Death of the Fifth Sun

A monumental historical novel of the conquistador Hernan Cortes and his beautiful Indian consort who, in their quest for gold and God's glory, toppled the Aztec Empire.

In this glorious novel, rich in historical detail, Robert Somerlott re-creates all the splendor and savagery of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. His tale is told through the eyes of Lady Malinche, a woman of noble birth, who played a vital part in Montezuma's downfall— and the history of the New World.

Chosen to serve as Cortes's translator. Lady Malinche uses both cunning and charm to become his confidante, his battlefield companion, and his lover. Like an implacable god, Cortes is ruthless in battle, both the champion of Christianity and the overlord of the barbarian plunderers. His obsession with conquest enthralls the despotic Emperor Moctezuma, who sees in the arrival of Cortes the fulfillment of the mythic Return of the Plumed Serpent to the treasure-filled City of the Sun, Tenochtitlan. Somerlott brilliantly portrays the fiery clashes among these three people, each driven by passionate dreams and hopes, and the carnage that inevitably followed in their wake.

Set against a background of bloody pagan rituals, mammoth battles, lethal internecine intrigues, and the terrors of the Inquisition, this unforgettable novel captures the tragic essence of a cataclysmic era.