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Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold
The transporting account of an obsessive quest to find El Dorado, set against the backdrop of Elizabethan political intrigue and a competition with Spanish conquistadors for the legendary city’s treasure
As early as 1530, reports of El Dorado, a city of gold in the South American interior, beckoned to European explorers. Whether there was any truth to the stories remained to be seen, but the allure of unimaginable riches was enough to ensnare dozens of would-be heroes and glory hounds in the desperate hunt. Among them was Sir Walter Raleigh: ambitious courtier, confidant to Queen Elizabeth, and, before long, El Dorado fanatic.
Entering the Elizabethan court as an upstart from a family whose days of nobility were far behind them, Raleigh used his military acumen, good looks, and sheer audacity to scramble into the limelight. Yet that same swagger proved to be his undoing, as his secret marriage to a lady-in-waiting enraged Queen Elizabeth and landed him in the Tower of London. Between his ensuing grim prospects at court and his underlying lust for adventure, the legend of El Dorado became an unwavering siren song that hypnotized Raleigh.
On securing his release, he journeyed across an ocean to find the fabled city, gambling his painstakingly acquired wealth, hard-won domestic bliss, and his very life. What awaited him in the so-called New World were endless miles of hot, dense jungle packed with deadly flora and fauna, warring Spanish conquistadors and Indigenous civilizations, and other unforeseen dangers. Meanwhile, back at home, his multitude of rivals plotted his demise.
Paradise of the Damned, like Keith Thomson’s critically acclaimed Born to Be Hanged, brings this story to life in lush and captivating detail. The book charts Raleigh’s obsessive search for El Dorado—as well as the many doomed expeditions that preceded and accompanied his—providing not only an invaluable history but also a gripping narrative of traveling to the ends of the earth only to realize, too late, that what lies at home is the greatest treasure of all.
As early as 1530, reports of El Dorado, a city of gold in the South American interior, beckoned to European explorers. Whether there was any truth to the stories remained to be seen, but the allure of unimaginable riches was enough to ensnare dozens of would-be heroes and glory hounds in the desperate hunt. Among them was Sir Walter Raleigh: ambitious courtier, confidant to Queen Elizabeth, and, before long, El Dorado fanatic.
Entering the Elizabethan court as an upstart from a family whose days of nobility were far behind them, Raleigh used his military acumen, good looks, and sheer audacity to scramble into the limelight. Yet that same swagger proved to be his undoing, as his secret marriage to a lady-in-waiting enraged Queen Elizabeth and landed him in the Tower of London. Between his ensuing grim prospects at court and his underlying lust for adventure, the legend of El Dorado became an unwavering siren song that hypnotized Raleigh.
On securing his release, he journeyed across an ocean to find the fabled city, gambling his painstakingly acquired wealth, hard-won domestic bliss, and his very life. What awaited him in the so-called New World were endless miles of hot, dense jungle packed with deadly flora and fauna, warring Spanish conquistadors and Indigenous civilizations, and other unforeseen dangers. Meanwhile, back at home, his multitude of rivals plotted his demise.
Paradise of the Damned, like Keith Thomson’s critically acclaimed Born to Be Hanged, brings this story to life in lush and captivating detail. The book charts Raleigh’s obsessive search for El Dorado—as well as the many doomed expeditions that preceded and accompanied his—providing not only an invaluable history but also a gripping narrative of traveling to the ends of the earth only to realize, too late, that what lies at home is the greatest treasure of all.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2024
66 people are currently reading
5308 people want to read
About the author
Keith Thomson
25 books148 followersKeith Thomson has been a semi-pro baseball player in France an editorial cartoonist for Newsday and a screenwriter. Now a resident of Alabama, he writes about intelligence and other matters for The Huffington Post. His novels include Once a Spy, a New York Times Best Seller, Twice a Spy and Pirates of Pensacola.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
April 18, 2024
"Chase your dreams," people say. A less popular maxim is, "You really need to know when to quit it." The "it" in this instance is the mythical El Dorado. The people who didn't know when to quit were mostly Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh or...well even he didn't know how to spell his own name right) and a bunch of other people. We can add another saying which should be more well known. "The Amazon is trying to kill you and it's very good at it."
Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson is a wonderful character study of people who think they are just one more mile from that last big score. The score they can retire on. The score which will make them immortal. In the case of Raleigh, he would become immortal, just not in the way he intended.
Most of the narrative is focused on Raleigh and his life once he made his multiple bids for El Dorado. This is not a full biography of Raleigh, but it is a very enjoyable recounting of parts of his life. Along the way, Thomson also mentions the multitude of men who thought they could tame the Amazon and it never goes well.
I should mention that Thomson has a hysterical way of infusing this dark story with witty asides which are always welcome. After all, there is an inherent hilarity in how many of these men kept falling for stories from indigenous people. "Gold? Sure, it's somewhere that is not here. Just keep going and leave us alone. Yeah, my cousin told me all the gold is that way. Yes, we are totally best friends. Now go."
It's not a lie if you want to believe it.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company.)
Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson is a wonderful character study of people who think they are just one more mile from that last big score. The score they can retire on. The score which will make them immortal. In the case of Raleigh, he would become immortal, just not in the way he intended.
Most of the narrative is focused on Raleigh and his life once he made his multiple bids for El Dorado. This is not a full biography of Raleigh, but it is a very enjoyable recounting of parts of his life. Along the way, Thomson also mentions the multitude of men who thought they could tame the Amazon and it never goes well.
I should mention that Thomson has a hysterical way of infusing this dark story with witty asides which are always welcome. After all, there is an inherent hilarity in how many of these men kept falling for stories from indigenous people. "Gold? Sure, it's somewhere that is not here. Just keep going and leave us alone. Yeah, my cousin told me all the gold is that way. Yes, we are totally best friends. Now go."
It's not a lie if you want to believe it.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company.)
