Aztec

Rating:
Summary: Rich, engaging, but slow-paced historical fiction of Mexico
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Summertime Read
Review: This is a very good book. It reads like a grand Greek epic. Mostly because it is full of tragedy. But its scope is so large that almost anyone will find something to like in it. I picked it out because I wanted to learn more about the Aztecs, and I was not disappointed. Be prepared to learn some Nahuatl. It can be confusing in parts, and starts out slowly, but after awhile it will start imposing upon your daily thoughts. I read this book while taking the Metro to work every day, and I damn near missed my stop.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was insightful, enjoyable, compelling, and hopefully historically accurate. Also, it was very funny. (At least the bits that involved Mixtli's conversations with the Bishop and the scribes.) Jennings did a great job in capturing the Aztec culture and its eventual downfall at the hands of the Spanish. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: my all time favorite read
Review: If you want a novel that has everything (adventure, history, sex, story-line, characterization, debunking of myths, humor, horror, human insight, etc.) this is IT! Jennings novel has to rank as one of the all-time stories for story's sake. Echoing other reviewers here, I was absolutely ticked off that the story had to come to a close. Unfortunately, I was equally disappointed by Jennings' subsequent tries at emulating this storytelling feat (particularly Aztec Autumn - what a bust!) The author apparently used up all his creative powers in constructing and researching this novel. Yet if I could have done even half as good a job as Jennings did in writing Aztec, my life would have been heroic! This is as close to creative genius as any historical novelist has come to in our era. I am not prone to hyperbole in my reviews, but if you haven't yet read this book, you are missing out on one of the true treats of contemporary fiction. Order it, now!

Rating:
Summary: okay
Review: Yes, this book was exciting. But I found the character's shallow and lacking depth. Gary Jenning's seemed to just be throwing in stuff randomly to be shocking and while that's okay I would like a little more explanation behind the character's motives. Now I can understand Mixtli being contemptous of the Spanish soldiers, and his indifference about the shocking ways of his people but there were other things that weren't very well explained. Such as the incest factor, that was forbidden even to the Aztec people and there didn't seem to be any strong motivations behind it even though the characters involved were risking death if they were found out. The characters showed no morals, they didn't care, it seems they would be a little remorseful about the fact that they were doing that was shunned by their culture. Also, it seemed to be lacking the fear that almost any kind of person would feel living in a culture that regularly sacrificed people, even if you believe that you are going to paradise, still it seems there would still be that base, basic fear of death and pain. Also, Mixtli seemed sort a wimpy to me, like he mostly just wormed his way out of situations. So I didn't like the main character. But Gary Jennings did wonderful research and it was entertaining and the descriptions made you feel almost like you were there. So that's why I give it three stars

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book!
Review: I loved this book, a definite read if you have a good stomach. Some people will be offended by this book, especially christians. It focuses a lot on sex, murder, adventure and more. If you like a book that you will learn from you will love this book. Mr. Jennings has done so much work in researching the Aztec's that it's a history lesson without the painstakingly boring process of learning....if only every thing was this easy to learn. This is one of the few books that I wished wouldnt end. I thought that the sequel to this book "Aztec Autumn" wasn't as great as this one, still good but not worth the read. I am currently reading another book writen by Mr. Jennings, called Raptor, very good but Aztec is the greatest.

Rating:
Summary: Makes you shudder and smile...
Review: First of all, undeniable praise goes to author's talent for recreation of the world long gone: besides Aztecs themselves, all those tribes and peoples, with names difficult to pronounce and their ways and traditions, mostly repulsive and hardly believable. I'd have liked to know how much of the story has been fruit of Mr. Jenning's brilliant imagination, and what has been based on research. To follow narrator's - Mixtil's - fascinating story is easy, but sad to acknowledged, I finished this book with no regret that this civilization has vanished. First of all, it reached its peak and was ripe for defeat and conquest, second, and more important, however much blood was shed in the name of Christianity and European civilization, rites of Aztec to 99% are abominable to understanding of a modern and medieval person alike. Author's merit is that he does not only graphically and grisly describes them, but also explains why they were performed, what religious belief led to them. Still such civilization did not stir no sympathy or understanding in me. However, author's sense of humor, acid scorn or subtle remarks, pronounced by Mixtil, whether it concerned Aztec's ways, human stupidity or Spanish concistadors, are amazingly to the point.The book also proves that human joys and misery are always the same. Enjoy this book, even if it makes you shudder every second page...what remains after you finishthe book, is its humour and bloody imprints in your memory.

Rating:
Summary: Aztec
Review: One of the things I like about Mr. Jennings work is that he manages to describe the cultures he writes about in the contex of that culture. It's rare to be thrown so completely into a world that no longer exists and discover only when you've put the book down that you had left your own world and all its judgmental comparisons behind for a few hours.

Rating:
Summary: Quite a life...
Review: You like historical fiction? Interested in the life and society of the Aztec empire? Start here. Although I was not exactly swept away by "Aztec" at first it wasn't long before the book captured my attention and continued to command it to the last page. The main character, Mixtli, is hard not to like despite some of the more barbaric aspects of his personality. After all, he is the product of a somewhat barbaric culture and as you read you grow to accept the ways of that society as if you were born into it yourself. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure story in the tradition of "Shogun" or even "The Hobbit". It's a good read filled with colorful characters but be prepared for some fairly gory violence and explicit sex. The biggest downfall of "Aztec" is that most of us know what finally happened to the Aztecs at the hands of the Spaniards (yes, Hernan Cortez eventually makes a cameo)and Mr. Jennings makes no attempt to rewrite history. We grow to empathize with the characters always aware that eventually their world will sadly crumble around them.

Rating:
Summary: simply amazing
Review: aztec is a work of fictional history that does not dissapoint.mixtli is an aztec who recounts his life to the spanish friars after the conquest.he speaks of his life from a young boy to an old man.he becomes many things.a scribe,a successful merchant,he travels all through what the aztecs called the one world,and learns many languages from the many tribes living through out the one world.the book is very detailed and the author does not shy away when it came to sex and violence.there is a lot of gore and sex in this book and it didn't affect it,but made it better.this is the best book i have read so far,it is just incredible.its more than a 1000 pages but you will breeze right through it cause its just great!do your self a favor and read this book,and when you do,pass it on to someone else.they will thank you for it.