The Serpent and the Eagle by Edward Rickford
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Something has come from beyond the Great Mists...
Tenochtitlan, 1519. Strange, pale-skinned people have arrived on the coast of the One World. They hail from a far away land called Spain and fight for the mysterious Hernando Cortés. To confront Cortés’ army would be dangerous, but inaction may be even more dangerous.
The Mexica are the most powerful people in all the One World and regard the uncouth interlopers with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. Keen to discover their intentions, the Mexica send an official envoy to the coast. What they learn is most troubling. The Spanish possess weapons that have no equal... and they may have designs on Tenochtitlan.
The conflict that follows will tear an entire region asunder and give birth to an empire of globe-spanning proportions. Combining the rich world-building of Sharon Kay Penman with the gripping battles sequences of Conn Iggulden, this award-winning novel draws upon modern scholarship to recount an event still unique today: the epic collision of two civilizations separated for millennia.
Review: The Serpent and the Eagle by Edward Rickford
I mentioned last week that I'd started a book that takes place in the 16th Century. Established in the ancient city of Tenochtitlan in 1519, this work of historical fiction about the Aztecs and conquistadors is quite detailed. So, I thought I'd go ahead and share The Serpent and the Eagle with you in case you wish to read along.
The intricate storytelling is written with great passion and creativity. Right now, I am most impressed by the bicultural elements and the way the author is fleshing out the characters who share diverse viewpoints while searching for the treasures of the land.
Ever since Edward Rickford was young, he has enjoyed writing. College gave him the chance to combine his interest in history with his passion for storytelling and he mainly writes historical fiction now. To research The Serpent and the Eagle, Edward read centuries-old texts and traveled to Mexico repeatedly, even retracing Cortés' route through central Mexico. For his writing, he has won the Grand Prize Award in the 2018 Chaucer Book Awards and the Deixler-Swain prize for his undergraduate thesis on the Spanish-Mexican war.