I’m a sucker for a good adventure story. Especially the stories that happen to be true. Tim Jeal has written Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure for readers like me.

The book takes a fresh look at the explorers who sought out the source of the Nile River in the late 1800’s. Most of them British, they risked their lives for glory, fortune, and even national pride. Few of them claimed to be the “first” to see or discover certain lakes or rivers — they recognized that countless Africans and Arab slave traders had traversed the land long before them. But nobody had scientifically proven where the source of the great Nile River was, despite nearly 2000 years of speculation.

As a historical book, this is an interesting book that creates the backdrop for modern nation states in Africa. Jeal uses new sources and recent discoveries to retell old stories. As an adventure book, it has all the elements one would hope for. Perhaps the biggest weakness is the pacing of the book, which for me at least seemed a bit plodding. But the subject matter is compelling enough to overcome that weakness.