Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk

JOHN LE CARRE

Quite superb…..a masterpiece

WILLIAM BOYD

Tim Butcher's extraordinary, audacious journey through the Congo is worthy of the great 19th century explorers. Completely enthralling but also a thoughtful and sobering portrait of modern Africa

ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years.

THE SUNDAY TIMES

Tim Butcher's book is the latest in a long line, running through Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, VS Nai-paul… his account of a hair-rising trip from east to west, against all advice, by motorbike and then river boat, is gripping and harshly informative…

MAX HASTINGS

Blood River represents a remarkable marriage of travelogue and history, which deserves to make Tim Butcher a star for his prose, as well as his courage.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From his adventure he has plundered a wealth of terrific stories, and survived to recite a rosary of unstinting horror.

FERGAL KEANE

This is a terrific book, an adventure story about a journey of great bravery in one of the world's most dangerous places. It keeps the heart beating and the attention fixed from beginning to end.

HATCHARDS

…unputdownable…

GILES FODEN

An intrepid adventure... Tim Butcher has followed in the footsteps of Stanley and Conrad. It takes a lot of guts to yomp through the Congo and he obviously has plenty of those. But it is the wit and passion of the writing which keeps you engrossed.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

..stirring and thought-provoking.

AESTHETICA MAGAZINE

….a remarkable travelogue of exquisite proportions…. highly emotive, historical and personal…Butcher's elegant style demands the reader's attention…….Blood River is nothing short of a modern-day masterpiece.

WANDERLUST

What makes Blood River such a compelling read is the fact that the journey becomes an exercise in mental terror, the author skilfully conveying the exhaustion of six weeks on tenterhooks, wondering what might happen just around the next bend.

THOMAS PAKENHAM

Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy with the unfortunate Congolese...

ESQUIRE

…gripping…

TRAVEL AFRICA

The past meets present in this enthralling travelogue through the depths of the Congo.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-07-03 rating:
Only for the brave...
A brilliant book mixing adventure travel with history, geography and anthropology. The author describes his brutal journey across the enormous expanse of land that is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tracking Stanley's exploratory expedition, the book is shocking and horrifying in what it reveals about this destitute country. It is a great read that's filled with humour and compassion for the Congolese people. As someone about to travel to the DRC, this was an insightful introduction to an amazing country - all of its wonders and dangers. Now that I have safely returned from the Congo I have recommended this to all my family and friends.

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review by: date: 2008-07-01 rating:
Incredible
From the moment I opened this book I couldn't put it down. It is a chilling account of Congo in decay, and about how the infrastructutre of civilisation has collapsed, making it a far more dangerous place today than it was decades ago. I thoroughly recommend it.

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review by: davidhenderson8 date: 2008-06-28 rating:
a compelling journey
An account of the extraordinary journey made by journalist Tim Butcher, retracing the footsteps of H.M. Stanley ,exploring the Congo River. The journey was remarkable as the Congo has suffered from decades of corruption and explotiation and has been ravaged by civil war. The success of Butcher's journey depends on the kindness of aid agencies and charity workers. At times he is struck by the decay and neglect he discovers and paints a depressing picture of what he describes as 'Africa's Broken Heart'. What distinguishes this account from other travel writing is the challenge of the journey. Butcher describes his journey as' ordeal travel' and develops detailed accounts of his experiences. It is difficult not to admire the courage of the writer or the integrity of his writing.

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review by: date: 2008-06-13 rating:
History and travel
This book is not to be picked up if you are looking for a travel book. Instead it is a fascinating documentary on the politics, history and culture of the people that he passes on his journey, with a little about the physical journey. He makes frequent comparisons with previous explorers, especially Stanley. The book is very interesting and he draws astonishing anthropological observations. I couldn't put it down, but it was very different from what I was expecting when I picked it up!


review by: date: 2008-06-11 rating:
Blood River
In Blood River, Tim Butcher gives an engrossing account of his treacherous trip across the Congo following in the footsteps of Stanley who was also the Daily Telegraph's foreign correspondent. Against all advice, Butcher crosses the Congo with the support of a handful of individuals and a few aid agencies that operate in the country. As the Congo's road, rail and riverboat system has been destroyed, large parts of the journey are undertaken on the back of a motorcycle and Butcher gives vivid accounts of the people he meets and the places he stops at on the way. This book had me hooked from the start. It is a gripping read of the horror of the post-colonial collapse in one part of Africa and there are parallels with Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and "Apocalypse Now", the movie by Francis Coppola. Unlike Conrad and Coppola's characters, however, Butcher does not become savage and he returns to civilisation to reflect on the challenges Africa faces.

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