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War God #3
Night of Sorrows: War God Trilogy: Book Three
Cortés and his small army of Conquistadors enter Tenochtitlan, the island city of the Aztecs, as guests of the psychotic emperor Moctezuma who plans to trap them there and kill them all.
In a stunning coup, Cortés acts first, taking the emperor hostage and ruling the Aztecs through him.
All of Mexico seems about to fall into his hands until a report comes from the coast of the arrival of a new army of Spaniards. This force is more than three times the number of Cortés’ men and has been sent not to strengthen his army but to attack and wrest the conquest from him.
Faced with the choice of abject surrender or war with fellow Spaniards Cortés chooses war and marches out to do battle but, in so doing he fatally weakens his garrison in Tenochtitlan and throws open the doors of Hell.
In a stunning coup, Cortés acts first, taking the emperor hostage and ruling the Aztecs through him.
All of Mexico seems about to fall into his hands until a report comes from the coast of the arrival of a new army of Spaniards. This force is more than three times the number of Cortés’ men and has been sent not to strengthen his army but to attack and wrest the conquest from him.
Faced with the choice of abject surrender or war with fellow Spaniards Cortés chooses war and marches out to do battle but, in so doing he fatally weakens his garrison in Tenochtitlan and throws open the doors of Hell.
608 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2017
54 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Graham Hancock
126 books4,093 followersGraham Hancock is a British writer and journalist. His books include Lords of Poverty, The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis (released in the US as Message of the Sphinx), The Mars Mystery, Heaven's Mirror (with wife Santha Faiia), Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization, Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith (with co-author Robert Bauval), Supernatural: Meeting with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind and Magicians of the Gods. He also wrote and presented the Channel 4 documentaries Underworld: Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age and Quest for the Lost Civilisation. His first novel, Entangled, was published in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 1, 2019
Part of Summer 2019 Season
The final part read back-to-back with the Return of the Plumed Serpent.
The book starts as the Spanish enter Tenochtitlan, with the two leaders Cortes & Montezuma meeting soon after.
I have to mention that Montezuma isn’t painted in a very good light throughout, being a weak & feeble minded character whilst Cortes is portrayed as his superior in so many ways. To make this all believable you’ll have to factor in that Montezuma perceives the Spaniards to be of the Gods & that the witch Tozi has fed that superstition through acts of witchcraft..... I say this so that, in my own mind, I didn’t give up on the story as being a tad unrealistic when it comes to the role of Montezuma (who I shall be reading about, along with Cortes, in a historical context once this series has finished).
Unlike the second book, this sees periods of time pass by without little event which the author spares us from & jumps us forward at intervals where extended adventures of the major protagonists are relayed in abridged form which im thankful for as it keeps the read at a good pace and keeps us away from periods of humdrum activity once we have the general sense of what is occurring.
By a third of the way into the book we see that the conquistadors have their hands full, with the Aztec threat building as well as an incursion by another group of Spaniards who see Cortes as a traitor to the governor of Cuba, not to mention as they prospect for gold & set further colonies up they have spread themselves thin, former allies also have their heads turned by the new arrivals who have a bigger force than Cortes..... The political conniving is intriguing as well as the loyalty shown by a Spaniard towards gold.
It’s a slow burn is this one after the initial meeting between leaders but a credible one that keeps the attention as the plot moves forward expanding with each new event. Then the fireworks go off in the second half! And we have fighting galore in Tenochtitlan as the Aztecs rise up in their tens of thousands, the battle is at close quarters & it’s butchers work, the scenes retold are very detailed & paint a realistic picture of the close combat & tenacity of the conquistadors/Aztecs/Tlascans.
Meanwhile on the coast Cortes finally meets his nemesis & battle commences after numerous rounds of politicking & bribery between the Spanish.
The battle scenes are vivid & you can follow the action & tactics which oft descend into chaos due to the overwhelming numbers of Aztecs in the scrum of hand-to-hand combat with the “final” battle running on for a few chapters, which i’ll admit, wore me down some as it did the conquistadors. It’s really full-on.
As we come to the conclusion of the story the one small niggle occurs, the sudden swing to liberal use of modern vernacular’s in the final battle, many taken from the script of “Zulu” (as I note many authors seem to do.....or maybe Ive watched that film far toooo many times), by Cortés’s soldiers, it seemed so out of place in context with the rest of the story’s language.
