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Aztec Century
The Aztec Empire has been growing ever since Cortez changed sides in the 16th century. They already control great areas of the world and now it's 20th-century Britain's turn to submit to Aztec rule. This story of war, politics, intrigue and romance is narrated by a daughter of the British monarch.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Evans
131 books14 followersChristopher D. Evans also writes as Christopher Carpenter, Nathan Elliott, Robert Knight and John Lyon.
See authors with similar names.
Christopher D. Evans was born in 1951 in Tredegar and educated at Cardiff University between 1969–1972, and Swansea University 1973–4. He now lives in South London, where he teaches science full-time at a secondary school. His first novel, Capella’s Golden Eyes, was published in 1980. With Robert Holdstock, he co-edited the Other Edens Series of original science fiction and fantasy anthologies which appeared in the late 1980s. Aztec Century (Gollancz, 1993) won the BSFA Award for Best Novel of 1993 and was runner-up for the Wales Book of the Year Award. Christopher also writes as Christopher Carpenter, Nathan Elliott, Robert Knight and John Lyon.
See authors with similar names.
Christopher D. Evans was born in 1951 in Tredegar and educated at Cardiff University between 1969–1972, and Swansea University 1973–4. He now lives in South London, where he teaches science full-time at a secondary school. His first novel, Capella’s Golden Eyes, was published in 1980. With Robert Holdstock, he co-edited the Other Edens Series of original science fiction and fantasy anthologies which appeared in the late 1980s. Aztec Century (Gollancz, 1993) won the BSFA Award for Best Novel of 1993 and was runner-up for the Wales Book of the Year Award. Christopher also writes as Christopher Carpenter, Nathan Elliott, Robert Knight and John Lyon.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 25, 2011
I'm a sucker for alternative history novels, and this was a good (not great) one. It's set in the 1990s on an alternate earth where Cortes, instead of conquering/destroying the Aztec empire as he did on our world, took an Aztec mistress and decided to side with the Aztecs and help drive off the Spanish. The Aztec empire grows to encompass most of the Americas and by the 20th century its influence is spreading to the rest of the world. The book is told from the point of view of Kate, a princess of England., and it describes the events following an Aztec invasion of England. The main characters are interesting and the plot is not bad, but what kept me reading was the description of the world itself - its history, its prominent figures, and its technology. If alternate history isn't your thing, then the book is only OK science fiction; but if you do enjoy the subgenre, then this little known, unique story should be on your shelves.
September 29, 2021
(3,5*) não foi de todo ruim, gostei bastante dos elementos q justificaram a permanência do império asteca pra além do século XVI e da trajetória política do mundo q se seguiu a isso, principalmente com a configuração dos Estados na América do Norte, vários deles de governo indígena. infelizmente o autor deu pouco/nenhum detalhe sobre a América do Sul. as descrições sobre esse novo mundo mexicocêntrico (??) foram bem legais e foram o q de fato me instigou.
fui com muita sede ao pote, esperando grandes passagens e infodumps falando sobre a história do mundo desde a não-destruição dos astecas, porém isso consiste em uma parte muito pequena do livro, q foca mesmo é nas tribulações da princesa inglesa frente à invasão do seu país. as tramas de conspiração e atentados foram ok, nada muito marcantes, e a relação dela com os membros da nobreza asteca foi legalzinha tbm, nada especial.
o final do livro foi uma completa loucura, misto de mulher brigando por macho e dimensões paralelas, fiquei assustado, no sentido bom e ruim da coisa. de longe não tem a força q o CIVILIZATIONS teve, enquanto ficção-histórica-alternativa-de-temática-indígena (nicho pelo qual tô obcecado), mas valeu a leitura.
fui com muita sede ao pote, esperando grandes passagens e infodumps falando sobre a história do mundo desde a não-destruição dos astecas, porém isso consiste em uma parte muito pequena do livro, q foca mesmo é nas tribulações da princesa inglesa frente à invasão do seu país. as tramas de conspiração e atentados foram ok, nada muito marcantes, e a relação dela com os membros da nobreza asteca foi legalzinha tbm, nada especial.
o final do livro foi uma completa loucura, misto de mulher brigando por macho e dimensões paralelas, fiquei assustado, no sentido bom e ruim da coisa. de longe não tem a força q o CIVILIZATIONS teve, enquanto ficção-histórica-alternativa-de-temática-indígena (nicho pelo qual tô obcecado), mas valeu a leitura.
