Review: Conquist by Dirk Strasser

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome author Dirk Strasser to Ruins & Reading. I'm sharing my review of his new historical fantasy novel, Conquist, below. Well worth checking out. Have a look!

Conquist is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find links to intriguing excerpts and fascinating guest posts about the Incas and the conquistadors HERE!

Conquist

Dirk Strasser

It's 1538, and the exploration of the new world in South America continues unabated, with the thirst for gold foremost on the conquerors' minds.

When Capitán Christóbal de Varga urges his conquistadors to destroy the Inca outpost of Machu Picchu, little does he know how the event would change his fate. But his quest for glory and gold doesn't end there, in the high peaks of the Andes – he is searching for the seat of the Incan leader, Manco Inca - the hidden city of Vilcabamba. 

When he agrees a deal with the Incan prince, Huarcay, who promises to take him to his destination in exchange for the position of Emperor, his admiration grows for the man's sister, Princess Sarpay. After they set off on their journey – with 600 conquistadors and dozens of surviving Inca warriors – Christóbal invites the princess to his tent, and his bed. 

Sarpay complies, but can the conquistador really trust her? As she seemed to grow fond of him, he begins to share his vision with her. 

When one of his lieutenants, Hector Valiente, discovers a portal that may lead them to Vilcabamba, Christóbal decides to go for it. Soon, the whole company finds themselves in a parallel world, with a fierce red sun and high, insurmountable peaks. Surely, that had to be the way to the hidden city!

But when they come under attack from a people the Incas call ñakacs – fierce fighters who use a trident-type weapon to kill – Christóbal begins to have doubts. Still, he is in charge of the men, and it's his duty to fulfil his promise to them – to take them to the fabled city full of gold. 

But a series of betrayals challenges his inherent conviction, and after more losses, his doubts grow stronger. Then the arch-enemies of the ñakacs arrive, and his dream of finding Vilcabamba grows even more distant...

Will they ever find a way out of this strange new world, this Nueva Tierra, alive? And will he ever reach the golden city? Well, you should read this thrilling adventure to find out!

Conquist is a fascinating tale, cleverly combining the history of the conquistadors with a fantasy world. The battles are brutal, and the sheer determination of the Spanish invaders to kill everyone in their path is a realistic reminder of the conquest of South America, and the annihilation of existing civilisations and their beliefs. Fervent in their own faith, the Spanish warriors regard everything un-Christian as suspect; something that must be destroyed at all cost. So the enemies are not only the Incas, who stubbornly refuse to be converted, but also the inhabitants of Nueva Tierra. 

Christóbal is a fascinating character, torn between his duty to his men, his strong sense of honour, and his conscience which, at times, causes him to question his path. He is typical of his time, and ruthless if needed, but not to the point of irrational murder. His soft spot is his passion for Sarpay.

The Inca princess is clever and highly intelligent. Fully aware of the power of the well-armed Spanish army, she weaves a subtle web of intrigues that catches Christóbal out. She is a survivor, and as such does what needs doing. I found myself routing for her.

There are a number of secondary characters – typical in their roles – who add a realistic sense to the novel. Their attitudes are clearly defined, and unforgiving in their fervour.

Nueva Tierra is a world of wonders, but full of dangers for the trapped Spanish. The fierce brutality of the ñakacs' attack, and the mercurial scheming of the duende, their enemies, sees Christóbal and his men trapped between the two warring sides, with no visible way out. It is a place where earth time stands still, but where inexplicable things occur. And it is a place with many entrances, but only few, inaccessible exits.

Conquist is a thrilling, fast-paced story about greed, warfare, and a struggle for survival on all sides. The hunters become the hunted. And in the end, priorities change. But at what cost?

 

A highly-recommended tale that has you turning the pages fast, Conquist will appeal to readers of historical adventures and fantasy alike.

Blurb:

Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign.

What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs.

And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to - his command, his Incan princess, his honor, his God.

In the end, he faces the ultimate dilemma: how is it possible to battle your own obsessions . . . to conquer yourself?

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~~~

 

About the Author:

Dirk Strasser

Dirk Strasser’s epic fantasy trilogy The Books of Ascension — Zenith, Equinox and Eclipse — was published in German and English, and his short stories have been translated into several European languages. The Doppelgänger Effect appeared in the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology Dreaming Down Under. He is the co-editor of Australia’s premier science-fiction and fantasy magazine, Aurealis.

Dirk was born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Australia. He has written a series of best-selling school textbooks, trekked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu and studied Renaissance history.

 

Conquist was first published as a short story in the anthology Dreaming Again (HarperCollins). The serialized version of Conquist was a finalist in the Aurealis Awards Best Fantasy Novel category. Dirk’s screenplay version of Conquist won the Wildsound Fantasy / Sci-Fi Festival Best Scene Reading Award and was a featured finalist in the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival and the Creative World Awards.

Connect with Dirk:
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