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The Gold Eaters
“Utterly irresistible… The Gold Eaters is truly the gold standard to which all fiction — historical and otherwise — should aspire.” — Buzzfeed
A sweeping, epic historical novel of exploration and invasion, of conquest and resistance, and of an enduring love that must overcome the destruction of one empire by another.
Kidnapped at sea by conquistadors seeking the golden land of Peru, a young Inca boy named Waman is the everyman thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Forced to become Francisco Pizarro's translator, he finds himself caught up in one of history's great clashes of civilzations, the Spanish invasion of the Incan Empire of the 1530s. To survive, he must not only learn political gamesmanship but also discover who he truly is, and in what country and culture he belongs. Only then can he be reunited with the love of his life and begin the search for his shattered family, journeying through a land and a time vividly depicted here.
Based closely on real historical events, The Gold Eaters draws on Ronald Wright’s imaginative skill as a novelist and his deep knowledge of South America to bring alive an epic struggle that laid the foundations of the modern world.
A sweeping, epic historical novel of exploration and invasion, of conquest and resistance, and of an enduring love that must overcome the destruction of one empire by another.
Kidnapped at sea by conquistadors seeking the golden land of Peru, a young Inca boy named Waman is the everyman thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Forced to become Francisco Pizarro's translator, he finds himself caught up in one of history's great clashes of civilzations, the Spanish invasion of the Incan Empire of the 1530s. To survive, he must not only learn political gamesmanship but also discover who he truly is, and in what country and culture he belongs. Only then can he be reunited with the love of his life and begin the search for his shattered family, journeying through a land and a time vividly depicted here.
Based closely on real historical events, The Gold Eaters draws on Ronald Wright’s imaginative skill as a novelist and his deep knowledge of South America to bring alive an epic struggle that laid the foundations of the modern world.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2015
59 people are currently reading
1896 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Wright
47 books158 followersRonald Wright is a Canadian author who has written books of travel, history and fiction. His nonfiction includes the bestseller Stolen Continents, winner of the Gordon Montador Award and chosen as a book of the year by the Independent and the Sunday Times. His first novel, A Scientific Romance, won the 1997 David Higham Prize for Fiction and was chosen a book of the year by the Globe and Mail, the Sunday Times, and the New York Times.
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September 29, 2021
The Deadliest Infection
There’s a reason to read good historical fiction. The Gold Eaters is an example. Ronald Wright’s previous non-fiction historical summary of the European invasion of America, Stolen Continents, is a compelling revision of the standard myths of the civilising effects of white culture. But in this fictional account of the conquest of Peru and the Incan Empire, he is able to add an emotional and spiritual dimension which is not evident in the bare facts of a population, or a people, or a civilisation devastated by the invasion. The personal implications of historical trauma tend to go unnoticed in academic history. Only a fictional narrative can allow events of global import to become experiences of personal significance. Paradoxically when these narratives connect with each other through a readership, the personal tends toward the global.
Consider that it took only one generation from the Spanish landings in the Caribbean to the utter transformation of societies stretching from Bala California to Chile into slave encampments run by illiterate thugs supported by a religious ideology of submission to their authority. Nowhere on earth has experienced such rapid, profound and widespread disruption as what would come to be called Spanish America. Neither, until the 20th century and its Holocaust, would human beings commit such atrocities on one another with such casual conviction and in such numbers. And yet we speak today of the speed of change in modern society.
And the leaders of these bands of marauders are considered explorers, pioneers, and adventurers. These men were rapacious beasts who worked for other ignorant beasts and who employed psychotically violent beasts. Perhaps the real reason the names of men like Pizarro, Cortez, Balboa, De Soto, and Ponce de Leon have been considered heroic, enough to have innumerable cities, landmarks, cultural festivals, and even children named after them, is in part to dim the horrors of what they accomplished to our modern sensitivities, but also in larger part to act as an enduring precedent that justifies continuing domination today. Race was and is the central fact of the Conquest of America.
Race justified the subjugation of anyone who was not white. Race justified the massive dislocation of populations within the areas of Spanish conquest and between Africa and the Americas. Race justified the creation of a social hierarchy which ensured the permanence of white dominance by establishing racial distinctions and using racial antipathies to white advantage. Race justified the erasure of historical traditions, languages, and family lineages through the introduction of the ‘true religion’ of white Christianity. And today the effects of all these justifications - economic inequalities, educational deficits, large-scale immigration, international criminal enterprise - are being justified as unfortunate consequences of… well, of course, race.
It had to be expected, I suppose, that the still dominant white culture of the conquerors would object to the telling of history in a way that emphasises both the personal impact of historical wrongs, and the ongoing legacy of these wrongs. These narratives are, it is said, part of the new ‘cancel culture’, that is, an attempt to diminish the achievements of great white men. How obscene. How utterly ignorant. And how typical of the genetic beneficiaries of the horror these men have imposed on the world.
Reading The Gold Eaters is not an edifying experience. It clearly isn’t meant to be. Although sedate in tone, the tragedy of the events it describes is obvious. The book is one small recognition of the harm done in the name of racial and cultural superiority. What option is there but to spread that recognition and to indeed cancel the continuing tragedy of that purported superiority. It is, after all, an infection, worse than the viruses brought by the invaders, passed down largely through the technology of writing. How else then to kill it other than by writing the truth in fiction?
There’s a reason to read good historical fiction. The Gold Eaters is an example. Ronald Wright’s previous non-fiction historical summary of the European invasion of America, Stolen Continents, is a compelling revision of the standard myths of the civilising effects of white culture. But in this fictional account of the conquest of Peru and the Incan Empire, he is able to add an emotional and spiritual dimension which is not evident in the bare facts of a population, or a people, or a civilisation devastated by the invasion. The personal implications of historical trauma tend to go unnoticed in academic history. Only a fictional narrative can allow events of global import to become experiences of personal significance. Paradoxically when these narratives connect with each other through a readership, the personal tends toward the global.
Consider that it took only one generation from the Spanish landings in the Caribbean to the utter transformation of societies stretching from Bala California to Chile into slave encampments run by illiterate thugs supported by a religious ideology of submission to their authority. Nowhere on earth has experienced such rapid, profound and widespread disruption as what would come to be called Spanish America. Neither, until the 20th century and its Holocaust, would human beings commit such atrocities on one another with such casual conviction and in such numbers. And yet we speak today of the speed of change in modern society.
And the leaders of these bands of marauders are considered explorers, pioneers, and adventurers. These men were rapacious beasts who worked for other ignorant beasts and who employed psychotically violent beasts. Perhaps the real reason the names of men like Pizarro, Cortez, Balboa, De Soto, and Ponce de Leon have been considered heroic, enough to have innumerable cities, landmarks, cultural festivals, and even children named after them, is in part to dim the horrors of what they accomplished to our modern sensitivities, but also in larger part to act as an enduring precedent that justifies continuing domination today. Race was and is the central fact of the Conquest of America.
Race justified the subjugation of anyone who was not white. Race justified the massive dislocation of populations within the areas of Spanish conquest and between Africa and the Americas. Race justified the creation of a social hierarchy which ensured the permanence of white dominance by establishing racial distinctions and using racial antipathies to white advantage. Race justified the erasure of historical traditions, languages, and family lineages through the introduction of the ‘true religion’ of white Christianity. And today the effects of all these justifications - economic inequalities, educational deficits, large-scale immigration, international criminal enterprise - are being justified as unfortunate consequences of… well, of course, race.
It had to be expected, I suppose, that the still dominant white culture of the conquerors would object to the telling of history in a way that emphasises both the personal impact of historical wrongs, and the ongoing legacy of these wrongs. These narratives are, it is said, part of the new ‘cancel culture’, that is, an attempt to diminish the achievements of great white men. How obscene. How utterly ignorant. And how typical of the genetic beneficiaries of the horror these men have imposed on the world.
Reading The Gold Eaters is not an edifying experience. It clearly isn’t meant to be. Although sedate in tone, the tragedy of the events it describes is obvious. The book is one small recognition of the harm done in the name of racial and cultural superiority. What option is there but to spread that recognition and to indeed cancel the continuing tragedy of that purported superiority. It is, after all, an infection, worse than the viruses brought by the invaders, passed down largely through the technology of writing. How else then to kill it other than by writing the truth in fiction?