December 26, 2020
3,5 Interessanter Alternativwelt-Roman, in dem die (allerdings christianisierten) Azteken mit einer neuartigen Technologie ein Weltreich begründen, in dem sie Land für Land erobern. Erzählt aus der Perspektive einer Angehörigen es englischen Königshauses.
August 28, 2013
I picked this up in the $2 bin at a second-hand bookshop, and I'm very glad that I did. It's a great read and certainly deserving of the awards it's won. I have a fondness for alternate history stories, which is what attracted me to this book, but this one is quite different from much of the standard fare in this genre. For a start, the things that happened to make this world come about rather than are own are doled out piece by piece throughout the story, rather than having an exposition early in the story. But this works within the setup of the book, as it is a first-person narrative, so the differences are treated as assumed knowledge. I found this to be slightly (but only slightly) annoying - and a full explanation of why things are the way they are isn't really ever provided. The greatest omission in this area is the lack of any explanation as to why Aztec technology is so far in advance of anywhere else in the world.
January 21, 2012
Recommended by a friend, this was my first foray into science fiction. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the alternate reality aspect. I am truly saddened that Evans has not written more books than the few he had published in the early 90s and late 80s.
Brilliantly picturesque landscapes and architecture are created and interspersed with the ruins of London, an excellent read with aspects of romance, horror and sci fi expertly woven into one coherent book.
Brilliantly picturesque landscapes and architecture are created and interspersed with the ruins of London, an excellent read with aspects of romance, horror and sci fi expertly woven into one coherent book.
June 11, 2012
The premise of this counterfactual is intriguing: that Cortes switched sides and aided the Aztecs in resisting Spanish encroachment, and by the present day, to conquer most of the world. The story is mostly set in an alternative, occupied Britain and is focused on the captive royal family. However, the alternate history is so-so: details are questionable. The primary story borders on soap opera. And, the ending comes out of nowhere and is exceedingly disappointing.
December 2, 2016
This isn't a famous book but it deserves to be. An excellent read from start to finish. It's just a shame Evans' writing career has produced so few books.
November 21, 2024
Aztec Century is an alternate history novel whose point of divergence is with the defection of Cortes to the Aztecs, paving the way for it to become a modernised state with the trappings of a Western European nation but retaining its propensity for war. In the centuries since, the Aztecs - or Mexica, as they are mostly referred to in the novel - have become a globe-spanning world power similar to the British Empire in our own history.
Evans is a Welsh writer and Wales is an important location in the story. The main character is from the British royal family, a princess, who is especially antagonistic towards the conquerors of her country. Told in a first-person narrative, Aztec Century struck me as taking great pride in its characterisation and development of characters. The changes to the world and how they came about are told with restraint and in ways that feel quite natural; e.g. the protagonist seeing a painting that depicts a battle that went a different way.
Evans does some new things with this book - alternate history is no longer a novel thing (novel here used in the strictest sense of the word) - the Aztec technology is depicted as being intrinsically tied to the Sun, befitting their traditional iconography. Allusions to pre-Christian religious practices are made, and a major theme/sub-plot revolves around the Aztecs being a Christian power only ostensibly; they are in fact still worshipping their old gods and the Christianity is a front, a pretence.
On the characterisation, I think what makes it strong here is that 1) it's told in 1st person, meaning that we're not following dozens of characters around the world. Evans hasn't sacrificed depth for breadth in this novel, which I think works well. 2) It explores a little bit of how different people would have different attitudes to being essentially subjugated; some would remain defiant, others would relent and attempt to assimilate into the new order. This made for a compelling angle to the story.
I'm torn with regard to the ending. It went down a route which is strikingly similar to the ending of The Man in the High Castle TV adaptation - but not the book. Given this novel was written before the TV show, I have to wonder if this book inspired the writers at all; if indeed they read other works of alternate history for research.
That aside, Aztec Century is well-written with solid characterisation, but has an ending which may polarise readers. It also name-drops my hometown, so it gets a personal bump-up from me for that.
Evans is a Welsh writer and Wales is an important location in the story. The main character is from the British royal family, a princess, who is especially antagonistic towards the conquerors of her country. Told in a first-person narrative, Aztec Century struck me as taking great pride in its characterisation and development of characters. The changes to the world and how they came about are told with restraint and in ways that feel quite natural; e.g. the protagonist seeing a painting that depicts a battle that went a different way.
