Five Dances with Death: Dance One [Kindle Edition]

Austin Briggs (Author)

Book Description

[This] is a rare and compelling tale . . . brilliantly researched, and a page-turner as good as any. Austin Briggs has proved himself to be a worthy master of the writer's craft. I recommend this book highly, and regard it as a great achievement of historical fiction.

Tahir Shah, explorer, documentary filmmaker and author of 15 books.

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In the days before the Conquistadors, Xicotencatl (Angry Wasp) is fighting to keep his family and his small Aztec nation alive.

Slavers have kidnapped his daughter. His wife has turned to powerful sorcery. His people have challenged Montezuma's dominance and now face extinction. And the Spaniards have begun their march inland.

Now Wasp must rely on his military prowess, wit and even dark magic to regain his family and protect the independence of his nation, as he joins the desperate fight that will forever change the fate of the Aztec people.

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An amazing story of a leader who faces incredible trials while trying to keep his people safe.

Reader Views: "Reviews by readers, for readers"

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A unique novel that really blew me away.

SomeCallmeTim, Amazon Reviewer. 

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Masterful and evocative.

B. Siemens, Amazon Reviewer. 

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I know what happened to the Aztecs. Don't you? 
 
A first grader would tell you that a small band of European adventures brought the Aztec empire to its knees. Steel and gunpowder shattered the weapons of wood and stone. Modern strategies conquered the primitive tactics of native war. European enlightenment bested cannibalistic barbarism.
 
But did it really happen that way? 
 
What were the true reasons for a powerful native American empire to crumble under a push from five hundred famished, insecure Spaniards deeply divided among themselves? 
 
For ten years, I've been exploring the answer to this question. 
 
I've read the most obscure Aztec and Spanish documents. I've travelled throughout Mexico by foot, car and bus, enjoying the hospitality of its wonderful people and having a few narrow escapes from dangers on its lonely roads. 
 
I danced with the native Mexicans around their bonfires; learned Spanish and some Nahuatl to converse with the urbane young and the old folk of the countryside; I even partook in rites of sorcery.
 
In Five Dances with Death I share with you what I've learned from my travels and in my research. Meet the people I met; visit the locations I frequented or reproduced from the old documents; and, most of all, think and feel together with me.
 
These books aren't a comfy read. I don't beg for your sympathy to my protagonist because he loved puppies and helped the elderly. He was, after all, a born fighter, a sorcerer, a warrior who used to tear palpitating hearts out of his enemies' chests and treat his neighbors to stews made of his captives' limbs. 
 
He was also a man who single-handedly resisted the Spanish advance into the Mexican heartland, and who died for his love to his nation.

Austin Briggs.

About the Author

Austin Briggs has spent over 10 years researching the history of the Aztec Empire and the Spanish Conquest with a dream of creating a historical fiction series that would fascinate readers who like a good history-based tale. He even went so far as to experience some of the magical rites of the ancient Mexica himself.

He has always been obsessed with learning about other cultures; in addition to his time in the lands that were once occupied by the Aztec peoples, he has also lived in Russia, Japan, England, Switzerland, Cambodia, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan.

He has been a soldier in the army, an officer in the United Nations, and a global manager in a Fortune 10 company. He has been both a local and an outsider, a member of the majority and of a minority, which he feels makes him able to write from the perspective of multiple characters, all of whom have various levels of status and acceptance in their world.

We're often told that history is written by the winners. His stories are told from the perspective of those who lost -- though they went down fighting.

His fascination with the Aztec Empire during the time of the Spanish Conquest began because he is intrigued by the idea of a society that is about to lose itself entirely. He wanted to show how difficult and painful -- and sometimes strangely inspiring -- that process can be.

Product Details

• File Size: 726 KB
• Print Length: 239 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Helvetic House; 1 edition (July 25, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005EJGYJ8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,352 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing August 25, 2011

By Sarah B. Castillo

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Austin Brigg's debut novel, Five Dances with Death, is a historical fantasy set during the time of the Spanish Conquest in Mexico. It follows the story of Wasp, the war leader of the Tlaxcalteca, who are besieged by the Mexica.

This book is fantastic. I just need to get that out there straight off. If you're at all interested in historical fantasy, or non-western thought, or Meso-American history, go ahead, go to Amazon and buy it. You won't regret it. Unless you hate gore and violence. It's not overly graphic, but descriptions of human sacrifice and war are common topics here.

It isn't purely historical, however. There is some mysticism and magic going on, but it serves as a device to allow us to see the big picture. Of course it would be difficult to express the scope of goings on without this intervention. In some books this might have been a little heavy handed on the part of the author, but here it is also used as a way for us to explore the mythology of the Azteca and to further understand our character.

There's a glossary at the beginning of the book that I didn't read before starting, because the Kindle book starts after it and I don't always go back to check if there's a map or a glossary. This time I had to go back and check because Nahuatl is a tongue twisting language and I wasn't familiar with all the nations that we were talking about.

On maps, I only had an idea of the areas that were talked about because I live in Texas and am pretty familiar with Northern Mexico. I hope that in the next book the author includes a map, because I'm afraid most people probably aren't familiar with the territory, and the travel in the book can get a little confusing for the thorough reader.

This book is action packed, emotion filled, and character driven. Wasp is compelling, as are his rivals and his wife. I couldn't put this book down without picking it right up again to see what happens next.

