Rating: 
Summary: A Major Letdown
Review: In Aztec, Jennings came close to producing a modern prose epic,a panoramic picture of an infinitely interesting, sadly vanishedculture. Aztec Autumn, unfortunately, cannot measure up to the earlier effort. If Jennings had had more artistic sense, he wouldn't have released it, but there were probably so much pressure from his publishers and his literary agent that he couldn't help but try to cash in on his earlier success. The most telling weakness of this novel is Jennings' reliance on gratuitous sex scenes to keep the story moving. This device was beginning to wear on me in Journeyer, but by this stage it is beyond banal, and I am by no means a prude. He was simply running out of ideas, so he succombed to the Harold Robbins school of best-sellers. If you want to read a truly dumbed-down version of Aztec (one of the greatest "reads" of all time) fork over your money for this one.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not AZTEC, but then, what could ever be...
Review: AZTEC is the best historical novel I've ever read. Thus, AZTEC AUTUMN can't possibly match it. But it comes pretty close. The shortcomings: it doesn't cover the same sweeping segment of history that the first one does...it's wedging a story into the middle of the story we were told in the first book. It treads some of the same ground, particularly when it comes to lurid sex. The first book was packed with sex too, but, dare I say it, those scenes had a bit more context. THe ending is not entirely satisfying, but part of that is because history didn't exactly turn out all that satisfying either, if you're a fan of the Aztecs! The pluses: The action and battle scenes are bigger and better. We get to see the Aztecs get some revenge, finally. (The book mostly follows an effort to drive out the Spaniards.) And it's always great to visit with familiar and much-loved characters. I highly recommend the book, but ONLY, ONLY, ONLY if you've read the first one.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm starting to hate the Spanish....
Review: Well, the Spanish Conquerers of Old anyway.
Another great book by Gary Jennings, and though it did not grip me as much as Aztec did, I did really enjoy it.
In the second installment of the Aztec series, Jennings follows Mixtli's son thru the now almost conquered Aztec empire, and although we all know the outcome of that I still deep down kept wishing that Tenamixtli somehow would magically change history and kick those spanish conquerers out of what is now Mexico.
In typical Jennings style the book is at times extremely violent and sexually graphic, but is very well written and researched. If you loved Aztec, you'll enjoy this one as well.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!
Review: I have to say that I was extremelly impressed by Aztec. The book was a gift from a friend! This is a gift that I will certainly hold dear for a very long time. Although Aztec was awesome Aztec Autumn was intriguing. In reading the book I cried for the pain that young Mixtli felt at the death of his father the symbolism for the death of the One World. It is almost too coincidential that the Spanish burned the accused the same way they burned the cities and villages that they conquered so not to leave a single trace of the One World behind. But Mr. Jennings is a remarkable writer that takes the ashes of the past civilization and actually gives, it, its past form/richness. He is absolutely brilliant, because although this is fiction it's almost too close to the actual history of Mexico. I've indulged in history, and he does an excellent job in putting the history of Mexico and the seductive story of Mixtli together. I only hope that he continues the share the glimpse he has found into the past of the country we now call Mexico. Believe it or not if you mention pyramids people still only think of Egypt, but Mexico can bost of having the largest pyramid in the world. Please continue to share these wonders with the world!!
Rating: 
Summary: Why Sequels Never Surpass the Original
Review: Gary Jennings' AZTEC was a stunning epic of blood and gore - a fascinating study of the fall of the Aztec empire told in first person from an "eye witness". Unfortunately, this much awaited sequel, AZTEC AUTUMN, is not as well thought-out as the first book. The story is formulaic in the now familiar Gary Jennings style (see JOURNEYER and RAPTOR) - the hero loses his virginity at an early age; experiments with incest; brags about being uncircumcised; and has sex with first - the great love of his life (who always dies) and secondly - with the second great love (who always dies). I'm sorry but I loved Jennings' JOURNEYER and AZTEC, but it's hard to forgive the blatancy of his formula in AZTEC AUTUMN - the roots are showing! Clearly AZTEC AUTUMN is just a retread of the far better earlier book - but is sorely lacking in a re-write or two to make the reader overlook how systematic is his formula.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Sequel
Review: I must confess I am mystified by the negative reviews of this book. Yes, there's sex, violence, sex, gore, sex, historical research galore, and . . . oh, yes, some sex, too. But the book has so much more than that. First of all, it's based, very loosely, on historical fact. There really was a rebellion against the conquering Spaniards, led by a native from Aztlan named John the English, and yes, it very nearly did succeed. The rest is fiction of course, and full of the kinds of in-your-face native culture descriptions that were so delightful in 'Aztec,' complete, as before, with incest, human sacrifice, fantastical myth, bloody warfare, and lots of graphic sex of all sorts. But isn't that why you read it?!? 'Aztec' was great, but it did have it's weaker moments. First, the constant interruptions to show the Spaniards' reactions to the narrative got a bit old after while. Second, the supposedly mature narrator seemed very immature in his delight in scandalizing his listeners. Third, the story sprawled all over the place, covering as many different types of settings and cultures as possible-- there wasn't any central core thread of plot to carry you through. And fourth, the reason for telling the story is rather suspect-- would the Spanish King really want to know all the gory details of the lives of the natives prior to his conquest? 'Aztec Autumn' improves on the original in all these respects. There IS a central thread of story to string it all together-- the story of an imaginative and moving, if failed, rebellion. There are no scandalized listeners. The narrator does not delight in shock. The interruptions are fewer and less intrusive, and this time they actually make sense in terms of why the story is being told at all. To summarize then: tighter, more focused storytelling; more sensible framework for the narrative; an even stronger basis in historical reality. All this without sacrificing the 'guilty-pleasures' aspects of the presentation. This sequel is BETTER than 'Aztec,' which is saying a lot.
Rating:
Summary: No equal and not much of a sequal
Review: A rather decent read but definetly not up to the standards set by Jennings' first novel Aztec (which was excellent.) Autumn is no equal or sequel to Aztec because unlike its predecessor Autumn lacks character depth and you feel less emotionally connected (you don't cheer for its main character Tenamaxitl quiet as much as his father Miaxtl)to the story becuase its quiet predictable as to how its going to end. Tenamaxtli's plot to run the Spanish out of Mexico seem ridiculous since, thanks to common knowledge and History, they never really left. The story is not terrible though and its still delightful to read about the Aztec culture and how Mexico was in its early days. I would recommend for those who loved the first book to read Aztec Autumn just because it gives you a since of how Maxitl's spirit lives on in his son and how the Aztecs' culture did not disapear but instead blended into the new white society. So in the end i must say this was no waste of time but not as big as an addiction as the infamous novel Aztec.
Rating:
Summary: Who can say no?
Review: As always, Gary Jennings is amazing. The only downside is that they've broken what used to be one book into three!
Rating:
Summary: Gratuitous disappointment
Review: This book was such a disappointment after Aztec. The story was predictable and silly; the plot was thin, dialogue thinner. In one representative portion the hero is shipwrecked on an island of nubile, female pearl divers who are annually raped by traders-- the hero introduces them to the pleasure of his "tepuli". You get the picture. After the tour de force we read in Aztec this book was trivial and silly.
Rating:
Summary: A well researched tale
Review: Jennings combines the mastery of storytelling with rock-solid research to present the aftermath of the world of Mixtli as presented in his masterwork, Aztec. Perhaps this book does not present the depth of the previous work, but that can be found in the previous work, and this book continues the story beyond (just beyond) the life of Mixtli. I was (and I hate to use this word) spellbound and wished it were longer.
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