November 30, 2015
Here's my thinking on this novel:
Ronald Wright is the author of ten books, three of which (A Scientific Romance, Henderson's Spear, and this one, The Gold Eaters) are fiction. He has traveled extensively and as far as the subject of this novel goes, he is beyond well informed, having written about Peru in his (nonfiction) Cut Stones and Crossroads: A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru in 1993. Now he's returned with a fictional account of the Spanish conquest of Peru from the point of view of a boy then young man who served as interpreter between the two cultures.
Without going too much into plot, basically this novel came across to me as a sort of coming-of-age story set during the conquest of Peru. The main character is Waman renamed Felipe (who, by the way, is not an Inca). He is only a kid when he decides that he needs to see more of the world and go off on adventures of his own; by the time the book is over, he is a grown man. In the time in between he's been captured, taken to Spain, learned Spanish, returned to Peru, served as interpreter, and has lost contact with his mother and with the childhood companion he thinks about all of the time. As he moves through Peru with his captors, he watches hopelessly as at first smallpox decimates a large proportion of the population and afterwards, the Spaniards take advantage of the situation and move to subjugate the remainder. Although he has a foot in both worlds (conquerors and conquered), as he becomes older, he becomes a conflicted soul, wondering exactly who he is and trying to discover where his loyalties actually lie. Most of this story is revealed through Waman's point of view, although perspective also moves among different characters as the book progresses.
When I was a kid I fell in love with stories about explorers -- then that bubble got burst once I moved past the crap that they feed you in your early school years. Once I realized that the conquistadores were not just explorers but that they decimated indigenous populations and forced them into Catholicism, I lost all romantic notions I might have once entertained about them. In The Gold Eaters, Wright doesn't leave much to the imagination -- there are some pretty despicable scenes in this book depicting the depth and breadth of the cruelty meted out by the Spaniards. There's a lot of action going on here, and that's all well and good, but some of the best parts of this novel for me were watching as the Peruvians (for lack of a better word) try to make sense of what's going on as their lives are completely disrupted by forces well beyond their control. While some of the people had an inkling that this was not going to be a good thing, others who were disgruntled with the reigning Incas made alliances with the Spanish, leaving the door open for Pizarro and his forces to come in and take over. The fact that there had recently been a civil war in the empire also made it possible for the conquest to happen so easily.
My take on this book is this: considering the horrific tale Mr. Wright has to tell here, the novel could have been much more forceful in the telling. It's a compelling story, to be sure, but I found his writing style to be a bit sedate, at least for me. Considering the importance of Felipe's character here, he often comes across as a bit flat (at least I found him to be so). However, as far as I know (although I am definitely not an expert on all things books), The Gold Eaters may just be the first large-scale, fictional epic dealing with the conquest of Peru, so it is most definitely worth the read. It may not be, in my opinion " truly the gold standard to which all fiction — historical and otherwise — should aspire," as noted where ever you turn for info about this book, (originally accredited to Buzzfeed), but it does bring something new to the table.
Ronald Wright is the author of ten books, three of which (A Scientific Romance, Henderson's Spear, and this one, The Gold Eaters) are fiction. He has traveled extensively and as far as the subject of this novel goes, he is beyond well informed, having written about Peru in his (nonfiction) Cut Stones and Crossroads: A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru in 1993. Now he's returned with a fictional account of the Spanish conquest of Peru from the point of view of a boy then young man who served as interpreter between the two cultures.
Without going too much into plot, basically this novel came across to me as a sort of coming-of-age story set during the conquest of Peru. The main character is Waman renamed Felipe (who, by the way, is not an Inca). He is only a kid when he decides that he needs to see more of the world and go off on adventures of his own; by the time the book is over, he is a grown man. In the time in between he's been captured, taken to Spain, learned Spanish, returned to Peru, served as interpreter, and has lost contact with his mother and with the childhood companion he thinks about all of the time. As he moves through Peru with his captors, he watches hopelessly as at first smallpox decimates a large proportion of the population and afterwards, the Spaniards take advantage of the situation and move to subjugate the remainder. Although he has a foot in both worlds (conquerors and conquered), as he becomes older, he becomes a conflicted soul, wondering exactly who he is and trying to discover where his loyalties actually lie. Most of this story is revealed through Waman's point of view, although perspective also moves among different characters as the book progresses.
When I was a kid I fell in love with stories about explorers -- then that bubble got burst once I moved past the crap that they feed you in your early school years. Once I realized that the conquistadores were not just explorers but that they decimated indigenous populations and forced them into Catholicism, I lost all romantic notions I might have once entertained about them. In The Gold Eaters, Wright doesn't leave much to the imagination -- there are some pretty despicable scenes in this book depicting the depth and breadth of the cruelty meted out by the Spaniards. There's a lot of action going on here, and that's all well and good, but some of the best parts of this novel for me were watching as the Peruvians (for lack of a better word) try to make sense of what's going on as their lives are completely disrupted by forces well beyond their control. While some of the people had an inkling that this was not going to be a good thing, others who were disgruntled with the reigning Incas made alliances with the Spanish, leaving the door open for Pizarro and his forces to come in and take over. The fact that there had recently been a civil war in the empire also made it possible for the conquest to happen so easily.
My take on this book is this: considering the horrific tale Mr. Wright has to tell here, the novel could have been much more forceful in the telling. It's a compelling story, to be sure, but I found his writing style to be a bit sedate, at least for me. Considering the importance of Felipe's character here, he often comes across as a bit flat (at least I found him to be so). However, as far as I know (although I am definitely not an expert on all things books), The Gold Eaters may just be the first large-scale, fictional epic dealing with the conquest of Peru, so it is most definitely worth the read. It may not be, in my opinion " truly the gold standard to which all fiction — historical and otherwise — should aspire," as noted where ever you turn for info about this book, (originally accredited to Buzzfeed), but it does bring something new to the table.
October 8, 2015
The Gold Eaters starts out as an adventure tale: Ready to prove himself worthy of his newly bestowed adult name, a 13-year-old Peruvian fisherman, Waman, runs away from his village home to sign on as a deckhand on an ocean-going trading ship. Shortly into the voyage, the ship is captured by raiders – a so far luckless scouting trip led by Francisco Pizarro – and in addition to the much needed supplies and coveted riches, Pizarro and his would-be Conquistadors take the young Waman with them as a hopefully trainable interpreter. After some months of Spanish lessons, Waman is brought along as Pizarro makes first contact with an Incan village, and after seeing for himself the wealth of gold and silver that the natives possess, Pizarro forces Waman to accompany him back to Spain in an effort to secure royal backing for a full-on assault against the Incan Empire. Although the point of view shifts between several characters, this is primarily Waman's story and we follow him back and forth across the ocean as he unfavourably compares the squalid Spanish society to the idyll he had once known; watch through Waman's eyes as the Spanish and Incas clash towards the tragic ending we are familiar with. It sounds like an adventure tale, but ultimately, plodding and superficial writing creates too thin a storyline on which to hang so much fascinating history, and the result is pretty boring.
Author Ronald Wright is known for several nonfiction books that he has written about South America and I have no doubt that he put together a factual timeline (he does acknowledge in an afterword that historical accounts about Peru can be vague and contradictory, but I certainly defer to his expertise). And, as Wright has also written some other historical fiction, I understand his desire to flesh out dry historical facts with human elements, but it just doesn't work here. I didn't learn anything about how Waman felt, there was nothing urgent about the violence that is witnessed, and although there is promise of a love story (from the dust jacket: “Only then can he be reunited with the love of his life “), theirs was the farthest possible from a romance – this story is dry, completely devoid of juice. I knew enough of this time period to have heard of the kidnapping of Emperor Atawallpa and the betrayal by the Spaniards after he paid them a ransom of one storeroom of gold and two of silver, but didn't realise that he was Emperor only after smallpox (thanks to the Spanish) had wiped out much of the royal family and Atawallpa had wiped out the rest: filling in the history of this time makes for a rewarding experience. But after Pizarro and his Vicar decide to betray Atawallpa, his dispatch takes a sentence or two: and I would argue that making a scene like that come to life is the point of writing historical fiction; if I wanted just the facts, I would have picked up Wright's Stolen Continents (which I probably will do anyway). Interspersed with the plodding writing are some attempts at lyricism that felt out of place here:
The last sentence of that passage, in particular, strikes me as nonsensical. Also, frustratingly, much of the action takes place off the page and even important events are given no more prominence than a passing line about the effects of inbreeding among the Hapsburgs or the patterns woven into Peruvian cloth. Even Pizarro's eventual death, despite there being several early sections from his point of view, is merely noted in passing after a jump of eight years. And having sections from a Spanish point of view doesn't create any kind of understanding for their motivations: to a man, they are rapacious and boorish with foul breath and lice infested beards; each one of them ready to sink a knife in your chest if there's gold to be found there, ready to split open stout housewives to warm their frostbitten feet. Not to say that the Conquistadors were justified in their slaughter and subjugation of the natives they met, but fiction is an opportunity to look into their brains and create some understanding, if not forgiveness, and this boat was totally missed; if they're all ignorant monsters, you never get that “I wonder what I would have done in that situation?” moment.