April 15, 2024
A book chock full of gold! This is the tale of the many runs at El Dorado in Guiana by the English (and all the other European nations that could get up a team ready to trade blood (not necessarily their own, but maybe. . .) for the shiny stuff. Trouble was there was a rather fierce defending team on the ground in the southern part of the mysterious continent where rivers are filled with crocs, cannibals and folks who didn't understand who ruled the world. A challenge, for sure. However, Elizabeth I had her favorites, and ones who needed to make up to her for perceived wrongs. . .at the front of the line was that cape-tosser, Sir Walter Raleigh - or as he signed it Walter Ralegh.
I found this to be a very interesting, wide-ranging story of Sir Walter Raleigh's many runs at the gold, and those with whom he was in competition for England's money and love in his many tries at it. The narrative wandered long and widely for little, but never failed to keep me with the minutiae, and did hit the high points in Raleigh's timeline. Those who were hosting the event, however, didn't get equal consideration and I would have liked that.
Otherwise - if you have a blank on what England was doing around 1500 - 1550, this will shed some light.
*A sincere thank you to Keith Thomson, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #ParadiseoftheDamned #NetGalley
52:38
I found this to be a very interesting, wide-ranging story of Sir Walter Raleigh's many runs at the gold, and those with whom he was in competition for England's money and love in his many tries at it. The narrative wandered long and widely for little, but never failed to keep me with the minutiae, and did hit the high points in Raleigh's timeline. Those who were hosting the event, however, didn't get equal consideration and I would have liked that.
Otherwise - if you have a blank on what England was doing around 1500 - 1550, this will shed some light.
*A sincere thank you to Keith Thomson, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #ParadiseoftheDamned #NetGalley
52:38
March 1, 2025
Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson tells the story of Walter Ralegh and his obsessive quest to uncover the city of El Dorado.
Paradise of the Damned doesn’t quite live up to the 5 star expectations of Born to be Hanged also by Thomson. But it tells a well researched and quite humorous story at times of obsession. Bonafide at every page. Paradise of the Damned is worth the read.
Paradise of the Damned doesn’t quite live up to the 5 star expectations of Born to be Hanged also by Thomson. But it tells a well researched and quite humorous story at times of obsession. Bonafide at every page. Paradise of the Damned is worth the read.
April 20, 2024
DNF 34%. Not sure what possessed me to request this on NetGalley. Written as an adventure story of Spanish/English explorers searching for the fabled city of El Dorado. Sick men, doing sick things, with no consideration for others. Treatment of Indigenous populations is mentioned, but felt like an inconvenient footnote to the action! and escapades! of the explorers.
Some other points of concern:
1) Book describes 'walking trees'. Explains how they 'throw' their roots to walk toward sun/water. I googled it to see a picture. The top results are 'myth of the walking tree'. Apparently, it's a fun story, not reality.
2) Book describes mata mata turtles. Grotesque, with bulbous protrusions and a long neck like a snake in a turtle shell. Again, I google it. Top result is 'DERPY smile of mata mata turtle". They are suction feeders than can't bite or chew.
3) Book describes 'bacon torture'. Explorers starve prisoners. Then, cook bacon in front of them. When prisoners start salivating over the smell, they use the hot slabs to burn them. Seriously, what?
4) Book describes a certain Indigenous group as suffering from a parasitic infection. Uses the physical deformity caused by the infection to make them seem monstrous, and goes on to imply that they are sick because they are so dirty. No compassion.
I'm not an expert, and I know a Google search isn't the pinnacle of good research, but all these things taken together made me skeptical of the book's accuracy and motivations.
Some other points of concern:
1) Book describes 'walking trees'. Explains how they 'throw' their roots to walk toward sun/water. I googled it to see a picture. The top results are 'myth of the walking tree'. Apparently, it's a fun story, not reality.
2) Book describes mata mata turtles. Grotesque, with bulbous protrusions and a long neck like a snake in a turtle shell. Again, I google it. Top result is 'DERPY smile of mata mata turtle". They are suction feeders than can't bite or chew.
3) Book describes 'bacon torture'. Explorers starve prisoners. Then, cook bacon in front of them. When prisoners start salivating over the smell, they use the hot slabs to burn them. Seriously, what?
4) Book describes a certain Indigenous group as suffering from a parasitic infection. Uses the physical deformity caused by the infection to make them seem monstrous, and goes on to imply that they are sick because they are so dirty. No compassion.
I'm not an expert, and I know a Google search isn't the pinnacle of good research, but all these things taken together made me skeptical of the book's accuracy and motivations.
May 20, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Keith Thomson’s Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado. Thomson’s book was a well-researched and detailed story of Sir Walter Raleigh’s lifelong quest to find El Dorado, starting from Elizabethan England and moving to Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana and the Orinoco River in South America. The book primarily follows Raleigh, tracing his early years spent in Elizabeth’s court and how he came to exploration and sailing. Thomson’s book features much adventure and many mishaps, especially around the war for the New World in the Americas between Spain and England. The book’s best parts are when Raleigh is in South America, looking for El Dorado while also navigating uncharted rivers, streams, waterfalls, and avoiding unknown predators like anacondas, alligators, and piranhas. It was fascinating to gain a deeper insight into how dangerous the new world was, mostly because of how unknown the terrain was. I also enjoyed learning more about Raleigh’s earlier approaches to diplomacy and finding ways to ensure that the Spanish would not beat him to El Dorado and how he sought out indigenous support from existing tribes. The other parts of the book that took place in England were not as exciting to me. I did not know much about Sir Walter Raleigh, so this book provided an engaging biography, but I was surprised to learn that in England at the time, the rule of law, especially things like evidence and due process were not really part of the society. Thus, reading about Raleigh’s years in prison for a kind of hearsay association with a plot to overthrow King James was important to know about. This also somewhat mirrored Raleigh’s earlier experiences with Queen Elizabeth when he was imprisoned for having a child with his future wife without informing the Queen. Thomson’s sharing of these events and the injustices that Raleigh faced helped to illustrate the kind of whims of the crown that many people, especially prominent people, faced. Although these parts dealing with the legal practices of England were important, I found them to be not as exciting as the chapters set in South America and dealing with the quest for El Dorado. It was also surprising that King James let Raleigh return to find El Dorado, despite being imprisoned for pretty much treason (even if the charges were never really tried). Raleigh’s second campaign, when he was in his 60s, did not go well. Like his initial quest to El Dorado, the hope was to bring money back to England in the form of gold. However, with a strong Spanish presence in the areas in Venezuela, Colombia, and Guiana he struggled to return to some of the areas he visited in 1590s (about 20 years prior). I won’t spoil the ending, but Raleigh does return to England without any gold, failing once again to find El Dorado and dealing with a hungry, tired, and mutinous crew. This leads Raleigh to face King James’s wrath and power. Most of this book was exciting, and I loved the images that Thomson selected to accompany these chapters. They really helped to illustrate the challenges and individuals involved in Raleigh’s various quests. While the book primarily focused on Raleigh’s quest, there were some other chapters that dealt with English and Spanish relations during this time, as well as Raleigh’s time spent imprisoned. These were necessary to understand some of Raleigh’s motivations for seeking out El Dorado once again, and the consequences of his failure to find it and bring home any gold. These sections were not as exciting but helped understand the broader perspective of this society.
