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‘Aztec Century’
Of all the ‘alternate history’ novels based on Aztec themes, we feel this is the best of the bunch - so far anyway! It’s Aztec Century by Christopher Evans, first published in London by Victor Gollancz in 1993. 352pp. (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)
It’s unusual in many ways. As the subtitle - ‘Britain Enchained by the Aztec Empire’ - reveals, it’s set in modern times but based on the premise that the Aztecs have successfully conquered most of the world, including Britain. There’s romance, intrigue, excitement, twists and turns in the plot, and... Evans has done a superb job in his research on the Aztecs. We found it almost impossible to find fault, and moreover were impressed by how far he has gone to ground the storyline in authentic Aztec culture. The choice of names, spelling of Náhuatl terms, references to Aztec mores, knowledge and understanding of Aztec religion, calendrics, mythology, government, and society in general - from the Aztecs’ love of gardens (‘even more than the English’!) - to marriage customs, from festival paraphernalia to the reverence for speech-making - is second-to-none.
Oh, and we loved his ‘Nahuatlization’ of conquered place names, such as Zanhuanxico for San Francisco...!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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