I was intrigued by the comparison between the Spanish and Incan Empires (the latter totally without poverty, the Emperor feeding the masses from his granaries in times of famine and providing massive public works for sanitation and communication), but when every detail of society is compared to the Incan advantage, it seems to deny the reader to opportunity to weigh the facts and draw her own conclusions
So, there's even a morally superior form of drunkenness. Check. Okay, all of this is to say that The Gold Eaters didn't work for me as a novel and it wasn't even a satisfactory vehicle for delivering the bare facts. Not a waste of time, but frustrating for what this could have been.
Author Ronald Wright is known for several nonfiction books that he has written about South America and I have no doubt that he put together a factual timeline (he does acknowledge in an afterword that historical accounts about Peru can be vague and contradictory, but I certainly defer to his expertise). And, as Wright has also written some other historical fiction, I understand his desire to flesh out dry historical facts with human elements, but it just doesn't work here. I didn't learn anything about how Waman felt, there was nothing urgent about the violence that is witnessed, and although there is promise of a love story (from the dust jacket: “Only then can he be reunited with the love of his life “), theirs was the farthest possible from a romance – this story is dry, completely devoid of juice. I knew enough of this time period to have heard of the kidnapping of Emperor Atawallpa and the betrayal by the Spaniards after he paid them a ransom of one storeroom of gold and two of silver, but didn't realise that he was Emperor only after smallpox (thanks to the Spanish) had wiped out much of the royal family and Atawallpa had wiped out the rest: filling in the history of this time makes for a rewarding experience. But after Pizarro and his Vicar decide to betray Atawallpa, his dispatch takes a sentence or two: and I would argue that making a scene like that come to life is the point of writing historical fiction; if I wanted just the facts, I would have picked up Wright's Stolen Continents (which I probably will do anyway). Interspersed with the plodding writing are some attempts at lyricism that felt out of place here:
The mist has fallen below the terrace. They are standing under a deep-blue vault still lit by the last stars. Slowly, Waman turns full circle. The town and the valleys around are smothered by a billowy white surf. He and Candía are alone among volcanoes rising from this sea of cloud like jagged figures wearing icy caps and robes. Among sleeping gods. The sun leaps from behind a ridge, changing the surf to smoke and fire. Not the gelatinous red sun of the desert, but a blazing sphere of gold in a sky so clear the eye, if it could look, might see the eternal firestorms raging on the solar face.
The last sentence of that passage, in particular, strikes me as nonsensical. Also, frustratingly, much of the action takes place off the page and even important events are given no more prominence than a passing line about the effects of inbreeding among the Hapsburgs or the patterns woven into Peruvian cloth. Even Pizarro's eventual death, despite there being several early sections from his point of view, is merely noted in passing after a jump of eight years. And having sections from a Spanish point of view doesn't create any kind of understanding for their motivations: to a man, they are rapacious and boorish with foul breath and lice infested beards; each one of them ready to sink a knife in your chest if there's gold to be found there, ready to split open stout housewives to warm their frostbitten feet. Not to say that the Conquistadors were justified in their slaughter and subjugation of the natives they met, but fiction is an opportunity to look into their brains and create some understanding, if not forgiveness, and this boat was totally missed; if they're all ignorant monsters, you never get that “I wonder what I would have done in that situation?” moment.
I was intrigued by the comparison between the Spanish and Incan Empires (the latter totally without poverty, the Emperor feeding the masses from his granaries in times of famine and providing massive public works for sanitation and communication), but when every detail of society is compared to the Incan advantage, it seems to deny the reader to opportunity to weigh the facts and draw her own conclusions
Like everyone in Cusco, they are divinely drunk. Not the private drinking of Spaniards but a communal drunkenness hosted by the state in honour of its gods and institutions.
So, there's even a morally superior form of drunkenness. Check. Okay, all of this is to say that The Gold Eaters didn't work for me as a novel and it wasn't even a satisfactory vehicle for delivering the bare facts. Not a waste of time, but frustrating for what this could have been.
January 26, 2018
In the early to mid 1500s Spanish conquistadores were hot in pursuit of gold and glory in the New World. Of course, not speaking any native languages, they needed interpreters and translators. The most famous and universally known of these natives used to facilitate communication were Malinche in Mexico and Felipillo in Peru.
Felipillo, as he was named by the Spaniards, is considered a national disgrace by Peruvians. Calling someone a "Felipillo" is to call him a traitor of the worst kind, a person you believed to be on your side who betrays your trust, often charged with political corruption or a turncoat in foreign affairs. But just whom did the original Felipillo betray? According to the Peruvians, it was the Inca Atahualpa when he acted as go-between with Pizarro, with the resulting capture and death of the Inca at the hands of Pizarro. But in the minds of the Spaniards, Felipillo betrayed them, especially during the in-fighting between Pizarro and Almagro.
Wright, in this book, tries to be fair and impartial, showing us shades of gray and the complexity of the dealings Felipillo had to face with both conquerors and natives. There also had to be a conflict of interest because of Felipillo's own ethnic origin and the fact that he was abducted and forced to work for Spain. There are many historical sources Wright consulted to do his research, writings by Spanish conquistadores and priests, natives and mestizos such as Inca Garcilaso, many of them contradictory at times.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is written in historical present, a tense that is not my very favorite. However, after a chapter or two I was able to read without being bothered by this. The story is fiction but tries to stay as close to fact as is possible. One thing to note is that, while it is believed that Felipillo was killed by the Spanish as a traitor in 1535, Wright has him alive in 1544. Why not, I say. He has gotten such a bad rap all his life, perhaps he deserves a few extra years here of relative 'happiness'.
When you finish reading this account, you won't, probably, admire the Spanish conquerors with their greed for gold and glory and their imposition of the Catholic faith upon native cultures, but you will see the hardships they faced at the beginning and note that the backgrounds of many left them little option but to leave Spain and search for something better for themselves. Unfortunately, in finding that fame and fortune they left devastation in their wake, both through violence to the natives and through the spread of Old World diseases, in particular smallpox, which reduced a thriving indigenous population of over 20 million to under 9 million in just one outbreak of the disease.
This is the story of the Inca Empire, which was a highly developed, socially sophisticated system before the Spanish arrived. Remnants remain in the highlands of the Quechua language and certain customs and foods but the lives of the highland Indians now is much less structured and socially advanced, thanks to Spanish suppression of the natives centuries ago. A trip to modern-day Cuzco is illustrative of this. You'll see Spanish structures built on the foundations of what were great buildings in the capital of the Inca Empire. One such building is the Cuzco Cathedral. Then go inside and enjoy the artwork. You'll find paintings such as "The Last Supper" by Peruvian Marcos Zapaca Inca, which features Jesus and his disciples sitting down to a last supper of guinea pig and other native delicacies. One wonders what Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and the rest of Latin America would be like today if the Spaniards had never arrived. But then, if not Spain, it would have been some other country, one supposes.
I should probably mention here that my husband is Peruvian, I lived in Peru for several years, and my children spent some of their formative years studying at a Peruvian school, where history of the country and indigenous peoples was an important part of the curriculum. In spite of this, Wright's novel sent me off several times to check out books and the internet about things I had never known or had forgotten. This is an interesting, thought-provoking read of the invasion and conquest of a country, prior to its colonization by the conquerors.
Felipillo, as he was named by the Spaniards, is considered a national disgrace by Peruvians. Calling someone a "Felipillo" is to call him a traitor of the worst kind, a person you believed to be on your side who betrays your trust, often charged with political corruption or a turncoat in foreign affairs. But just whom did the original Felipillo betray? According to the Peruvians, it was the Inca Atahualpa when he acted as go-between with Pizarro, with the resulting capture and death of the Inca at the hands of Pizarro. But in the minds of the Spaniards, Felipillo betrayed them, especially during the in-fighting between Pizarro and Almagro.
