The King's Shadow: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Deadly Quest for the Lost City of Alexandria
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- Create Date：2022-04-07 10:19:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Edmund Richardson
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Summary
Impeccably researched， and written like a thriller， Edmund Richardson's The King's Shadow is the extraordinary untold and wild journey of Charles Masson - think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid meets Indiana Jones - and his search for the Lost City of Alexandria in the "Wild East" during the age of empires， kings， and spies。
For centuries the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains was a meeting point of East and West。 Then it vanished。 In 1833 it was discovered in Afghanistan by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson， deserter， pilgrim， doctor， archaeologist， spy， one of the most respected scholars in Asia， and the greatest of nineteenth-century travelers。
On the way into one of history's most extraordinary stories， he would take tea with kings， travel with holy men and become the master of a hundred disguises; he would see things no westerner had glimpsed before and few have glimpsed since。 He would spy for the East India Company and be suspected of spying for Russia at the same time， for this was the era of the Great Game， when imperial powers confronted each other in these staggeringly beautiful lands。 Masson discovered tens of thousands of pieces of Afghan history， including the 2，000-year-old Bimaran golden casket， which has upon it the earliest known face of the Buddha。 He would be offered his own kingdom; he would change the world， and the world would destroy him。
This is a wild journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan， with impeccably researched storytelling that shows us a world of espionage and dreamers， ne'er-do-wells and opportunists， extreme violence both personal and military， and boundless hope。 At the edge of empire， amid the deserts and the mountains， it is the story of an obsession passed down the centuries。
For centuries the city of Alexandria Beneath the Mountains was a meeting point of East and West。 Then it vanished。 In 1833 it was discovered in Afghanistan by the unlikeliest person imaginable: Charles Masson， deserter， pilgrim， doctor， archaeologist， spy， one of the most respected scholars in Asia， and the greatest of nineteenth-century travelers。
On the way into one of history's most extraordinary stories， he would take tea with kings， travel with holy men and become the master of a hundred disguises; he would see things no westerner had glimpsed before and few have glimpsed since。 He would spy for the East India Company and be suspected of spying for Russia at the same time， for this was the era of the Great Game， when imperial powers confronted each other in these staggeringly beautiful lands。 Masson discovered tens of thousands of pieces of Afghan history， including the 2，000-year-old Bimaran golden casket， which has upon it the earliest known face of the Buddha。 He would be offered his own kingdom; he would change the world， and the world would destroy him。
This is a wild journey through nineteenth-century India and Afghanistan， with impeccably researched storytelling that shows us a world of espionage and dreamers， ne'er-do-wells and opportunists， extreme violence both personal and military， and boundless hope。 At the edge of empire， amid the deserts and the mountains， it is the story of an obsession passed down the centuries。
Reviews
Melissa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received this advanced reader copy through a Goodreads giveaway。 Possible spoiler warning。I feel a little torn on how to go about reviewing this， I would say 3。5 stars is a fair number， but for the book itself I'm at a bit of a loss。 The beginning was undoubtedly slow going， but by the middle， I was thoroughly enthralled and looking forward to see how Mason's story would play out。 Even though I knew the story would end with Mason in obscurity， what I didn't expect was the sense of dejection th I received this advanced reader copy through a Goodreads giveaway。 Possible spoiler warning。I feel a little torn on how to go about reviewing this， I would say 3。5 stars is a fair number， but for the book itself I'm at a bit of a loss。 The beginning was undoubtedly slow going， but by the middle， I was thoroughly enthralled and looking forward to see how Mason's story would play out。 Even though I knew the story would end with Mason in obscurity， what I didn't expect was the sense of dejection the author would leave the story with。 It almost seemed as though he himself didn't really know how to end the book and so he just ended it。 I'm not really sure what I was hoping for， but I was disappointed when I was finished。 。。。more
Dawn Michelle
，
