Customer Reviews
A Shocking Insight - By: Guy D. Lewis, 23 Nov 2008 
Quite simply I gave this book top marks because it gave such a clear & shocking insight into the DR Congo. Before reading this book I had not been aware of how depraved & destroyed this country is & has continued to be for so long. Whilst outside countries continue to pillage this wonderful country it will remain one of the most saddest stories of world history. The fact that most of the wildlife has now been destroyed across this country gives a good indication of how desperate the people's lives have become. Thank you Tim. Good luck people of DR Congo.
An easy to read travelogue, but nothing more. - By: JJ WALRAVENS, 16 Nov 2008 
One has to admit that Tim Butcher's journey through the war torn DRC is an amazing exploit, albeit more than slightly foolish! The same cannot be said about the book. It's an easy to read travel story which is decent entertainment on a long haul flight, but I cannot understand the purpose of the book. Partly a travel narrative & partly a historic recount of Stanley's voyage through the Congo, it fails to achieve depthin both. It is also a denunciation of Congo's colonial masters, their Congolese successors & Congo's neighbours who play a rolein the East-Congo conflict. It is quite repetitive: if you didn't know that Kinshasa used to be called Leopoldville & Kisangani is the contemporary name of Stanleyville, you will never forget after reading this book. A disappointment given the grandeur of the trip itself.
Feel the heat and start sweating - By: Raymond Egan, 06 Nov 2008 Simply a great travel book. Tim somehow manages to convey the sticky, claustrophobic atmosphere & undertones of malice & danger he experienced. We feel his discomfort, his pain, his fear, his hunger, his loss of hope for the land he travelled through. But he also introduces us to some ordinary or rather extraordinary human beings who helped himin his journey. They demonstrate real courage & determinationin simply surviving without losing dignity. He doesn't rose tint his environment & vividly portrays the cruel nature of those with powerin DRC. This book says a lot more about humanity than just about a journey. If you are interestedin Africa then read this book.
Fascinating and insightful - By: Ms. J. E. Rowsell, 24 Sep 2008 Full of insight into the Congo, its history & relationships with its neighbours. The author's personal story makes it a good read, thanks to his detemination, sensitivity & the hardship he endures. The information he includes gives it a valuable educational quality. At the end I was filled with frustation, a sense of futility verging on anger. Colonisation has left scars & horror everywhere. It is understandable that the Congo may want to forget all that it was as a Belgian colony. But what isin its place?
Reminiscent of the potential & beauties of Africa & its people, there is a seeming disabilty for the Congo to rise above its past & take control of its future. The author clearly makes the point thatin other parts of the world, this has happened successfully.
If you want to look inside the Congo (Africa?), & try to understand its issues this is 'must read'. But be prepared to wrestle with these issues, which the author so brilliantly highlights, for a long time afterwards.
over-hyped - By: J. R. Baillie, 23 Sep 2008 
this book has a very good intro & that must be what prompted the likes of le carre & william boyd to big it up
But butcher comes across as naive & a whiner, & the book quickly gets boring & repetitive.
to be honest it's hard to believe this guy is a war correspondent, he gets scared very easily while his analysis of Congolese history is oversimplistic & his UN apologism frankly nauseating
one point for trying