All in all a good trilogy which I’m glad ive picked up & enjoyed even if some of the story morphs a little too far into the fantastical in the early stages (it does settle down) with Tozi the witch who like her ability does “fade” out of the story in the middle to later book. Take the small niggles with a “pinch of salt” I say & enjoy the ride into a realm which isn’t often retold in historical fiction.
4.25* for this book with an overall 4 stars for the trilogy.
The final part read back-to-back with the Return of the Plumed Serpent.
The book starts as the Spanish enter Tenochtitlan, with the two leaders Cortes & Montezuma meeting soon after.
I have to mention that Montezuma isn’t painted in a very good light throughout, being a weak & feeble minded character whilst Cortes is portrayed as his superior in so many ways. To make this all believable you’ll have to factor in that Montezuma perceives the Spaniards to be of the Gods & that the witch Tozi has fed that superstition through acts of witchcraft..... I say this so that, in my own mind, I didn’t give up on the story as being a tad unrealistic when it comes to the role of Montezuma (who I shall be reading about, along with Cortes, in a historical context once this series has finished).
Unlike the second book, this sees periods of time pass by without little event which the author spares us from & jumps us forward at intervals where extended adventures of the major protagonists are relayed in abridged form which im thankful for as it keeps the read at a good pace and keeps us away from periods of humdrum activity once we have the general sense of what is occurring.
By a third of the way into the book we see that the conquistadors have their hands full, with the Aztec threat building as well as an incursion by another group of Spaniards who see Cortes as a traitor to the governor of Cuba, not to mention as they prospect for gold & set further colonies up they have spread themselves thin, former allies also have their heads turned by the new arrivals who have a bigger force than Cortes..... The political conniving is intriguing as well as the loyalty shown by a Spaniard towards gold.
It’s a slow burn is this one after the initial meeting between leaders but a credible one that keeps the attention as the plot moves forward expanding with each new event. Then the fireworks go off in the second half! And we have fighting galore in Tenochtitlan as the Aztecs rise up in their tens of thousands, the battle is at close quarters & it’s butchers work, the scenes retold are very detailed & paint a realistic picture of the close combat & tenacity of the conquistadors/Aztecs/Tlascans.
Meanwhile on the coast Cortes finally meets his nemesis & battle commences after numerous rounds of politicking & bribery between the Spanish.
The battle scenes are vivid & you can follow the action & tactics which oft descend into chaos due to the overwhelming numbers of Aztecs in the scrum of hand-to-hand combat with the “final” battle running on for a few chapters, which i’ll admit, wore me down some as it did the conquistadors. It’s really full-on.
As we come to the conclusion of the story the one small niggle occurs, the sudden swing to liberal use of modern vernacular’s in the final battle, many taken from the script of “Zulu” (as I note many authors seem to do.....or maybe Ive watched that film far toooo many times), by Cortés’s soldiers, it seemed so out of place in context with the rest of the story’s language.
All in all a good trilogy which I’m glad ive picked up & enjoyed even if some of the story morphs a little too far into the fantastical in the early stages (it does settle down) with Tozi the witch who like her ability does “fade” out of the story in the middle to later book. Take the small niggles with a “pinch of salt” I say & enjoy the ride into a realm which isn’t often retold in historical fiction.
4.25* for this book with an overall 4 stars for the trilogy.
July 13, 2017
Gripping adventure tale
Graham Hancock's 3rd volume of Cortes' first expedition into Tenochtitlan, the capture of Moctezuma, and his harrowing escape from the Mexica as they became determined to wipe out the Spaniards entirely, and failed, is an amazing tale of conflict between cultures who were simply not suited at that time to grapple with the challenge of trying to understanding each other. Graham's books have led me to read the history provided by Bernal Diaz Del Castillo, who was with Cortes throughout the campaign in Mexico, in his book "The a true History of the Conquest of New Spain," as well as the 12 volumes of "The Florentine Codex." Graham brings the history alive in this gripping narrative and makes the reader hungry for more of the tale. Highly recommended!
Graham Hancock's 3rd volume of Cortes' first expedition into Tenochtitlan, the capture of Moctezuma, and his harrowing escape from the Mexica as they became determined to wipe out the Spaniards entirely, and failed, is an amazing tale of conflict between cultures who were simply not suited at that time to grapple with the challenge of trying to understanding each other. Graham's books have led me to read the history provided by Bernal Diaz Del Castillo, who was with Cortes throughout the campaign in Mexico, in his book "The a true History of the Conquest of New Spain," as well as the 12 volumes of "The Florentine Codex." Graham brings the history alive in this gripping narrative and makes the reader hungry for more of the tale. Highly recommended!
