PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewPreston proves too thoughtful an observer and too skilled a storyteller to settle for churning out danger porn. He has instead created something nuanced and sublime: a warm and geeky paean to the revelatory power of archaeology, tempered by notes of regret ... The book’s most affecting moments don’t center on the ruminations of archaeologists, however, but rather on the otherworldly nature of the jungle — a place that Preston portrays as akin to a sentient creature ... For all his curiosity about the Mosquitia ruins, Preston exhibits puzzlingly little interest in Honduras itself. He appears to have met few ordinary Hondurans during his travels, and the book can occasionally feel clinical as a result ... few other writers possess such heartfelt appreciation for the ways in which artifacts can yield the stories of who we are.