May 12, 2024
Keith Thomson's Paradise of the Damned is a captivating, real-life adventure transporting the reader from opulent royal courtyards to steam-choked tributaries of the Amazon jungle. The story is laid out in roughly chronological order, with key individuals being introduced gradually along with historical drawings and artwork from the time. The prose is complex and layered, guiding the reader to the subtle humor and poetry amidst the outrageous thrills and unbelievable scandal of the events described. While the book was less concerned with indigenous culture and history than I was expecting, the tragic, inspiring story of Walter Rale(i)gh was more exciting and edifying than I could have hoped. For readers who have enjoyed writing about the Amazon by David Grann, Wallace Scott, Paul Rosolie and Monte Reel, grab this book. Check the draft on your canoe and hold tight to your arquebus, or you may be stranded in this Paradise of the Damned.
A thoroughly saturated thank you to Hachette Book Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
A thoroughly saturated thank you to Hachette Book Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
August 30, 2024
This was such a pleasure to read. Filled with remarkable tales of exploration and a study on man’s desire to find the mythical. I learned so much about Sir Walter Raleigh and am happy for it.
March 3, 2025
In Paradise of the Damned author Keith Thomson looks at the sad and regretful tale of Sir Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh) and his quest to discover El Dorado and secure a gold mine for England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Like every other South American explorer in history, Raleigh's mission to discover the legendary city of El Dorado failed and for the great soldier and explorer, the end of his journey is quite a tragic one. Well researched, Thomson tells the tale in a entertaining narrative prose that keeps you engaged, even in the slow periods.
July 31, 2024
** This was a NetGalley book [original due date 5.21.2024]. I was finally able to purchase the eBook of this title [the digital eBook ARC was unavailable when I went to read it and I was unable to download it again] to read and review. See below **
I had no idea [or if I did, I had forgotten] that Sir Walter Raleigh went on a years long obsessive hunt for the legendary City of Gold - the elusive El Dorado. And when I say obsessive, I mean it. Sir Walter spent SIXTEEN years in the tower of London for treason [his conviction and punishment were ultimately commuted by the King, though that would come into play again later in his life] and the second he is out, guess what he decides to do? You win if you guessed sail off to Trinidad and Guyana in search of the gold, regardless of family and disapproval all around [and not just from those in England. The islanders were over this "crazy" man and all the crazies he brought with him and were in no rush to see him again]. Sir Walter just never learned and the results were clearly not what he was hoping for [no gold, jailed again for treason, and ultimately his death {the King took BACK the commutation [?] but didn't go through with the drawn and quartering and the removal of his entrails, due to th entourage of the people that loved him], though he would have been pleased, one must assume, to know his wife [who always believed in him] carried his embalmed head with her until her death TWENTY-FIVE years later].
Meticulously researched, well-written [and weirdly enough, filled with moments of real hilarity AND gross-out facts. Sand flea infestation anyone?], and also filled with action, ego-filled stupidity [SO SO SO much stupidity; apparently rich white men doing stupid things isn't a new thing LOL], and facts I never knew [YAY for learning] like 1. I had no idea that grenade was French for pomegranate, and 2. just how said 1595 grenades were actually made, this is a compulsively readable book - I had real trouble putting it down when it was time to move on to my other books as I was really into the story.
If you love history, travel [especially the 1500's kind], adventure [traipsing through the jungle, encountering bugs I pray I never see, and fighting everyone in sight, including Caribs, who enjoyed eating people's hearts straight from their chest, and NEVER finding gold], and some real weirdness [and I mean that in the best possible way], then this book is for you and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Keith Thomson, and Little, Brown, and Company for providing this [unreadable] ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had no idea [or if I did, I had forgotten] that Sir Walter Raleigh went on a years long obsessive hunt for the legendary City of Gold - the elusive El Dorado. And when I say obsessive, I mean it. Sir Walter spent SIXTEEN years in the tower of London for treason [his conviction and punishment were ultimately commuted by the King, though that would come into play again later in his life] and the second he is out, guess what he decides to do? You win if you guessed sail off to Trinidad and Guyana in search of the gold, regardless of family and disapproval all around [and not just from those in England. The islanders were over this "crazy" man and all the crazies he brought with him and were in no rush to see him again]. Sir Walter just never learned and the results were clearly not what he was hoping for [no gold, jailed again for treason, and ultimately his death {the King took BACK the commutation [?] but didn't go through with the drawn and quartering and the removal of his entrails, due to th entourage of the people that loved him], though he would have been pleased, one must assume, to know his wife [who always believed in him] carried his embalmed head with her until her death TWENTY-FIVE years later].
