★★★★★ 5
Gripping & Enthralling
Format: Kindle
Get this book, and jump on the thrill ride. Savage war dogs in full plate armor, human sacrifice on an industrial scale, cannons firing grapeshot point blank into charging hordes of unsuspecting warriors, intense duels within the Spanish and Native groups... this book is graphic and hard to put down.
Just be aware that as pt. 1 of a trilogy, it WILL leave you hanging, and wanting more. I suppose that is just the nature of the beast... and we must patiently await pt. 2.
Far more historical than a fantasy, but more fantastic than a history... this novel falls almost perfectly into that middle ground, sweet spot. It is extremely well researched, with few liberties taken, so you really feel like you are observing things that could very well have transpired. However, it goes beyond a flat, boring recreation of the extant journals and histories of the conquest of New Spain, and introduces vivid characters, visions, dreams, and witchcraft to bring the tale to life.
Historians might appreciate the graphic and accurate depictions of battles and intrigue, and fantasy buffs might dig the subplots involving mushroom visions, metaphysical "gods," and a young witch in Tenochtitlan (being stuff that couldn't be derived from source material and must come from the prolific mind of Mr. Hancock). Some might prefer these things stay separate and "never the twain shall meet," but there are books enough for purists out there. What Graham Hancock has done is present a page-turning story which fully draws the reader into a world which is a fairly good estimation of that world that existed when Cortez & his worldview met the Mexica & the Maya... and supplanted theirs.
Given that most everyone on Earth already knows this story--and how it ends--it was IMHO a very wise decision for the author to add drama and tension by fleshing this out into a "fictional" novel. I would say the breakdown is 1/3rd non-fiction, 1/3rd logical extrapolations from what we know, and 1/3rd pure fantasy. I honestly can't say which part I prefer.
Just do yourself a favor and read this.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2014