October 25, 2020
This is the third and final instalment of the ‘War God’ trilogy and sees Cortes and his small, but ruthless and militarily superior, army of Spanish Conquistadores struggle to consolidate their power in the spectacular Aztec capital and island city of Tenochtitlan.
In addition to the hostility they continue to face from sections of the native Aztecs in their own land, Cortes and his men face a further problem when a rival group of Spaniards arrive in Mexico and seek to capitalise on the substantial gains already earned by Cortes army, and claim them for themselves.
Over the course of the whole trilogy, I really enjoyed becoming immersed in the setting and time period of the novel and learning about what life was like in 1500’s Mexico.
I found Cortes to be a really engaging character and he is the one who ultimately drives the whole series by leading the Spanish conquest from start to finish. Cortes is an adept political and military strategist and almost always find a way to manipulate a situation to his advantage. However, he makes some uncharacteristic mistakes in this novel which place the whole conquest in jeopardy.
The battle scenes are brutal and do not leave much to the imagination! The contrast between the Spanish forces, small in number but with far more advanced and efficient weaponry against the Mexica, high in numbers but with primitive arms, is well documented. However, I personally found some of the fight scenes in the novel too long and repetitive and towards the end of the novel felt like I was trudging through them to get to the end.
Overall, I thought the whole trilogy was an engaging and insightful read, and I loved learning about this fascinating historical period where one civilisation comes into conflict with another for the very first time. I was a big fan of Graham Hancock already, having read ‘Magicians of the Gods’ previously, and would recommend this trilogy to any other fans of his non-fiction work.
In addition to the hostility they continue to face from sections of the native Aztecs in their own land, Cortes and his men face a further problem when a rival group of Spaniards arrive in Mexico and seek to capitalise on the substantial gains already earned by Cortes army, and claim them for themselves.
Over the course of the whole trilogy, I really enjoyed becoming immersed in the setting and time period of the novel and learning about what life was like in 1500’s Mexico.
I found Cortes to be a really engaging character and he is the one who ultimately drives the whole series by leading the Spanish conquest from start to finish. Cortes is an adept political and military strategist and almost always find a way to manipulate a situation to his advantage. However, he makes some uncharacteristic mistakes in this novel which place the whole conquest in jeopardy.
The battle scenes are brutal and do not leave much to the imagination! The contrast between the Spanish forces, small in number but with far more advanced and efficient weaponry against the Mexica, high in numbers but with primitive arms, is well documented. However, I personally found some of the fight scenes in the novel too long and repetitive and towards the end of the novel felt like I was trudging through them to get to the end.
Overall, I thought the whole trilogy was an engaging and insightful read, and I loved learning about this fascinating historical period where one civilisation comes into conflict with another for the very first time. I was a big fan of Graham Hancock already, having read ‘Magicians of the Gods’ previously, and would recommend this trilogy to any other fans of his non-fiction work.
June 6, 2021
Unfortunately, I inadvertently started this trilogy by reading Book 3. I’ll probably go back to read Books 1 & 2 at some stage in the future.
‘War God - Night of Sorrows’ is a historical fantasy set firmly on a foundation of factual records. The author has cleverly put flesh onto the bones of several well-known historical characters, who were involved in the invasion of the Aztec lands of Central America. The conquistadors, led by the famous Hernan Cortez, marched into Mexico to settle on their land, steal their gold in the name of the Spanish King, all this under the guise of bringing Christianity to the New World. How Christian the behaviour of these conquistadors was I shall leave to the opinion of the readers. On both sides, despicable acts of brutality and vengeance were perpetrated.
Hancock depicts a somewhat weak Moctezuma in comparison to the strong, arrogant, egotistical character of Cortez. However, we must remember that Moctezuma believed the Spaniards to be gods, and Cortez to be a reincarnation of Quetzalcotyl.
The first two thirds of this book is riveting reading; the character development and the action very well written. The author manages to keep clear distinctions between the differing personalities and voices of a vast list of both Spanish and Indian participants in the struggle for power. No mean feat for any writer.