Book: 2 StarsNarrator: 4 StarsI [like many other reviewers] have never heard of Charles Masson [that I remember。 I do read a lot， but his name and story seem brand new to me so I think it's safe to say that I have never come across him - I am not a big lover of all things Alexander the Great， so that may be why， and I know we never learned about him in school] and so it was intriguing to me to be able to read a story about a man who goes in search of one of Alexander's lost cities of Alexandria。 Book: 2 StarsNarrator: 4 StarsI [like many other reviewers] have never heard of Charles Masson [that I remember。 I do read a lot， but his name and story seem brand new to me so I think it's safe to say that I have never come across him - I am not a big lover of all things Alexander the Great， so that may be why， and I know we never learned about him in school] and so it was intriguing to me to be able to read a story about a man who goes in search of one of Alexander's lost cities of Alexandria。 Unfortunately， the title of this book is very misleading and you don't really get that story at all。 What you do get is a maybe true， maybe not true story of one James Lewis， who decides one morning to leave his post with the East India Company and takes off across India， where he becomes Charles Masson and has some great adventure。 Maybe。 ;-） I will say that most of the adventures he does have are pretty hair-raising and if true， amazing。 His obsession takes him all over with him ending up in Afghanistan， where he fell in love with the people and the country itself。 When he is forced to leave， I think it completely broke his heart and in turn broke him。 It is one of the saddest moments of the book。 That said， there is little about finding a lost city [though there is a lot of information about Alexander that was pretty fascinating] and a lot about all the interesting characters that Masson comes across， joins forces with and is hunted by。 It doesn't make for a bad read per say， but there is absolutely some letdown due to what the title says the book is going to be about。 Am I sorry I read it？ No。 It was a good romp and I did enjoy most of the story。 I just wish the lost city wasn't such a minor element in the overall story。 I was privileged to receive an audiobook ARC for this book and I am so glad I did。 This was a dense book in parts and I find [for myself anyway] that an audiobook helps me absorb more than just reading it。 I will be honest here and say that the narrator [Julian Elfer] was one of the best things about this whole reading experience。 He did an excellent job and really made the story interesting with his reading and inflections。 I will be adding him to my favorite lists and look forward to listening to another book read by him soon。 Very well done。 Thank you to NetGalley， Edmund Richardson， Julian Elfer [Narrator]， St。 Martin's Press and Tantor Audio for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
，
What a remarkable tale。 James Lewis escaped poverty in London by joining the East India Company at aged 21。 By age 27 he had had enough and deserted。 At that point he reinvented himself and became Charles Masson and what an adventurous life he led。 His passion became a search for one of Alexander the Great's cities， Alexandria Beneath the Mountains located in Afghanistan。 He was a reluctant spy， explorer， healer， scholar and archeologist。 He led a fascinating life and， with the help of Edmund Ri What a remarkable tale。 James Lewis escaped poverty in London by joining the East India Company at aged 21。 By age 27 he had had enough and deserted。 At that point he reinvented himself and became Charles Masson and what an adventurous life he led。 His passion became a search for one of Alexander the Great's cities， Alexandria Beneath the Mountains located in Afghanistan。 He was a reluctant spy， explorer， healer， scholar and archeologist。 He led a fascinating life and， with the help of Edmund Richardson， his story is finally being told。 This book gives the reader a rare glimpse of Afghanistan in the mid 1850's。 Once I finished it I wanted to learn more， the mark of a very well written book。My thanks to the publisher， St。 Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
LeeAnn
，
Charles Masson is nearly as fascinating an enigma as Alexander the Great himself！ Richardson has a knack for taking historical figures and their documents and making it come alive！ So many times， I felt like I could see the places， smell and taste and feel the places I could only dream about。 From Masson's hardships and near-death experiences to his glorious discoveries and unique feasts & friendships。。。 this book has it all。And， Masson himself was a storyteller *liar* so who knows how much of t Charles Masson is nearly as fascinating an enigma as Alexander the Great himself！ Richardson has a knack for taking historical figures and their documents and making it come alive！ So many times， I felt like I could see the places， smell and taste and feel the places I could only dream about。 From Masson's hardships and near-death experiences to his glorious discoveries and unique feasts & friendships。。。 this book has it all。And， Masson himself was a storyteller *liar* so who knows how much of this is true？"This was a land of illusionists。 Everyone had an act， and everyone was trying to figure out what Masson's was。" （24）"Masson had learned the greatest skill of all: how to disappear and reappear the next moment， as whoever you wanted him to be。" （39）"Through miniature pieces of knowledge， passed from hand to hand， carried by caravans of camels across the passes of Afghanistan， Masson began to understand the world he was unearthing。" （94）"Masson had walked into Afghanistan as a wandering storyteller， but he walked out of it as one of the most respected scholars in Asia。" （248）"But the story of Alexander will always be unfinished。" （257） 。。。more