Meticulously researched, well-written [and weirdly enough, filled with moments of real hilarity AND gross-out facts. Sand flea infestation anyone?], and also filled with action, ego-filled stupidity [SO SO SO much stupidity; apparently rich white men doing stupid things isn't a new thing LOL], and facts I never knew [YAY for learning] like 1. I had no idea that grenade was French for pomegranate, and 2. just how said 1595 grenades were actually made, this is a compulsively readable book - I had real trouble putting it down when it was time to move on to my other books as I was really into the story.
If you love history, travel [especially the 1500's kind], adventure [traipsing through the jungle, encountering bugs I pray I never see, and fighting everyone in sight, including Caribs, who enjoyed eating people's hearts straight from their chest, and NEVER finding gold], and some real weirdness [and I mean that in the best possible way], then this book is for you and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Keith Thomson, and Little, Brown, and Company for providing this [unreadable] ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 28, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an eARC copy of Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson.
I will personally say, I picked this up because I've had a love of the mystery of El Dorado since the 2000 Dreamworks film 'The Road to El Dorado' and so my curiosity of the real story made me request to read it. After all, who doesn't want to know if there really is a city of gold out there? This is also my first Keith Thomson book after hearing good things about his writing, so I thought it would be good to start with a book that is only just coming out.
Keith Thomson does wonders with portraying Sir Walter Raleigh's obsession with finding the city of El Dorado and also mentioning that he was not the first, only one of many to waltz their way through the Amazon. Paradise of the Damned really gets into the human thought of having to go as far as possible to fulfill their obsession in order to finally retire and just live the rest of their lives. It also really shows how far European countries were going to exploit the New World and what it had to offer, not to mention exploiting the natives for their own gain. However, what I will say was that the pacing wasn't my favorite and I had to set it aside for a bit prior to finishing. It can be a lot to take in, especially if you've never heard of El Dorado or read a lot of historical non-fiction. But, if you like reading about adventure and a bit the relationships/dynamics of getting funding during this time, this is certainly for you.
I will personally say, I picked this up because I've had a love of the mystery of El Dorado since the 2000 Dreamworks film 'The Road to El Dorado' and so my curiosity of the real story made me request to read it. After all, who doesn't want to know if there really is a city of gold out there? This is also my first Keith Thomson book after hearing good things about his writing, so I thought it would be good to start with a book that is only just coming out.
Keith Thomson does wonders with portraying Sir Walter Raleigh's obsession with finding the city of El Dorado and also mentioning that he was not the first, only one of many to waltz their way through the Amazon. Paradise of the Damned really gets into the human thought of having to go as far as possible to fulfill their obsession in order to finally retire and just live the rest of their lives. It also really shows how far European countries were going to exploit the New World and what it had to offer, not to mention exploiting the natives for their own gain. However, what I will say was that the pacing wasn't my favorite and I had to set it aside for a bit prior to finishing. It can be a lot to take in, especially if you've never heard of El Dorado or read a lot of historical non-fiction. But, if you like reading about adventure and a bit the relationships/dynamics of getting funding during this time, this is certainly for you.
June 21, 2024
A lively, serviceable enough account of Walter Raleigh's search for El Dorado, and what it cost him. Note the TRUE STORY headline on the cover - which gives the tenor of the thing. Fragments of Wiki-research here and there I suspect. Interesting mainly by demonstrating - yet again - that the "nasty, colonising English" were often seen positively by native peoples as a bulwark against the truly tyrannical Spanish. We have examples here, for instance, of native people being released from Spanish slavery by Raleigh's men. Also interesting is it's unintended revelation that England under King James I had at least two strong similarities with the US under President Biden: first there was the lawfare aimed at Raleigh - successful in that case; then there is James's inconstancy - with him supportive of Raleigh's final expedition to find the Golden City, while burdening it with conditions that made its success virtually impossible. Plus ça change ...
September 17, 2024
I really enjoyed the historical narrative of this book. Supplicated by Patriot or Traitor by Anna Beers, this story fills in the gaps of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Guyana expeditions. The history’s rich, the story is fluid, the author brings in many different accounts and perspectives to immerse you in to the story. I was recommend this book after reading early tales of South American discovery such as The Last Days of the Incas by Kim McQuarie and The River of Dark was by Buddy Levy - who’s main characters were the first to learn of and search for El Dorado.
February 14, 2025
Very interesting and wild adventure. It always blows my mind when I read a non-fiction that has all the different turns and twists of a fiction tale.
Great read with so much researched information in an easy to read story. Truly had no idea all the different people, time and resources put into finding El Dorado in our history.
Great read with so much researched information in an easy to read story. Truly had no idea all the different people, time and resources put into finding El Dorado in our history.
June 20, 2024
3.5 stars
Well written, easy to read, interesting!
Well written, easy to read, interesting!
August 8, 2024
I would give anything to watch Ralegh attempt to leave an IKEA
December 4, 2024
3.78
Interesting. needed to be titled “Raleigh’s life and Times surrounding his obsession with El Dorado”.
Interesting. needed to be titled “Raleigh’s life and Times surrounding his obsession with El Dorado”.
May 27, 2025
Don’t take me to the Amazon <3
June 20, 2024
I did enjoy getting this descriptive narration of Raleghs quest for El Dorado. I thought it was well researched and interesting. You can tell the author thoroughly enjoyed and cared to convey a lesser known adventurers trials and tribulations to achieve his goals.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy.
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy.
April 26, 2025
A romping adventure on the high seas, and the deep jungles, and the royal courts. Walter Raleigh really got around, and I only knew a small fraction of it before Thomson's recounting. Highly recommended!
p-n, s-n, v-h, a-n
p-n, s-n, v-h, a-n
August 1, 2025
Excellent storytelling in this historical account of the search for El Dorado in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially that of Sir Walter Raleigh.
May 23, 2024
Loved this book! The subject matter was definitely of interest, which helped me fly through it, but I also thought it was very well written.
