Trail of Feathers
Trail of Feathers is a travel book by Anglo-Afghan author, Tahir Shah. It is set in Peru and the Upper Amazon.
 First UK edition | |
| Author | Tahir Shah |
|---|---|
| Original title | Trail of Feathers |
| Illustrator | Tahir Shah (photos) |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Peru, exploration |
| Genre | Travel |
| Published | 2001 Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| Pages | 273 pages |
| ISBN | 978-1559706131 |
| Preceded by | Sorcerer's Apprentice (book) |
| Followed by | In Search of King Solomon's Mines |
Overview
Shah was enthralled by a line from the chronicle of a sixteenth-century monk, which said that the Incas ‘flew like birds’[1] over the jungle, and by the recurring theme of flying in Peruvian folklore, and in the book he set out to discover whether the Incas really did fly or glide above the jungles of Peru. Or, the author wondered, was the Spanish cleric alluding to flight of a different kind – flight inspired by a powerful hallucinogen?[2]
After gathering equipment in London—and advice from the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger—the long quest began.
Shah went first to the mountains of Peru and a trek to Machu Picchu, the Incas’ most sacred city, then on to the mountain city of Cusco and a mysterious island on the great glittering expanse of Lake Titicaca. Picking up clues as he went, Shah's trail took him on to the coast and through the desert, to the immense animal-like etchings which form the Nazca Lines, and a remote burial ground for thirty thousand mummified corpses. And finally he took an extended river journey up the Amazon to discover the secrets of the Shuar,[3] a tribe of infamous savagery living in the deep jungle of the Upper Amazon.
In the course of this journey, much was learnt much about the Spanish treatment of the Incas, about Peruvian folklore and magic, about the great but brief Amazon rubber boom of the nineteenth century, about head-shrinking, shamanic knowledge and plant-based hallucinogens.
Even though Shah was used to surreal adventures, there were many strange, gruesome and sometimes humorous encounters and physical challenges, among madmen and dreamers, sorcerers, con-men and jungle experts, before he could at last discover the truth about the Birdmen of Peru.[4]
See also
References
- Get Lost Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Shah, Tahir "Trail of Feathers", New York Times, July 21, 2002
- Hardy, Edmund (2001). "An interview with Tahir Shah". The Richmond Review. Archived from the original on December 1, 2001. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- Ferrell, Tom "I Believe I Can Fly", New York Times, July 21, 2002, Retrieved December 16, 2014
Further reading
Reviews
- The Light Fantastic at The Guardian
- Review of Trail of Feathers in Publisher's Weekly
- The 50 Best Books About South America at New World Review
- Review of Trail of Feathers at Reflections
- Review of Trail of Feathers and other Shah books at Mondo Ernesto
- Review of Trail of Feathers at Shoshanapnw's book journal #2
- Review of Trail of Feathers in PUList
- Review of Trail of Feathers in OpenDB
- Review of Trail of Feathers in MartExpress
- Review of Trail of Feathers in The New York Times
- Review of Trail of Feathers in Geographical
- Review of Trail of Feathers in Geographical
- Review of Trail of Feathers in The Washington Post