by Frances Sherwood

Frances Sherwood relates the story of the great conquistador Hernando Cortes and his relationship with his translator and paramour, the Indian princess Malintzin (considered a great traitor throughout much of Mexico). In Sherwood's capable hands, these larger-than-life characters are rendered with complexity and humanity in historical fiction of the highest order. Sherwood draws the reader into the power struggle and culture clash as the Machiavellian Cortes brings a simultaneously sophisticated and savage empire to its knees.