Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, The Spectator, The Times, The Sunday Telegraph

“In this outstanding travelogue Wade Davis traces Colombia’s mighty Magdalena River from source to mouth, encountering stunning vistas and a host of extraordinary people. . . . [Davis] tells epic tales of passion, violence and ambition with tremendous narrative verve."
—Sunday Times

"This shimmering portrait of the Río Magdalena, evoking its moods and depths, ultimately reveals the complicated nation those waters sustain and reflect. Never wincing from dark histories, yet never abandoning hope, Wade Davis shows us why Colombia stole his heart as a young traveler and holds it still."
—Kate Harris, author of Lands of Lost Borders

"Few people can interpret Colombia, this most complicated of countries, as Wade Davis does; fewer people still can write about it with such empathy, knowledge and grace. Magdalena is the ultimate proof that Colombia’s present and past are inextricably linked to the larger fate of the American continent. To say that the book deserves to be read is perhaps inaccurate; I’d rather say that anyone who wishes to understand this mysterious corner of the world deserves Magdalena. It is a capacious, generous and illuminating book."
—Juan Gabriel Vásquez, bestselling author of The Sound of Things Falling

“After all our agonies, Wade Davis, through the evocative power of his writing and the clarity of his understanding, gives us all reason to once again love Colombia. That is the wonder of this book, which in many ways reads as a love letter to a nation.”
—Héctor Abad, author of Oblivion

“The author and his subject make an ideal match. . . . Magdalena is a revelatory and often enchanting book, enhanced by fine photographs and good maps.”
—The Economist

“His passion for Colombia is . . . expressed in the depth of information he delivers—and the poetic way in which he captures its extraordinary landscape. Those pondering a trip will be inspired to veer off the tourist path.”
—The Times

“[Magdalena] is the culmination of a lifetime’s work in the country and is suffused with a love and knowledge that only such long acquaintance can bring.”
—The Spectator

“Davis suffuses his reportage with a visionary tinge. But his subject more than warrants it. He tells of an indigenous savant who advises lovers of the Magdalena to “know its moods . . . recognise its power, yield to its strength, and be thankful for its bounty.” His torrential book achieves all that.”
—Financial Times

“[An] ardent travelogue. . . . Davis stocks his lively narrative with piquant characters, dramatic historical set pieces, and lyrical nature writing. . . . The result is a rich, fascinating study of how nature and a people shape each other."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Davis is a powerful, penetrating and immensely knowledgeable writer. . . . Evanescent. . . . Magdalena is steeped in a physical sense of Colombia: the landscapes, the disreputable backstreets, the irrepressibly resilient people."
—The Guardian

“[A] delightful journey. . . . Davis is a natural, engaging storyteller, and while he makes his way through Colombia's history . . . the book is also an affecting account of on-the-ground exploration. . . . An elegant narrative masterfully combining fine reporting and a moving personal journey.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[A] deeply inquisitive, dazzlingly fluent scientific, cultural, and spiritual investigation . . . Always with a discerning eye to the symbolic and metaphorical, Davis tells the river’s saga of fecundity and horror through the lives of remarkable individuals past and present. . . . The story of Magdalena, as for every river, is that of an epic struggle between the sacred and the profane, between worship and preservation and reckless exploitation and wanton abuse.”
—Booklist (starred review)

"Illustrative. . . . Davis's deep knowledge of and decades-long familiarity with Colombia notwithstanding, the freshest and most insightful sections occur when he is in the company of resident experts, and he is gracious enough to acknowledge that debt. . . . Illuminating."
—The Times Literary Supplement

"Wade Davis narrates his fascinating, beautiful, and dangerous journey down the Río Magdalena—the heart of Colombia. . . . Davis extols the virtues of these outlier regions and cultures as vital realms chock-full of exotic biota, majestic geography, extraordinary art, and empirical wisdom, all of which is essential for the health of the planet. . . . The narrative allow[s] the serendipity of the moment to fill in the adventure with compelling human interest stories and representative anecdotes, and of course histories. . . . Davis’ desire to revitalize the river of his dreams is rendered poignantly in Magdalena—a vivid portrait of his hopes and fears for the region."
—Christian Science Monitor

"In Magdalena: River of Dreams, Mr. Davis returns to Colombia, this time to produce a travelogue of its most important waterway. . . . As a primer on a complicated country by an interested outsider, it greatly succeeds. Most of the stops on Mr. Davis’s journey are accessible to a tourist, and thoughtful adventurers will want to replicate it. . . Compelling."
—Wall Street Journal

"Davis has produced a book as welcome as it is timely. . . . His confidence with both his place in Colombia and the language . . . means he is able to almost remove himself from the text and allow the river to take its proper place at the center of the book. . . . As a warning, Magdalena calls for a vital exorcism. As a read, it is a pleasure."
—Travel Writing World