My only complaint is that the ending felt a little abrupt. Once the British were done searching, the hunt for El Dorado was summed up in a short paragraph. I would have loved the same level of detail for the explorers who came after.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!
My only complaint is that the ending felt a little abrupt. Once the British were done searching, the hunt for El Dorado was summed up in a short paragraph. I would have loved the same level of detail for the explorers who came after.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!
January 15, 2025
This was less about the search for El Dorado than about Walter Raleigh, to include his attempts for the mythical city. The perspective used was clearly euro-positive which I expected, although I did have hopes for a more balanced view. What really struck me however was a particularly odd and inaccurate metaphor… which I knew I had recently heard word for word. I checked my reading list to find I had read another of his books last month. That was the first in a death of a thousand cuts for me. Recycled writing, exaggeration, filling in blanks, and in one case at least, creating a new saying all sailors supposedly lived by. Neat trick that.
In movies there is fiction, documentaries, and movies “based on a true story.” Which is a good way of saying they took the truth and reworked it into something marketable. As far as I am concerned, “based on a true story” is the correct category for this book, and indeed, this author. Not bad for what they are, but not what I want in my nonfiction.
Your mileage may vary.
In movies there is fiction, documentaries, and movies “based on a true story.” Which is a good way of saying they took the truth and reworked it into something marketable. As far as I am concerned, “based on a true story” is the correct category for this book, and indeed, this author. Not bad for what they are, but not what I want in my nonfiction.
Your mileage may vary.
November 14, 2024
This gives explicit detail about what it means to be blinded by the glory and gold promised by adventure.
While I struggled at times to finish this, it isn't because of the writing or the way the story is told. It's because I struggled to understand Walter Raleigh, who was so focused on gold that he did not yet have, that he was willing to spend his entire fortune. He was so obsessed with the imagined promise of El Dorado, that he squandered his life, money, and reputation.
It seems unbelievable, and yet, he showed time and time again that this imagined discovery was more important than anything else.
While I struggled at times to finish this, it isn't because of the writing or the way the story is told. It's because I struggled to understand Walter Raleigh, who was so focused on gold that he did not yet have, that he was willing to spend his entire fortune. He was so obsessed with the imagined promise of El Dorado, that he squandered his life, money, and reputation.
It seems unbelievable, and yet, he showed time and time again that this imagined discovery was more important than anything else.
May 30, 2024
I waffled a bit on the rating, once again wishing for a half star rating. Fascinating story written with sharp bits of humor that I enjoyed, but a little scattered in its intent. El Dorado was the initial goal of the explorers and this book, but turned into a biography of Sir Walter Raleigh. Also interesting as I lived for a while in Raleigh, popping into Durham, but felt like I'd taken a turn into another story. Will reread/poke through when I get a physical copy.
May 26, 2024
Not enough about El Dorado to satiate me interest
November 1, 2024
This deserves a lot of credit for making a non-fiction title read like a novel. The focus is on Sir Walter Raleigh's quest to find a gold mine (or Inca city with lots of gold). There are other characters. But the center of the book is Raleigh with his highs and lows. It is not a biography on Raleigh. Thomson picks up the story when Raleigh was at his zenith and slowly traces his downfall. Other explorers are included, most notably Raleigh's Spanish counterpart, Antonio de Berrio. The story has few weak points. The most glaring is the lack of geospatial referencing (maps). The single map at the front of the book is barely adequate in orienting the reader. El Callao is at the very bottom of the map and it is arguably the most important reference point.
Thomson brilliantly starts the book off describing how a lone Spanish explorer ends up in a distant Indian village or town and allowed to recuperate before returning to his people. He returned months or years after staying with the Indians and telling fanciful stories of a very rich city full of gold. So much in fact, that the king daily went out into a lake and doused himself with gold (?). If it sounds strange to you, it sounds strange to me. However, Thomason documents other instances where native chiefs covered themselves in a chemical like turpentine and then covered themselves in gold to make them "el hombre de oro," or as the English butchered it, El Dorado. The man's stories sparked numerous expeditions into the Orinoco River watershed looking for the city.
One after the other, the expeditions ended in catastrophe. The climate is not conducive to explorers. Even today, there are not many settlements showing up on maps. Antonio de Berrio was the first explorers to make repeated attempts to find the fabled city. He made settlements and maps and gathered stories. But the Spaniards did not make friends with the natives, or so Thomson would have his readers believe. Berrio came close several times at finding the source of so much gold - one of the largest gold mines in history. But he failed. Raleigh entered the fray when he was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. He believed that making friends with the natives would lead him to the gold. Like Berrio, he too, came close, perhaps closer than Berrio. But the logistics of working from England rather than Colombia or Trinidad worked against Raleigh.
The game of cat and mouse between the English and Spanish was fascinating. I would like to know more about the native tribes and how they interacted with each other. A curious aspect to the book is how Raleigh would have difficulty locating any permanent native settlement. They appeared to be constantly moving for one reason or another. How they secured victuals was another thing I wanted to learn because the Europeans were totally unable to support themselves. They had to raid or trade with the natives. The description of the casava win was fascinating and fun.
Thomason adds a fair amount of humor to the story. In hindsight, it is easy to conclude that the natives were leading the Europeans away from their communities - always at a rival tribe. But the Europeans seem eager to be led astray at the hint that gold was nearby, or just over yonder. Both Berrio and Raleigh fell for it each time. However, both of them appeared to focus on one area around the Caroni River. But it is not clear why. The location of the San Thome colony may have been situated as a bottleneck against English interlopers. But the Spanish settlers never found the nearby motherlode.
Raleigh was undone due to political infighting back in England and the change in government from Queen Elizabeth to King James I. Elizabeth admired the dashing Raleigh even if he displeased her. However, James was solidly against Raleigh for reasons that are not entirely clear. Raleigh appears to have been the last great Elizabethan hero. He conflicted with a less memorable hero, the Earl of Essex, who was far more brash and died for that quirk. James may have been a fan of Essex and blamed Raleigh for Essex's downfall. Whatever the cause, the enmity James felt for Raleigh was clear and takes up a lot of the book. The transition from explorer to prisoner was not as exciting. However, Raleigh miraculously swayed public opinion to his favor again and again. The last person who betrayed him was so tarnished that even James was unable or unwilling to assist him in regaining his honor.
