Synopsis
O'Hanlon travels to the Congo with an American scientist in search of a lost dinosaur named Mokele-mbembe. Along the way, they encounter threats that include poisonous snakes, illness, powerful magicians, and political brutality.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-07-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 1 pages | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 16.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
Intrepid traveler Redmond O'Hanlon embarks on a literary journey fraught with humor, discovery, and terror in the People's Republic of the Congo, as he searches for the legendary dinosaur of Lake Tele. 43 photos. 3 maps. 19 engravings.
Industry Reviews
"Those who prefer O'Hanlon to be a sort of journeyman John Cleese will be disappointed. 'Congo Journey' is not a funny book. If it is about any one thing, it's about fear: fear of God (or a higher power), fear of yourself and, most of all, fear of black Africa and what can happen to you there....In between the bouts of terror are rich observations on natural history, ornithology, pygmy life, sorcery, magic and African ritual....'Congo Journey' is a marvelous read."
Literary Review - Fiammetta Rocco (12/19/1996)
"[O]ne of the highlights of the spring publishing season..."
New Yorker - Bill Buford (01/27/1997)
"This is a dark book, tangled, somewhat claustrophobic, half mad and unremittingly brilliant....[L]ong, disturbing, elegantly written..."
New York Times - Tim Cahill (05/04/1997)
"O'Hanlon isn't just your standard-issue brainy skeptic who, lo and behold, finds himself humbled by the mysteries he discovers in an untamed world....He's so open to all kinds of wonder that he sometimes seems like an enthusiastic school kid on a field trip, and that's what makes 'No Mercy' so engaging. O'Hanlon writes about the people he meets as if he realizes he's only able to scratch the surface of their complexity. He never comes close to condescending to them: He doesn't laugh at their dependence on fetishes and their fear of sorcerers and murderous ghost creatures, and he makes sure the reader doesn't laugh, either."
Salon - Stephanie Zacharek (05/09/1997)
"[T]he details in his new book are riveting."
Wall Street Journal - Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg (06/23/1997)
"[A] twisted but mirthful Conradian adventure....O'Hanlon's staggering knowledge of the region's flora and fauna, in addition to his considerable descriptive skills, adds a further dimension to this casually wacky (and occasionally very sobering) account. As travel yarn, social commentary, zoological handbook, and snappy satire, O'Hanlon's book resists easy categorization....[D]efinitely a trip worth taking."
Spencer
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