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A compulsively readable account of an African country now virtually inaccessible to the outside world and one journalist's daring and adventurous journey.

When Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher was sent to cover Africa he quickly became obsessed with the idea of recreating H.M. Stanley's famous expedition - but travelling alone. Despite warnings that his plan was 'suicidal', Butcher set out for the Congo's eastern border with just a rucksack and a few thousand dollars hidden in his boots. Making his way in an assortment of vessels including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, helped along by a cast of characters from UN aid workers to a campaigning pygmy, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurers.

VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mind A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years * Alexander McCall Smith * An intrepid adventure. In making and describing this journey, 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 * Giles Foden * 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 * Max Hastings * A story of the extraordinary courage, tenacity and endurance of two men: H. M. Stanley, and Tim Butcher...a great achievement. * John Simpson * 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 * Fergal Keane *

Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart (Vintage Voyages)