While an ancillary figure in most of the events described in the book, Preston narrates many chapters through his own perspective of the events as they took place. Preston is a journalist covering both the 2012 lidar survey and the 2015 expedition to T1 for National Geographic. His anecdotes paint him as an active team member, not comfortable passively documenting the events around him but rather participating in them. While it is not explicitly stated, Preston seems to take part in the action so that his writing provides a more evocative first-person perspective, which he uses throughout much of the book. For example, he sits in the third lidar survey flight with “no seat, my knees in my mouth” (94) so he can accurately describe the raw majesty of the T1 valley as seen from the air. When he contracts leishmaniasis, he opportunistically uses his own experiences, and those of others on the team, support the symbol of disease that is so strong toward the end of the book.

Preston also provides numerous instances demonstrating his tenacity as an investigator. He deftly acquires Theodore Morde’s journals, which no one has read in full before, to prove that Morde never actually searched for the White City but panned for gold instead.