Skull Rack

by Ron Braithwaite

Skull Rack is a tale of the conquest of Mexico told by" This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891799770
• ISBN13: 9781891799778
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Harbor House (GA)
• Length: 329 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

BRAVO!

As a South American who grew up reading the conventional history text books (heavily influenced by the land owners interests and those of the Catholic Church who so handsomely profitted from the indian slavery), I found this Novella a lot closer to the truth. Braithwaite has done a terrific job of investigating the subject matter and is a mesmerizing story teller. Thanks Ron for a wonderful trip back to the 1500's

Skull Rack

Once I opened Skull Rack I could hardly put it down until finished. Author Ron Braithwaite spins a superb tale while demonstrating a thorough knowledge of ancient Mexico and the Spanish conquest. Somebody should place this book in Mel Gibson's hands...he'll thank them later. Skull Rack will make the perfect sequel to Gibson's movie Apocalypto. My only gripe is that Harbor House Publishing didn't include maps.

Great Book, can't wait for the sequel

THis book give a great insight into the most amazing conquest in the history of man.

Detailed account of Cortes' conquest of Mexico

An exciting historical novel. A gripping adventure story. The reader is treated to an "up close and personal" account of the conquest of Mexico. A conquest often overlooked but as important as any conquest in world history. I anxiously await the follow-up novel that completes the story of the conquest.

A far-reaching analysis of Hernan Cortes and his military tactics

This is a wonderful novel. I expected a good story and got much more. Through the eyes of Rodrigo de la Pena, whose family was eliminated by the Inquisition, we see the manipulations and brilliance of the charismatic leader, Hernan Cortes, as he leads his Conquisatodores into Mexico. This fictional analysis of Cortes' tactics and character explodes the trite accounts found in current school textbooks that imply that the sight of a few horses caused all opposition to the conquest of Tenochtitlan to melt away. This author clearly knows his territory; wild boars, folk medicine,the difficulties of musketry, the elaborate sacrificies of the Indios, are an integral part of the story. Additional irony and tension exist thoughout because we know from the outset that Rodrigo is now the Spanish Inqusitor-General. Despite this, and his avowed intent to force a captured Jesuit to rewrite history, he is a remarkably credible and even sympathetic character. The only negative comment I can make is my disappointment that the book ended where it did. I cannot wait to get my hands on volume two. Volume one leaves us outside Tenochtitlan. Rodrigo is entangled between a captured maiden who was thrust upon him, and a beautiful woman who has helped finance the expedition. He also has abandoned a child he fathered in Italy during his early soldering days. We cannot be left wondering what happened to all of them. We also have the entitled Jesuit, who is being forced to write down Rodrigo's memoirs. His fate seems very tenuous. Will he survive? As a reader, I care less for him than for any of the other characters, but it will be interesting to see how Rodrigo treats him once his task is done. A great read.