Publisher's Synopsis
The pale people have escaped Tenochtitlan. Mexica warriors clamor for revenge, all to no avail. The army is in disarray, and allies are not keeping faith.
Perhaps most troubling is the mysterious sickness stalking the land. Known as the Great Rash, it has swept through the One World with alarming speed, devastating friend and foe alike. None have been spared its ravages, none except the pale people.
Weakened by sickness and political division, the Mexica can do little besides watch as the pale people carry out a campaign of unspeakable brutality. Nation after nation falls to their unstoppable forces, and the Mexica gird themselves for a war unlike any other. The stakes could not be higher. For if the Mexica lose, they may face a fate even worse than servitude: annihilation.
Editorial Review for Broken Bones and Shattered Spears
"From the outset, Edward Rickford delivers a vast and remarkable painting of life during Cortés'
invasion of Mexico. Each stroke, each line, is a dive into a treasure trove of the massive amount of historical research the author did for this novel-and upon surfacing at the end of the book, the reader clutches a bounty gold within their heart and mind-more so than Cortes did when he went in search of gold in this sprawling land of the Mexica."
-The Historical Fiction Company
'"A gritty historical novel with a complex set of characters. Very enjoyable."
-The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
In Broken Bones and Shattered Spears, Edward Rickford brings an historian's expertise and a cinematographer's eye to the tragic fall of one of the greatest cities the world has ever seen. Told deftly through multiple perspectives, the book chronicles the siege and destruction of Tenochtitlan at the hands of Hernan Cortes-and his indigenous allied forces-and the devastating aftermath. A grim but vital reminder of the human costs of greed, conquest, and empire expansion.
-Buddy Levy, bestselling author of Conquistador, River of Darkness, Labyrinth of Ice, and Empire of Ice and Stone
