The first in a three-part series for young adults (Kingdom of the Golden Dragon and Forest of the Pygmies follow), City of the Beasts features high adventure and magical realism. When his mother becomes ill, fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold is sent away to join his fearless and tough-minded grandmother, a magazine reporter for International Geographic, on an expedition to the dangerous, remote world of the Amazon. Their mission, along with the others on their team—including a celebrated anthropologist; a local guide and his young daughter, Nadia; and a doctor—is to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.

Under the dense canopy of the jungle, Alexander is amazed to discover much more than he could have imagined about the hidden worlds of the rain forest—and about human nature. Drawing on the strength of the jaguar, the totemic animal Alexander finds within himself, and the eagle, Nadia’s spirit guide, the two young people are led by the People of the Mist—an indigenous people so in tune with their surroundings that they can literally disappear—on a thrilling and unforgettable journey into the wonder-filled heart of the Amazon.