Anne Morgan
，
This is the story of Charles Masson， a man who deserted the East India Company's army， traveled through much of India and Afghanistan on foot， learned the story of Alexander the Great， and decided to look for one of his cities。 While that may sound simple， things involving the East India Company tended to be anything but， and his case was no exception。 Eventually found near Kabul he was forced to become their spy in the region and while he hated every minute of it， the EIC loved it because Masso This is the story of Charles Masson， a man who deserted the East India Company's army， traveled through much of India and Afghanistan on foot， learned the story of Alexander the Great， and decided to look for one of his cities。 While that may sound simple， things involving the East India Company tended to be anything but， and his case was no exception。 Eventually found near Kabul he was forced to become their spy in the region and while he hated every minute of it， the EIC loved it because Masson knew Afghanistan as no other Englishman did。 Masson's story in "The King's Shadow" is more his story in the shadow of the EIC than in Alexander the Great's， despite his wishes to search for one of the cities Alexander founded and be a simple archaeologist， he rarely gets the chance。 So if you're reading this book hoping to discover more about Alexander， you'll be out of luck。 But for a book on the outrages of the East India Company in the Middle East， their games and selfishness， the inept upperclass men they put in charge at various places， and how they may have gotten some of the very best advice but rarely listened to it- this is a good starting place。 Author Edmund Richardson pulls no punches with them and clearly admires Masson for writing about what he saw when the EIC moved into Afghanistan and being one of the people to try and get Britain to see what was happening。 I have to admit there were many times， especially in the beginning， where I didn't really feel like I was getting to know Masson as a person， he was just moving the rest of the story along without any attempt to dive deeply into the thoughts or feelings that I imagine must have been expressed in Masson's journals。 Perhaps I'm wrong about the journals， but I felt none of the fascination Richardson tells us Masson felt for Alexander。 He was clearly obsessed but why？ I did definitely feel the hatred Masson felt for the EIC come through the pages by the end。 My only other real complaint with the book was Richardson's tendency to foreshadow events with versions of "this would be the last happy day" or "if he knew what was coming" sort of writing that I am not a fan of， but I know many biographers insist on using。 Masson's life had its ups and downs， sadly more downs than ups， but he was one of the few Englishmen who saw that the "other" didn't equate with "barbarian"。 He sought to learn and discover， not steal and belittle， which certainly made him a man above many （or most） of the so called gentlemen running the East India Company。I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Miss Mandie Leigh
，
ARC received！ Thank you to the publisher， St。 Martin's Press， for the early reading copy。 ARC received！ Thank you to the publisher， St。 Martin's Press， for the early reading copy。 。。。more
Tawney
，
A few chapters in and I was thinking "Where's the movie？" The life of Charles Masson was so unlikely and several of the individuals in his story so outsized my husband asked if I was talking about a work of fiction。 Bits of it might be since Richardson explains that these these people weren't necessarily reliable narrators。 Looking through the notes and bibliography you'll see that the author researched sources extensively in order to bring this book to life。Masson was a man who left the British A few chapters in and I was thinking "Where's the movie？" The life of Charles Masson was so unlikely and several of the individuals in his story so outsized my husband asked if I was talking about a work of fiction。 Bits of it might be since Richardson explains that these these people weren't necessarily reliable narrators。 Looking through the notes and bibliography you'll see that the author researched sources extensively in order to bring this book to life。Masson was a man who left the British East India Company in 1827， but was not able to get away from it。 He more or less wandered into his passion of finding the remains of one of Alexander the Great's cities。 Along the way he got to know many of the major players in the Afghanistan of the day。 The Company wanted information on these people and coerced Masson to provide it to them。 Eventually the British decided to invade Afghanistan and ended Masson's dreams。 The details make the story and Edmund Richardson's prose carries it along effortlessly。 This is one excellent book。 A movie couldn't do it justice。 I received an advanced copy of this book thanks to St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley。 The opinions are mine。 。。。more