However, in the latter third of the book, when Tozi’s “magic” is utilized to drive the plot forward, the story starts to lose credibility. Therefore, I found the endless gory battle scenes In the island city of Tenochtitlan from which the main Spanish leaders miraculously manage to escape; especially the rescue of Olmedo, Pepillo and Malinel (Cortez’ Indian lover); very hard to swallow. The conclusion is rather an anti-climax.
A fascinating read about a bloody period in history, which should have taught us some lessons to carry into the future!
‘War God - Night of Sorrows’ is a historical fantasy set firmly on a foundation of factual records. The author has cleverly put flesh onto the bones of several well-known historical characters, who were involved in the invasion of the Aztec lands of Central America. The conquistadors, led by the famous Hernan Cortez, marched into Mexico to settle on their land, steal their gold in the name of the Spanish King, all this under the guise of bringing Christianity to the New World. How Christian the behaviour of these conquistadors was I shall leave to the opinion of the readers. On both sides, despicable acts of brutality and vengeance were perpetrated.
Hancock depicts a somewhat weak Moctezuma in comparison to the strong, arrogant, egotistical character of Cortez. However, we must remember that Moctezuma believed the Spaniards to be gods, and Cortez to be a reincarnation of Quetzalcotyl.
The first two thirds of this book is riveting reading; the character development and the action very well written. The author manages to keep clear distinctions between the differing personalities and voices of a vast list of both Spanish and Indian participants in the struggle for power. No mean feat for any writer.
However, in the latter third of the book, when Tozi’s “magic” is utilized to drive the plot forward, the story starts to lose credibility. Therefore, I found the endless gory battle scenes In the island city of Tenochtitlan from which the main Spanish leaders miraculously manage to escape; especially the rescue of Olmedo, Pepillo and Malinel (Cortez’ Indian lover); very hard to swallow. The conclusion is rather an anti-climax.
A fascinating read about a bloody period in history, which should have taught us some lessons to carry into the future!
September 8, 2017
Excellent third installment of the War God series, as interesting and exciting as the two earlier books. The Spanish conquistadores have taken possession of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire but the mutual distrust between the men of Cortez and the indians is reaching a boiling point. Then Cortez is called away with a large part of his army to fight another Spanish expedition that has come to seize all Cortez had conquered, and the remaining force finds itself surrounded by a foe that may be too numerous and too bloodthirsty to fight.
Hancock's fiction is getting better and better and lately I've come to prefer his novels such as this one over his non-fiction. There's just one big problem I'm having with this book, which is supposed the final part of a trilogy, and that is that the story is not finished. But no mention at all about if there's going to be a part 4. Hancocks first novel Entangled also ended mid-story without any warning or mentioning if or when the next part would be coming and it is becoming annoying.
Still, a great third part of an excellent, exciting story full of epic battles, daring intrigue, myth, magic and nerve wrecking action.
Hancock's fiction is getting better and better and lately I've come to prefer his novels such as this one over his non-fiction. There's just one big problem I'm having with this book, which is supposed the final part of a trilogy, and that is that the story is not finished. But no mention at all about if there's going to be a part 4. Hancocks first novel Entangled also ended mid-story without any warning or mentioning if or when the next part would be coming and it is becoming annoying.
Still, a great third part of an excellent, exciting story full of epic battles, daring intrigue, myth, magic and nerve wrecking action.
March 10, 2021
Graham Hancock's War God Trilogy are all badly written, simplistic, needlessly gory and yet I finished all three because the story of the Spanish 'conquest' and colonization of Mexico is so fascinating. Hancock in notes at the end of the book describes other historians of this period as 'politically correct' so no surprise he loves to cover the gore and horror of human sacrifice with glee, presumably to show that yes, the Spaniards were brutal, greedy colonizers but look at how horrible the Mexica were for carving out hearts of innocent victims for their Hummingbird to the Left of the Sun god. Almost stopped several times but it is such a compelling, mind-boggling story of the first interaction between Europeans and North American indigenous people.
October 30, 2020
Really loved this trilogy. Graham does a wonderful job of mixing history with fiction where he uses fact about characters to shape them in his own way and introducing enough fantasy to keep it interesting. He brings the historical characters to life giving them personality. There is lots of action for those who like that. I got so invested in the characters and story I am sad it ends here with this book, I just want it to continue.