Overall, the story of Raleigh's explorations and trials were brilliantly done. The short chapters help the reader through the confusing waterways and different tribes. The exploration of Guyana is certainly glossed over in the history books, even though it turns out there was an enormous gold mine for the taking. It was not discovered for centuries after Berrio and Raleigh. It was hard to imagine what the explorers were facing - the hardships, the battles, the natives. But the book progresses quickly and end with a climax.
Thomson brilliantly starts the book off describing how a lone Spanish explorer ends up in a distant Indian village or town and allowed to recuperate before returning to his people. He returned months or years after staying with the Indians and telling fanciful stories of a very rich city full of gold. So much in fact, that the king daily went out into a lake and doused himself with gold (?). If it sounds strange to you, it sounds strange to me. However, Thomason documents other instances where native chiefs covered themselves in a chemical like turpentine and then covered themselves in gold to make them "el hombre de oro," or as the English butchered it, El Dorado. The man's stories sparked numerous expeditions into the Orinoco River watershed looking for the city.
One after the other, the expeditions ended in catastrophe. The climate is not conducive to explorers. Even today, there are not many settlements showing up on maps. Antonio de Berrio was the first explorers to make repeated attempts to find the fabled city. He made settlements and maps and gathered stories. But the Spaniards did not make friends with the natives, or so Thomson would have his readers believe. Berrio came close several times at finding the source of so much gold - one of the largest gold mines in history. But he failed. Raleigh entered the fray when he was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. He believed that making friends with the natives would lead him to the gold. Like Berrio, he too, came close, perhaps closer than Berrio. But the logistics of working from England rather than Colombia or Trinidad worked against Raleigh.
The game of cat and mouse between the English and Spanish was fascinating. I would like to know more about the native tribes and how they interacted with each other. A curious aspect to the book is how Raleigh would have difficulty locating any permanent native settlement. They appeared to be constantly moving for one reason or another. How they secured victuals was another thing I wanted to learn because the Europeans were totally unable to support themselves. They had to raid or trade with the natives. The description of the casava win was fascinating and fun.
Thomason adds a fair amount of humor to the story. In hindsight, it is easy to conclude that the natives were leading the Europeans away from their communities - always at a rival tribe. But the Europeans seem eager to be led astray at the hint that gold was nearby, or just over yonder. Both Berrio and Raleigh fell for it each time. However, both of them appeared to focus on one area around the Caroni River. But it is not clear why. The location of the San Thome colony may have been situated as a bottleneck against English interlopers. But the Spanish settlers never found the nearby motherlode.
Raleigh was undone due to political infighting back in England and the change in government from Queen Elizabeth to King James I. Elizabeth admired the dashing Raleigh even if he displeased her. However, James was solidly against Raleigh for reasons that are not entirely clear. Raleigh appears to have been the last great Elizabethan hero. He conflicted with a less memorable hero, the Earl of Essex, who was far more brash and died for that quirk. James may have been a fan of Essex and blamed Raleigh for Essex's downfall. Whatever the cause, the enmity James felt for Raleigh was clear and takes up a lot of the book. The transition from explorer to prisoner was not as exciting. However, Raleigh miraculously swayed public opinion to his favor again and again. The last person who betrayed him was so tarnished that even James was unable or unwilling to assist him in regaining his honor.
Overall, the story of Raleigh's explorations and trials were brilliantly done. The short chapters help the reader through the confusing waterways and different tribes. The exploration of Guyana is certainly glossed over in the history books, even though it turns out there was an enormous gold mine for the taking. It was not discovered for centuries after Berrio and Raleigh. It was hard to imagine what the explorers were facing - the hardships, the battles, the natives. But the book progresses quickly and end with a climax.
March 20, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Little, Brown and Company for an advanced copy of this book looking at the history of the legend of El Dorado, the many, many different explorers, that searched, gave their lives, and enhanced their reputations pursuing undreamed of riches.
The lure of gold and wealth has lured more explorers to greater exploits than any ideas of claimng territory for God, King and/or Queen or country. How many have looked at a map and saw, Here be Dragons, and thought and here be lots and lots splendid treasures. The New World, well new to the Europeans, was rift with legends of places were gold was worn by the commonest of people, gems decorated the lowest of hovels. And wealth, status, and even more power might be behind that tree, that waterfall, if we only went a few more steps. Added to the danger were the many warring navies that were fighting for the wealth of this undiscovered countries. The Spanish, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English. Wars need money to keep them going. And rumors of a city of gold, El Dorado was too much to be ignored. Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold by author, journalist and historian Keith Thomson, is a history of the many famous names who searched to the fabled city, their actions, results, and in many cases death in varied ways.
Sir Walter Raleigh, had as many different spellings for his name as he had schemes to make money, gain power, and stay in the good graces of his Queen Elizabeth I. However even a man as smart as Raleigh would run out of luck and a marriage, without permission, resulting in a child, caused the Queen's smile to turn into a frown, resulting in his imprisonment and his wife's banishment. The Queen, like many monarchs was always in need of money, for her own use, and to fight the many wars that were happening on the Continent, and in the New World. Raleigh's years as a privateer, a pirate with government backing, had given him quite a bit of knowledge about the West Indies, ie the Caribbean and a lot about the legends of lost cities full of gold, especially El Dorado. Based on the dying last confession of Spanish gunner, El Dorado has people sprinkling gold on themselves, with gems and jewelery a plenty. Enough to get him back in the good graces of royalty. However others, including English explorers, and merchants also knew of El Dorado, and Raleigh was soon racing to catch up.