Jeremy Fee
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook copy of this ARC。 This review is my honest opinion。I enjoyed reading this nonfiction publication and recommend it to fans of adventurous stories from history。 The author was able to tell the story of Charles Masson in a riveting， fascinating way。 Even though it's clear what's real from history and what isn't， the author is able to evoke a sense of reading an interesting work of fiction。 Some of the events are so shocking that you'd really Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook copy of this ARC。 This review is my honest opinion。I enjoyed reading this nonfiction publication and recommend it to fans of adventurous stories from history。 The author was able to tell the story of Charles Masson in a riveting， fascinating way。 Even though it's clear what's real from history and what isn't， the author is able to evoke a sense of reading an interesting work of fiction。 Some of the events are so shocking that you'd really think the story was invented， which makes it all the more spectacular。 Since there's also a lot of travel in the story， readers may enjoy finding out about the history of the different interesting locations and the interesting people in those places。 。。。more
John Stanton
，
There are two things which immediately enamoured me of this book: the rich storytelling， and the depth of the research。 It's wonderful to read a book which is both easy to read and which contains copious footnotes。Above all， I simply enjoyed the tale。 Having read 'The Anarchy'， by William Dalrymple， this book offers a personal perspective of that horrifying entity known as the British East India Company， as well as a sympathetic view of life in Afghanistan from an outsider。 There are two things which immediately enamoured me of this book: the rich storytelling， and the depth of the research。 It's wonderful to read a book which is both easy to read and which contains copious footnotes。Above all， I simply enjoyed the tale。 Having read 'The Anarchy'， by William Dalrymple， this book offers a personal perspective of that horrifying entity known as the British East India Company， as well as a sympathetic view of life in Afghanistan from an outsider。 。。。more
The Page Ladies
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I found this to be a fun and fascinating read。 Following along as you find out about the life of Charles Masson aka James Lewis was very interesting。 A spy， deserter， prisoner， British explorer and an archeologist！ Masson led an incredibly intriguing life！ But also the adventure and the different lands from Egypt to India and Afghanistan was also very interesting。 The pace of the story is wonderful; it reads just like a novel and it stays that way throughout the whole book。 It's a well written a I found this to be a fun and fascinating read。 Following along as you find out about the life of Charles Masson aka James Lewis was very interesting。 A spy， deserter， prisoner， British explorer and an archeologist！ Masson led an incredibly intriguing life！ But also the adventure and the different lands from Egypt to India and Afghanistan was also very interesting。 The pace of the story is wonderful; it reads just like a novel and it stays that way throughout the whole book。 It's a well written and well researched book。 Overall a great read！ 。。。more
Deborah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Before I read this book， I knew nothing of Charles Masson， aka James Lewis， and nothing about the history of any Alexandria。 History classes when I went to school were tepid and boring， seeming almost designed to create a dislike for learning history。 So I was not sure what to expect when I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。 I really enjoyed this book。This book proves that history and true stories can be even more exciting than fiction。 The account of Charles Masson's trip t Before I read this book， I knew nothing of Charles Masson， aka James Lewis， and nothing about the history of any Alexandria。 History classes when I went to school were tepid and boring， seeming almost designed to create a dislike for learning history。 So I was not sure what to expect when I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。 I really enjoyed this book。This book proves that history and true stories can be even more exciting than fiction。 The account of Charles Masson's trip through India and Afghanistan in an attempt to find a lost city of Alexandria is spell-binding。 Edmund Richardson makes Charles Masson come alive in this book， and also details the utter corruption that was the East India Trading Company。 Charles Masson enters Afghanistan without the preconceived bias of many of his countrymen that the inhabitants were all barbarians。 I suspect that his attitude probably enabled his more positive interactions with the Afghanis of the 1830s， before the British under the East India Trading Company invaded Afghanistan。 I had known that the British invasion of Afghanistan was a failure， but I had not known that it was such an abject one that only one person of the British invasion force had survived the fiasco。 。。。more
Scott Nickels
，
