Aztec Fire

Aztec #5

by Gary Jennings, Robert Gleason, Junius Podrug

The Aztec uprising in 1810 left young Juan Martez orphaned in a savage land. Like many native Aztecs, Juan was sentenced to hang by the Spanish. But his life is spared when a Spanish gunmaker learns of his skills with gunpowder and buys him to make munitions. Keeping his Aztec heritage low key, Juan becomes the finest gunmaker in the colony--and the best shot. But both talents are kept secret--if the Spanish knew of his skills, he would surely be killed. Juan secretly works the Mexican underground, running guns and black powder to guerrilla forces fighting for independence. Along the way he falls in love with Maria Volza, a fiery revolutionary stirring up the masses, but she rejects him as fallen under the Spanish boot. But Juan's destiny is to lead the Mexicans against Spanish rule, and when Maria discovers the life Juan has hidden so well, a battle is ignited and the revolution begins.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Gary Jennings led a paradoxically picaresque life. On one hand, he was a man of acknowledged intellect and erudition. His novels were international best sellers, praised around the world for their stylish prose, lively wit and adventurously bawdy spirit. They were also massive - often topping 500,000 words - and widely acclaimed for the years of research he put into each one, both in libraries and in the field.

Jennings served in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal- a decoration rarely given to soldier-reporters- and a personal citation by South Korean President Syngman Rhee for his efforts on behalf of war orphans.

Where the erudition came from, however, was something of a mystery.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/garyje...

Reviews

[Liviu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very good example that shows how "franchise" writing devolves in time to boring and lacking almost any of the entertainment value of the original(s).

Once upon a time Gary Jennings wrote a masterpiece called Aztec - he wrote 2 other superb historical novels Raptor and Journeyer but both fizzled a bit towards the end, while Aztec was pitch perfect end to end - and then after the mediocre Aztec Autumn that was somewhat of a coda to Aztec, the series moved centuries ahead in the historical timeline after Mr. Jennings death with 3 more novels based on his ideas, notes and unfinished writing.

The first 2 - Aztec Blood and Aztec Rage - were good to very good, keeping both the picaresque adventures that made Mr. Jennings such a pleasure to read, but also the dark, funny and action filled writing, sometimes over the top but still entertaining and worth reading, though already Aztec Rage was showing signs of franchise tiredness, but the powerful ending fully redeemed it.

Now comes the third posthumous franchise novel and this one while readable is quite boring and far, far away even from Aztec Rage, not to speak of the original Aztec or the pretty good Aztec Blood.

If you are a fan of the series pick a library copy but otherwise I would put a big avoid sign on this one.

[VWrulesChick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a bit to get into the characters and story, it takes place in the 1800s New Spain (Mexico)... but once it got going it felt like an adventure unseen...sort of like Indiana Jones - but with Juan and Luis on their crazy situations and how they get out them ..mostly. Plus, a little love story between Maria and Juan and what happens while Juan is on the other side the world. Easy read.

[Fred · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is novel is OK. The authors have used all the Jennings’ ingredients, but without Jennings’spectacular talent at storytelling and his sense of details.

Aztec Rage is the story of Mazatl-Juan Rios, a descendant of the Toltecs. At the beginning, he finds himself in Tula with his two uncles – one is a Spanish frey, the other an indio.

They are caught in a battle with a Spanish group, and the uncles are killed. Juan is made prisoner and sent to the mines, where he is saved by a gunsmith who takes him to work as slave in his gunshop. There, he develops great abilities in the fabrication of firearms and secretly offers ammunition to the rebels of Lake Chapala.

One day, he sees Maria, the woman of his dreams, kissing a man he believes is a spy for the Spanish authorities. Maria runs a print shop and secretly distributes revolutionary pamphlets against the regime. Juan’s observation proves to be right, for Maria is captured shortly thereafter by the authorities… and the man that she kissed earlier conducts the arrestation. Juan Rios frees her and they escape to the China Road region of New Spain, where colonel Guerrero is fighting for the revolution. They become wanted criminals.

Then they meet an extravagant man named Luis, who passes as a count. He takes Maria and Juan to act as horsemen and travel to the China Road, where they meet colonel Guerrero, but Juan and Luis are captured after the latter’s fortuneteller tricks are discovered. They are sent to the Manila galleon, where they are treated as slaves and work belowdeck. However, they convince captain Zapata, who runs the ship, that they know everything about gunpowder and cannon powder. The captain accepts their service. Thus, they improve their treatment.

