challenge of the search for the Nile’s source is Pat Shipman’s TO THE HEART OF THE NILE, LADY FLORENCE BAKER AND THE EXPLORATION OF CENTRAL AFRICA (2004). Florence’s family was killed in the Hungry revolution which lead to her being kidnapped from a refugee camp and sold into slavery. Trained to be in a harem. At age 14 she was to be auctioned but a wealthy Englishman, Samuel Baker facilitated her escape (perhaps being outbid). Eventually, the two married and through a continued journey to keep Florence’s background hidden settled on an arduous attempt to journey upriver to find the source of the Nile. Instead, they found Lake Albert returning to celebrity in England.Of all these books one stands out as the most entertaining, well-written, and has become one of my all-time favorites. Tim Jeal’s STANLEY, THE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE OF AFRICA’S GREATEST EXPLORER (2007). Know mostly for his finding (with Bombay) Dr. Livingston famously saying, “Dr. Livingston, I presume?”Stanley’s reputation has been tarnished over decades casting him as an anti-African imperialist caught up in the madness of King Leopold of Belgium’s crimes in the Congo. Tim Jeal’s book does much to rehabilitate Stanley still warts apparent. Stanley’s is an amazing life story, serving for a time on both the South and North side in the American Civil War. In addition to searching for the source of the Nile (finally confirming that Speke’s Lake Victoria theory was correct) he also searched for the source of the Congo River. He was knighted in 1897. (Check this extraordinary book out.)Following STANLEY Tim Jeal wrote, EXPLORERS OF THE NILE, THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF A GREAT VICTORIAN ADVENTURE (2011). Jeal, much like Alan Moorhead in THE WHITE NILE covers almost all of the major Explorers that attempted to find the source of the Nile. So when I saw that Candice Millard had chosen this much-told story I wondered why beyond it is one that never bores in its telling. And Millard does the story justice and I enjoyed revisiting all of these interesting stories and characters. My problem with the book is that I did not find a lot that was fresh or new to the story. But that is more my problem than that of the author, as she has written a great book for a new generation. Those who are captivated by this adventure and the conflict between these two strong-willed men should enjoy Millard’s fine telling.

This book, like Millard's earlier book, River of Doubt, should have been a five-star book. Her research is first-rate, her storytelling superb, her exploration of character excellent without being intrusive or self-centered. I'm glad I read both books, and I learned a lot from each.Why then only four stars? Almost exclusively due to two things, which many readers might not even notice, but which my wife and I, as writers and editors, found maddening to the point of distraction—and which detracted from our enjoyment.For some reason, Candice is obsessed with sentence structure employing the one-word clause, ",however," sometimes to the tune of five or six times on a single page—even in places where it was utterly unnecessary, or where a simple "but" would have sufficed. I first noticed it in River of Doubt, which I read on my own. When I bought River of the Gods to read aloud to my wife, I warned her of my experience with the previous book, and wondered aloud if the obsession would continue. Indeed it did, to our amusement and then annoyance. I finally resorted to constant, instant editing to relieve us both of the pain.Similarly, Candice manically overuses the conjunction "that" hundreds of times where it is superfluous. Example: "The Geographical Society hoped that he might be willing to accompany the expedition into the interior, but Burton hoped that he would turn them down." Both "thats" are unnecessary and make the sentence read extremely awkwardly. Again, this is repeated ad nauseam throughout the book.I have scant hope either Candice or her editor will read this, so consider it a rant. I do hope Candice continues her explorations into history, but I also hope she is assigned an editor with some knowledge of and sympathy for the marvelous grace of the English language.

