Author: Juan Villar

ISBN:  1595262415

The following review was contributed by:  Emily Burson. CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF EMILY'S REVIEWS

What’s so Wonderful About the Seven Wonders?

What’s so wonderful about the Seven Wonders of the ancient world?  In a word, everything.  For centuries, the wonders have haunted our imaginations and used their mystical power to writers, poets, artists, filmmakers, and dreamers around the world.  Unlike most anything else in history, the seven wonders are part of the combined narrative and prose of mankind, and as relevant to poor farmers as they are to the richest people in the world. 

“The Seventh Wonder” is a captivating and honest discussion not only of the Seven Wonders (Colossus of Rhodes, Tomb of King Mausolus, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus, The Great Pyramids, Lighthouse of Pharos, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon) but of one man, author Juan Villar, and his quest to see what is left of each of the Seven Wonders in a very short amount of time. 

A long-dormant fascination with the Seven Wonders leads Villar on a fascinating journey through some of the beautiful and ancient remains of a world many of us barely know anything about.  “The Seventh Wonder” is part history lesson, part narrative story, and part whimsical adoration.  As Villar begins his quest, he has nothing more than what will fit in a backpack and few solid plans.  Instead, he has a sense of adventure as great as the Wonders he seeks and a passion for the people and places he has only read about in his dreams. 

In many ways, Villar’s quest is the quest that each of us must take in our lives.  Venturing bravely into parts unknown, we force ourselves to connect with our past and with our heritage and with our futures all at the same time.  “The Seventh Wonder” is not just a book about the ancient wonders of the modern world; it is a book about a man and his desire to experience the things most people only dream about in their lives.

Villar’s text is at times complicated and at times fascinating. It is clear that he has studied the Seven Wonders and understands at least a little about the cultures in which he must find himself to complete his journey.  “The Seventh Wonder” offers the reader a personal look at what is left of each stop, as well as a glimpse of the modern cultures of Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.  “The Seventh Wonder” offers GPS coordinates for readers who wish to take the same journey themselves, as well as insight as to when to go visit these areas, which hotels to avoid, and how not to get scammed out of every penny you take with you.

“The Seventh Wonder” is a well-documented journey into The Seven Wonders.  Villar is a graduate student studying engineering at Florida Atlantic University.  His interest in the Seven Wonders began as a child when he saw the first stained-glass representations at the Empire State Building in New York City.