Inca

by Suzanne Alles Blom

Book Overview

In 1532, Spanish Conquistadors sought to subjugate the Incan Empire and loot its gold. Among the Incas facing them was Atahualpa, the self-assured son of the Emperor. It is Atahualpa's task to discover the purpose of the galleon which has come to their shores, and uncover the threat posed by these invaders.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081257883X
• ISBN13: 9780812578836
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.5" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent

This is an excellent work of alternate history, where Pizarro's Conquistadors do not encounter an Inca empire that has just suffered a civil war. The empire still has its problems though: smallpox has struck and the emperor isn't fully aware of how serious a threat these foreigners are. The characters are well-developed and appealing; one never thinks that they are modern folks dressed up in 16th-century garb. My biggest problem with this book is that it was meant to be the start of a three-book series. The other two books have apparently been written, but cannot find a publisher. I mourn their loss.

A worthy addition to the genre.

In my efforts to fill the hole in my life that exists between fininishing Eric Flint's "1633" and the arrival of its sequel, I fortuitoulsy happened on "Inca." It was not in the SF and Fantasy section, so I originally took it for a Clive Cussler clone. Thank goodness I picked it up and read the back side. This is right up there with Flint, although closer as a sub-genre to Jake Page's "Apacheria," which is to say we are not dealing with folks from the present going to the past. The hypothesis here is "if things had started just a little differently . . " It proceeds from there very logically and very enjoyably. It is well-researched and well-plotted. The only down-side is it has left me with a hole in my life to fill until its sequel comes out. Ms Blom, you owe us now. You have a contract with your readers. Write faster!

Praise for "Inca"

Want to travel to the empire of the Inca? This book will take you there!This richly textured story made me feel as though I was walking the mountain paths alongside "Exemplary Fortune", its hero. The detailed descriptions of the people, their culture and the land around them made this fast-paced book an enjoyable read.Highly recommended.

A World Reversed

Ignorance is not bliss. At least not in the land of Four Quarters, called Peru by the Conquistadors and the Inca Empire in our history books. Ignorance of the threat personified by the Spanish is what caused Unique Inca Atahualpa to make the mistakes that ended his reign in disaster. Ignorance of Spanish weaponry, ferocity and sheer audacity. Not arrogance, as the editorial review above hints. Although the Incas had reason to be arrogant. They had, after all, crafted an empire covering all of the known lands and nearly all the known tribes. And imposed on the Four Quarters a military and economic rule enlightened by the standards of any century. Racial and religious tolerance, to give two examples.But they had no idea what they were up against. Well, neither really did the Spanish, but they were willing to make up for that with pitiless violence and reckless bravery. Atahualpa and the Incas made the easy mistake of judging their visitors by their own standards, none of which the Spanish shared. The result was the conquest we have read about before.But in this book of alternative history, Suzanne Blom corrects some of these problems for the Incas. She gives her principal character the chance to learn about the nature of the Spanish threat before it is too late. The result turns the history we know upside down, although the issue is still in doubt as this first book of the series ends.And what a fine book it is. Suzanne writes in a clear, spare prose that cuts easily through the mass of details most authors would get bogged down in. Her research is superb, and quite properly hidden behind the scenes and characters. This research is most clearly revealed in her use of translations of Inca names and places-- Atahualpa becomes Exemplary Fortune, military men given names like Shrewdness and Thorniest while the city of Cuzco is revealed as Navel, as in birthplace of the whole world. Such translations give the reader easy access to Inca attitudes and culture. (A captured Spaniard becomes Tamed Ocelot, which should give you an idea of the Inca sense of humor.) And this makes it easy for the author-- after a lot of hard work beforehand-- to let each character shine as a real person. No cardboard stereotypes, here. Incas, Spaniards and anyone else encountered seem as familiar to the reader as those encountered or read about every day. Motives and actions become understandable, making the reader part of the story and keeping him turning the pages. I can scarcely wait for the next book in the series. You should not wait to read this one.

Through Inca eyes

When you read this book, you will se the world through the eyes of Incas, and it's not the world you expect. Meticulously researched and suspenseful. Suzanne changed ONE THING in the real history of the Incas, and everything changed.