The only complaint I would have is that the dialogue doesn't feel natural all the time. But I hesitate to make that complaint because on the other hand, the dialogue also feels like it's translated, which does make the book feel very... legitimate? The conquistadors' dialogue does not have this problem, in the small portions

Not only is this a great book, but I also feel it's an important book. So little fiction is written in the voice of native Meso-Americans, and even less is written solely in this voice and with the backing of solid history. Being half Mexican-American, these histories are a part of my history, and a lot of the time it feels like a history that is not appreciated. In many books and schools, the history of Mexico starts with, "And the Spanish came and found..." Books like this remind us that there's more than just that story. There's also the ones who found the Spanish, to their peril.

Austin Briggs is going on my list of authors to look out for, and I'm excitedly waiting for the next installment to this series.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Surprised August 4, 2011

By T. L. Morganfield

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wasn't expecting much going into this, with it being self-published and all, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I don't have much trust in the quality of self-published stuff, but I'm willing to give anything about Aztec history and mythology a chance, so I downloaded a sample to see if it was something I would like. The writing style and pacing convinced me to buy. And I ended up quite enthralled with it.

Really, there's isn't much to not like about this book. The research shines through elegantly and is rarely delivered in clunky ways; it pretty much blends seamlessly in with the story. I wasn't overly fond of Angry Wasp in the beginning and there are some inconsistencies with his character (like him having no concept of rape as a tool of power...yeah, not buying that. He's a man of power whose fought in many wars and seen horrible things. Him not agreeing with its use, yes, but not realizing it could be used that way, no.), but he grew on my after a while. At no point did I feel bored with the story, and I was disappointed that there was no more for me to read once I got to the end.

I would have preferred the author use the actual Nahuatl names for the cities and the historical character, such as Moctezuma the Younger and Cuauhtemoc, but being familiar with the names, it's just a personal preference. I would have also have preferred to get the full 5 parts in one book rather than broken up, since this really isn't a very long novel, and if each part is a similar length, it's still nowhere near as long as Aztec. It does break at a good point though, and I will be looking for the rest of the installments.

Finally, the author calls this a "paranormal", but I think it's closer to fantasy than paranormal. The magic is concrete with rules, and it's taken as matter-of-fact and accepted in the culture as portrayed. Angry Wasp also uses it a lot and gets himself in trouble with it. And the god Tezcatlipoca is an actual character in the book. It might be nitpicking, but it's the difference between say X-Files (paranormal) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (fantasy). I don't mind that it's more fantasy than paranormal, since I love fantasy and am more inclined towards it than paranormal, so the fantasy elements didn't in any way impeded my enjoyment of the book. If anything they enhanced it.

I look forward to the next installment when it becomes available.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece! August 11, 2011

By Earl Wynn

Format:Kindle Edition

If this book had been my introduction to historical fiction (instead of Johnny Tremain) I might have tried to follow in Austin Briggs' footsteps (instead of Asimov's!) Five Dances With Death: Dance One is a fascinating foray into Nahuatl culture (native Mesoamericans) that captures the ritualistic, spiritual and all-pervasive violence of this distant and (to me) mysterious setting.

I can honestly say that from the start, Dance One grabbed me in a way that few books can, filling my mind with Briggs' exquisite details, the lavish way he paints each elegant element of not only "One World" but also the spirit world that binds and effects everyone who treads into or through Nahua lands. At the core of its fast-paced and exciting narrative, Dance One carries a beautiful expression and exploration of an almost unifying spiritual "theory" which sheds light on and captures the mind within a world of omens, spiritual doubles and persistent, hungry gods who tempt mortals and swallow souls in an endless game of evolution and creation. There is a mysticism that clings to everything (even the names) in Briggs' work that is rich and powerful, one that brings to mind the talent of such great authors as Storm Constantine and Neil Gaiman without losing focus on the story, the setting, or the voracious, visceral, animal heart that makes this book so gripping and so intriguing.

Beginning as a downtrodden hero story introduced by a comprehensive collection of opening notes that translate and explain various terms, names and places mentioned within the story, Dance One starts with action and finishes with action as the main character (Wasp) struggles to get his enslaved daughter back first from the cocky villain (Talon) and later from the clutches of another who is not above using her as a bargaining chip against Wasp and his nation. The invasion of the conquistadors that occurs in the midst of Dance One swells as the story does to become not just as a physical event, but one that has spiritual consequences as well. In the end, the whole thing rolls and swirls into a stirring and profound conclusion that highlights a struggle of ideals-- should Wasp risk the loss of the gods and spirituality of his nation to ally with the untrustworthy "outlanders" (conquistadors) against his sworn enemies, the Mexica (as others have done) or should he instead face the unknown and stand tall, apart from all those who would cast aside their gods or trample the lives of others? To say that Dance One is an incredible work is not to do it full justice. Five Dances with Death: Dance One is a masterpiece, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

More About the Author

Austin Briggs has spent over 10 years researching the history of the Aztec Empire and the Spanish Conquest with a dream of creating a historical fiction series that would fascinate readers who like a good history-based tale. He even went so far as to experience some of the magical rites of the ancient Mexica himself.

He has always been obsessed with learning about other cultures; in addition to his time in the lands that were once occupied by the Aztec peoples, he has also lived in Russia, Japan, England, Switzerland, Cambodia, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan.

He has been a soldier in the army, an officer in the United Nations, and a global manager in a Fortune 10 company. He has been both a local and an outsider, a member of the majority and of a minority, which he feels makes him able to write from the perspective of multiple characters, all of whom have various levels of status and acceptance in their world.

We're often told that history is written by the winners. His stories are told from the perspective of those who lost -- though they went down fighting.

His fascination with the Aztec Empire during the time of the Spanish Conquest began because he is intrigued by the idea of a society that is about to lose itself entirely. He wanted to show how difficult and painful -- and sometimes strangely inspiring -- that process can be.