“The King’s Shadow”， by Edmund Richardson， opens an original， interesting， and fascinating world that。 I have never been interested in， and wasn’t even aware existed despite my lifetime interest in World History。 It is a story more interesting than fiction， and more unbelievable， too。 We follow the story of Private James Lewis， who decided to go AWOL from his British East India Company and who emerges as the famed archeologist Charles Masson。 Masson spends much of the remainder of his life chasi “The King’s Shadow”， by Edmund Richardson， opens an original， interesting， and fascinating world that。 I have never been interested in， and wasn’t even aware existed despite my lifetime interest in World History。 It is a story more interesting than fiction， and more unbelievable， too。 We follow the story of Private James Lewis， who decided to go AWOL from his British East India Company and who emerges as the famed archeologist Charles Masson。 Masson spends much of the remainder of his life chasing down the mystery of one of the missing towns founded by Alexander the Great （ yes， that Alexander！） two thousand years previously。 At times Mason’s story reminds the reader of Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade; at other times the story of Mason’s victories and failures leave Indy in a trail of Afghanistan dust。There are a few times in the story I would love to edited a few pages here-and-there…。but， now that I have completed the book I am glad that author Richardson wrote just the right number of pages。 I hope y’all enjoy reading this book as much as I have。 And a big “thanks” to NetGalley for the opportunity to read “The King’s Shadow。” 。。。more
Linda
，
I'm fascinated by history and archeology， so was super interested in a book about Alexander the Great and Charles Masson's attempts to find one of his lost cities。This had as much to do with the British East India company and their time in both India and Afghanistan。 It was a fascinating look at that period of time and how a larger political climate affected one man and his efforts。 I had no idea Afghanistan has held so much interest politically for such a long time。 I went into this book expect I'm fascinated by history and archeology， so was super interested in a book about Alexander the Great and Charles Masson's attempts to find one of his lost cities。This had as much to do with the British East India company and their time in both India and Afghanistan。 It was a fascinating look at that period of time and how a larger political climate affected one man and his efforts。 I had no idea Afghanistan has held so much interest politically for such a long time。 I went into this book expecting to learn about Alexander the Great， and about archeology and an historical dig。 Instead， I learned about Afghanistan and the political culture in the mid 1800s。 About another facet of the British East India company that I didn't know about。That is exactly why history interests me。 You think that it is only about one thing， but I always discover an interconnectedness that I never knew about。 Kind of like its own archeological dig。 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
，
This book is part biography and part legend of Charles Masson who was a deserter， vagabond， spy， and person of questionable character。 While some of the story is hard to believe as real the author does a good job making this an engaging read。 It starts with a man named James Lewis who becomes Charles Masson and is the main focus of the book。 The quest for the lost city of Alexandria is just one of the components of the book and the reader should not expect it to be the focus。 Overall a good read This book is part biography and part legend of Charles Masson who was a deserter， vagabond， spy， and person of questionable character。 While some of the story is hard to believe as real the author does a good job making this an engaging read。 It starts with a man named James Lewis who becomes Charles Masson and is the main focus of the book。 The quest for the lost city of Alexandria is just one of the components of the book and the reader should not expect it to be the focus。 Overall a good read。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon， Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
V
，
I read a book called， Alexandria: The quest for the lost city of Alexandria - but this appears to be the same book， with a much more succinct title。 The title is however misleading， no matter which one you read。 There is a lot more on the life of James Lewis/Charles Masson and his many attempts at discovering this particular lost Alexandria - the book does explain how many lost Alexandria's there could be - however this is still a very well researched and interesting read。 Do not expect somethin I read a book called， Alexandria: The quest for the lost city of Alexandria - but this appears to be the same book， with a much more succinct title。 The title is however misleading， no matter which one you read。 There is a lot more on the life of James Lewis/Charles Masson and his many attempts at discovering this particular lost Alexandria - the book does explain how many lost Alexandria's there could be - however this is still a very well researched and interesting read。 