They travel to Hong Kong to buy the necessary equipment to fight the pirates of Manila’s Pirate Alley. They survive a fight and a typhoon. They are taken by cannibals on an unfriendly island and saved by a sultan’s sergeant who invites them to court. They are treated with respect, until they are sold to Anak, a merchant, who uses them as gunsmiths. The sultan again require their service : they have to make gunpowder to fight the Dutch. They plan an escape by setting the palace afire. They board a Portuguese ship that goes to Lisbon, then buy their trip back to Veracruz, using rubies that were given to Luis by the sultan’s harem. When they are back in the colony, Juan’s priority is to find Maria.

He rescues a man from the bandidos. That man proves to be colonel Agustin Iturbide, the one who killed Juan Rios’ family at Tula many years before. That man acknowledges Juan’s talent for manipulating arms. He decides to employ him, then informs him that he has accepted the viceroy’s army command in the China Road’s region, where the rebel Guerrero has been fighting the Spanish authorities for a decade. Surprise : Iturbide wants to join force with Guerrero and turn against the viceroy of New Spain. Juan meets with Guerrero and finds Maria, his long lost love. They help seal the pact between Guerrero and Iturbide.

They – Maria, Luis and Juan – are sent to Mexico City to warn the population of the approaching rebel army. Juan succeeds in burning the black powder reserve at Chapultepec and rescues Maria who is caught by the Inquisition.

Enough said. The book is fast-paced, but the characters fail to captivate. It sometimes lack detail and moves too fast.

[Anne Eldridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading all of the previous books in the Aztec series, it's pretty clear that this should've been left in Jenning's unfinished manuscript file.

While I think it's admirable that when an author passes away, others will step forward to finish the work and give the fans more, it's clear that the "something" that was Gary Jennings' voice is missing in the books compiled after his death.

Disappointing, really—not on the epic level that "Scarlett" was following Gone With the Wind, but a disappointment nonetheless.

[Kass · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely horrendous. The final book in the series, written by ghost writers, leaves much to be desired. The authors seem to have taken Jennings' notes, inserted the "the" and the "and"s in and left it as is! This is nothing but a bare bones book with descriptions of events and objects more like reading encyclopedia excerpts instead of historical fiction.

[Kate prefers books to people]

This is by far the shortest and wildest book in the series, with the main character traveling the Pacific.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mexico Early 1800's Rebels fighting for independence.

Tula, formally, Tula de Allende, is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico the municipality has a total population of 93,296The municipality includes numerous smaller outlying townsIt is located some 100 km to the north-northwest of Mexico City.
Nearby are the remains of the ancient capital city of the Toltecs, also known as "Tula" or as "Tollan". Usually identified as the Toltec capital around 980 CE, the city was destroyed at some time between 1168 and 1179. Tula became the capital city following Teotihuacan, although it never reached the same size due to competing cities in the area.
The core of Tula was a precinct containing pyramids, ball courts, and vast colonnaded halls. Toltec architecture is distinctive, featuring details that indicate Toltec influence when they turn up elsewhere at sites as distant as the Yucatán peninsula and the US Southwest.
The city was the largest in central Mexico in the 9th and 10th centuries, covering an area of some 12 km² with a population of at least some 30,000, possibly significantly more. While it might have been the largest city in Mesoamerica at the time, some Maya sites in the Yucatán may have rivaled its population during this period. However Tula never grew to the size of Teotihuacan. There were too many other competing cities in the region. Its inhabitants lived in nuclear family houses as well as larger compounds, a pattern that suggests weaker government but stronger nongovernmental organizations.
Distinctive Toltec features here include terraced pyramids, colonnaded buildings, and relief sculptures such as Atlantean figures, including the characteristic chacmools, reclining figures that may have been Avatars of the rain god, Tlaloc. These chacmools held plates on their stomachs, which can be seen as an offering to the gods. The colonades of Tula supported roofs of wood and adobe that covered airy halls. There are two large courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. Some of the architecture is similar to that at Chichen Itza.
The site was extensively looted in Aztec times, with much of the artwork and sculpture carted off. Human figures known as “atlantids” served as main pillars in the temple that stood atop the main pyramid. The entrance was flanked by pillars sculpted in the form of the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl. The serpent pillars are now missing.

Codices-a codex was a strip of paper made from fig tree bark, cloth from the maguay plant or deerskin. 6 inches wide and could be 30 feet long. Glued to wooden covers.

Animistic-three superior gods oversee creation, agriculture and war.Countless other spirits run the forsets, rivers, earth and sky.Some are good. Some are evil. Everything has a spirit, even earth and rocks.

Naga- serpent spirit is a servant of Buddha. When Buddha approached the serpent coiled to make a seat and raised it's hood to shade the master's head from the sun.

Mercury is used in silver mining to seperate the silver from other ore.

Charles IV of Spain.dim witted. Turned Spain over to Napolean for a rich pension that never got paid.

