AZTEC: The story of Cortes and La Malinche (EPIC ADVENTURE FICTION) Kindle Edition

The book was too long and, at times, boring. The mechanics of good writing were fine. A few errors did not interrupt the reading flow. There was not a great deal of background on Cortes, so his character was not clearly defined. That is not the author's fault. Through his lover, Malinali, a naturale of some Aztec descent, the story of Montezuma and Mexico City was told. She was a delightfully deceiving interpreter between the Spaniards and several Indian tribes. She and Cortes knew that their lives were intertwined from the moment they met. The Spaniards were in Mexico to convert the natives to Christianity and to stop the practice of human sacrificing. The natives believed Cortes was a supreme god returned to rule. Malinali encouraged the latter belief creating all kinds of confusion. Montezuma even gave his throne to Cortes thinking he was a god. Cortes had to fight the natives several times, but Malinali told him the secret to winning those battles where the Spaniards were greatly outnumbered. Without her, Mexico's history may have taken a different tack. Behind every great man....I wanted more background about the kind of warriors the Spanish were. Cortes' conquest started in 1520. Cuba was already an established colony. Think about the time between 1492 and 1520. The Spanish did not waste any time claiming their territories in the new world. I have mentioned the parts of the book that really interested me. I believe each reader will take away something different after reading the book. I have found that to be true in reading other books by this author. Readers, I spent too much time in the dictionary and Wikipedia. I believe it would be best just to read the book through without getting flustered by name pronunciation and history. I have taken the liberty of giving the tribes and places the names by which I knew them.Thank you, Mr. Falconer, for another good read.

Cortes destruction of Mexico has never been described like Aztec does! Gore and greed were the ultimate cause of not only the fall of Mexico but of Cortes as well.

Feathered Serpent / 0-609-61029-5Falconer shows his genius again with this fantastic novel. The characters of Cortes, Malinali, and Motecuhzoma are brought to vivid life on the page. In careful steps, Falconer outlines how a handful of men can wreak havoc on a powerful empire - provided that they are aided by a powerful mythology, by united allies driven by a long-standing enmity, and by a detrimental caution on the part of the empire.While I am not a student on the period in question, Falconer appears to hit the topic of historical accuracy as closely as one can expect with a historical novel. Cortes is shown to be a very clever tactician, but burdened with an unbending conviction of his own rightness at all times. Malinali is proud of her birthright and impressive talents as interpreter, but she has learned that women and slaves have little power in her world, and she uses her power carefully and cautiously. Motecuhzoma walks a fascinating tightrope between a shrewd emperor and a superstitious man, plagued by the many doomsday prophecies that his unhappy subjects issue on his head."Feathered Serpent" really shines with careful use of secondary characters to highlight the many aspects of the conflict. One Spaniard prefers the lifestyle of the American Indians, and he provides a useful narrative counterpoint by explaining that the American Indian custom of sacrificing humans is not fundamentally different in his view from the Spanish custom of burning witches, heretics, and Jews. Another Spaniard grapples with his initial distaste for the American Indians as it is rapidly counterbalanced with his growing distaste for his fellow Spaniards. The native woman Rain Flower acts as a foil to the determined Malinali as she struggles to gauge between her duty to her Spanish "husband" against her desire for her Spanish lover.Powerful and tasteful, "Feathered Serpent" carefully treads the historical and the personal by giving private details of the lives and thoughts of these compelling people without sliding into vulgarity. This book is a fantastic introduction to this period in American history and is a compelling read - I couldn't put it down until I finished it entirely.~ Ana Mardoll

This man is a great author. This book is well thought out... but. His grammar is atrocious. I don’t think it was even edited. So often in a chapter he switches from third to first person, even in a single paragraph. He also switches between the normal past tense used in storytelling and present tense of someone telling a story. A few times he left out words or added words. I don’t think the book was edited.Otherwise it is a good story.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel, the invasion, the way people lived, their beliefs, their dressage & Malinali’s role.I really enjoy the way Colin writes his chapters, titled either by a person or a place 😊 although I was a bit overwhelmed with the varied names and places at times. An interesting read and I would recommend it.

Historically correct, but a little disjointed with awkward jumps in story telling from person to person. Cortes is the most interesting person but he disappears suddenly and leaves a hole in the story. Would have been nice to have him also do some storytelling as well.

the brutality by both Spanish and Aztec gives one pause. The Spanish claimed to want to stop Aztec brutality and spread the 'true' faith but they did so with an iron fist and robbed the Aztecs blind doing so. This novel reminded me of another novel of the same name by Jennings. Although I enjoyed this novel, Jenning's epic was far superior.

Enthralling tale of Hernan Cortes, The Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs, and the native woman, Malinali, who translated for him and became his mistress. Fascinating portrait of Cortes, his ambition and the bloody battles he won against tremendous odds, and the woman, hell-bent on vengeance for the murder of her father, who believed him to be a god. As with all Colin Falconer's historical novels, it has completely immersed me in a magical world I am sad to leave behind. Beautiful and savage.

A good story, and as usual with this author, extensive research. Very gory, but that was to be expected, but it was worth it and made me buy more of his books.