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At Road End PreAztec trilogy Prequel edition by Zoe Saadia Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : At Road End PreAztec trilogy Prequel edition by Zoe Saadia Literature Fiction eBooks

At Road End PreAztec trilogy Prequel edition by Zoe Saadia Literature Fiction eBooks

If only these stones could talk. - "Digging for the Truth" Mystery of the Anasazi (2005)

Tecpatl wants the task of escorting a group of traders done and over with but the journey is far from over. before he can return to his homeland, Tecpatl will find himself engaging in battle and unexpectedly falling in love with Sakuna of the Great Houses.
author Zoe Saadia's first book in her Pre-Aztec series invites the reader to a bygone era where cliff-dwelling people known to us today as the Anasazi flourished. it also speculates on what could have contributed to the Anasazi's disappearance hundreds of years ago.
since discovering the works of historical novelist Gary Jennings, i have been fascinated by anything related to the Azteca, the Mayans, Incas and similar cultures. with that in mind, i did not hesitate in grabbing a copy of this book and i was generally impressed with Ms. Zaadia's novel.
Tecpatl and Sakuna's story revolve around known historical and archeological data. there is no question about the amount of research that went into this book. the author's imagination and creativity gave birth to the rest.
i think the dialogs between Tecpatl and Sakuna were well written. through these exchanges, their respective personalities and cultural differences were brought to the fore.
i did notice some awkward sentences and typos along the way but these did not deter me from enjoying the book as a whole. in fact, i am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.


Tags : At Road's End (Pre-Aztec trilogy, Prequel) - Kindle edition by Zoe Saadia. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading At Road's End (Pre-Aztec trilogy, Prequel).,ebook,Zoe Saadia,At Road's End (Pre-Aztec trilogy, Prequel),Fiction Historical,Fiction Native American & Aboriginal

At Road End PreAztec trilogy Prequel edition by Zoe Saadia Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

From the beginning, At Road's End, set during the Pre-Aztec era, jumps into action. Tecpatl, an Azcapotzalco warrior, has been assigned to escort a group of traders to their destination. To Tecpatl, an ancient world snob, traders, merchants, villagers - well, pretty much anyone who isn't a warrior - are lowborn and scarcely merit his attention. Only Michin, the leader, can control Tecpatl's warrior instincts to some extent. Tecpatl's nature is well-defined by the following passage

"The scent of the battlefield kept haunting Tecpatl's nostrils. He frowned, eyeing the merchants. They gulped from their flasks. A few looked back defiantly.

I should kill one or two of them, he fumed. That will teach them a proper respect."

Tecpatl's warrior nature is exacerbated by his escort duties. He made an unforgivable error in the past and shepherding merchants through a desert is his punishment. Death is honorable, mistakes are not. He must redeem himself, if at all possible, and return home to his Azcapotzalco nation situate on the shores of Lake Texcoco. War is brewing between the Azcapotzalco nation's powerful neighbor, the Culhuacan, and upstart Aztecs, recent arrivals at Lake Texcoco.

Tecpatl's mundane duties take a more ominous turn when a massacred village is discovered en route. The only survivor, a young girl, Sakuna, is unable to identify the attackers. She leads Tecpatl and the merchants to her father's home, the Great Houses, a religious and cultural center. Tecpatl rapidly learns about cultural and religious differences, which are incomprehensible and downright ridiculous in his opinion.

At the Great Houses, Tecpatl is most unpleasantly surprised to learn no trading will take place until after the Summer Solstice, at least another 8 days. To add to this unwelcome news, he learns Sakuna's father has a hidden agenda, one which involves him escorting merchants on a side trip. This does nothing to improve his already volatile mood, as his goal is to deliver the traders to their destination and arrive in Azcapotzalco sooner rather than later. However, this seemingly innocuous trip becomes dangerous when Tecpatl and Sakuna's party is ambushed.

From the few details Sakuna provides from the massacre at her village and the ambushers' techniques, Tecpatl believes the Great Houses in danger of the same fate as the village. His challenge is to convince the leaders of the Great Houses and plan a strategy to protect the residents. He must overcome overwhelming obstacles if he is to be successful.

Saadia presents fully fleshed-out characters who remain true to their basic natures. She permits them to learn a few life lessons along the way, but not in such a manner as to be unbelievable. The action is well paced and the novella does not sag at any point. Saadia is most definitely a talented writer, with a gift for engaging readers.

My only caveat with At Road's End is it contains minor grammatical and spelling errors. Saadia had this novella and the sequential 3 novellas in this series re-edited within the last month. The first copy provided to me was rife with errors. It has improved immensely, but still contains some oversights. If you are able to overlook this flaw, At Road's End is an entertaining novella about an era rarely explored. If this detracts from your reading pleasure, you might have difficulty enjoying At Road's End to its full potential.

Due to the above, I rate At Road's End at 3.5/5 (very good). If the grammatical and spelling mistakes are corrected, I would not hesitate to upgrade my rating to 4/5 (excellent).

MY RATING 3.5/5 Stars (Very Good)
Just because someone knows right from wrong does not always make it right or wrong for another. In the end, even if you are a great warrior or have much wisdom to impart, if your attitude is poor and you treat others with disdain, they are less likely to listen to you.

In her own way, with grace and charm Zoe Saadia manages to tell an old story with different twists. Lilting in her tale, she describes ancient sites and with great imagination, its people. A historical novel is hard to write at best but Saadia does it with ease.

Saadia researched her subject and hints through the book without bashing one in the head, at describing the surroundings. She makes it a joy to read descriptions as seen from the eyes of her characters. She makes it pertinent to the story and not just for the sake of narration. She is a wonderful story teller.

Class distinctions, cultural differences and prejudice are not easy subjects. So along with credible narration, she peeks into the hearts of some people of those times. The story even crackles with sexuality but always gracefully, keeping the love story fraught with tension.

Meet Tecpatl and Sakuna, you will not regret it. Excellent book. Wonderful story and so well done.
If only these stones could talk. - "Digging for the Truth" Mystery of the Anasazi (2005)

Tecpatl wants the task of escorting a group of traders done and over with but the journey is far from over. before he can return to his homeland, Tecpatl will find himself engaging in battle and unexpectedly falling in love with Sakuna of the Great Houses.
author Zoe Saadia's first book in her Pre-Aztec series invites the reader to a bygone era where cliff-dwelling people known to us today as the Anasazi flourished. it also speculates on what could have contributed to the Anasazi's disappearance hundreds of years ago.
since discovering the works of historical novelist Gary Jennings, i have been fascinated by anything related to the Azteca, the Mayans, Incas and similar cultures. with that in mind, i did not hesitate in grabbing a copy of this book and i was generally impressed with Ms. Zaadia's novel.
Tecpatl and Sakuna's story revolve around known historical and archeological data. there is no question about the amount of research that went into this book. the author's imagination and creativity gave birth to the rest.
i think the dialogs between Tecpatl and Sakuna were well written. through these exchanges, their respective personalities and cultural differences were brought to the fore.
i did notice some awkward sentences and typos along the way but these did not deter me from enjoying the book as a whole. in fact, i am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.