In 1572, the Spanish Conquistadors stormed the Inca stronghold of Vilcabamba in Peru, searching for golden treasure, only to find the city deserted, burned, and already stripped of its wealth. Myth has it that the Incas had retreated deep into the jungle, where they built another magnificent, secret city. For centuries, explorers, adventurers and archaeologists have searched for the lost city and its gold, known by locals as 'The House of the Tiger King'. Falling victim to this obsession himself, Tahir Shah selects a motley team of desperados for an expedition into the dense jungle in search of the lost city. As his thrilling but ultimately hapless quest unfolds, Shah is drawn to considering why such legends are so enduring.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'What give the book a cutting edge, along with the comic-book vivacity of the dialogue, is Shah's brutal candour' -- Independent 'Shah is an uproariously funny writer' -- The New York Times Praise for TRAIL OF FEATHERS: 'Tahir Shah has a talent for inventive and outrageous travelling. He uses a natural candour to confront villains, mountebanks, lunatics and murderers, allowing situations to develop which would have most of us running and screaming' -- The Spectator 'The journey is appalling and hilarious and full of gems' -- Daily Telegraph Praise for SORCEROR'S APPRENTICE: 'Extraordinary ! One of the most surreal -- not to say downright incredible -- works of travel ever published' -- The Times 'Terrific ! learned, funny and completely spellbinding' -- Mail on Sunday Praise for IN SEARCH OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES: 'Jaw-droppingly, dreadfully funny' -- The Times 'Simple and elegant, subtly self-deprectaing and often hilarious -- worth its weight in gold' -- Time 'A most extraordinary writer' -- Christopher Ondaatje
About the Author
Tahir Shah was born into an Afghan family and educated in England. He has lived in Japan, India and the United States and East Africa, and his books include 'Sorcerer's Apprentice', 'Trail of Feathers' and 'Beyond the Devil's Teeth'. He lives in London with his wife and young son and daughter.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as enjoyable as his other books,
By Monysmom "monysmom" (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: House of the Tiger King (Paperback)
I have to agree with the previous reviewer - this is a darker book than Shah's other books and it seems to have an angry tone to it where the others were more light-hearted and had funny spots. Shah seems to dislike almost everyone he comes into contact with on this trip and is obsessed (and not in a very nice way) about his goal. I would recommend the Calipher's House or the Sorcerer's Apprentice or the Search for King Solomon's Mines instead - this book was a letdown compared to those.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Here we go again,
By Newton Munnow "Newton Munnow" (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: House of the Tiger King (Paperback)
If you've read others of Shah's book, The House of the Tiger King will feel both familiar and a little different. Familiar in so far as he writes well, puts himself in unusual predicaments and circles around arcane knowledge without drowning you in the stuff. However, the House of the Tiger King finds him transformed into a more obsessive, more punishing individual. Much of this, of course, drives the story. Despite the things that lighten the story of harsh adventure in the Peruvian jungles (some of which we could do without, such as the tiring references to Pot Noodles), this is a darker tale than usual. The worry is that Shah having written his way around the world, pushing himself further and further for his stories, is not going to run out of stories to write about, but a way in which to write them. He seems to have backed himself into a corner in this one, the intrepid, manic voyager, forgetful of wife and child, driven by obsession. So when the next book comes out, do we find that the obsession was just manufactured for the sake of the book, or can he perform a magician's trick and reinvent himself again?
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome adventure!!,
This review is from: House of the Tiger King (Paperback)
This book was the best read ive had in ages!! If you want a descriptive adventure into the Amazon jungle this book hits the spot. House of the Tiger King is more about the crazy journey to find the lost city of Paititi and all the wacky crazy characters that Tahir Shah brings along, rather than the actual lost city.
I highly recommend reading this, its fun and rich, The story telling is amazing. Every night, it felt like ive been teleported from my every day monotonous city life to an Indianna Jones style trek through the wild jungle!! This is a true story too, I found the film crews videos of the trek on youtube. This comes chronologically second to Tahirs other book "Trail of Feathers", (where he also goes into the amazon on a different adventure). So if you want to get more familiar with the writer you may want to get that book first, but this is still great by itself. Im glad Tahir had the balls to go out and get into these adventures so i can live my life through him.. lol
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