Wright, in this book, tries to be fair and impartial, showing us shades of gray and the complexity of the dealings Felipillo had to face with both conquerors and natives. There also had to be a conflict of interest because of Felipillo's own ethnic origin and the fact that he was abducted and forced to work for Spain. There are many historical sources Wright consulted to do his research, writings by Spanish conquistadores and priests, natives and mestizos such as Inca Garcilaso, many of them contradictory at times.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is written in historical present, a tense that is not my very favorite. However, after a chapter or two I was able to read without being bothered by this. The story is fiction but tries to stay as close to fact as is possible. One thing to note is that, while it is believed that Felipillo was killed by the Spanish as a traitor in 1535, Wright has him alive in 1544. Why not, I say. He has gotten such a bad rap all his life, perhaps he deserves a few extra years here of relative 'happiness'.
When you finish reading this account, you won't, probably, admire the Spanish conquerors with their greed for gold and glory and their imposition of the Catholic faith upon native cultures, but you will see the hardships they faced at the beginning and note that the backgrounds of many left them little option but to leave Spain and search for something better for themselves. Unfortunately, in finding that fame and fortune they left devastation in their wake, both through violence to the natives and through the spread of Old World diseases, in particular smallpox, which reduced a thriving indigenous population of over 20 million to under 9 million in just one outbreak of the disease.
This is the story of the Inca Empire, which was a highly developed, socially sophisticated system before the Spanish arrived. Remnants remain in the highlands of the Quechua language and certain customs and foods but the lives of the highland Indians now is much less structured and socially advanced, thanks to Spanish suppression of the natives centuries ago. A trip to modern-day Cuzco is illustrative of this. You'll see Spanish structures built on the foundations of what were great buildings in the capital of the Inca Empire. One such building is the Cuzco Cathedral. Then go inside and enjoy the artwork. You'll find paintings such as "The Last Supper" by Peruvian Marcos Zapaca Inca, which features Jesus and his disciples sitting down to a last supper of guinea pig and other native delicacies. One wonders what Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and the rest of Latin America would be like today if the Spaniards had never arrived. But then, if not Spain, it would have been some other country, one supposes.
I should probably mention here that my husband is Peruvian, I lived in Peru for several years, and my children spent some of their formative years studying at a Peruvian school, where history of the country and indigenous peoples was an important part of the curriculum. In spite of this, Wright's novel sent me off several times to check out books and the internet about things I had never known or had forgotten. This is an interesting, thought-provoking read of the invasion and conquest of a country, prior to its colonization by the conquerors.
September 16, 2015
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
* I was the lucky winner of an advance uncorrected and unpublished proof from the Goodreads Giveaway program. This program is a wonderful way to discover new authors and soon to be released books. Winning books is a great way to expand your library and to read titles that intrigue you, but that you may have overlooked if not for the giveaway.
The word "epic" is consistently overused in the world of fiction. Many books which claim to be "epic tales" are not worthy of that claim. THE GOLD EATERS by Ronald Wright is truly an epic historical novel. It outlines true events from sixteenth century Peru and weaves them together with fictitious characters. This achieves the effect of bringing personalization to the long ago timeline and draws the reader into the tale.
The story begins with a Peruvian boy named Waman who is on the cusp of manhood. He lives what seems to me, an idyllic existence in a tiny fishing village in Northern Peru.
Waman is like every other teenager throughout history. He seeks independence and adventure, as well as the ability to prove that he is old enough to make his own life choices.
When he decides to leave home to seek his future upon the sea, he visualizes a life filled with adventure, much like the life in the stories he has heard all his life from his grandfather. Little does Waman know that the adventure he seeks will be found and will be much more difficult to endure than he ever could have imagined. In fact, it quite possibly might be than he can handle.
On his very first sea voyage, Waman ends up captured by a Spanish sea captain who is seeking the fabled land of Peru. He plans to use Waman as a forced interpreter.
Chained and kept in the bowels of the Spanish ship, Waman immediately regrets following his rash impulse to run away from his boring, but safe life in Little River village.
The story may begin with a simple Peruvian villager, but that young man soon finds his fate tied not only to the Spaniards, but also to the Inca (King) of Peru as well as his descendants.
Ronald Wright's descriptions of the sixteen century Peruvian landscape and their amazing social structure are simply stunning. It is impossible to read this book and not have vivid pictures appear in the reader's mind.
I was utterly fascinated by the details of how the Peruvians were able to rule over such a vast geographic area and yet ensure that everyone had enough to eat and poverty simply did not exist. One has to wonder what this amazing civilization might have accomplished had the Spanish never invaded and brought with them the plague of smallpox.
This book is a MUST READ and is destined to be a bestseller.
I am ashamed to admit that before reading THE GOLD EATERS, I had not read any of Ronald Wright's previous books. After discovering his amazing ability to weave fact and fiction into a compelling and fascinating tale, I plan to read any and all of his books as soon as possible.
I rate THE GOLD EATERS as 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
To read the full review go to:
https://amiesbookreviews.wordpress.co...
* I was the lucky winner of an advance uncorrected and unpublished proof from the Goodreads Giveaway program. This program is a wonderful way to discover new authors and soon to be released books. Winning books is a great way to expand your library and to read titles that intrigue you, but that you may have overlooked if not for the giveaway.
The word "epic" is consistently overused in the world of fiction. Many books which claim to be "epic tales" are not worthy of that claim. THE GOLD EATERS by Ronald Wright is truly an epic historical novel. It outlines true events from sixteenth century Peru and weaves them together with fictitious characters. This achieves the effect of bringing personalization to the long ago timeline and draws the reader into the tale.
The story begins with a Peruvian boy named Waman who is on the cusp of manhood. He lives what seems to me, an idyllic existence in a tiny fishing village in Northern Peru.
Waman is like every other teenager throughout history. He seeks independence and adventure, as well as the ability to prove that he is old enough to make his own life choices.
When he decides to leave home to seek his future upon the sea, he visualizes a life filled with adventure, much like the life in the stories he has heard all his life from his grandfather. Little does Waman know that the adventure he seeks will be found and will be much more difficult to endure than he ever could have imagined. In fact, it quite possibly might be than he can handle.
On his very first sea voyage, Waman ends up captured by a Spanish sea captain who is seeking the fabled land of Peru. He plans to use Waman as a forced interpreter.
Chained and kept in the bowels of the Spanish ship, Waman immediately regrets following his rash impulse to run away from his boring, but safe life in Little River village.
The story may begin with a simple Peruvian villager, but that young man soon finds his fate tied not only to the Spaniards, but also to the Inca (King) of Peru as well as his descendants.
Ronald Wright's descriptions of the sixteen century Peruvian landscape and their amazing social structure are simply stunning. It is impossible to read this book and not have vivid pictures appear in the reader's mind.
I was utterly fascinated by the details of how the Peruvians were able to rule over such a vast geographic area and yet ensure that everyone had enough to eat and poverty simply did not exist. One has to wonder what this amazing civilization might have accomplished had the Spanish never invaded and brought with them the plague of smallpox.
This book is a MUST READ and is destined to be a bestseller.
I am ashamed to admit that before reading THE GOLD EATERS, I had not read any of Ronald Wright's previous books. After discovering his amazing ability to weave fact and fiction into a compelling and fascinating tale, I plan to read any and all of his books as soon as possible.
I rate THE GOLD EATERS as 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
To read the full review go to:
https://amiesbookreviews.wordpress.co...
October 1, 2016
The tragedy of reading any book about indigenous people of the Americas is that it never ends well for the natives (ah…spoiler?). Reading books like this is like watching a bull in a bullfight that gets pricked and stabbed and jabbed until the bull finally rolls over and dies. However, this is an insightful, well-researched book, and one that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about the colonization of Peru and the fall of the great Incan civilization.
The story is told through the eyes of an interpreter (genius!) so he is privy to both sides of the conquest. His mild mannered personality contrasts nicely with the warring, bloodthirsty commanders and kings that he was forced to serve. Having this gentle soul be our guide through this story balances out the greed and ambition of the other characters. (Sometimes the reader just needs a break.)