Evans does some new things with this book - alternate history is no longer a novel thing (novel here used in the strictest sense of the word) - the Aztec technology is depicted as being intrinsically tied to the Sun, befitting their traditional iconography. Allusions to pre-Christian religious practices are made, and a major theme/sub-plot revolves around the Aztecs being a Christian power only ostensibly; they are in fact still worshipping their old gods and the Christianity is a front, a pretence.
On the characterisation, I think what makes it strong here is that 1) it's told in 1st person, meaning that we're not following dozens of characters around the world. Evans hasn't sacrificed depth for breadth in this novel, which I think works well. 2) It explores a little bit of how different people would have different attitudes to being essentially subjugated; some would remain defiant, others would relent and attempt to assimilate into the new order. This made for a compelling angle to the story.
I'm torn with regard to the ending. It went down a route which is strikingly similar to the ending of The Man in the High Castle TV adaptation - but not the book. Given this novel was written before the TV show, I have to wonder if this book inspired the writers at all; if indeed they read other works of alternate history for research.
That aside, Aztec Century is well-written with solid characterisation, but has an ending which may polarise readers. It also name-drops my hometown, so it gets a personal bump-up from me for that.
February 17, 2022
Kim Stanley Robinson’s “The Years of Rice and Salt” showed me how good alternate history novels can be, so after reading Charles C. Mann’s wonderful “1491”, I was curious to read an alternate history novel where the indigenous cultures of the Americas that Mann shares with the reader weren’t wiped out by wars of conquest. After a quick Wikipedia search (Alternate History > List of Alternate History Fiction) I came across this novel and it seemed like it would do the trick. I was not prepared for how good it would be. Evans jumps straight into the action, the Aztec conquest of Britain, and captivates the reader with off-hand remarks of crucial historical events that differed in that timeline while masterfully needling the British protagonists with the hypocrisy of a colonial power complaining about being on the other side of a war of conquest. Evans weaves the culture and religion of his Aztec empire in an incredibly interesting way, not overwhelming the reader with too much exposition but rather organically following the political discussions that arise with a protagonist immerse in the wars of an ascendant Aztec power. The novel was fun both in the way the plot develops as well as in the imaginative ways in which Evans arrives at a unipolar Aztec-dominated world in the 1990s of his alternate history.
November 23, 2025
Well-written, exciting, intelligent science fiction, on a par with The Man in the High Castle.
The hi-tech Aztecs are very convincingly realized. Outwardly civilized and honorable, there are good and bad Aztecs, and their enemies- analogues of Britain, Russia, America and Canada- are certainly not all good. But writing from the perspective of Princess Catherine- an intelligent, determined and proactive female character- Evans achieves an extraordinary undercurrent of suspicion regarding them, which builds to a very satisfying resolution. Technologically advanced, why do they decorate their jets and installations with pictographs? Nominally Catholic, do they retain their sacrificial rites in secret? Apparently straightforward, are they consummate manipulators?
The cast of characters is excellent. Extepan, the Aztec heir who loves Catherine but whose first duty is to the Empire; Richard, the hapless heir to the British throne, destined to be an Aztec puppet; and Alex, the AI ghost of Catherine's husband, would all be plum roles in a dramatization. But the pick would be the Welshman Bevan, Catherine's probable ally, or possible secret enemy, a Puckish trickster whose mischief may transcend even that of the Aztecs.
The hi-tech Aztecs are very convincingly realized. Outwardly civilized and honorable, there are good and bad Aztecs, and their enemies- analogues of Britain, Russia, America and Canada- are certainly not all good. But writing from the perspective of Princess Catherine- an intelligent, determined and proactive female character- Evans achieves an extraordinary undercurrent of suspicion regarding them, which builds to a very satisfying resolution. Technologically advanced, why do they decorate their jets and installations with pictographs? Nominally Catholic, do they retain their sacrificial rites in secret? Apparently straightforward, are they consummate manipulators?
The cast of characters is excellent. Extepan, the Aztec heir who loves Catherine but whose first duty is to the Empire; Richard, the hapless heir to the British throne, destined to be an Aztec puppet; and Alex, the AI ghost of Catherine's husband, would all be plum roles in a dramatization. But the pick would be the Welshman Bevan, Catherine's probable ally, or possible secret enemy, a Puckish trickster whose mischief may transcend even that of the Aztecs.
