In 2014, the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal is celebrated: one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in world history. "Hell's Gorge" tracks a heroic dream that spanned four centuries: to construct a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The human cost was immense: in horrendous working conditions and amid outbreaks of fever, tens of thousands of people perished battling the jungle, swamps, and mountains of Panama, a scale of loss comparable to many major battles. Matthew Parker explores the fierce geopolitical controversy behind the heroic visionary image of the canal, as well as the enormous engineering and medical battles that were fought. Furthermore, he incorporates the stories of ordinary men and women who worked on the canal to highlight daily life during its construction and to depict the ground struggle deep in the "Valley of Hell." Using diaries, memoirs, contemporary newspapers, and previously unpublished private letters, he paints a vivid picture of the harrowing struggle on the peninsula, particularly of those British West Indians who made up the majority of the workforce on the canal. "Hell's Gorge" is a tale of politics, financing, media manipulation, scandals, and intrigue, filled with an impressive array of idealists and troublemakers, heroes and rogues. It is also a poignant tribute to the "Forgotten Silver Men," many of whom lost their lives to fulfill the eternal dream of the canal.