The author was very effective in showing the hypocrisy and barbarism of the Spanish conquistadors, and I appreciate the fact that these people, from the beginning, did not see the Spanish conquistadors as gods, but as pale, hairy, smell “barbarians.” That description, I think is more accurate. I also appreciated that the author did not exclude the Incan people from blame by shrouding them in noble ignorance. Their downfall was due to their pride, petty rivalries, and failure to unite against the foe that they could have nipped in the bud, but that ultimately destroyed them.
The writing was superb, filled bold imagery and effective simile and metaphor. The author's descriptions were sparsely worded yet vivid. He often jumped from one person’s mind to another and in the process he authentically depicted the individuals’ thoughts so that you understood their temperament perfectly. (Often it was uncomfortable for me, as a woman, to be in the minds of some of these dreadful men.) I loved how the author used irony often, especially when describing the “holiness” of the Spanish clergy who were there to “save” the people.
This is not a read for the squeamish. No woman faired well in this book (or in the true history, I suspect) and few men did. The descriptions of the land were sweeping and epic, the descriptions of the barbarism (on both sides) were raw and cutting.
I love reading books by writers you can trust. Even though reading the story was difficult because of the unfolding tragedy, especially towards women (which was deplorable), I felt like I was in the good hands of someone who had truly done his research and was showing you the scalding truth of history.
I give it high marks for writing, however keep in mind that there is a lot of violence and debauchery that might make sensitive readers uncomfortable.
The story is told through the eyes of an interpreter (genius!) so he is privy to both sides of the conquest. His mild mannered personality contrasts nicely with the warring, bloodthirsty commanders and kings that he was forced to serve. Having this gentle soul be our guide through this story balances out the greed and ambition of the other characters. (Sometimes the reader just needs a break.)
The author was very effective in showing the hypocrisy and barbarism of the Spanish conquistadors, and I appreciate the fact that these people, from the beginning, did not see the Spanish conquistadors as gods, but as pale, hairy, smell “barbarians.” That description, I think is more accurate. I also appreciated that the author did not exclude the Incan people from blame by shrouding them in noble ignorance. Their downfall was due to their pride, petty rivalries, and failure to unite against the foe that they could have nipped in the bud, but that ultimately destroyed them.
The writing was superb, filled bold imagery and effective simile and metaphor. The author's descriptions were sparsely worded yet vivid. He often jumped from one person’s mind to another and in the process he authentically depicted the individuals’ thoughts so that you understood their temperament perfectly. (Often it was uncomfortable for me, as a woman, to be in the minds of some of these dreadful men.) I loved how the author used irony often, especially when describing the “holiness” of the Spanish clergy who were there to “save” the people.
This is not a read for the squeamish. No woman faired well in this book (or in the true history, I suspect) and few men did. The descriptions of the land were sweeping and epic, the descriptions of the barbarism (on both sides) were raw and cutting.
I love reading books by writers you can trust. Even though reading the story was difficult because of the unfolding tragedy, especially towards women (which was deplorable), I felt like I was in the good hands of someone who had truly done his research and was showing you the scalding truth of history.
I give it high marks for writing, however keep in mind that there is a lot of violence and debauchery that might make sensitive readers uncomfortable.
January 9, 2016
Won this here on goodreads. I am not really a big historical fiction fan, but this book broke the mold for me. Very easy to read - I got caught up right from the start. Really enjoyed this.
November 4, 2015
Ronald Wright’s newest book is a brilliant and epic work of historical fiction set in 16th century Peru. It begins with a young Peruvian boy called Waman. Waman lives in a small fishing village on the coast with his parents and cousin, Tika. At the cusp of manhood, Waman is itching to experience the world. He wants to take the sea and earn the respect of his family.
Waman sets off one morning with just the clothes on his back and some food in search of adventure. But adventure finds him. He secures a place on the crew of a ship which has only just set sail when it is taken by Spanish sailors and Waman becomes their hostage. Though he fears he will soon be killed, instead the sailors teach Waman their language and he becomes the only person who can interpret for them. What began as a search for a little bit of adventure turns out to be a long and arduous one.
The story takes us from Peru to Spain and back again. We meet historical figures like Hernán Cortés, and witness first-hand the effects of the smallpox epidemic and its aftermath. We sail alongside the conquistadors as they return to take Peru and all its riches, and we stand on the sidelines as they trick, cheat, lie and violently fight their way into a “new” world.
You know you’re in the presence of great talent when someone makes something incredibly difficult seem effortless. Anyone can put words on a page. I’m doing it right now. But very few can make them come to life as Ronald Wright does.
Not only did his characters leap off the page, complete with unwashed beards and brandished swords, but each setting was drawn down to the last detail. Built on the bones of history, the story is fleshed out and brought to life on the page. Wright’s extensive knowledge of Peruvian history and culture (his book Cut Stones and Crossroads is an anthropological exploration of Peru’s roots and cultural history) is evident in his representation of the social structure of the Incas. Their society before the invasion of the Spaniards was not only socially equitable, but extraordinarily advanced. Their architecture is remarked upon by the invaders as being supernatural because they can’t imagine how mere humans could have achieved such feats. I came away from this book with a great admiration of Incan society, and find myself wondering what they could have accomplished had they not been derailed by the conquering Europeans. This is a book that will teach you as much as it entertains you.
I particularly loved the structure of the book. We all know the story of the Spanish “discovery” of the new world and the death and destruction it brought, but that knowledge is distanced, remote and factual. In telling the story from the perspective of Waman, we get to see both sides of a brutal conflict and come to care about the family he left behind, as well as some of the sailors who help him survive along the way. It is a clever narrative choice that makes every event in the story feel immediate and personal.
I don’t normally read historical fiction. It takes so much work to get used to the setting (and often the linguistic style), and the subject matter is often heavy. But I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this book was to get into. Though historical fiction, The Gold Eaters feels like fantasy and is full of adventure on the high seas.
Whether you are into historical fiction, love an action-packed adventure story, or want to learn more about Incan history in a narrative and entertaining format, this is a book you are guaranteed to enjoy.
Review first published on Rain City Reads.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Waman sets off one morning with just the clothes on his back and some food in search of adventure. But adventure finds him. He secures a place on the crew of a ship which has only just set sail when it is taken by Spanish sailors and Waman becomes their hostage. Though he fears he will soon be killed, instead the sailors teach Waman their language and he becomes the only person who can interpret for them. What began as a search for a little bit of adventure turns out to be a long and arduous one.
The story takes us from Peru to Spain and back again. We meet historical figures like Hernán Cortés, and witness first-hand the effects of the smallpox epidemic and its aftermath. We sail alongside the conquistadors as they return to take Peru and all its riches, and we stand on the sidelines as they trick, cheat, lie and violently fight their way into a “new” world.
You know you’re in the presence of great talent when someone makes something incredibly difficult seem effortless. Anyone can put words on a page. I’m doing it right now. But very few can make them come to life as Ronald Wright does.
Not only did his characters leap off the page, complete with unwashed beards and brandished swords, but each setting was drawn down to the last detail. Built on the bones of history, the story is fleshed out and brought to life on the page. Wright’s extensive knowledge of Peruvian history and culture (his book Cut Stones and Crossroads is an anthropological exploration of Peru’s roots and cultural history) is evident in his representation of the social structure of the Incas. Their society before the invasion of the Spaniards was not only socially equitable, but extraordinarily advanced. Their architecture is remarked upon by the invaders as being supernatural because they can’t imagine how mere humans could have achieved such feats. I came away from this book with a great admiration of Incan society, and find myself wondering what they could have accomplished had they not been derailed by the conquering Europeans. This is a book that will teach you as much as it entertains you.
I particularly loved the structure of the book. We all know the story of the Spanish “discovery” of the new world and the death and destruction it brought, but that knowledge is distanced, remote and factual. In telling the story from the perspective of Waman, we get to see both sides of a brutal conflict and come to care about the family he left behind, as well as some of the sailors who help him survive along the way. It is a clever narrative choice that makes every event in the story feel immediate and personal.
I don’t normally read historical fiction. It takes so much work to get used to the setting (and often the linguistic style), and the subject matter is often heavy. But I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this book was to get into. Though historical fiction, The Gold Eaters feels like fantasy and is full of adventure on the high seas.
Whether you are into historical fiction, love an action-packed adventure story, or want to learn more about Incan history in a narrative and entertaining format, this is a book you are guaranteed to enjoy.