Francisco Pizarro-Conquorer of the Incas of Peru

The Spanish called all indios Aztecs

Gauchupines- born in Spain
CRIOLLOS- Spanish born in new Spain (Mexico) Were seen as less pure blooded than gachupines
Quetzalcoatl-Feathered Serpent--ancient Toltec God. Quetzal was a bird with bright feathers. Coatl is the word for snake.His mother was a virgin, impregnated when she ingested a piece of jade

TLAXTLI-ball game. Players wore uniforms depicting different animals. Captin of the losing team was sacrificed. Heart ripped out and given to captain of winning eam to eat.. Skull used to make the ball they played with.

Chacmool-rain God. Carried a bowl for blood and a dagger on his upper arm.

ayyo--ouch!

Father Miguel Hidalgo (from the town of Dolores) kicked off Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain on September 16, 1810 when he issued his famous "Cry of Dolores" in which he exhorted Mexicans to rise up and throw off Spanish tyranny. For almost a year, Hidalgo led the independence movement, battling Spanish forces in and around Central Mexico. He was captured and executed in 1811, but others picked up the struggle and Hidalgo is today considered the father of the country.

Guadalajara- 320 miles from the capital

Pulque-juice of the maguey plant. (Makes a sour beer)

Charles V 24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think some of the reviews given here for Aztec Fire are a little too harsh – this is a good book, though not a great book. I found Aztec Fire an enjoyable and informative read that keeps the pages turning and can be read at speed, this was helped in part by a good deal of first person narration (in a good way). Action packed and ranging from 19th century civil-war-Mexico to the mysterious craziness of Hong Kong, his wily, exciting characters utilize their prodigious talents with the resourcefulness of Homeric heroes. With historical and linguistic accuracy, including splashes of Spanish vocab. for atmosphere – all sowed into a plot of impressive scope - the characters battle extreme odds with imperturbable tenacity; their lives often hanging by a thread and totally dependent on desperate gambles forged in crafty plans, borne of, sometimes fantastical banks of experience, knowledge, and skill-sets. The two male protagonists and the heroine are the kind that men or women want to sleep with and men or women want to be, and the more ambivalent characters have redeeming qualities to lend them a shot of sparkling charisma. My only objection is that I felt the richness of the novel subtly paled before the end, and, even during the story, there are times when a little more emotional conflict would have improved the novel - it's as though the author has relied too much on historical suspense to drive the sub-plots along. Furthermore, the end comes perhaps too suddenly, and, arguably, not gloriously enough (though not ingloriously). Either way, this is negated by the attribute(in my opinion)of all quality novels, that the fun starts long before the half-way point of the book, even though the beginning is a little like reading a non-fiction manual on gun-making. Overall an enjoyable read, bolstered by detail and accuracy and sympathetic characters, and worth picking up, especially if you’re interested in the period.

[David H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being cheap by nature (and proud of it), I have always purchased used books for two or three dollars from thrift stores. Then i would read the novel, record it in reading journal and donate it back to the thrift store. Now, two of my favorite stores, Ollie's and Dollar General sell brand new books for three dollars. I bought Aztec Fire at Dollar General without knowing anything about the authors.

Gary Jennings is well respected author known for writing very long (something like 1500 page) novels. I haven't read any of his work yet. His novel, Raptor looks interesting, but it is lengthy like all of his other books. Jennings did not write Aztec Fire which was published in 2008; he passed away in 1999. If I remember correctly, Robert Gleason and junius Podrug were Gary jennings' editor and literary agent (I forget which was what; it is listed on the inside of the back cover). These two guys utilized Jennings notes from his book Aztec to crank out 4 or 5 novels all set in Mexico. I have read two of these books and enjoyed them.

Aztec Fire was well written and quick paced. Set in Mexico during the early 1800s when the Spanish treated the native Mexicans poorly. The main Character Juan Martez quickly moves from one adventure to the next and recieves more than his fair share of loving. The sex scenes were not too graphic in my opinion. I learned how to make gun powder and a little about Mexico's history. I can't say that Aztec Fire changed my life, but I did enjoy reading it.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having picked this up at a thrift store not knowing it was part of series before starting it, I read this not having read the previous books in the Aztec series. Reading this as a stand-alone novel, I found it pleasant enough. Most of the reviews I've read rate this book lower because it does not stand up Aztec and Aztec Blood, which may be true and I may or may not agree when I read them. As for this book however, I found it an intriguing story of this young man's life and had no problem making it through to the end. After reading the book and doing some brief research on the Mexican War for Independence (not being previously familiar with the historical points of it), I realized that the authors, whether it be from Gleason and Podrug or taken from Jennings' notes, did quite well in their research and keeping it historically accurate. Overall I'd call it a worthwhile read. From what I gather, if you are loyal to the series, read it as a stand-alone and don't try to compare it to the previous books. It must be taken into account that this was not written by the same author of the originals, but from a collaboration of others based on his notes and manuscript following his death.

