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jgolomb's review against another edition
4.0
This was the book that really ignited my passion and interest in New World exploration. Woods combines contemporary quotes and descriptions with his own modern-day journeys in detailing the adventures of four seminal Spanish explorers - Hernan Cortes, Francisco Pizzaro, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, and Francisco Orellana.
This book was written as a companion piece to Woods' PBS documentary, but it stands alone fine without the video. While recounting the adventurers and their adventures, Woods (and his crew) follow parts of their routes and finds connections with each journey.
While this device isn't all that unique, it provides a very modern connection with these distant stories. It's a reminder that these events didn't actually occur very far away in either time or place. He blends the historical with the modern and all of the stories read very smoothly. Accompanying each tale are a series of color images - historical artwork, as well as photos from the trips that followed in the footsteps of these conquerers.
The book isn't intended to dive deeply into each adventure. But the detail is more than adequate and certainly whetted my desire to learn more.
I highly recommend this book.
This book was written as a companion piece to Woods' PBS documentary, but it stands alone fine without the video. While recounting the adventurers and their adventures, Woods (and his crew) follow parts of their routes and finds connections with each journey.
While this device isn't all that unique, it provides a very modern connection with these distant stories. It's a reminder that these events didn't actually occur very far away in either time or place. He blends the historical with the modern and all of the stories read very smoothly. Accompanying each tale are a series of color images - historical artwork, as well as photos from the trips that followed in the footsteps of these conquerers.
The book isn't intended to dive deeply into each adventure. But the detail is more than adequate and certainly whetted my desire to learn more.
I highly recommend this book.
alexctelander's review against another edition
2.0
In this latest work on the Spanish conquistadors, an adaptation from the BBC television series, by Michael Wood, we have a whole new aspect of how the conquistadors behaved with their control over the New World.
It is almost as if Wood had once been a conquistador himself, as he retells of those brave soldiers walking in this alien terrain and fighting for their lives in an effort to civilize (or ethnically cleanse, perhaps?) those savage Indians who don’t know better. While this may come as a shock to some, from a historical and even cultural aspect, the readers gets an entire one-sided view of what the conquistadors thought of the Indians.
This glossy book, full of color photos, drawings and paintings, as well as an in-depth index, represents a useful historical source for anyone’s rich library, especially if they have a viewpoint in any way similar to Woods.
Originally published on November 12th 2001.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
It is almost as if Wood had once been a conquistador himself, as he retells of those brave soldiers walking in this alien terrain and fighting for their lives in an effort to civilize (or ethnically cleanse, perhaps?) those savage Indians who don’t know better. While this may come as a shock to some, from a historical and even cultural aspect, the readers gets an entire one-sided view of what the conquistadors thought of the Indians.
This glossy book, full of color photos, drawings and paintings, as well as an in-depth index, represents a useful historical source for anyone’s rich library, especially if they have a viewpoint in any way similar to Woods.
Originally published on November 12th 2001.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
sardonic_writer's review
3.0
Would have been 4 stars if not for the travelogue parts, I'm just not interested in that.
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