The Last Days of the Incas

Kim MacQuarrie begins with the familiar story of Francisco Pizarro's meeting with the Inca emperor, Atahualpa, in 1532; the book really becomes interesting, however, once it delves into the brutal and complicated years of battle between warring factions of Spaniards, natives and political rivals that finished off the Inca empire. There is plenty of fascinating scholarship and raw history here that makes this worth reading, but most of it has been wrapped in a robust and cinematic narrative style that places a premium on drama. As a consequence, the text is riddled with ahistorical flourishes (i.e., flights of fancy prefaced by "undoubtedly..." and "one can imagine..."). By the end of the book, the reader is left with the feeling that he has been told a story; a complete, and self-contained narrative of adventure. In essence, it's a military history that pays very short shrift to Inca culture. We are told dozens of times throughout the book that the empire stretched "2,500 miles," as if by dint of repetition (rather than by being provided a wealth of historical detail) we will be filled with respect and admiration for the Inca body politic. All of this seems designed to thrill and enthrall casual readers. Those interested in a more exacting history would do well to look elsewhere.

Powerful prose. Beautiful to read. However in my opinion the author's point of view is rooted in the capitalist society of our time and fails in fully understanding the spirit of those explorers who fought for land, gold and the fountain of eternal youth.

This is a thoroughly fascinating insight into old world empire building. These 2 cultures are more alike than historical narratives sometimes portray them. It's got a nice chronology at the beginning of the book for date wonks. The artfull way the writer includes the mindsets of the actors made this a book I could hardly put down.