Another very interesting and fun book of history by Keith Thomson, this time dealing with exploration in the Caribbean and the lure of money. There is a lot of history, as well as a lot of derring-do, piracy, land battles, and indigenous people fooling the explorers from Europe. Thomson is quite good at writing acting scenes, making this sieges of cities exciting, as well as describing court life, and the travails of crossing these vast oceans, and the risks these people took based on rumor and legend. What I liked most was that Thomson goes into a novel idea that Raleigh had for finding this lost city. Being nice to the indigenous people, which it seemed was something no one had tried before. In fact Raleigh was most upset about being so to leave England for the fact that he was afraid the other English explorers were going to make the people so mad, they would never help. The little stories are what makes this book so interesting, the look at history form different views. Many of the names will be familiar to those who have read other histories, as will some of the barbarity. Still this is a very exciting bit of boy's own adventure, with a lot of interesting history.
Recommended for people like myself who grew up playing both Seven Cities of Gold and Syd Meier's Pirates!. Many of the names will be familiar, as will the local. Fans of history, and nautical tales will also enjoy this. As will role players, as this book has a lot of good ideas for campaigns, and adventures.
The lure of gold and wealth has lured more explorers to greater exploits than any ideas of claimng territory for God, King and/or Queen or country. How many have looked at a map and saw, Here be Dragons, and thought and here be lots and lots splendid treasures. The New World, well new to the Europeans, was rift with legends of places were gold was worn by the commonest of people, gems decorated the lowest of hovels. And wealth, status, and even more power might be behind that tree, that waterfall, if we only went a few more steps. Added to the danger were the many warring navies that were fighting for the wealth of this undiscovered countries. The Spanish, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English. Wars need money to keep them going. And rumors of a city of gold, El Dorado was too much to be ignored. Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold by author, journalist and historian Keith Thomson, is a history of the many famous names who searched to the fabled city, their actions, results, and in many cases death in varied ways.
Sir Walter Raleigh, had as many different spellings for his name as he had schemes to make money, gain power, and stay in the good graces of his Queen Elizabeth I. However even a man as smart as Raleigh would run out of luck and a marriage, without permission, resulting in a child, caused the Queen's smile to turn into a frown, resulting in his imprisonment and his wife's banishment. The Queen, like many monarchs was always in need of money, for her own use, and to fight the many wars that were happening on the Continent, and in the New World. Raleigh's years as a privateer, a pirate with government backing, had given him quite a bit of knowledge about the West Indies, ie the Caribbean and a lot about the legends of lost cities full of gold, especially El Dorado. Based on the dying last confession of Spanish gunner, El Dorado has people sprinkling gold on themselves, with gems and jewelery a plenty. Enough to get him back in the good graces of royalty. However others, including English explorers, and merchants also knew of El Dorado, and Raleigh was soon racing to catch up.
Another very interesting and fun book of history by Keith Thomson, this time dealing with exploration in the Caribbean and the lure of money. There is a lot of history, as well as a lot of derring-do, piracy, land battles, and indigenous people fooling the explorers from Europe. Thomson is quite good at writing acting scenes, making this sieges of cities exciting, as well as describing court life, and the travails of crossing these vast oceans, and the risks these people took based on rumor and legend. What I liked most was that Thomson goes into a novel idea that Raleigh had for finding this lost city. Being nice to the indigenous people, which it seemed was something no one had tried before. In fact Raleigh was most upset about being so to leave England for the fact that he was afraid the other English explorers were going to make the people so mad, they would never help. The little stories are what makes this book so interesting, the look at history form different views. Many of the names will be familiar to those who have read other histories, as will some of the barbarity. Still this is a very exciting bit of boy's own adventure, with a lot of interesting history.
Recommended for people like myself who grew up playing both Seven Cities of Gold and Syd Meier's Pirates!. Many of the names will be familiar, as will the local. Fans of history, and nautical tales will also enjoy this. As will role players, as this book has a lot of good ideas for campaigns, and adventures.
February 17, 2025
Even though his name isn't in the title, Walter Ralegh/Raleigh/Rawley/Rawleigh (the first spelling is the one used by the author throughout the book) is definitely the focus of the book. (While Thomson does touch on some of the other explorers obsessed with El Dorado, if you're looking for a book about just people's quests, this is not it.)
So about Ralegh: Thomson is a bit of a fanboy -- equivalent to Ron Chernow & Lin-Manuel Miranda's versions of Alexander Hamilton*. According to Thomson, very little was actually Ralegh's fault, which I tried to take with the proverbial grain of salt, but hey -- maybe all those people (including King James & Ralegh's supposed friend, Robert Cecil) were out to get him.
Whether Thomson's version of history is 100% accurate may be questionable, but his writing is 110% entertaining and his depiction of the brutality of Amazonian exploration, the Anglo-Spanish War, and the "justice" system under King James are totally riveting. (Be prepared for rather graphic descriptions of torture and capital punishment, both in the Americas and England.)
I originally wanted to read Patriot or Traitor: The Life and Death of Sir Walter Ralegh, but my library system doesn't have it. I'm really glad I found this one, but I'm curious to read another perspective (especially a female scholar's).
*There are some interesting parallels between Ralegh and Hamilton that apparently prove inspirational to 21st century dudes: both came up in the world from their rather humble beginnings, used their considerable charm and writing skills to get what they wanted, gained power by winning the favor of older political leaders (Queen Elizabeth & George Washington respectively), lost sons in tragic circumstances, died in dramatic manners, and were memorialized by their well-born wives.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt #21: A book where the main character is a politician
So about Ralegh: Thomson is a bit of a fanboy -- equivalent to Ron Chernow & Lin-Manuel Miranda's versions of Alexander Hamilton*. According to Thomson, very little was actually Ralegh's fault, which I tried to take with the proverbial grain of salt, but hey -- maybe all those people (including King James & Ralegh's supposed friend, Robert Cecil) were out to get him.
