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Young Inca Prince
A historical novel set in the Incan capital city of Cuzco, in the year 1450, as Prince Cusi seeks to prove his right to be the future ruler.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
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October 10, 2018
Problematique(TM) as all get out, at least in some ways, in its most un-self-conscious aggrandizement of insidious colonial ideas - the good old "but we have these poor barbarians running water and more gold! Why are they so upset that we invaded their land and slaughtered their men and abused their women and children and forced our language on them and took away their right to rule their own land and choose whether or not to ally themselves with us?"
But then, like, sometimes it's not so un-self-conscious? Sometimes there are shades of irony to Cusi's thoughts and processes? Sometimes so shady that I don't know if Malkus even meant for them to be there?? What am I supposed to think???
And then there's the fact that Princess Wini is SO unfairly compelling. I would read an entire trilogy about the Princess Wini presented to me in the pages of this poorly edited, thoroughly run of the mill children's book a la GA Henty from the 50s. The ambition, the drive, the willingness to do anything to save her kingdom, eventually reduced to this book's madwoman in the tower, I mean Macchu Picchu. She boring until she really, really wasn't. Which was to make up for the fact that Golden Chalice started out promising and then fizzled out into a nonbeing.
I have more thoughts, mostly along the lines of Malkus's weird interjection of Norsey things in this Peruvian tale (Cusi gives "Loki" as a fake name once, and a storyteller says something like "Hey, Emperor, let me unlock my word-hoard" at once point), as well as EW HE'S EIGHTEEN AND SHE'S FOURTEEN, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING, BAD BAD BAD, but meh, this is too long a review already for a book that literally no one else on Goodreads knows exist. I found it in a Little Free Library, what can I say, besides "thank goodness I didn't spend money on it"?
But then, like, sometimes it's not so un-self-conscious? Sometimes there are shades of irony to Cusi's thoughts and processes? Sometimes so shady that I don't know if Malkus even meant for them to be there?? What am I supposed to think???
And then there's the fact that Princess Wini is SO unfairly compelling. I would read an entire trilogy about the Princess Wini presented to me in the pages of this poorly edited, thoroughly run of the mill children's book a la GA Henty from the 50s. The ambition, the drive, the willingness to do anything to save her kingdom, eventually reduced to this book's madwoman in the tower, I mean Macchu Picchu. She boring until she really, really wasn't. Which was to make up for the fact that Golden Chalice started out promising and then fizzled out into a nonbeing.
I have more thoughts, mostly along the lines of Malkus's weird interjection of Norsey things in this Peruvian tale (Cusi gives "Loki" as a fake name once, and a storyteller says something like "Hey, Emperor, let me unlock my word-hoard" at once point), as well as EW HE'S EIGHTEEN AND SHE'S FOURTEEN, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING, BAD BAD BAD, but meh, this is too long a review already for a book that literally no one else on Goodreads knows exist. I found it in a Little Free Library, what can I say, besides "thank goodness I didn't spend money on it"?
Displaying 1 of 1 review