Aztec By Gary Jennings [Buy this book] Review by Ellen Isaacs Rating: +2 -4 -3 -2 -1   0 +1 +2 +3 +4

Aztec is the historical fiction tale of Mexico from the late 1400s to early 1500s, when the Spaniards invaded the country. It is told through an elderly native as he tells his story of his life to the local clergy, who have been directed by their Spanish Emporer (King?) to learn of the region's history. The native, named Mixtli, has lived a fascinating life that has led him to travel by foot across much of what they called "The One World," centered around Tenochtitlan, which became Mexico City. Through Mixtli's adventures, we learn of the customs, mores, and religious beliefs of the people who became known as Aztecs. As he becomes a highly ranked merchant, Mixtli also has access to some of the political figures of the time. We see through his eyes the invasion of Cortes from Spain, which according to Mixtli would have been better resisted had Montezuma (the Spanish distortion of Motecuzoma) not been a spineless leader. But then it seems that much of history works out this way.

This book is rich in detail. Woven into the story are such topics as the features of the land, people's daily habits, the language differences among the different peoples, the values and social customs, and the military practices and technology of the time. Jennings does a good job of creating believable characters, both male and female, that have sophisticated emotions and behavior. Mixtli is a very engaging character, and he meets a wide array of interesting people, many of whom stay with us through long stretches of the book, so there isn't the problem of trying to remember so many characters that you stop caring about them. Still, the book has a very leisurely pace and didn't particularly compel me to find out what happened next. The book cover quotes The New York Times describing it as "a dazzling and hypnotic historical novel;" I'd agree with the "dazzling" but not with the "hypnotic." It took me over a month to read Aztec's 1038 pages, and although it was certainly time well spent, I chose not to read the sequel Aztec Autumn. Still, I'd recommend Aztec as an enjoyable and very informative historical novel.

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