Aztec

Rating:
Summary: The Glorious Life and Times of Mixtli
Review: The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book is what a fascinating and terrific read it is! "Aztec" is definitely a book with everything...and it shows. Yet, part of the miracle of this book is that every page remains as fresh and as sparkling as the one before (and this is a long book, my edition has more than 1000 pages). Quite an accomplishment!

"Aztec" is "the" story of the Aztec civilization of Mexico, told at the very height of its magnificence and glory. The protagonist of the book, Mixtli, is a person you are guaranteed to never forget but will surely come to miss. Although Mixtli wasn't born to a high station in the Aztec world, he manages to rise above himself, becomming first a scribe, then a warrior, then a traveling merchant. As the latter, he travels over all of Mexico, then called The One World, exploring jungles, mountain peaks, deserts, beaches. And, he makes a fortune in the doing. Eventualy, Mixtli is elevated to knighthood and the nobility, both stations he well deserves.

"Aztec" is, by turns, gruesome, suspenseful, sexual, adventurous, erotic, heroic and comic and everything is done on epic proportion. It has to be since Mixtli is not a man to do anything by halves, or to leave a task undone. He seems possessed by an unquenchable thirst for new adventures and new horizens and, luckily, we can travel along with him without risking the consequences Mixtli so often had to face.

Through the pages of "Aztec" we witness, along with Mixtli, the gruesome Wars of Flowers, the nomadic life of the Dog People of the desert, the dignity of the Cloud People who live in the mountains, the one-time spendour of the Mayan jungles of the Yucatan, and the glory of Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztecs.

All is not glory and splendour in this book, however, and "Aztec" is certainly not for the faint-hearted or the squeamish. Some of the scenes, especially the sacrificial scenes, are so gruesome and blood-drenched that it can be difficult to read every word. And the book is, at times, quite tragic, for Mixtli, himself, does not escape his share of blood and gore.

Some readers have complained about the violence and sex included in this book. I know much violence and sex is simply gratuitous these days, but it certainly isn't in "Aztec." Sex and violence were simply part and parcel of the Aztec culture; had Jennings failed to include it, his book would have read like some watered-down, barely palpable version of the "real thing." The Aztecs did everything on a grand scale; if you require drawing-room manners in your reading, you'd best skip this book and read Jane Austen instead.

Lest you think Jennings forgot the other side of the coin, i.e., the Spanish point of view, he most certainly did not. At the height of his career (and at the pinnacle of Aztec civilization), Mixtli is sent by Motecuzoma to "welcome" the strangers who have arrived in The One World. Wondering if they are gods or mortals, Mixtli thus comes to meet Cortes and his band of conquistadors...the very persons who will destroy the Aztec civilization and very nearly wipe its memory from the face of the earth. Still, even in times as tumultuous as these, Mixtli has one more heroic deed waiting for him to accomplish.

I've read that it took Jennings twelve years to write "Aztec." I can well see why. The book is filled with detail about healing, about cooking, about sacrifice, about love, about anything and everything that made up the world of the Aztecs. Although I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be a member of that world (I'm far too peace-loving for that), finishing
"Aztec" does cause me to miss the vicarious experience of it.

If you like your literature uncensored and filled to the brim with life, in all its glory and all its tragedy, then "Aztec" might be the book for you. Just be prepared for a dizzyingly wild and wonderful ride like none you've ever experienced before.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome. Absolutely awesome.
Review: I've often been enthralled with the reading of historically-based novels over the past half century, but I must say that this is overall the best I've ever read. Too, it is the only book other than the Bible that I've been challenged to read in both English and Spanish versions (The Book & El Libro-- Living Bible editions), the Spanish language version being titled Azteca. I just HAD to see if the tale would be any different; it is just as powerful in Spanish as in English and has been just as 'controversial' in some quarters... which in my view goes far in making it be the epic that it is, and especially in view of the fact that its publication has spurred further research which has added to the body of knowledge about the peoples of that time (especially the Purepecha, whom the Spaniards called Tarascan).

Marvelous reads that are faithful to the tempo and tenor of the times historically are such as Michener's Hawaii (et al), Clavell's Shogun (et al), MacCullough's First Man of Rome (et al), Uris' Trinity (et al), McMurty's Dead Man Walking (et al), Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear (et al); all of these writers and others of their ilk who spend literally years on end researching their subject have this rather unique ability to REALIZE history and bring it alive for us in the present... enabling us to better comprehend how things were and how it came to be that things are as they are in the present while entertaining us at once. Enough has already been said in the previous 99 reviews that I don't need to go into further detail about Aztec other than to reiterate that it's the best of its kind I've ever read, Aztec Autumn was almost as good and certainly 'relevant', and I'm ordering Aztec Blood.