[Nena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am still reading the book but nearing to the end. With that said, it has been obvious from the start that the original heart of Gary Jennings was not in this book. Sometimes it is merely like reading a history book with listed facts simply encompassed by quotation marks from the character. His co-authors who put everything together in his absence were mediocre at best. I cannot decide if they were trying to make one last hoorah for the original author (and sadly failed), or if they were trying to make a quick buck by throwing together what information/research/notes Gary Jennings himself had collected. Either way, I am truly disappointed that a great author has been tainted by poor writing, after his death, and by writing that was not done by his own hand.

[Joe Slavinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It often strains my willing suspension of belief, in historical fiction, when the protagonist, given the time period, does something extremely unlikely, to the point of impossibility. Such is the case, in this book, as a barely literate indio, from a small village in central Mexico, in the early 17th century, not only becomes a master gunsmith, but travels around the world, getting into and out of one death-defying fix, after another. The saving grace, is that the book is well-written, with a roller-coaster pace, that keeps you turning pages, even as you're mentally saying, "no way!" If you're into historical fiction, particularly the post-Aztec era in Mexico, you may very well like this book.

[Adrasto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gary Jennings, morto nel 1999, pubblica un libro nel 2009. La mia domanda é: perché gli avete fatto questo? Il mio sospetto è che qualcuno abbia preso una serie di appunti lasciati dallo scrittore e li abbia incollati insieme con lo sputo, colmando i punti morti con una narrazione semplice e, molto spesso, inefficace. Il risultato è un libro che nell'idea principale è anche fin troppo simile a quelli precedentemente scritti dall'autore, ma che nella sostanza, ovvero in quello che contiene, è povero di contenuti in maniera tale che, davvero, non si comprende per quale ragione lo si sia voluto pubblicare.

[Michael]

Another ghost-written GJ book. I will never stop reading these as they come out, but this one lacked much of the style that the originals have. Too bad GJ isn't still around. The viewpoint changes in a confusing fashion, worse that many parts seem simply cobbled together from notes without any effort at dramatization. The rogue narrator is sometimes dropped altogether in favor of straight historical blurbs. Funny I saw this same guy, Junius Podrug on the cover of another book made from a dead writer's notes. Good work if you can get it.

[Janak Joshi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was... just okay. To an extent, a decent adventure with pirates, revolutionaries, and gunfighting - but not a whole lot of substance behind it. Definitely falls into that historical fiction trap of the occasional info dump. I didn’t realize at first that it was constructed from Jennings’ notes by two other authors, but that makes sense - the ending is especially fast paced and starts to feel sloppy. Also, after like the second or third catastrophic event that really should’ve killed Juan, I started to roll my eyes a bit at his plot armor. Wasn’t really a fan at all haha

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a bad action movie in literary form. Granted, it made it easy to read. Naked people, things blowing up, and gun fights will do that to a book...I also appreciated the few spanish words I learned for anatomy I never knew before...but it kind of gave me that same feeling I have when I stay up late and watch info-mercials. In the process, I'm entertained. Right after I'm done, I'm filled with regret for the time wasted.

[Anna Engel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jennings is extremely heavy-handed with the history lessons, which interrupts the story flow constantly. It's not that it's boring; it's just overload. I got halfway through and decided it wasn't worth my time.

The story itself is so-so. Juan Rios is moderately likable, but too stereotypical. So is his female companion.

The chapters - and sections – are staccato, too fast for coherency. There are 124 chapters for a 400-page book. It's silly.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the author is listed as "Gary Jennings," he didn't write this book. The real authors are listed in tiny print at the bottom of the cover. Once this book got going, it really takes off. The main character, a revolutionary Aztec, is sold into slavery and escapes cannibals, pirates, and a sultan. A very fast read and a little-over-the-top, but that's part of its charm.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it started off great but it went downhill after about 150 pages. The story is just too improbable. That being said, it's still a fun swashbuckling adventure and I enjoyed the character Luis. It's a quick read too.

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary Jennings didn't write this book. He died in 1999.

[josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good in a whole. lots of filler added in to make it longer though. it got a bit boring in some parts

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't call this a favorite, but it entertained me

[Reena Yadav · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a random purchase. There was a good pace at the beginning of the book. However, it became dull and boring as the filler plot took a substantial portion of the book.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the colonial history of Mexico.

[Tandy Sauve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately not as good as the rest of the series.

[Jack Laschenski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spanish oppressors vs. the natives in Mexico, cica 1820.

A good read!!

[Mike Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

23

[Tessa Stockton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prejudice leads to weaponry leads to cold action leads to brutality leads to cliffhanging resolve.