August 24, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3067380.html
This is a really interesting alternate history where the Aztecs benefited from Spanish technology and cultural inputs to become the major superpower on the planet. The narrator is a princess of the British royal household towards the end of the twentieth century, just after the successful Aztec invasion of England, making her own accommodation with the new order, from a starting point of uncompromising intransigent resistance. A novel like this has to achieve the difficult tasks of intriguing the reader about the different historical track without info-dumping, while also having a decent plot that works on a human level. I think Evans succeeds very well at both - hints are dropped but never fully fleshed out about his world’s history, and the protagonist’s journey of betrayal and unreliable information at her own personal level is a nice reflection of the alternate history genre as a whole. There is a bonus insight into how our own world would look from the Aztec Century starting point. I really enjoyed this and am surprised that it is not better known.
This is a really interesting alternate history where the Aztecs benefited from Spanish technology and cultural inputs to become the major superpower on the planet. The narrator is a princess of the British royal household towards the end of the twentieth century, just after the successful Aztec invasion of England, making her own accommodation with the new order, from a starting point of uncompromising intransigent resistance. A novel like this has to achieve the difficult tasks of intriguing the reader about the different historical track without info-dumping, while also having a decent plot that works on a human level. I think Evans succeeds very well at both - hints are dropped but never fully fleshed out about his world’s history, and the protagonist’s journey of betrayal and unreliable information at her own personal level is a nice reflection of the alternate history genre as a whole. There is a bonus insight into how our own world would look from the Aztec Century starting point. I really enjoyed this and am surprised that it is not better known.
May 19, 2018
A very well constructed world with an interesting rush before the epilogue. the epilogue itself i could have done without but knww it was coming (a lot of these alternate history books have mirrors to our own. you don't need the literal crossover, let the work stan on its own.) very enjoyable esp if you like worldbuilding.
March 9, 2024
One of the best what ifs you'll read!
August 21, 2013
In her dreams, Princess Catherine could still see London burning, and the luminous golden warships of her enemies, the Aztecs. as they added yet another conquest to their mighty Empire.
Torn from hiding to take up residence in the new royal court, she struggles to come to terms with the sinister, yet seductive regime of Europe’s new masters – and with her own feelings towards one oppressor in particular – Extepan, heir to the Aztec throne.
Sweeping from occupied Britain to the horrors of the Russian front and the savage splendour of Mexico, Aztec Century is a magnificent novel of war, politics, intrigue and romance, set in a world that is both familiar – and terrifyingly alien.
Blurb from the 1994 Gollancz paperback edition.
The premise is that - in a universe once identical to our own - the Spanish who discovered the Americas brought back with them a plague to which the Aztecs were immune. Europe, decimated in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was not able to fully exploit the new continent, leaving the Aztecs to learn from the Spanish and thus evolve into a superpower. By the end of the twentieth century, the Aztec Empire, already in control of China and most of North and South America, are ready to invade Europe.
The narrator and hero comes in the unlikely form of Princess Catherine, sister to Victoria, and to Richard, the nice-but-dim heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. It's exciting and fast-paced from the outset, and is certainly a fascinating and enjoyable read, if it is at some points let down by the Aztecs' rather unlikely level of scientific development which seems both fantastic and rather too incredible a feat to have achieved by 1993.
However, the book is very subtle in its examination of the warring cultures and political systems and despite the exciting and chilling denouement one finds oneself seeing the resistance - of which Princess Catherine feels she is a part even if working mostly alone - as behaving just as badly, if not worse, than the occupying forces.
On the other hand, as we are seeing this world through Catherine's eyes, one could argue that we. along with Catherine, are being seduced by Aztec propaganda and misinformation.
An intriguing character is Bevan, who is employed as Catherine's 'sidekick' throughout. A Welsh militant and an anti-Royalist, he nevertheless appears to be working with Princess Catherine against the Aztecs. His true role is never fully revealed and it is left to the reader to decide for themselves for which side Bevan was batting.
The novel works extremely well simply because of this ambivalence, not only with Bevan, but with other characters such as Extepan, heir to the Aztec Empire who may, throughout the novel, have been working with the best of motives, but from a different cultural perspective.