Do not expect something dull and dry as the desert it comes from， but rather a bit of an adventure of a man whose discoveries seems to be mainly overlooked or ignored because he is not from an upper class/public boys school background。 Further he is highly critical of the British and their attempts to rule in this area of the middle east by force and not by actually trying to understand the people。Many of the wild characters in the area pop up again and again， almost to the point of reading like a novel， however much they are true。 I love the fact that the author does not abandon them beyond Charles Masson's life， but allows us a glimpse of their travels after their time in Afghanistan。This is a book for those interested in a little known part of history， interestedly written from the other side （not the established British East India Company one）。 This books explains more of what life was like for those living in the area， their amazing brutality and kindness depending on the situation。 Masson is an intriguing character， who was more at home with the locals than his own nationality， which is what saves this study of an explorer， not an archeologist as we know today。 This was still a time of smash and grab the loot archeology， not that of trying to understand the people that built and hid the artifacts and buildings。 An interesting read， quite novel like， that I would recommend for those looking for an adventurous factual account of life in Afghanistan and the surrounding areas in the 19th century。 。。。more
Michelle Castaneda
，
The King’s Shadow by Edmund Richardson is a fascinating read。 A work of history told in a novel format， this book is well researched and would be interesting to history buffs。 The novel format was not as successful as I had hoped。 Yet this book is clearly well researched and fascinating still。 I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations。 These opinions are entirely my own。
Billie Holland
，
A compelling read about a character I knew nothing about。 Very well written， fantastic pacing。 It had you both rooting for and wanting Masson to just stop immediately。 You could feel the author’s disdain for the EIC throughout this entire book as well， which I loved。 This is a me problem but I wish there’d been a better map and a list of Important People because keeping track of everyone was difficult
Jessica - How Jessica Reads
，
I thought this was really interesting！ It features a part of colonial British history that I knew little about。 Full review coming for Shelf Awareness。
Margaret Heller
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Reviewed for Library Journal。
Sarah Pollard Williams
，
Phenomenal achievement by Richardson to produce this book。 The background detail and use of original sources is immense， but the book reads easily and well。 The story in itself is amazing enough， East India army deserter starts to find ancient artefacts and ends up roped in as a spy。。。but the writing， use of extracts from letters really make it come alive。 I was absolutely gripped by this。 Richardson has done a fantastic job， and I've fallen in to the large wormhole of the history of Afhganistan Phenomenal achievement by Richardson to produce this book。 The background detail and use of original sources is immense， but the book reads easily and well。 The story in itself is amazing enough， East India army deserter starts to find ancient artefacts and ends up roped in as a spy。。。but the writing， use of extracts from letters really make it come alive。 I was absolutely gripped by this。 Richardson has done a fantastic job， and I've fallen in to the large wormhole of the history of Afhganistan and Buddhism in the region。Even fanmailed the author to tell him！ 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
，
The King's Shadow is extremely detailed。 Masson and other notable figures of the era left copious diaries， and Richardson has made good use of them to create vivid scenes of Masson’s life。 Richardson delves deeply into the life of a man who truly appreciated this area of the world but was never recognized for his accomplishments due to his opposition。 The King's Shadow will appeal to history and archeology fans。 The King's Shadow is extremely detailed。 Masson and other notable figures of the era left copious diaries， and Richardson has made good use of them to create vivid scenes of Masson’s life。 Richardson delves deeply into the life of a man who truly appreciated this area of the world but was never recognized for his accomplishments due to his opposition。 The King's Shadow will appeal to history and archeology fans。 。。。more
Paperwitch
，
I was a huge fan of this novel， it borders on epic fantasy and follows around Charles Masson as it’s main character and he does a great job supporting the book’s plot and taking initiative to drive the story forward。 Overall， a fun adventure I suggest to delve into blind！
Nigel Blease
，
An incredible story brilliantly told of someone who suffered so much but discovered so much。 How he did it is incredible but sometimes the heroes do t get their recognition。 Thank you Charles Masson/James Lewis
Frans Joosten
，
A very good read。 As if a detectivestory the book unravels the exploits of the unknown but o so remarkable Mason。 A trove of knowledge， fit for a film
Dan
，
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this biographical and historical work。Once upon a time it was easy to have a second act。 Run far enough， cross enough borders， change clothing， put on airs and suddenly you could be a respected citizen， a person of class distinction and knowledge， not a poor deserter facing a death penalty from his employers for fleeing。 With a little gumption， curiosity， and a whole lot of luck in not being killed， that person c My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this biographical and historical work。Once upon a time it was easy to have a second act。 Run far enough， cross enough borders， change clothing， put on airs and suddenly you could be a respected citizen， a person of class distinction and knowledge， not a poor deserter facing a death penalty from his employers for fleeing。 With a little gumption， curiosity， and a whole lot of luck in not being killed， that person could be respected， trusted and considered a invaluable resource in a land unknown， and whose secret once found out could be blackmailed into serving those employers he had fled from。 All while being thought of as one of the preeminent scholars in Asia。 Edmund Richardson in The King's Shadow :Obsession， Betrayal， and the Deadly Quest for the Lost City of Alexandria tells the remarkable story of Charles Masson née James Lewis， deserter from the British East India Company， who became one of the most travelled， knowledgeable men about the country of Afghanistan and the lost cities of Alexander the Great。 Masson's travels， using numerous disguises to get people to talk， and spending all his money， and money he didn't have on information and relics， plus his ability to stay alive and avoid dying in many different stupid ways reads like fiction。 Especially when after gaining a certain amount of academic fame， he was blackmailed into helping the British in their Great Game， a cold war with the Russians for power in the Indian subcontinent。 The stuff of thrillers， but for real。The book is deeply researched， sourced and very well written。 The story reads in some spots like fiction， a point the author is honest about， since writing about a biography about an acknowledged liar can be difficult。 In fact it seems that Afghanistan was a haven for liars and people ether dodging the law or trying to make themselves kings。 The real people portrayed here are quirky， full of liars， braggarts， unctuous military men and spies galore。 All are given clear descriptions and explanations in some places about who they are， where they wound up and the cost of many of their actions。 A fascinating story about a man I knew nothing about， but now wish I had。 What an interesting life Masson led， and well I won't run the ending。 What is clear from the writing is that Masson loved Afghanistan， loved learning and would have spent his life happily looking for lost cities， and learning everything he could。 Recommended not only for history fans， but for readers interested in the region and for people who like biographies on interesting characters。 。。。more
Ghanatulip
，
Initially I found the history engaging。 However， as the book progressed it got bogged down with too many details not well incorporated within a compelling narrative
Miya
，
This was a fascinating read。 I had never heard of Charles Masson before。 I guess history classes failed me。 There is so much information that seems well researched。 It was like a history lesson/adventure in one book。 Fun read。
Joy D
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I daresay many readers have never heard of Charles Masson aka James Lewis， a deserter， spy， prisoner， archeologist， and early British explorer in Afghanistan。 He started out as a private in the East India Company’s army， but soon deserts， takes a pseudonym， and flees the authorities。 He becomes obsessed with finding the lost cities of Alexander the Great and makes a few discoveries that were overlooked for various reasons explained in this book。It is extremely detailed。 Masson and other notable I daresay many readers have never heard of Charles Masson aka James Lewis， a deserter， spy， prisoner， archeologist， and early British explorer in Afghanistan。 He started out as a private in the East India Company’s army， but soon deserts， takes a pseudonym， and flees the authorities。 He becomes obsessed with finding the lost cities of Alexander the Great and makes a few discoveries that were overlooked for various reasons explained in this book。It is extremely detailed。 Masson and other notable figures of the era left copious diaries， and Richardson has made good use of them to create vivid scenes of what Masson’s life was like in India， Pakistan， and Afghanistan。 We learn a good bit about the history and politics of this region in the mid-1800s。 The spying is less of a feature since Masson was pressured into this task reluctantly。 He definitely led an interesting life。 This book delves deeply into the life of a man who truly appreciated this area of the world but was never recognized for his accomplishments due to his opposition to the politics of the time。 The artifacts he discovered are currently on display in the British Museum。 I think this book will appeal to history and archeology fans。 。。。more
Ali Bunke
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