Description: Set in a malarial outpost of the South American jungle, Matthiessen's electrifying moral thriller follows the clash between two misplaced gringos: Martin Quarrier, who has come to convert the local Indians to Christianity, and Lewis Moon, a half-Indian mercenary who has been hired to kill them. "Extraordinary . . . beautifully written". New York Times. Now the basis for a major motion picture starring John Lithgow, Tom Berenger, and Daryl Hannah.
Review Quotes: "Inventive and extremely well-written. . . . Incredibly moving. . . . A remarkable performance." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Matthiessen has produced, in expertly crafted and sometimes deeply affecting prose, an entertainment full of glittering color, nose-to-nose conflict and heroic gestures." --The Washington Post Book World
"A work approaching the highest art, of the most serious purpose." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A haunting novel. . . . A sardonic wit and a huge fund of compassion illuminate its pages." --Newsday
"A brutal yet compassionate narrative . . . that will remain long in the reader's mind." --Minneapolis Star Tribune