Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of South America (Lost Cities Series)

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Fun Adventure
Review: Childress leaves almost no stone unturned as he leads the reader into unknown worlds in a personal quest to encounter and document the lost cities, pyramids, and megaliths of South and Central America. The ones he missed are the perfect spherical stones of Costa Rica documented in the AUP publication ATLANTIS IN AMERICA: NAVIGATORS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

Rating:
Summary: a very thought provoking book
Review: Having read other Childress books, I found this book to be of the same calibre. His discussions on how the ancient peruvian cities with the megalithic stones really makes teh reader wonder what technology that humans as a civilisation have lost. The parts on the secret nazi city was very interesting to read, but one wonders how plausible it is. Of great interest to me was how Childress interacted with the people in the different countries of South America, and learned how not to get ripped off.

Rating:
Summary: a very thought provoking book
Review: Having read other Childress books, I found this book to be of the same calibre. His discussions on how the ancient peruvian cities with the megalithic stones really makes teh reader wonder what technology that humans as a civilisation have lost. The parts on the secret nazi city was very interesting to read, but one wonders how plausible it is. Of great interest to me was how Childress interacted with the people in the different countries of South America, and learned how not to get ripped off.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and interesting travel review of South America
Review: I thought the author gave much thought of the mysteries associated with South America. As an amateur adventurist I could share experiences with the author. His travels are much like my own so I imagine that I'm biased but...it made for a very interesting read. The folklore and myths combined with his perception, well...just read it for yourself!

Rating:
Summary: who's the archeologist?
Review: The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

Rating:
Summary: who's the archeologist?
Review: The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

Rating:
Summary: Fun book!
Review: This book is great fun. Rumor has it that the editor deleted sections on spontaneous human combustion and other mysteries while the author was off on an expedition. Hmmm....

Rating:
Summary: Such poor writing
Review: This book is one of the worst written I have ever encountered. The ideas and concepts are interesting--the title and the photos are inviting. But the breezy style that wastes so much space on insignificant detail of the authors travels is just space filler. And the grammatical and spelling mistakes are just unforgiveable. I just cannot read something that has multiple, numerous mistakes throughout the book--you cannot escape them, and they are so blatant and numerous that the detract from thinking about the subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: Such poor writing
Review: This book is one of the worst written I have ever encountered. The ideas and concepts are interesting--the title and the photos are inviting. But the breezy style that wastes so much space on insignificant detail of the authors travels is just space filler. And the grammatical and spelling mistakes are just unforgiveable. I just cannot read something that has multiple, numerous mistakes throughout the book--you cannot escape them, and they are so blatant and numerous that the detract from thinking about the subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: A tour of mystery and speculation
Review: Through the high altitude ruins of Peru and the dust-dry deserts of Chile, across the fertile range of Argentina and the carnival-infested streets of Rio, David Childress seeks the unknown, the undetermined, the secretive and the source of strange rumors; of vanished cities and twelve-foot-tall giants; and though he finds relatively little in the way of closure for the mysteries presented in _Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of South America_, one must remember it is the trip, not the destination, that buoys the author along...and for the casual reader, there is much to learn.

Despite his hyperbolic claims, Childress is definitely not an archeologist, a profession that tends to be dry, dusty, and for the most part dull-rather, he is a shoestring traveler with a yen for history and adventure. Which suits this material fine: instead of a 'professional' report detailing one particular society as it lived and co-existed in its environment, Childress' breezy travelogue takes us through a dozen different societies, ancient and modern, with a fair amount of speculation that most academics wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole: the lost continents of Atlantis and Mu and how they relate to the rise of Inca civilization; supposed alien visitors; Amazon dinosaurs still on the prowl; a tunnel system spanning the American continent; a half-dozen myths of missing gold-hordes... nothing here that would impress the professor, but it certainly is an entertaining read, and the theories about South America's ancient colonies, including the Irish (!), Egyptians and Romans, are fun to ponder over.

Moreover, Childress' tone throughout places his book above the usual alternative-history exhortations, for he takes each and every story/legend with a grain of salt, even discrediting some by pointing to obvious discrepancies. By compiling these theories, he lets the reader sort through it all rather than try to hammer in a belief structure. The good-natured ease of the author's voice as he distills these legends/theories makes this tome a pleasant affair rather than tedious or obnoxious.

One thing did bother me: because of a variety of problems, including low funds, low energy, and the dangers involved in trekking through out of the way regions (snakes, mountain cats, cocaine smugglers), Childress doesn't actually visit the majority of the sites/cities he writes about. This is rather disappointing, as are the numerous typos and grammatical mistakes. One star deduction.

Recommended to those interested about South America and/or alternative history.