May 1, 2021
I'm a big fan of Hancock's non-fiction and very much enjoyed all three of the War God historical fiction books detailing a fascinating, horrifying part of the history of the Americas. For the author's first fiction series it seems extremely well done - no surprise given the number of books he's written. The only thing I'd comment on is his editors allowed some direct cut and paste repeats of text from book to book. But overall a very good read and very much looking forward to book 4.
July 19, 2019
When I reviewed the second volume in this trilogy I said I was thinking of calling it a work of genius. Now that's what I do call it. I also lamented that I would have to wait for the third volume, but I didn't it was already out there and this is it. It's easily the finest adventure series I have read in more than a decade. Highest recommendation.
December 27, 2020
I read the first two books a couple of years ago, thought they were great and was looking forward to part three. The third book has all the catchy ingredients the first two had, but it felt a bit like this last book was padded out to fill up space? Then it ended quite abruptly. But in between it kept you hooked.
August 21, 2021
As the Mea culpa in his heart-stopping trilogy, Hancock's 'Night Of Sorrows' delivers and deliver some more. Part myth, part history it charts Cortez's final struggle against the Aztecs as well as confronting contumacious Spaniards behind his back.
Once again, Hancock's narrative is on point and his relation of La Noche Triste is riveting and riveting some more.
Overall, this is the finale of a series which will have you on the edge of your seat.
Once again, Hancock's narrative is on point and his relation of La Noche Triste is riveting and riveting some more.
Overall, this is the finale of a series which will have you on the edge of your seat.
May 28, 2017
Could not put down the third volume of 'War God'
I am a sucker for a physical book but I just had to purchase the digital copy and get going on this. Hancock wrapped the story up wonderfully. 10/10
I am a sucker for a physical book but I just had to purchase the digital copy and get going on this. Hancock wrapped the story up wonderfully. 10/10
January 7, 2025
Primer libro del año, es una historia muy entretenida y la forma de contarla es espectacular, solo que faltó un poco abundar más en el tema de la noche triste, que se supone es el motivo de la lectura. Otra cosa, si va a ser la última entrega se queda muy inconclusa
July 6, 2017
Men's pride and curse of religions
February 18, 2019
Just as riveting as the first two. The only negative I can say is the anticipation it has created for the fourth!!!!!!! I will certainly be reading it when it is released.
November 18, 2021
What a fantastic and climatic ending to the trilogy. Graham proves he can write fiction as well as non fiction masterfully.
December 18, 2022
Wow
Descriptive and agile the story advances at the pace of the warriors' contemplation and resolve moving along borne by a multitude of possibities.
Descriptive and agile the story advances at the pace of the warriors' contemplation and resolve moving along borne by a multitude of possibities.
September 6, 2024
Such a fantastic read! Leaves you just wanting more!
February 7, 2018
Great read
I love the series and hope the next installment wraps everything up nicely, Graham let's get going on the next one
I love the series and hope the next installment wraps everything up nicely, Graham let's get going on the next one
December 30, 2019
The story moved along nicely with the use of characters to highlight the events of Cortez's conquest of Mexico. Although the indigenous characters were not treated with the same depth their different perspectives helped to elevate the tensions and make ther reader wonder how successful the undertakings would be. Along the lines of Colleen McCulloughs First Man in Rome series one feels they are along as an observer for a plausible telling of how the events turned out the way they did. An exception being the character Tozi's ability to cloak herself and friends in invisibilty which I took to be the author's reminder to the reader that this was just a story the way Jean Luc Godard would allow shadows of the camera to appear on screen to remind the viewer that "Sympathy for the Devil" was a film.
I would have liked maps of Tenotchitlan to refer to such as availble at Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenoc...
There is also an excellent map on wikipedia showig the serpentine route the Cooquistidors and their Tlalascan allies took from the coast to the heart of Mexico.
I would have liked maps of Tenotchitlan to refer to such as availble at Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenoc...
There is also an excellent map on wikipedia showig the serpentine route the Cooquistidors and their Tlalascan allies took from the coast to the heart of Mexico.
March 16, 2020
Didn’t want it to end
Captivating, exhilarating, brutal yet fascinating. An incredible story well told about a history so mysterious, Hancock does an incredible job with this trilogy. I hope someone one day turns it into a tv series.
Captivating, exhilarating, brutal yet fascinating. An incredible story well told about a history so mysterious, Hancock does an incredible job with this trilogy. I hope someone one day turns it into a tv series.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews