Equal parts magical realism and deft political commentary, City of the Beasts, the first novel of Isabel Allende's page-turning adventure trilogy, takes young Alexander Cold on an adventure in the Amazon to find the legendary Beast and its home, El Dorado. Available in trade paperback for the first time, this exciting coming-of-age novel from Allende, acclaimed author of The Sum of Our Days and The House of the Spirits, is an “Indiana Jones-style adventure packed with daring feats, monsterlike beings, intrigue, and mystery." (Indianapolis Star) Book Description When Alexander Cold's mother falls ill, the fifteen-year-old is sent to stay with his eccentric grandmother in New York. A tough and prickly magazine reporter, Kate Cold takes Alex along with her on an expedition to the Amazon to verify the existence of the fierce, gigantic, legendary creature known as the Beast. Joining them on their adventure are a celebrated anthropologist; a local guide and his daughter, Nadia; a doctor; and a local entrepreneur. But not everyone's intentions are pure—and dangerous discoveries await Alex and Nadia as they embark, with the aid of a jungle shaman, on an epic journey into the realm of the mythical Beasts of the Amazon. City of the Beasts is the first book in an extraordinary trilogy by Isabel Allende, one of the world's most acclaimed authors.