In 1880, a French expedition attempted to map a route for a railway that would cross the Sahara and connect Paris with Timbuktu in six days. Naively, the French expected little native opposition. Though armed with modern rifles, their column was lured to destruction by the “lords of the desert,” Tuareg tribesmen. Four months later, a handful of emaciated survivors staggered into a remote outpost on the edge of the desert and made headlines around the world. Michael Asher recounts the story with the energy and excitement of a great novel and provides insight into what happens when the hubris of modern colonialism collides with an ancient society that had dominated a region for millennia.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Get it at the library,
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This review is from: Sands of Death: An Epic Tale of Massacre, Cannibalism, and Survival in the Sahara (Hardcover)
This is a straight forward narrative of an expedition into the heart of the Tuareg controlled Hoggar Mountains northern Africa. Led by a French officer, Paul Flatters, the expedition set out with the hopes of being the first Europeans to enter the Hoggar Mountains, while surveying a route for a proposed railroad. Instead the Tuaregs allowed them deep into the desert while providing guides who deliberately misled the group and put them into a situation where the party had to split up. At that point the Tuaregs attacked virtually wiping out the French leadership and many of the group. The survivors were forced to hike, on foot and without water or food, for over 600 miles pursued the entire time by the camel-mounted Tuaregs.
But there's nothing that's really different or gripping about the story....if you've read one story about a group of people stuck in the wilderness who go to drastic lengths to survive then you've read this story. The only difference is the historical context of European relations with the Tuaregs and their culture; it's an interesting lesson in two cultures with divergent value systems clashing violently in a harsh land. Having said that, if you have a particular interest in the Tuaregs, European expansion in North Africa, or the colonial period in general you'll probably enjoy the book. If not, you won't. Even then I'd recommend you checking it out at the library.
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