Review first published on Rain City Reads.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 2, 2015
I am extremely grateful to have won a copy of this novel through goodreads giveaways, and I am very happy to have read it.
It is a thorough fictional account regarding a topic in which I'm completely unschooled, the Spanish invasion of Peru. It's a roller coaster ride told predominantly through the eyes of Waman a young Peruvian sun worshiper who is taken captive by Spanish when he leaves home for an adventure on the sea. He is taken for his youth and used as an interpreter in the following years between the Inca and Spanish invaders.
We follow Waman through his guilt at aiding the Spanish in their endeavour to destroy a culture, the tragedy of the Inca's underestimation of Spanish weapons and greed, and the collapse of an idyllic society torn apart by war.
A great read.
It is a thorough fictional account regarding a topic in which I'm completely unschooled, the Spanish invasion of Peru. It's a roller coaster ride told predominantly through the eyes of Waman a young Peruvian sun worshiper who is taken captive by Spanish when he leaves home for an adventure on the sea. He is taken for his youth and used as an interpreter in the following years between the Inca and Spanish invaders.
We follow Waman through his guilt at aiding the Spanish in their endeavour to destroy a culture, the tragedy of the Inca's underestimation of Spanish weapons and greed, and the collapse of an idyllic society torn apart by war.
A great read.
December 16, 2015
This is a very intriguing and well-written work - I knew very little of the Inca story. Highly recommend!
October 8, 2018
Wright weaves the story of the rape and collapse of the Inca Empire along with the story of the capture of Waman, an Inca boy, by Pizarro and his conquistadors. Waman is forced to become Pizarro’s translator, a task he performs well enough to be highly valued by the Spanish. His value as one of the few who can connect the Spanish with the Peruvians, makes him a virtual slave. As his life develops he becomes more and more obsessed with finding his shattered family and his lost love.
Gold Eaters is an epic recreation of the rape and destruction of a great empire where gold and silver are considered common and where great roads, buildings and institutions exist---until small pox and internecine wars ravage Peru and Chile helped on by Spaniards wild for gold. It is a terrible tale well told. My only quibble concerns Wright’s glossing over some of the vices of the Incas while portraying the venality of the Spanish and their priests. The Christian faith expressed by these priests is probably typical of the inquisitional style of the RC faith at that time but bears no resemblance to that of the gentle Master. One laments what might have happened if a more enlightened, cross-cultural faith had prevailed.
Gold Eaters is an epic recreation of the rape and destruction of a great empire where gold and silver are considered common and where great roads, buildings and institutions exist---until small pox and internecine wars ravage Peru and Chile helped on by Spaniards wild for gold. It is a terrible tale well told. My only quibble concerns Wright’s glossing over some of the vices of the Incas while portraying the venality of the Spanish and their priests. The Christian faith expressed by these priests is probably typical of the inquisitional style of the RC faith at that time but bears no resemblance to that of the gentle Master. One laments what might have happened if a more enlightened, cross-cultural faith had prevailed.
April 8, 2018
This novel is everything I love in historical fiction: authored by an subject matter expert, beautifully written, about actual historical people and events, a strong and personal storyline, well drawn characters, and... I was both entertained and informed.
Waman, a native boy captured by the Spanish in their first foray into Peru, becomes an unwilling interpreter and hapless ‘bridge’ between the Incan rulers and Spanish commanders over many years. He is a strongly sympathetic protagonist in the right position to witness political manoeuvring and key events in the first 2 tumultuous decades of Spain’s violent and oppressive colonialization of western South America.
This was my first time reading about the Incan Empire and its destruction by Spanish conquistadors. I’ve no doubt the Incan state had more of an underbelly than Wright admits, but compared to the horrors of the Europeans, the it probably was a near Utopia.
If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend Wright’s non-fiction ‘Time among the Maya’, shining a light on the ancient culture of the people of the Yucatan peninsula.
Waman, a native boy captured by the Spanish in their first foray into Peru, becomes an unwilling interpreter and hapless ‘bridge’ between the Incan rulers and Spanish commanders over many years. He is a strongly sympathetic protagonist in the right position to witness political manoeuvring and key events in the first 2 tumultuous decades of Spain’s violent and oppressive colonialization of western South America.
This was my first time reading about the Incan Empire and its destruction by Spanish conquistadors. I’ve no doubt the Incan state had more of an underbelly than Wright admits, but compared to the horrors of the Europeans, the it probably was a near Utopia.
If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend Wright’s non-fiction ‘Time among the Maya’, shining a light on the ancient culture of the people of the Yucatan peninsula.
September 23, 2015
I was very fortunate to have my name chosen to receive an advanced reader's copy of this very well written book. Thank you to Goodreads, the publisher and author for allowing me this opportunity.
I found the history of this time period in the 1500's in Peru, Chile, Spain and Cusco absolutely fascinating. This is not the type of story I would normally pick up to read; but I truly enjoyed the story of Waman, the young translator and found this book difficult to put down. The brutality and violence of this time period was very difficult to read, but likely very accurate. A very worthwhile read.
I found the history of this time period in the 1500's in Peru, Chile, Spain and Cusco absolutely fascinating. This is not the type of story I would normally pick up to read; but I truly enjoyed the story of Waman, the young translator and found this book difficult to put down. The brutality and violence of this time period was very difficult to read, but likely very accurate. A very worthwhile read.
December 14, 2015
A gripping story detailing the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire in the 16th century. The novel follows the main character Waman, kidnapped at sea and forced to serve as an interpreter - a bridge - between two worlds. Both sides of that bridge pull at him through trials and triumphs and the reader can't help but pull for him to find happiness, or at least peace.
At times this book feels like an epic tale that was pared down to fit a publisher's limit. There are some gaps in the story and the last words can either be viewed as a poorly framed cliffhanger or unsatisfactory ending. I think readers of historical fiction will enjoy this but be left wanting more.
At times this book feels like an epic tale that was pared down to fit a publisher's limit. There are some gaps in the story and the last words can either be viewed as a poorly framed cliffhanger or unsatisfactory ending. I think readers of historical fiction will enjoy this but be left wanting more.
May 12, 2019
An interesting perspective on the Spanish infiltration of Incan Peru, woven from the few facts known of the young indigenous interpreter. The setting goes from the Peruvian coast to Spain and back to Peru beyond the coast into the mountains, including Cusco, and eventually down into the jungle.
The author does a very nice job of placing the reader into the changing landscape, probably my favorite part of the book. I also appreciated the insight into various parties' motivations. The tension and intrigue kept me interested in watching the fate of the (mostly fictitious) Waman and the Incan empire unfold.
The author does a very nice job of placing the reader into the changing landscape, probably my favorite part of the book. I also appreciated the insight into various parties' motivations. The tension and intrigue kept me interested in watching the fate of the (mostly fictitious) Waman and the Incan empire unfold.
October 22, 2015
Amazing! I won this through the giveaways and this is really one of the few to make a huge impact on me. The pacing of the book is perfect, you're never bored. The main character Waman is great, the view of the Spanish from the Incan perspective (even though we do get both sides) is definitely needed. So many little details, you can tell it was very well researched, and then finding at the end a lot of the characters were based off real people! Loved the book, will be passing it along to my friends.
December 17, 2015
Historical fiction from the author of Stolen Continents set during the invasion of Peru in the 1530s.
August 10, 2016
“Normally I would put a quote here but the cover warns about my version of the book being confidential so NOPE” - Me
[Won the uncorrected and unpublished version of this gorgeous-looking book at a Goodreads book Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, the author and the publishers for this opportunity.]
[Triggers for this novel: rape, sexual harassment, sexual content, violence, gore]
You can find my review for this book, and others, on my blog: Sweaters and Raindrops
[Won the uncorrected and unpublished version of this gorgeous-looking book at a Goodreads book Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, the author and the publishers for this opportunity.]
[Triggers for this novel: rape, sexual harassment, sexual content, violence, gore]
You can find my review for this book, and others, on my blog: Sweaters and Raindrops
October 15, 2021
Excellent Historical. Mr. Pope, 7 th /8th grade history teacher would have loved this novel. Every summer he would travel to somewhere in Central and South America, showing us his slides of Manchu Pichu and the Mexican pyramids. I always expected to travel to see those sights, even studying Spanish as a preparation. So much for the best laid plans.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the Spanish Conquest of Peru.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the Spanish Conquest of Peru.
