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Review
'A welcome addition to the literature . . . Lively and dramtic' --Washington Post
'Fascinating and enthralling . . . Truly a work worth Inca gold' --HISTORY magazine
'The Last Days of the Incas surprises, delivers history, and reads like a great yarn. I've read yards of books on the Incas but this one took me out of the classroom and into that long-lost world.' Keith Bellows, Editor in Chief, --National Geographic Traveller
'Fascinating and enthralling . . . Truly a work worth Inca gold' --HISTORY magazine
'The Last Days of the Incas surprises, delivers history, and reads like a great yarn. I've read yards of books on the Incas but this one took me out of the classroom and into that long-lost world.' Keith Bellows, Editor in Chief, --National Geographic Traveller
Booklist, May 15, 2007
"The Incas were members of the group of Quechuan peoples of Peru,
who established an empire from northern Ecuador to central Chile before the
Spanish conquest. MacQuarrie reminds his readers that nearly 500 years ago,
168 Spaniards arrived in what is now Peru and collided with an Incan empire
of 10 million people. The author, who lived in Peru for five years,
chronicles the adventures of Hiram Bingham, who, in 1911, discovered Machu
Picchu and believed it was the Incan capital. MacQuarrie also recounts the
search by Gene Savoy, the American explorer who found Vicabamba, the true
capital. He describes the adventures of other conquistadors and puppet
kings, the rebellion of 1535, and other military attempts to conquer the
Indians. MacQuarrie, a four-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, researched
Spanish and Incan chronicles. The result is a first-rate...work of
ambitious scope that will most likely stand as the definitive account of
these people." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
who established an empire from northern Ecuador to central Chile before the
Spanish conquest. MacQuarrie reminds his readers that nearly 500 years ago,
168 Spaniards arrived in what is now Peru and collided with an Incan empire
of 10 million people. The author, who lived in Peru for five years,
chronicles the adventures of Hiram Bingham, who, in 1911, discovered Machu
Picchu and believed it was the Incan capital. MacQuarrie also recounts the
search by Gene Savoy, the American explorer who found Vicabamba, the true
capital. He describes the adventures of other conquistadors and puppet
kings, the rebellion of 1535, and other military attempts to conquer the
Indians. MacQuarrie, a four-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, researched
Spanish and Incan chronicles. The result is a first-rate...work of
ambitious scope that will most likely stand as the definitive account of
these people." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
THE GAUNT, THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN EXPLORER, Hiram Bingham, clambered up the steep slope of the cloud forest, on the eastern flank of the Andes, then paused beside his peasant guide before taking off his wide-brimmed fedora and wiping the sweat from his brow. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE GAUNT, THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN EXPLORER, Hiram Bingham, clambered up the steep slope of the cloud forest, on the eastern flank of the Andes, then paused beside his peasant guide before taking off his wide-brimmed fedora and wiping the sweat from his brow. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Before I read this book, my knowledge of the Inca Empire was limited to a vague notion that they once had a great civilization that was quickly destroyed by a small bunch of Spaniards. I had no idea of the blood curdling drama that awaited me. Kim MacQuarrie's book is a riveting, thrill a minute tale written with such a skillful combination of elegant restraint and high stakes immediacy that I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter and on some occasions, (like when Manco Inca first mobilized the Incas into rebellion to name but one example), I had to remind myself to exhale. Right up to the end, I was willing the Incas to prevail, all the while knowing that their days were numbered. The fact that all the issues it so painstakingly and beautifully brings to the surface are scarily relevant to today's world does the book no disservice either. Read it.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you want to read about the conquest of the Incas, one of the two biggest epic stories in the Americas (the other being Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs, then you really only have two choices: John Hemming's The Conquest of the Incas, and Kim MacQuarrie's The Last Days of the Incas. Hemming's book was published in 1970, thus recent discoveries in Peru during the last four decades are missing--and a lot has happened. It is a very detailed book with lots of footnotes and research, however, it was written by an academic and is average in writing quality. There is thus no attempt in Hemming's book to bring the characters to life, or even to tell their full stories. MacQuarrie's book, on the other hand, was published in 2007 and thus is very up-to-date. You'll learn about recent and important discoveries in 1999 and 2001, how Machu Picchu figured into the conquest and was discovered, and so on. But what really sets it apart from any other book on Inca history is the writing quality. The Last Days of the Incas is really a phenomenal read, the best that I've come across, period. Not since William Prescott's The Conquest of Peru (published in 1847 and a big best seller in its time, but now very outdated) has anyone achieved what MacQuarrie has achieved, bringing the conquest of the Incas back to life. The Last Days of the Incas is not only well researched and up-to-date, but the book is an amazing page-turner. Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down. The author really succeeds in recreating Pizarro and his conquistadors and the various Inca emperors as full, three-dimensional characters. In sum, if you want to transport yourself in a time machine back to the 16th century in Peru and feel what it was like to be a participant in the sprawling epic that was the conquest of the Inca civilization, there's only one book to get: The Last Days of the Incas. Its a real tour de force.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First things first, this is a very well written and thoroughly absorbing account of Pizarro's conquest of the Incan Empire bookended with the archaeological importance of remaining Incan sites such as Macchu Picchu.