I am saddened to find that Gary Jennings has passed on and that Aztec Blood had to be finished by a collaborator; he was one heluva author and Aztec creme-de-la-creme of the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Aztec
Review: This book I must say is the best book I have ever read in my life so far. This book not only is educational, but very entertaining by the way it is so well written and researched by Mr. Jennings (Which took him 12 years to write). When reading this book you really feel transported back in time of the Aztec Empire. Being of Mexican decent and born in the U.S. I only had a little understanding of my culture, but this has change after I read this book. Not only do I have a better understanding of the Mexican culture; I can now make the many connections from the Aztec culture to the Mexican culture. Please keep in mind that this book starts off slow, but once you get through the first 100 pages you will not be able to put it down. After you are done reading it you will be amaze on how rich the history of Mexico is and it is just right next door to the U.S. This book should be made into a mini-series or hopefully a major motion picture.

Rating:
Summary: A masterful take on the end of the Aztec civilization
Review: This is by far one of the best books I have ever read! The saga begins at the end of the main character's life, the entire story is a memoir of sorts. Mixtli tells of the Aztec world as he lived it, a first hand account of the beautiful and gory civilization of "The One World". From the multi-colored lights and pure white buildings of Tenochtitlan to human sacrifices and alien customs, Dark Cloud saw it all. Some parts were a little too rough to read though, Dark Cloud and Cozcatl for one, Jadestone Doll and Something Delicate for another. This book is not for the timid, it shows the magic and the savagery of that ancient time.

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Summary: Aztec, an historical novel about life.
Review: This is the life story Mixtli, Dark Cloud, a commoner in the Azteca world, who rose to be a nobel in the last days His world. This book will give you a greater vision of the real Aztec world and it's death.
Gary Jennings is a great author, who does his homework. His books show a great deal of research.
In my opinion, this is the best book I have ever read. My basis for this is over 40 years of reading including Asimov and Uris and Mitchner.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of all time...
Review: Novels about the Aztec world aren't very common, but even if they were, I think this book would still top them all easily. It's true that Gary Jennings didn't get everything 100% accurate, but he did nearly so, and in any case as a work of fiction, this book is excellent. A must read for anyone interested in the Aztecs, or just a good book in general.

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Summary: Excitement, humor, emotions, adventure, knowledge... fun!!
Review: I saw, I heard, I smelled, I felt... I was there. Now that it's over, it's still with me, and Mr. Jennings did a great job of making sure it stays.

Ahhh, what a gift!

Rating:
Summary: Are we reading the same book?
Review: (...)
I enjoy a good erotic novel, but this book thinks itself to be an historical book.
If you love detail, pick up a book by Umberto Eco. Don't waste your money and more importantly your time in reading this junk. If you want to learn about history research it in the library. If people all over the world think our cultures were only about violence and sex, we are in serious trouble.
There are many achievements and inventions not even touched in this book. (...)

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Epic Historical Novel
Review: What can I say, without sounding too redundant this is THE best book I have ever read. The late Mr. Jennings is a literary genius, his style of writing is a landmark. His descriptions of the Aztec world are superlative. He brings Tenochtitlan to life agian, you can actually see in your mind what he writes. His charecters are well developed, you sympathize with their plights, you revel in their accomplishments.
With all that said, I encourage everyone to read this book don't be put off by it's size. Your only problem will be finding time to read it! I simply cannot say enough wonderfull things about this book! Jeeez, now I think I'll go read it again...

Rating:
Summary: A truly intense and gripping novel
Review: While wandering the basement of my local library, I came across an ancient novel simply titled "Aztec". Since I had some interest in Aztec culture, mostly based on my research into various religions, I decided to look at this book.
I must say, I was not disappointed. While quite a large novel, it is one which I would be more than happy to read several times over. I was amazed at the detail with which Jennings could describe the life of a typical Aztec person. I read the novel, devoured it quite thoroughly, and then stored in the back of my head.
A couple years later, when it came time to choose courses for my freshman year here at the University of Pittsburgh, I stumbled across a course titled "Colonial Latin America". I have a natural interest in history, but had it not been for my reading this novel by Gary Jennings, I may have simply passed over the course. As it is, I'm taking the course now. (Actually, in about 6 hours I will be attending one of the lectures.) I read one user review here on Amazon claiming that Jennings was not entirely accurate in some of his descriptions of day-to-day living in the Aztec Empire. So far, there has been nothing in my course to suggest that there is any truth behind this. Perhaps my professor would have something different to say on this subject -- I plan on speaking with her tomorrow about this book, and if she does have any negative comments regarding it, I will certainly post them here.
I would have given this novel five stars, rather than the four which I awarded it, but as of yet I have only found two novels which I can fairly give that prestige to -- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. So do not mistakenly think that I found any noticable problems with this novel.