Whether Thomson's version of history is 100% accurate may be questionable, but his writing is 110% entertaining and his depiction of the brutality of Amazonian exploration, the Anglo-Spanish War, and the "justice" system under King James are totally riveting. (Be prepared for rather graphic descriptions of torture and capital punishment, both in the Americas and England.)
I originally wanted to read Patriot or Traitor: The Life and Death of Sir Walter Ralegh, but my library system doesn't have it. I'm really glad I found this one, but I'm curious to read another perspective (especially a female scholar's).
*There are some interesting parallels between Ralegh and Hamilton that apparently prove inspirational to 21st century dudes: both came up in the world from their rather humble beginnings, used their considerable charm and writing skills to get what they wanted, gained power by winning the favor of older political leaders (Queen Elizabeth & George Washington respectively), lost sons in tragic circumstances, died in dramatic manners, and were memorialized by their well-born wives.
Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt #21: A book where the main character is a politician
June 30, 2024
Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold. Keith Thomson. Little, Brown, and Company, 2024. 400 pages.
Keith Thomson, the author of the excellent history of pirates Born to Be Hanged, just published Paradise in May. It's the story of the mythical land of El Dorado, the city of gold described by indigenous tribes and sought after by European for centuries, but this book approaches the story from a different angle than the books you've read and documentaries you've seen, focusing not on the Spanish search for the fabled city but on the English efforts instead. Not just the English efforts in general, but the efforts of one of the most interesting Englishmen in history in particular, Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was a soldier, explorer, writer, poet, and colonizer made famous in English history and legend, for his battles against the Spanish, failed colonial attempts at Roanoke, and introduction of tobacco and potatoes to England. He's also famous as a long-time favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and a victim of her successor, King James I. However, he became an ardent believer in the Spanish stories of El Dorado and spent years of his life and much of his personal fortune exploring South America in search of the city that would grant huge personal riches on himself and on the queen he loved. He and his men endured incredible hardships slogging through jungles and battling the Spanish on numerous expeditions, while his many enemies at court used intrigue and manipulation at home to push him out of Elizabeth's fickle favor, and, in the end, to get him imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed. Thomson's book is a great review of his life, the endless political jockeying within the English court, and the impossible quest of so many Spanish and English explorers.
Keith Thomson, the author of the excellent history of pirates Born to Be Hanged, just published Paradise in May. It's the story of the mythical land of El Dorado, the city of gold described by indigenous tribes and sought after by European for centuries, but this book approaches the story from a different angle than the books you've read and documentaries you've seen, focusing not on the Spanish search for the fabled city but on the English efforts instead. Not just the English efforts in general, but the efforts of one of the most interesting Englishmen in history in particular, Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was a soldier, explorer, writer, poet, and colonizer made famous in English history and legend, for his battles against the Spanish, failed colonial attempts at Roanoke, and introduction of tobacco and potatoes to England. He's also famous as a long-time favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and a victim of her successor, King James I. However, he became an ardent believer in the Spanish stories of El Dorado and spent years of his life and much of his personal fortune exploring South America in search of the city that would grant huge personal riches on himself and on the queen he loved. He and his men endured incredible hardships slogging through jungles and battling the Spanish on numerous expeditions, while his many enemies at court used intrigue and manipulation at home to push him out of Elizabeth's fickle favor, and, in the end, to get him imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed. Thomson's book is a great review of his life, the endless political jockeying within the English court, and the impossible quest of so many Spanish and English explorers.
June 20, 2025
Less a story of Raleigh’s search for El Dorado and more an account of Raleigh’s time in Elizabeth’s, and later James’s, courts, with Raleigh taking a couple of brief trips to the New World in the middle of all the intrigue. There’s also an attempt to flesh out the South American sections of the book by giving some quick summaries of other English and Spanish expeditions to the region to search for El Dorado.
This initially read a bit like a bait and switch to me, I feel like the book presents itself primarily as “Raleigh gets up to some truly wild shit while he looks for El Dorado,” and it is very much not that. This became less and less of a concern though as the book went on and it became clear that Raleigh’s time at court was the real heart of this story. Certainly everything in the book from Raleigh‘s treason trial and onward was riveting for me.
The only time the book didn’t work for me was during those accounts of trips by other Europeans to South America. They’re sort of just dropped in to the middle of various parts of the book and it repeatedly lead to this feeling that every time Raleigh’s end of the narrative was starting to pick up some speed we’d have to hit pause so we can talk about something else entirely. It never failed to mess with the book’s flow.
I’ve seen some reviews questioning Thomson’s research and conclusions, and some reviews criticizing how little interest he shows in talking about the indigenous peoples and cultures that are encountered in this book. I think those criticisms have merit. I think between that stuff and the sort of sensationalistic way that the book presents itself it’s fair to call this a work of pop history. Very fun, very entertaining, but probably not the most rigorously researched or presented history and should therefore be taken with a grain or two of salt.
This initially read a bit like a bait and switch to me, I feel like the book presents itself primarily as “Raleigh gets up to some truly wild shit while he looks for El Dorado,” and it is very much not that. This became less and less of a concern though as the book went on and it became clear that Raleigh’s time at court was the real heart of this story. Certainly everything in the book from Raleigh‘s treason trial and onward was riveting for me.
The only time the book didn’t work for me was during those accounts of trips by other Europeans to South America. They’re sort of just dropped in to the middle of various parts of the book and it repeatedly lead to this feeling that every time Raleigh’s end of the narrative was starting to pick up some speed we’d have to hit pause so we can talk about something else entirely. It never failed to mess with the book’s flow.
I’ve seen some reviews questioning Thomson’s research and conclusions, and some reviews criticizing how little interest he shows in talking about the indigenous peoples and cultures that are encountered in this book. I think those criticisms have merit. I think between that stuff and the sort of sensationalistic way that the book presents itself it’s fair to call this a work of pop history. Very fun, very entertaining, but probably not the most rigorously researched or presented history and should therefore be taken with a grain or two of salt.
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