I assumed this was a novel with made-up characters in real historical times, keeping to fact on the big names, places and events, but totally fabricating the characters. But the cover implies that all the people were real, and so does an internet search. So I was wrong, but I don't think that would have changed my opinion. He seems to have done a great job. The details of daily life are so very, very detailed that it reads like a volume of history. And that, I fear, is my problem.
Historians love history, and of course they want to cram in all the facts they can uncover. Here's a couple of fact-filled examples:
They walked among palaces of magnificent stone and cedar with great rooms and courts covered by awnings of woven cloth. The buildings were shining with lime and decorated with different kinds of stonework and paintings. Countless multitudes of men, women and children stood in the streets and on the rooftops or sat in canoes on the canals to see them.And,
He walked through gardens with a myriad of red, white and yellow flowers, blooming trees, and ponds of fresh water with an array of colorful fish. There was an aviary with every from of bird he had ever seen in this land and more. Everything was built of stone and plastered, including baths, walkways and the large open rooms where Montezuma's entertainers danced and sang.
I liked reading this, and I'm not saying the book is overloaded with detail--for example, he didn't list every color and type of fish. I was just about the right balance of description, dialog, action, and reflection for my tastes, but I expect some people will say it should have had more detail.
But my issue is...he writes like a historian. Historians cultivate a certain degree of emotional reserve between themselves and their subjects. It's necessary, I guess, to keep things accurate--but it left me cold. I liked the people, I understood their struggles, but I didn't feel their struggles.
So maybe not a great story, but definitely a great history.
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