In this fascinating history, Millard dives into the western world's search for the source of the Nile River. Specifically, it looks at the troubled expedition of two British explorers, Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke, which took place in the late 1850s and was beset by illness, abandonment of local guides, and some pretty violent bandit attacks. It didn't help that Burton and Speke were opposites in every possible way, from their temperaments and looks to their approach to research and exploration. River of the Gods spends the bulk of the book focusing on that exploration, though given the extended animosity between the two, it continues well past their return to England, showing how their relationship further devolved until Speke's untimely death just before a planned debate between the them.
As much as the strong personalities of Burton and Speke dominated this book, I was equally fascinated with the logistics of a mid-19th century exploration, the horrific opinions Brits had of Africans, and the research, notes, and subsequent publication of manuscripts related to the expedition. There were times that Speke in particular caused me to roll my eyes hard enough to incite mild headaches — for example, his insistence that the local guides' suggestions to wear native clothing was nothing more than an attempt to make him look silly by "lowering himself to their status" — but altogether it was an interesting book.
An additional note: I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Paul Michael, and I cannot recommend it enough. It seems that there is no accent Michael cannot do, and do very well, and he absolutely nailed this audiobook narration.
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