June 17, 2023
Loved the book, very historically accurate. I love stories where it's fiction but history, feels kinda like I'm learning something.
Overall I enjoyed the plot, some of the characters were a little hard to tell apart, mostly because they had similar names.
The story goes through a lot of characters, most enjoyable.
There is pinches of romance, though mostly in the main characters mind. Nothing substantial really happens. It's main theme is a boy simply trying to get home after being taken away.
Overall I enjoyed the plot, some of the characters were a little hard to tell apart, mostly because they had similar names.
The story goes through a lot of characters, most enjoyable.
There is pinches of romance, though mostly in the main characters mind. Nothing substantial really happens. It's main theme is a boy simply trying to get home after being taken away.
January 14, 2019
This is a sweeping, achingly compassionate recounting of the last days of the Incan empire. The book seemed meticulously researched, and the details of the history and setting were gorgeous and heartbreaking.
I found that the jacket cover was an inaccurate description of the book. The blurb frames the books as a story of the development of Waman, the Incan translator for the Spanish (a real person). It says that he must “learn political gamesmanship” and discover “what country and culture he belongs in” in order to reunite with his true love and seat for his family. This did not happen. Waman affected very little change on his own life. His only rebellion is a moment in the beginning where he maybe killed a Spanish by throwing a rock toward his head and then again at the very end of this 400 page book. He is barely reunited with his love before the book ends and he never searches for his family.
This book is not about Waman, clever politics, or reuniting lost loves. This is a book about the horrors and deceptions perpetrated by the Spanish on the Inca, and the series of unfortunate coincidences that weakened a massive and powerful empire enough to be conquered by a small group of Spanish. It will make you cry for the injustice of history and feel for the fallen Incan empire, but not for Waman and his family.
I found that the jacket cover was an inaccurate description of the book. The blurb frames the books as a story of the development of Waman, the Incan translator for the Spanish (a real person). It says that he must “learn political gamesmanship” and discover “what country and culture he belongs in” in order to reunite with his true love and seat for his family. This did not happen. Waman affected very little change on his own life. His only rebellion is a moment in the beginning where he maybe killed a Spanish by throwing a rock toward his head and then again at the very end of this 400 page book. He is barely reunited with his love before the book ends and he never searches for his family.
This book is not about Waman, clever politics, or reuniting lost loves. This is a book about the horrors and deceptions perpetrated by the Spanish on the Inca, and the series of unfortunate coincidences that weakened a massive and powerful empire enough to be conquered by a small group of Spanish. It will make you cry for the injustice of history and feel for the fallen Incan empire, but not for Waman and his family.
March 14, 2021
4.4 Stars
Intriguing historical setting.
I picked this book up because I have never read a historical fiction set during this time period, in this setting, or from this sort of perspective. I was not disappointed. I love how our author chose a POV that allows us to understand the narrative from both sides and is present for and affected by the events. I also love how seamlessly we get introduced to pertinent POVs throughout the story. It added more texture to the story.
This plot takes us across Peru, to Europe and back, and offers a realistic view of how these civilizations compared. We get great commentary on the colonization, religious fanaticism, and capitalism that really drove these European empires and how it may have looked to the Inca peoples who were faced with them. This story is set around real historical events and characters that we're all aware of, and the author (a historian) managed to weave it into a cohesive story that is accessible and informative. It is by no means an academic piece, but it is a great piece of historical fiction rich with details and emotion.
A very enjoyable historical fiction. I would recommend it to history lovers and historical fiction readers.
Intriguing historical setting.
I picked this book up because I have never read a historical fiction set during this time period, in this setting, or from this sort of perspective. I was not disappointed. I love how our author chose a POV that allows us to understand the narrative from both sides and is present for and affected by the events. I also love how seamlessly we get introduced to pertinent POVs throughout the story. It added more texture to the story.
This plot takes us across Peru, to Europe and back, and offers a realistic view of how these civilizations compared. We get great commentary on the colonization, religious fanaticism, and capitalism that really drove these European empires and how it may have looked to the Inca peoples who were faced with them. This story is set around real historical events and characters that we're all aware of, and the author (a historian) managed to weave it into a cohesive story that is accessible and informative. It is by no means an academic piece, but it is a great piece of historical fiction rich with details and emotion.
A very enjoyable historical fiction. I would recommend it to history lovers and historical fiction readers.
July 18, 2019
When it comes to historical fiction concerning either the Incas or the Spanish conquest of Peru, the pickings are pretty slim. What exists is either non-fiction or so dry it might as well be. Ronald Wright fills that hole reasonably well. Not an exceptional novel, but good enough for anyone with an interest in this subject. A lot of history is compacted toward the end of the novel, but honestly I think Wright was right to do it. The story he wanted to tell was really one of Francisco Pizarro and the Conquistadors first encounters with the Incas, so that is where the meat of the story lies. Where this novel is most successful is showing an indigenous civilization far more civilized than 16th Century Europe ever was, better at almost everything except perhaps warfare. A civilization enjoying a prosperous communal life, before being overrun by the Holy Roman Empire which brought them disease, death, slaughter and intense poverty which they had not previously known, all in the name of saving them.
April 24, 2018
This book was fantastic! It also confused me for an anthropology final I just wrote! Live and learn. the imagery was spot on and the details of the Inca and Spanish cultures were excellent. Just the right amount of embellishment here and there to carry the narrative.
The worldbuilding blew my mind! I found myself savouring this read (slowing the F down to enjoy it). I will definitely be looking for future fiction by this author. There are some mentions of incest in this book. none of these relationships are deeply discussed and are certainly not the focus. it merely there as cultural context. So, read with caution if you have trauma regarding such things, or if it is one of your squicks.
The worldbuilding blew my mind! I found myself savouring this read (slowing the F down to enjoy it). I will definitely be looking for future fiction by this author. There are some mentions of incest in this book. none of these relationships are deeply discussed and are certainly not the focus. it merely there as cultural context. So, read with caution if you have trauma regarding such things, or if it is one of your squicks.
July 16, 2018
The Gold Eaters is a must for anyone who likes historical fiction. The author, Ronald Wright, freely admits that he took license with historical events, but who doesn't, in historical fiction? The novel is believable and heartwrenching. I found myself thinking, "I hope they make it, those poor Incas!" And then I remind myself-- spoiler alert-- They really don't. I learned that in middle school. But it doesn't stop me from rooting for them. And understanding the fall of their civilization a little better. And swearing at them for being so dang gullible! And thinking that we, in this day and age, think that some people are so VIOLENT and CRAZY. Yes, they are, but after reading books like these, I am reminded that people always have been.
February 25, 2020
I like to read books set in places I'm planning to travel to learn more about the country, its history, culture, and customs without studying a textbook. With my honeymoon in Peru coming up, The Gold Eaters was perfect. I loved getting to learn about Peruvian culture through a fictional narrative of local people and the Spanish conquistadors seeing Peru for the first time. The story spans hundreds of miles and decades, and I feel like I got to learn a decent amount about Peru before, during, and after Spanish colonization.
The writing is good, and the story is enticing, so even if you aren't heading to Peru soon, I still think it's worth a read.
The writing is good, and the story is enticing, so even if you aren't heading to Peru soon, I still think it's worth a read.
September 4, 2024
This was the rare book I had literally never heard of before opening it - a birthday gift from a friend, and the rare one not resulting from some sort of conversation about what books we’ve been meaning to read. It’s the first historical fiction I’ve read in year and years, so I can’t really say how it stands in terms of the rest of the genre. Reading it for myself, I had a great time – though the book did seem confused about which part of ‘historical fiction’ it actually cared about.
The book (primarily) follows Waman, an adolescent boy just coming of age in a nowhere coastal village on the edge of the ascendant and seemingly world-spanning Inca Empire, the demands and products of which are the only outside intrusions upon his life. Feeling stifled at home after his father returns from a period of conscription building roads and bridges in the highlands, he runs away to have some adventures and become a man on a trading ship. And in a stroke of truly cosmic misfortune, on his first voyage they run into a scouting expedition run by one Francisco Pizarro, investigating rumours of a strange land called Peru and its cities of gold.
Waman is abducted and conscripted into service as the Spaniards guide and interpreter. He spends the next decades of his life with an unwilling front-row seat to History unfolding, making and losing friends and endlessly searching for his family and childhood love as the whole world is overthrown again and again around him.