Favorite Quote: “Nothing,” he wrote, “vexes the mind so much as feeling one’s self injured in a way that cannot be prevented or avenged.”Synopsis: River of the Gods is the story of the explorers who sought the source of the White Nile. Millard dives into the lives of Burton and Speke, the two main explorers who attempted this mission several times. During the height of this exploration, very few Europeans had ventured into the heart of Africa, but Burton and Speke, both together and separately, would attempt multiple times. This book chronicles the plethora of individuals involved in those explorations and the rivalries between explorers and countries.Thoughts & Feelings: I enjoyed this book, but it was a slow read. It’s incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched. This book is narrative non-fiction, which means it’s non-fiction, but reads like a story. The story starts strong and you feel compelled to learn more about these unorthodox gentlemen (for their time).Millard also does an excellent job pointing out colonization and recognizes where written history changed the names of certain places. She also goes above and beyond, including the women who influenced the male explorers and those who aided the explorations.

This is a fantastic story of 2 explorers and their search for the source of the Nile. Sir Richard Burton (the 19th century linguist and explorer) and John Speke, his sometimes partner and then rival, are very memorable characters in this book. But of great interest is Ms. Millard's coverage of the history and background of the events of this book. She is one of the best historians and storytellers around today. This is her 4th book that I have read and every one of them are great thrillers as well as historical. She makes history come alive and I look forward to her next.

Very interesting book about the source of the Nile.

A history book that reads like a novel, except for it’s true it’s about finding the headwaters of the Nile. Read it and share it with friends you can hardly put it down.

It just wasn't my cup of tea

The description of this book given by Amazon should tell people what it is about. It is not meant to be a complete biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton or John Hanning Speke, but some reviewers seem to think this is what they were buying! The book is about the relationship between Burton and Speke resulting from their source for the source of the River Nile.If you are familiar with this story, then you will find little here which isn’t in other books. There are no new revelations to get excited about. If you are new to this story, then this book is a very good account of it. It is well written and has a lot of detail. It introduces other characters involved and is excellent at putting things in context. Burton could be a difficult person to know – the book clearly illustrates this. Speke was a 19th century cad – the book clearly shows this as well. I feel the judgements made by Candice Millard are fair but the debate as to how bad Speke was is still an issue more than 150 years after the events examined in this book.Although this is not a biography of Richard Francis Burton, it does give the story of his life, in order to give context. The period after the journey to Lake Tanganyika would suggest that Burton’s life was one of failure and disappointment but this is rather misleading. As Millard says, there is only one biography of Speke and he is somewhat forgotten. There are “more than a dozen” biographies of Burton – in fact, there are over twenty, along with several other works examining different aspects of the man and his life. There are probably more books about Burton than any other African explorer, including the more famous David Livingstone. There are also many works of fiction about him or featuring him.This book is also about a third person – Sidi Mubarak Bombay. As Millard says, he is “one of the most accomplished guides in the history of African exploration”, and it is to her credit that he finally receives some recognition.The book has a good choice of illustrations (although one has no caption), and the maps (on the endpapers) are adequate but could be better. Many locations mentioned in the book are not given on the maps and as a former National Geographic journalist, I think we could expect better from Millard.So as I have said, this is a good introduction to this story of African exploration and controversy, and will suit those unfamiliar with it. Those already in the know, however, may find it not such a good investment even though it is a refreshing re-write. To those who want to know more about the search for the source of the River Nile, I strongly recommend the BBC series The Search For The Nile, available on DVD. Even though it was made in 1971, I feel it is still an excellent production. The film Mountains of the Moon, directed by Bob Rafelson (1989), gives another good account of the story covered in Millard’s book. To know more about Burton, just look at the books on Amazon – this may take you some time – there are 20+ biographies, and he wrote over 40 books!

Totally not what I expected. Thought there would be more about the adventures then the people. More about people getting the better out of other people. Jeolousy and backstabing. Found the best aspect in the book as the last part of the book. I read it but will not read it again. Does not really put the history aspects together well. I like details and it was more vagueness. Sorry, not my favourite.

I’ve read quite a few books about African exploration - colonialism… but this is outstanding. Absolutely gripping yet Millard never loses sight of the racism and colonial ambitions of the men who searched for the sources of the Nile.