A masterly and highly acclaimed account of one of the most exciting conquests known to history.
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"'A superb work of narrative history' Antonia Fraser; 'It is a delight to praise a book of this quality which combines careful scholarship with sparkling narrative skill' Philip Magnus, Sunday Times; 'A superbly vivid history' The Times"
Book Description
'A superb work of narrative history' Antonia Fraser On 25 September 1513, a force of weary Spanish explorers cut through the forests of Panama and were confronted with an ocean: the Mar del Sur, or the Pacific Ocean. Six years later the Spaniards had established the town of Panama as a base from which to explore and exploit this unknown sea. It was the threshold of a vast expansion. From the first small band of Spanish adventurers to enter the mighty Inca empire, to the execution of the last Inca forty years later, The Conquest of the Incas is a story of bloodshed, infamy, rebellion and extermination, told as convincingly as if it happened yesterday. 'It is a delight to praise a book of this quality which combines careful scholarship with sparkling narrative skill' Philip Magnus, Sunday Times 'A superbly vivid history' The Times
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ON 25 September 1513 a force of weary Spanish explorers cut through the forests of Panama and were confronted by an ocean: the Mar del Sur, the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
ON 25 September 1513 a force of weary Spanish explorers cut through the forests of Panama and were confronted by an ocean: the Mar del Sur, the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In the 1850's the first history of the conquest was written by an American called Prescott who collated over candlelight lost documents and letters sent back to Andalucia by the conquistadors. Hemming took over this forgotten history, writing it for our times. This is the modern version; fast moving, all action, easy to read and difficult to put down. If you enjoy adventure novels, take a look at real history. The Inca's surrendered to the Spanish was as amazing as it was fatalistic, their legends predicting the coming of the white gods. Their ruler Atahualpa surrendered himself to the Pizarros. The Spanish brothers greed for all the gold evident around them, led to them forcing the native people to fill a room full of gold as ransom for their ruler.Legend or fact? Gold crafted during that period remains rare in that country. Once completed, the brutish Pizarro brothers murdered the Inca after a mock trial. This story is reviewed well by Hemming, with all the gentleness of one side, all the harshness and greed in the other. It has all the elements required to facinate and revolt the reader, and only the reader can nominate his or her own hero. The conquest of Peru remains one of the most thrilling areas of adventure history, is pure escapism, and enough to get you on the plane out there!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Mauritius
Format:Paperback
The dream of almost every historian is surely to write a book that manages to match rigorous research with that easy writing style that makes your tome just as appealing to readers who prefer story-based fiction. It is something of a dark art and many have failed. John Hemming, though, has succeeded spectacularly.
Such was the obvious quality and scholarship of this book when it came out in the early 1970s that many experts believed that `John Hemming' was the pseudonym of a more established historian who was somehow taking a risk - and not the real name of a postgraduate student with a passion for Peru. This book does that rare thing of involving you so much in the epic story of the conquest - from the 168 incongruous Conquistadors who formed the kernel of the conquest 1532, all the way to the capture of Tupac Amaru forty years later - that you find that you have casually assimilated and retained a huge amount of fascinating information. In other words, it is what parents and teachers would love their children to read, as it seamlessly combines education with rollercoaster entertainment.
There are patches here that are not for the weak-hearted: slaughter and treachery abound; deceit is rife and on a monumental scale; and despite the author's immensely skilled efforts to keep the narrative balanced, you still find yourself inexorably rooting for one side against the other, hugely mismatched as they are. There is an immediacy in the breathless pace and monumental Andean backdrop that screams quality and which has you gripped. It had me doing something that I've never done to a history book before or since: I read it twice more.... Read more ›
Such was the obvious quality and scholarship of this book when it came out in the early 1970s that many experts believed that `John Hemming' was the pseudonym of a more established historian who was somehow taking a risk - and not the real name of a postgraduate student with a passion for Peru. This book does that rare thing of involving you so much in the epic story of the conquest - from the 168 incongruous Conquistadors who formed the kernel of the conquest 1532, all the way to the capture of Tupac Amaru forty years later - that you find that you have casually assimilated and retained a huge amount of fascinating information. In other words, it is what parents and teachers would love their children to read, as it seamlessly combines education with rollercoaster entertainment.
There are patches here that are not for the weak-hearted: slaughter and treachery abound; deceit is rife and on a monumental scale; and despite the author's immensely skilled efforts to keep the narrative balanced, you still find yourself inexorably rooting for one side against the other, hugely mismatched as they are. There is an immediacy in the breathless pace and monumental Andean backdrop that screams quality and which has you gripped. It had me doing something that I've never done to a history book before or since: I read it twice more.... Read more ›
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book whilst historical is written in an easy to read style and is hard to put down. Excellent book and highly recommended to anyone wanting to get a feel of the story of the conquest of Peru.
By Molerat
Format:Paperback
This is a quite brilliant work of narrative history. The early parts in particular rattle along like an adventure novel, and you have to constantly remind yourself that the extraordinary events described really did happen. Hemming makes exhaustive use of contemporary sources, often building paragraphs by weaving together quotations from 3 or 4 separate authors, adding to the sense of immediacy. Pauses in the action are filled with useful descriptions of Inca architecture or the panoply of Spanish and Inca soldiers, which help to draw a vivid picture of the people and places involved.
Later chapters deal with the development of various themes in the decades following the conquest, including the (mis)treatment of the natives in both theory and practice, the interminable arguments over the encomienda system, the importance of mining and the coca trade, experiments at various forms of government and the spread of Christianity. The book ends with brief reviews of the fates of the Inca descendants and the 19th/20th century search for the lost city of Vilcabamba. It is slightly dated now, as it doesn't include the latest research, but it is still recognised as one of the best available on the subject.
Almost inevitably, the tragedy that unfolds in these pages leaves the reader ardently wishing the Incas had won. Theirs was a well-run and not excessively unjust state, whilst the conquistadors seemed bent only on plunder.... Read more ›
Later chapters deal with the development of various themes in the decades following the conquest, including the (mis)treatment of the natives in both theory and practice, the interminable arguments over the encomienda system, the importance of mining and the coca trade, experiments at various forms of government and the spread of Christianity. The book ends with brief reviews of the fates of the Inca descendants and the 19th/20th century search for the lost city of Vilcabamba. It is slightly dated now, as it doesn't include the latest research, but it is still recognised as one of the best available on the subject.
Almost inevitably, the tragedy that unfolds in these pages leaves the reader ardently wishing the Incas had won. Theirs was a well-run and not excessively unjust state, whilst the conquistadors seemed bent only on plunder.... Read more ›
By Magsw
Format:Paperback
Well, what a book, informative, entertaining and very well written. I hope to read many more books from this author.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning, epic, almost flawless
This magnificent history reminded me of two other books: Wild Swans by Jung Chang and, maybe less surprisingly, Conquest, by Hugh Thomas. Read more
Published 18 months ago by mike y
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Definitive Story of the Conquistadores
Put quite simply this is one of the finest history books I have ever read. The story of the Spanish Invasion of South America and the subsequent conquest of the Incas is one of the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by John
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
I'd recommend this book. Has lots of facts and stories about the demise of the Incas. The author has received awards and the freedom of the countries of Peru and Brazil from the... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2011 by S. ANDERSON
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