The great strength of the book, I think, is how it manages to portray the civilizations of the past as both familiar and awe-inspiring. The Spanish and Inca Empires are both portrayed almost like fictional kingdoms in a fantasy novel, simultaneously defamilirized and made new and strange, and presented from the point of view of someone whose ideas of normal are at least as strange to us as any of the peoples he meets. More than that, it never stops feeling like a world where people actually lived and worked, one that made sense on a human scale where all its inhabitants could find a place for themselves (or else be forced into one). It was never exactly confusing either - even if it does feel a bit like cheating to jump between points of view to ensure there’s a wide-eyed foreigner needing things explained to them wherever it’s required.
Wright is apparently a historian by trade, and has mostly previously written nonfiction. Given the sheer cornucopia of details about both daily life and the exact sequences of events that led to Spanish dominion, I entirely believe it.
As history, the two things that I most took away from the reading experience were the portrayal of the Inca at their peak as a really vital, world-shaping imperial society on the one hand, and just how drawn out and contingent the process of conquest was, on the other. The book does a great job getting across just how incredible the road- and bridge-building projects and the great imperial cities were, and how rich and organized a society it was (without ever entirely falling into portraying the Inca as some prelapsarian utopia, either, which is how a great many works in the general space seem to screw this up). It then also does an excellent job getting across just how apocalyptic the smallpox epidemic that swept through the empire was, and how ruinous the wars of succession that followed. Pizarro triumphed because he was facing an empire that was a death-choked ruin at war with itself, manipulating and extorting an emperor with many enemies and not much way in the way of skills or legitimacy except that everyone ahead of him was dead.
The other thing that did strike me is that – the historical narrative as I have always received it is that the Spanish conquered their American empire in one single, cataclysmic moment of contact, disease and violence and simple shock leaving them ruling the better part of a continent before anyone even realized what was happening. Which I’d intellectually known was false, but the book really does an amazing job dramatizing the fact that the building of the Spanish empire was a multi-decade – multi-generational, really – affair, and far more a matter of politics and logistics than initial shock an awe.
My main complaint with the book is the matter of genre – it spent the entire half continuously changing its mind about what it wanted to be. Is this Waman’s story, a man coming of age and scrambling to form a life for himself as the tides of history destroy and remake his world around him and buffet him hither and yon? Or is he just a convenient POV to what’s essentially a rationalized history of (the initial chapters of) the fall of the Inca, improbably standing at the side of and sharing drinks with one famous personage after another to hear their thoughts and see their pivotal deeds? The book never quite settles on an answer, and so Waman’s own arc and personal concerns shift from feeling like thin connective tissue to the emotional core of the story and back several times. The issue gets worse in the latter parts of the book, where it just outright shifts into omniscient exposition of historical events at times.
Also on goodreads this is tagged as a romance and – okay so there is a romance in this book. But it’s the third or fourth most important relationship at most. For the vast majority of the page count it’s just a childhood crush Waman nurses as motivation to get home. If you come in expecting this is mostly be a love story you are going to have a bad time.
But yeah! I should read more historical fiction.
The book (primarily) follows Waman, an adolescent boy just coming of age in a nowhere coastal village on the edge of the ascendant and seemingly world-spanning Inca Empire, the demands and products of which are the only outside intrusions upon his life. Feeling stifled at home after his father returns from a period of conscription building roads and bridges in the highlands, he runs away to have some adventures and become a man on a trading ship. And in a stroke of truly cosmic misfortune, on his first voyage they run into a scouting expedition run by one Francisco Pizarro, investigating rumours of a strange land called Peru and its cities of gold.
Waman is abducted and conscripted into service as the Spaniards guide and interpreter. He spends the next decades of his life with an unwilling front-row seat to History unfolding, making and losing friends and endlessly searching for his family and childhood love as the whole world is overthrown again and again around him.
The great strength of the book, I think, is how it manages to portray the civilizations of the past as both familiar and awe-inspiring. The Spanish and Inca Empires are both portrayed almost like fictional kingdoms in a fantasy novel, simultaneously defamilirized and made new and strange, and presented from the point of view of someone whose ideas of normal are at least as strange to us as any of the peoples he meets. More than that, it never stops feeling like a world where people actually lived and worked, one that made sense on a human scale where all its inhabitants could find a place for themselves (or else be forced into one). It was never exactly confusing either - even if it does feel a bit like cheating to jump between points of view to ensure there’s a wide-eyed foreigner needing things explained to them wherever it’s required.
Wright is apparently a historian by trade, and has mostly previously written nonfiction. Given the sheer cornucopia of details about both daily life and the exact sequences of events that led to Spanish dominion, I entirely believe it.
As history, the two things that I most took away from the reading experience were the portrayal of the Inca at their peak as a really vital, world-shaping imperial society on the one hand, and just how drawn out and contingent the process of conquest was, on the other. The book does a great job getting across just how incredible the road- and bridge-building projects and the great imperial cities were, and how rich and organized a society it was (without ever entirely falling into portraying the Inca as some prelapsarian utopia, either, which is how a great many works in the general space seem to screw this up). It then also does an excellent job getting across just how apocalyptic the smallpox epidemic that swept through the empire was, and how ruinous the wars of succession that followed. Pizarro triumphed because he was facing an empire that was a death-choked ruin at war with itself, manipulating and extorting an emperor with many enemies and not much way in the way of skills or legitimacy except that everyone ahead of him was dead.
The other thing that did strike me is that – the historical narrative as I have always received it is that the Spanish conquered their American empire in one single, cataclysmic moment of contact, disease and violence and simple shock leaving them ruling the better part of a continent before anyone even realized what was happening. Which I’d intellectually known was false, but the book really does an amazing job dramatizing the fact that the building of the Spanish empire was a multi-decade – multi-generational, really – affair, and far more a matter of politics and logistics than initial shock an awe.
My main complaint with the book is the matter of genre – it spent the entire half continuously changing its mind about what it wanted to be. Is this Waman’s story, a man coming of age and scrambling to form a life for himself as the tides of history destroy and remake his world around him and buffet him hither and yon? Or is he just a convenient POV to what’s essentially a rationalized history of (the initial chapters of) the fall of the Inca, improbably standing at the side of and sharing drinks with one famous personage after another to hear their thoughts and see their pivotal deeds? The book never quite settles on an answer, and so Waman’s own arc and personal concerns shift from feeling like thin connective tissue to the emotional core of the story and back several times. The issue gets worse in the latter parts of the book, where it just outright shifts into omniscient exposition of historical events at times.
Also on goodreads this is tagged as a romance and – okay so there is a romance in this book. But it’s the third or fourth most important relationship at most. For the vast majority of the page count it’s just a childhood crush Waman nurses as motivation to get home. If you come in expecting this is mostly be a love story you are going to have a bad time.
But yeah! I should read more historical fiction.
September 24, 2017
Short Review of The Gold Eaters
I loved this story based on historical fact. The writer has a gift for description that left me feeling as though I were seeing, smelling, feeling and experiencing the incidents I have rarely experienced.
This book left me wanting to read and learn more on the topic of European invasion of the Americas.
The writer definitely left me with a picture of the greatness of the Incan Empire before the Spanish conquistadors arrived.
I loved this story based on historical fact. The writer has a gift for description that left me feeling as though I were seeing, smelling, feeling and experiencing the incidents I have rarely experienced.
This book left me wanting to read and learn more on the topic of European invasion of the Americas.
The writer definitely left me with a picture of the greatness of the Incan Empire before the Spanish conquistadors arrived.
July 14, 2018
Amazing, transporting view of the Inca Empire and the conquest, I'll never think of Peru in the same way - I feel like I was really there. Unfortunately, there's no real tension since everyone knows what happens in the end so ultimately it's a very depressing book to read (and the main character annoyingly faints in every single action scene). So while the plot-writing leaves a little to be desired, the descriptions are wonderful, and it's worth reading just for that.
May 18, 2020
I've been fascinated by the Incan culture since visiting Peru and hiking the Inca Trail in 2009. So running across this wonderful historical fiction account of the Spanish conquest was great. Historically accurate, sympathetic complex characters, and a moving plot, Wright's novel is well-worth reading. Not quite to Gary Jennings picaresque standards (with Aztex, The Journeyer, Spangle), but still a very compelling read.
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