INCAS: Book 2, The Gold of Cuzco

Daniel—the pseudonym of French novelists Antonie Audouard and Jean-Daniel Baltassat—continues the saga of Indian princess Anamaya and Spanish nobleman Gabriel Montelucar y Flores in this second volume of the Incas trilogy. It's the mid-16th century, and the Spanish are bludgeoning their way through the Incan empire, with conquistador Francisco Pizarro scoring military victories, politicking to consolidate his power and trying to manipulate Incan emperor Manco to set up the wealthy city of Cuzco for conquest. Against this violent backdrop, Anamaya and Gabriel fall in love, she teaching him much about Incan culture and, for better or worse, helping the Spanish to understand her people. When she learns that Pizarro plans to take Cuzco, Anamaya is torn in her loyalties. She tries to warn the Spanish that the Incas won't give up the city easily, but to no avail: the Spanish suffer heavy casualties, and Gabriel is among the grievously wounded. Daniel spins a vivid tale, with first-rate knowledge of the period, though much of the plot is boilerplate for this genre. Some may also get impatient with the florid prose, which slows the pace of the narrative considerably. The fact that this period is relatively underexplored in popular historical fiction may draw readers, but they'll have to work hard for their dose of adventure and thrills. (Dec.)