There is also Mia, Extepan's 'handmaiden' whose enigmatic presence arouses the suspicions of both Catherine and Extepan's first wife. The most important question Evans raises is whether a United Earth under the Aztecs would be altogether a bad thing. The world would be culturally unified for the first time which would lower the probability of war between nations.
Compared to our own world of international squabbles and terrorism, being part of the seemingly altruistic Aztec Empire seems reasonably attractive.
Ultimately and quite ingeniously, Evans once more leaves it to the reader to decide who, if anyone, did the right thing.
Torn from hiding to take up residence in the new royal court, she struggles to come to terms with the sinister, yet seductive regime of Europe’s new masters – and with her own feelings towards one oppressor in particular – Extepan, heir to the Aztec throne.
Sweeping from occupied Britain to the horrors of the Russian front and the savage splendour of Mexico, Aztec Century is a magnificent novel of war, politics, intrigue and romance, set in a world that is both familiar – and terrifyingly alien.
Blurb from the 1994 Gollancz paperback edition.
The premise is that - in a universe once identical to our own - the Spanish who discovered the Americas brought back with them a plague to which the Aztecs were immune. Europe, decimated in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was not able to fully exploit the new continent, leaving the Aztecs to learn from the Spanish and thus evolve into a superpower. By the end of the twentieth century, the Aztec Empire, already in control of China and most of North and South America, are ready to invade Europe.
The narrator and hero comes in the unlikely form of Princess Catherine, sister to Victoria, and to Richard, the nice-but-dim heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. It's exciting and fast-paced from the outset, and is certainly a fascinating and enjoyable read, if it is at some points let down by the Aztecs' rather unlikely level of scientific development which seems both fantastic and rather too incredible a feat to have achieved by 1993.
However, the book is very subtle in its examination of the warring cultures and political systems and despite the exciting and chilling denouement one finds oneself seeing the resistance - of which Princess Catherine feels she is a part even if working mostly alone - as behaving just as badly, if not worse, than the occupying forces.
On the other hand, as we are seeing this world through Catherine's eyes, one could argue that we. along with Catherine, are being seduced by Aztec propaganda and misinformation.
An intriguing character is Bevan, who is employed as Catherine's 'sidekick' throughout. A Welsh militant and an anti-Royalist, he nevertheless appears to be working with Princess Catherine against the Aztecs. His true role is never fully revealed and it is left to the reader to decide for themselves for which side Bevan was batting.
The novel works extremely well simply because of this ambivalence, not only with Bevan, but with other characters such as Extepan, heir to the Aztec Empire who may, throughout the novel, have been working with the best of motives, but from a different cultural perspective.
There is also Mia, Extepan's 'handmaiden' whose enigmatic presence arouses the suspicions of both Catherine and Extepan's first wife. The most important question Evans raises is whether a United Earth under the Aztecs would be altogether a bad thing. The world would be culturally unified for the first time which would lower the probability of war between nations.
Compared to our own world of international squabbles and terrorism, being part of the seemingly altruistic Aztec Empire seems reasonably attractive.
Ultimately and quite ingeniously, Evans once more leaves it to the reader to decide who, if anyone, did the right thing.
January 1, 2022
This was a monthly book club pick by my friend, Richard. This book was a bit of a surprise to me - it was a BSFA award winner, and yet I'd never heard of it or it's author, so it seems to be something of a forgotten book - forgotten by all except our Richard, who seems to remember a lot of books the rest of us have never heard of LOL.
I enjoyed the book, and almost gave the book 4 out of 5, but I thought the ending did a disservice to the tension that was building by going over the top and changing the character of the story from one of personal growth a-la Downton Abbey into a sordid domestic squabble more at home in The East Enders. Still, some very interesting and well-executed world building by someone who clearly knows something about the Aztecs. Reminded me at time of The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, and of Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, both of which deal with the occupation of a nation. 3.5 out of 5
I enjoyed the book, and almost gave the book 4 out of 5, but I thought the ending did a disservice to the tension that was building by going over the top and changing the character of the story from one of personal growth a-la Downton Abbey into a sordid domestic squabble more at home in The East Enders. Still, some very interesting and well-executed world building by someone who clearly knows something about the Aztecs. Reminded me at time of The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, and of Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, both of which deal with the occupation of a nation. 3.5 out of 5
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May 1, 2017Edition: paperback / softback
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