River of the Gods is a dramatic account of two egotistic British explorers’ rivalry in searching for the source of the Nile.

I enjoy reading this style of narrative history. It is carefully researched nonfiction, while feeling like a novel, and it was exceedingly well done, both with its overarching, dramatic sweep, as well as having plenty of astonishing detail that didn’t bog it down.

This author clarifies a complicated storyline and these incredibly arduous journeys by bringing to life unforgettable characters.

Burton and Speke both led expeditions, and each one’s blatant flaws, their absurd conflicts, and embarrassing colonialism are cringeworthy. Both in their own exacerbating and antagonistic ways, are products of Victorian England, and both are all too human– self absorbed, self-righteous, and vainglorious. The unsung hero in this story is the native guide, Sidi Mubarak Bombay, who is the only upstanding individual involved, and is the one who actually held the crucial role. Thankfully, he is finally getting his belated due.

Also note that I listened to this on audio and the narrator did a great job.

It is a bit hard to read/hear about all they endured on this quest, as well as seeing how the British saw discovery as an opportunity for arrogance, conquest, and robbery. The attitude that if a European hadn’t yet been there to rename what was home to someone else, meant it hadn’t been discovered yet, rankled. I give this book four stars.