People of the Sun / Conquistadors

Description

Product DescriptionPeople of the Sun / ConquistadorsTwo Novellas by Steve RoachPeople of the Sun:Francis Marks has had enough of his dull life and is tired of being just another employee number in a big corporation. He needs to shake things up a bit, and applies for a job teaching English at a government funded school in Manaus, Brazil.In Manaus, he befriends Eduardo, a local tour boat operator. Eduardo tells him that he needs investors for an audacious plan to head out into the jungle and look for Inca gold, smuggled out of Peru centuries before. They put an advertisement in the city newspaper and meet with the three potential investors, Englishmen with money who have a good reason for needing to spend a few months in the jungle, away from the eyes of the authorities.With details agreed, they head deep into the jungle, taking a number of local labourers. The work will be long and hard, and will involve endless digging, day after day in the sweltering heat. The jungle is the kind of place that seems to bring out the worst in men. It brings out their violent, brutish natures. Tempers fray, and relationships turn ugly. Danger lurks everywhere, from the creatures circling the camp to the hostile human visitors intent on seeing them leave. When men begin dying, and escape is ruled out, the mere act of survival becomes more valued than any amount of hidden gold.Novella - 41,700 words.Contains strong scenes of horror.Amazon Review:The story is bleak and brutal and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of the Jonestown massacre for some reason, and there's a little bit of 'Lord of the Flies' in there as well. I'm going to keep an eye out for anything else this author produces, because I haven't read anything quite like this before.Conquistadors:In 1519, Hernán Cortés leads an expedition of six hundred men into the New World. They reach the city of Tenochtitlán, where the horrors of human sacrifice are a daily occurrence. When relationships with their hosts turn sour, Cortés and his army become trapped in the city, and suddenly find themselves at the mercy of two million Aztec warriors, all intent on ripping the Spaniards' still-beating hearts from their chests.'Conquistadors' is a retelling of one of the most startling events in history, the fall of the Aztec empire, brought about by a small band of hardy Spanish soldiers whose greed for gold is equaled only by the Aztecs' desire for human blood.Novella - 45,700 words.Contains strong scenes of horror.Amazon Review:For those with an interest in South American history, this is an enjoyable work based on tales of conquest and ancient civilisation. I read it in big chunks and really enjoyed it.