As his empire collapses before his eyes, King Manco Inca must find the inner strength and resolve to save his people from the vicious Pizarro Brothers and their Spanish Conquistadors: evil obsessed men with an endless thirst for gold.
Set in the dense jungles of 1530s Peru, and told from the view of a young and confused Spanish soldier named Sardina, this epic Historical Fiction Thriller presents men at their best and their most cruel. For throughout the tale, the young Sardina slowly realizes the truth of his hellish reality: a reality of power, greed, and madness.
“CONQUISTADORS” is a Historical Epic book trilogy that explores the violent and horrific Spanish Conquest of the New World from the years of 1527-1542. Told through the eyes of a Spanish soldier named Sardina. Each journey, through the jungles of Peru, to the vast Arizona deserts, and finally to the great Mississippi River, reveals the horrific events and trauma of the Spanish Conquest to the Natives of the Americas. But most importantly, through Sardina’s psychological and spiritual transformation, it depicts the bravery, courage, and resolve of these people and their undying human spirit.
Sardina, a young and idealistic Spanish soldier, accounts his violent and vicious past and his role in the Conquest of the Inca Empire. But when he meets a reluctant Inca King named Manco, he slowly realizes the truth of his hellish reality; a reality of power, greed, and madness.
Set in the dense jungles of 1530's Peru, this story is about man's struggle to find his place in a brutal yet mysterious world.
“CONQUISTADORS” is a book trilogy that explores the Spanish conquest of the New World from the years of 1527-1542. The genre is Historical Epic, and the storytelling is wide in scope with various characters and events unfolding within spans of years. The story is told from a truly dualistic point of view, from both perspectives of the Spanish and the Natives.
Each story in the trilogy depicts a different Spanish expedition, but in the end, this is Sardina's story. We follow Sardina through the jungles of Peru, to the vast Arizona deserts, to the Mississippi River; seeing his transformation from a young idealistic soldier to harden veteran, and later to a self-realized individual.
Thematically, all stories are about the sacred vs. the profane, and each story follows a certain pattern: conquest, obsession, and madness. Other aspects are also explored: including religion, (of both the natives and the Spaniards), the realms of power, violence, cruelty, and the angst of those trying to find meaning.
REVIEW
While the depiction of the Pizzaro/Almagro expedition to enrich the Crown, and themselves, at the expense, and fate, of the Inca Empire in Peru provides the impetus to this fascinating tale, it is the introspection of the characters, especially Sardina, that glues the reader to the pages. The human frailty of power seeking greed is powerfully portrayed leaving open the very hearts and souls of the victims of that most hideous human frailty. The jungle, however, is loath to give up it's secrets - the mythical/magical El Dorado - the price for the gold they crave is a high one indeed. A page turner awaits, my fellow readers. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Interesting devices used by author. First, an older man relates an adventure of his youth from a wiser perspective, and this permits him to compress time, recall or not what seems important. Fact is melded with fiction. The use of the chessboard as metaphor for the experience is also a clever technique. There a few minor editing/typos, but generally entertaining and informative.
This is a historical fiction type of book. Sardina is the main conquistador whose storyline the reader follows, although there is also a more all-knowing narrator who helps full in the gaps. If the era in which the Spaniards were invading Peru is exciting to you, I would recommend this book! But even if not, it is still a thought provoking read. I feel like I learned a lot about the trials, hardships, and victories of both sides while reading this book. *I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*