Obsession

The one constant that connects every major individual in the book is personal obsession. Writing from his own perspective, retelling the story of Colonel Fawcett up until the explorer's mysterious disappearance, and recounting the manifest misadventures of Fawcett's seekers, the author draws significant parallels between them all: every major player of the book is obsessive. The objects of their obsessions are varied, but the root motivations are the same; an obsessive need for glory and adventure.

Fawcett's obsessive need to find Z is rooted in his belief of his own destiny. He thought he was fated to be a great explorer and he would live on eternally in this fame. Coupled with his sense of adventure and abiding curiosity, it created a life marked by a decades-long obsession that saw his family and finances suffer all in the quest to achieve his dream. Fawcett's remarkable ability to endure...