It is page turning stuff as this most incredible story unfolds like a fantasy novel and yet of course this all happened...sort of.
My one major issue is to bring this story so vividly to life, there is too much conjecture. True what Kim Macquarrie assumes is reasonable but it is still made up by the author rather than historical fact. Too often we are told what people are thinking in the situation or how some one delivered a line and then leapt onto their horse to ride into the afternoon sun. Evocative stuff but blatantly made up and while in this book the conjecture is never unreasonable too often in "history" books these lapses of good historical writing lead to biased and worryingly incorrect books that people read as "fact".
So have a read and enjoy, just be aware of the literary gloss.
If you liked this there's more historical debate and fun at @HistoryGems on Facebook and Twitter
It is page turning stuff as this most incredible story unfolds like a fantasy novel and yet of course this all happened...sort of.
My one major issue is to bring this story so vividly to life, there is too much conjecture. True what Kim Macquarrie assumes is reasonable but it is still made up by the author rather than historical fact. Too often we are told what people are thinking in the situation or how some one delivered a line and then leapt onto their horse to ride into the afternoon sun. Evocative stuff but blatantly made up and while in this book the conjecture is never unreasonable too often in "history" books these lapses of good historical writing lead to biased and worryingly incorrect books that people read as "fact".
So have a read and enjoy, just be aware of the literary gloss.
If you liked this there's more historical debate and fun at @HistoryGems on Facebook and Twitter
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I didnt want to put it down!
I studied History for my degree so I have a natural interest in the subject. I generally prefer my books to be informative and most importantly, accurate. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Michael Vargas
Concise but contains quite a bit of repitiion
I really enjoyed reading this book, being my first inca history book. The author is really concise in her writing and appears to know a lot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mel
Excellent
This is one of the most informative ancient history books I've ever read. It reads like a novel and is so discriptive that it feels as though you are there, witnessing the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Frenchy
Gripping insight
This is a combination of a novel and a scientific history textbook. Inevitably with this type of book there is a lot of interpretation that has to be taken with a pinch of salt but... Read more
Published 15 months ago by K. Andrews
The Last Days of the Incas
An incredibly well written piece of literature. Easy to read, historically informative and an amazing insight into the lives of the Spanish Conquistadors and the Incas, I felt I... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Sarah
Enlightening
I bought this book after I visited Peru & on reflection, I should have read it beforehand.
This is an incredibly insightful documentation of the discovery & subsequent... Read more
This is an incredibly insightful documentation of the discovery & subsequent... Read more
Published 20 months ago by J. Pumphrey
Vivid rendering of Inca fortunes and misfortunes
MacQuarrie conjurs up a vivid history of the Inca Empire and its conquest by the Spaniards. Rather like Bible stories, he has used his imagination to paint a vibrant picture of the... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Geoff Buck
one of the greatest stories ever told
EXTRAORDINARY, GRIPPING, COMPELLING, HARROWING, COMPREHENSIVE, IMPECCABLE, UNPUTDOWNABLE,... I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS TO EXPRESS MY ADMIRATION. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by Michel Boucaud
Brilliant
This took me a while to read as I'm not the fastest. I never lost interest. An exceptional work written in a way that encourages you to keep turning the pages. A great story. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2009 by Jack Russell
Epic and thrilling
It has always surprised me that no-one with a Hollywood-sized budget and a thirst for action has ever committed to telling the story of the Conquest of the Incas. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2009 by Mauritius
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