Review: A fascinating read on the "undiscovered" Mesoamerica
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 22, 2013
I picked this book purely because of the title of this series. The "Rise of the Aztecs" seemed to be a strange title, as the Aztecs are usually associated with falling empires, not the rising ones. Yet, to fall or to be 'discovered' they had to rise at some point, so I decided to give this read a chance.Well, disappointed I was not! This novel started with a splash, presenting us with two youths from enemy nations, curious with each other to the point of overcoming their initial animosity. As the events unfold and the war against the regional superpower turning into a real threat, one of the youths, the Lowlander, the emperor's heir, is excited and hopeful, while the other, the Highlander, is facing his personal misgivings and frustrations, fascinated by he Lowlanders' politics and wars and frustrated with their ways at the same time.This story is very fast moving, with the action never slacking, never giving you time to take a break and put the book down. Curiously, there are almost no Aztecs in this first book of the series titled - The Rise of the Aztecs. Aside from one prominent man and one of the main characters, the Aztec Warlord, the rest of the protagonists, nations, politics have almost nothing to do with the Aztecs. It seems that the rise of the empire as we know it began earlier and elsewhere, between one superpower that controlled the whole region and the rebellious province that thought it might do better without paying a tribute to anyone. The Aztecs are mentioned many times, usually unfavorably, with the main characters complaining of their neutrality and the cautiousness, not to say a doubtful fence-sitting tendency, of their policies in the brewing conflict.This is a fascinating read that left me curious as to what will happen next. Luckily this is just the first book in the series.