Roosevelt's Beast

Bayard's (The School of Night) enigmatic story fictionalizes the 1914 Roosevelt-Rondon expedition to explore the Rio da Dúvida. The expedition has been arduous; Teddy Roosevelt and Kermit, his twentysomething son, are struggling with short rations, malaria, reluctant porters, and a rugged, unforgiving terrain. They become separated from the expedition and encounter the Cinta Larga, a largely unknown Amazonian tribe. Through a female translator, Luz, the sole survivor of a missionary group, the tribe insists the men kill a "beast" that has been terrorizing tribe members. If they do this, they will be allowed to leave. Dark malarial dreams plague Kermit, giving the remaining novel a strange, eerie feeling. The lines between reality and the phantasmagoric become blurred. John Pruden's narration handles the multiple voices, multiple languages, creepy atmosphere, and animal sounds with ease, immersing the listener in this fantastic tale.