Thomson - The White Rock

A gem of a book, an intelligent, balanced and indeed original look at the empire of the Incas transcends the travel-writing genre an excellent introduction to the Incas and what is known about them.

Los Angeles Times

The sort of book that inspires the armchair traveler with a desire to follow in its authors footsteps Everywhere Thomson goes, he finds good tales to tell Engrossing.

The New York Times Book Review

A lively account Thomson has a great ability to find both local color and a human heart in characters who, to other eyes, might be merely ridiculous or dull Ill look forward to all his future stories if theyre even half as well told, as vivid and funny and human, as this one.

The Washington Post Book World

In The White Rock, the whole continent becomes a plot with suspense and a cast of outrageous characters This is Bruce Chatwin with cojones.

Independent

The long-awaited, definitive travel book on Peru.

J OHN H EMMING , author of Conquest of the Incas

Thomson proves terrific at weaving snippets of history into his travels, sketching not only the defiant Incas and relentlessconquistadores but also the wacky cast of archaeological buccaneers and New Agers that would eventually follow.

Outside

Excellent a thoroughly engaging tour of a giant, magnificent landscape. This book is an intoxicating and compelling mix of information and adventure.

National Geographic Adventure

Thomson has done a masterful job. the exploration of Vilcabamba comes alive.

Archeology

Belying his casual, kid-with-a-backpack approach, Thomson reveals a sophisticated grasp of Andean history, a canny understanding of the complex encounter between Indian and Spaniard, and a firm grasp of the interaction between human society and the Peruvian mountains.

The Christian Science Monitor

A delightfully personal, skeptical, and ebullient journey, with just the right degree of humor necessary for hard travel to distant places.

Kirkus Reviews

So entertaining and appealing is Thomsons story of his exploration of the Inca empire that readers will wish they could take off and follow in his footsteps he is as good a companion as a traveler could hope for.

Publishers Weekly

Part travelog, part history lesson Thomson is an impressive adventurer and an equally skilled writer.

Library Journal

Fascinating besides telling readers of his own discoveries, he gives us a concise history of the Incan empire from its founding to its destruction. Further, he places his book in the long and magical string of literature of Inca exploration The White Rock has a moral depth and intellectual integrity most similar work lacks a tremendously valuable and entertaining book.

The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)

Superb Thomson has an extraordinary knack for finding fascinating characters straight out of central casting.

The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

Engaging a pleasing mix of discovery, colorful personalities, history, and archeology.

Longitude

An intrepid tale fascinating, and intelligently told.

Sunday Times

Thomsons account of his travels through the Inca heartlands weaves geographical, spiritual, personal, and historical strands to an effect as rich and varied as a Peruvian shawl.

Daily Telegraph

Offers telling insights into the Inca culture and vividly recreates their extraordinary civilization a comprehensive, clear-sighted account of the Inca legacy.

Global Adventure

The mixture of historian, traveler, filmmaker makes The White Rock come alive on the page as few other books about South America have done.

Sunday Independent