The Serpent and the Eagle

Book excerpt: Tenochtitlan, 1519. Motecuhzoma, leader of the Mexica Confederacy, rules over the largest domain in all of Mesoamerica and has every expectation that his nation will continue to reign supreme... but the arrival of strange foreigners will test that confidence. Driven by God, gold, and glory, the uncouth interlopers are led by Hernando Cortes and command weapons that can shake the sky. They hail from a faraway land called Spain, and they may have sinister designs. Their disruptive presence demands a response, and the choice Motecuhzoma must make could elevate his nation to new heights or cause its ruin. Combining the superb research of the Moundville Duology with the gripping battles of the Conqueror Series, this award-winning novel draws upon modern scholarship to recount an event still unique today: the epic collision of two civilizations separated for millennia. Editorial Reviews "A captivating, well-plotted, bicultural dramatization of the months prior to Motecuhzoma's meeting with Cortés, deftly transporting the reader 500 years back into the eyes and intimate relationships of key participants--Mesoamerican and European, emperor and counselor, conqueror and slave." --Andrew Rowen, author of Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold "The story weaves a rich tapestry of Spanish conquistadors and native Mexica--commonly known as the Aztecs--as well as the neighboring native tribes, that transports readers to the lush jungles and grand cities of pre-Hispanic Mexico. The writing is clear and easy to read, with just enough Spanish and Nahuatl to add deep flavors without slowing the pace." --Casey Robb, author of The Devil's Grip "The Serpent and the Eagle is expertly written and painstakingly researched.... Rickford has captured a fascinating historical moment and turned it into an absorbing story that makes the history come alive." --Jim White, author of Borders in Paradise "In The Serpent and the Eagle, Edward Rickford has achieved wonderful world-building/scene-setting to the extent that even if you aren't familiar with the history surrounding the novel, you can pick this book up and enjoy it regardless." --Aaron Booth, author of Life Eternal "The Serpent and the Eagle is another literary text that may offer the reader exits out of the colonial wound of indignity and entrances into the enunciative reclamation of silenced historical, social, and cultural spaces." --C.T. Mexica, Ph. D, Arizona State University "Told through multiple points of view, Rickford's words flow from the page like silk, engrossing the reader in insatiable Spanish hunger for gold and the anxiety Cortez's conquest brings to the native Mexica." --K.M. Pohlkamp, author of Apricots and Wolfsbane Winner of the 2017 Best in Category Prize in the 2017 Chaucer Book Awards for historical fiction.