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The Young Jaguar (Pre-Aztec Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Zoe Saadia (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 365 ratings
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Having achieved the exalted position of a Chief Warlord, Tecpatl was content, happy with his career and his family. Even his refusal to take an additional wife, a necessary thing for a man of his status, especially if his woman was a barbarian imported from the distant lands of Anasazi, did nothing to hinder his progress up the Tepanec military ladder. He was too successful as a War Leader to care about the opinions of others.

Yet, when the old Emperor dies, leaving two dominant heirs to struggle for succession, Tecpatl suddenly finds it difficult to follow the edicts of the dead ruler. With Atolli, his elder son and a very promising but hotheaded youth, getting caught in the political turmoil, everything changes. Tecpatl is forced to choose between his duty and his family, while his wife takes her own non-traditional paths to deal with the crisis.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Pre-Aztec Trilogy
  2. Print length
    240 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    November 9, 2013
  6. Reading age
    15 - 18 years
  7. File size
    989 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Set amidst the adventure and intrigue of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, this fascinating novel follows a chief warlord who must choose between duty and family when his son is caught in a potentially destructive political crisis

From the Inside Flap

"... This is a fantastic novel, focusing on a much underrepresented region and time in world history. Zoe Saadia brings to life the intricate details of politics and family affairs in the time just before the Aztec's rise to power...." - arheologist and history enthusiast, Matt D

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007UII58E
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (November 9, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 989 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 365 ratings

About the author

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Zoe Saadia

Zoe Saadia

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Zoe Saadia is the author of several novels of pre-Columbian Americas. From the architects of the Aztec Empire to the founders of the Iroquois Great League, from the towering pyramids of Tenochtitlan to the longhouses of the Great Lakes, her novels bring long-forgotten history, cultures and people to life, tracing pivotal events that brought about the greatness of North and Mesoamerica.

Having researched various pre-contact cultures of this continent for more than a decade, she is convinced that it's a shame that such a large part of history was completely overlooked, by historical fiction most of all.

Both Americas have an extremely rich, diverse, fascinating history long before this continent came to contact with the rest of the world

So her professional motto is set. America has not been 'discovered' by other continents, not yet. Maybe not ever. Not in her novels

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
365 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

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4.0 out of 5 stars Simple but interesting.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
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This author keep the storyline simple, the characters basic and while there are very few surprises, it is well written. A fun summer read of an ancient culture. Not a lot of historical information, just enough to keep the story flowing, but it was a nice rainy day diversion.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing Mesoamerican early history
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2015
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The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia is the first book in a pre-Aztec trilogy, and introduces us to Atolli, a teenager in the Tepenic Empire of Central America, whose father is Tecpatl, the Chief Warlord. Prior to the rise of the Aztec Empire, this Empire was strong and growing. Tecpatl's position is very high within the social structure and he is very content, having returned from a series of successful wars, and he loves his family. His wife, Sakuna, followed Tecpatl home when he warred in her native land of the Anasazis, and theirs is a deep and respectful love that has withstood the criticism of the Tepenic elite. Atolli is a hot-headed daredevil, who climbs the walls of the palace with the skill and cunning of a jaguar, just for fun.

The story begins when Atolli, his best friend Mecatl and some other adventurous boys from the warrior school that Atolli attends, roam the palace walls at night, drinking octli, a potent drink reserved for the warriors of the tribe. This is a serious transgression, but an adventure they have taken before. This time, they are discovered and chased and Atolli and Mecatl fall over the wall into one of the palace gardens. There they meet Chictli, the beautiful daughter of the second son of the Emperor, and Atolli is smitten.

His position as Tecpatl's son saves him from serious punishment, but he has to vow to support Chictli's father in the future as one of his warriors. At the same time, the Emperor dies, making Tecpatl vow to support his first son as the new Emperor, thus putting him at odds not only with his son, but much of the Tepenic elite. Tecpatl is thus forced to choose between his duty to the new Emperor and his family, which ultimately puts them all in danger. Sakuna uses her skill with herbs and healing to deal with the crisis.

I become completely immersed in Zoe Saadia's historical novels. The characters come alive; because of her detailed research on everything involved in tribal life - customs, food, clothing , jewelry - the reader feels like they are there, amidst the action. Family dynamics, especially in this book, are very recognizable, even though the tribal dynamics are complex. Zoe makes it clear that people haven't changed much over the centuries: they are greedy, power-hungry, loving, driven, devious, envious, bored and frustrated. These emotions fuel this story.

I highly recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction but more widely to any reader who likes a barn burner of a story with great characters and lots of action. What's even better is that you can follow Atolli on his journey to adulthood through the next book in the series, The Jaguar Warrior.
8 people found this helpful
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Richard I. Richmond
3.0 out of 5 stars Needs work
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2012
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I'm not sure who wrote the two gushing reviews for this book but they were obviously swayed by a personal interest in the author. Zoe has a talent for writing a gripping tale but like many of today's would-be writers she does not proofread and rewrite her story. The grammatical errors are legion and a mighty distraction. At times she goes out of her way to have her characters speak according to the time period and culture but will turn around and use phrases like "Since I'm a pawn in this game..." (Chess was unknown to this culture.) As I said the story is good and I am planning to read the rest of series but I sincerely hope someone close to the author will be truthful with her about her need to proofread and rewrite.
16 people found this helpful
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JW
4.0 out of 5 stars Don't know squat about Mezo-America but...
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2014
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I did enjoy this. It wasn't a Pulitzer Prize winner but the characters were interesting and compelling, the storyline may not have been the most original (but what storyline really is?) but it rolled right along. I wish I knew more about this time period so I could know whether to believe the world the author creates has a basis in reality, but it was colorful and interesting. I will look for the first book of the series to get caught up.
One person found this helpful
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Haunted Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Living through History Vividly
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2012
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"The Young Jaguar" is the second entry in author Zoe Saadia's exciting Pre-Aztec Series. I totally enjoyed Book 1, "At Road's End," but possibly this novel may be even better. Any of Ms. Saadia's books are an education in themselves: with smooth writing, fast pace, and enjoyable characters who quickly elicit the reader's empathy, we learn about a period of time so long ago, and yet in many ways, so much like our own. Certainly the peoples of that time suffered and joyed, became impassioned or bored, frustrated or patient, just as do we. Ms. Saadia brings all this home vividly, and we feel as if we're reading the story of our friends, family, and neighbors-only the setting, fashions, and some of the situations are different. Probably not too many of us (in Western culture) encounter temples on every corner, each dedicated to a different deity (or do we?) yet how is this so dissimilar? Certainly we can each relate to the ongoing plot lines and to the characters, and we learn much more about the settings and the era than if we were instead reading a dry-as-dust archaeological recounting. Ms. Saadia possesses an immense talent for bringing these long-gone eras to life, making them vivid, sensory, and clear to contemporary readers. What are you waiting for? Drop everything and go buy this series!
38 people found this helpful
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Anthony(Tony) Riggio
3.0 out of 5 stars Youthful Adventure in a very dangerous world.
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2013
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I was not sure I wanted to read this book after reading the first in this series "At Roads End" but after reading another not in this series, namely The Highlander, I began to appreciate Saadia's writing style and her ability to weave an entertaining story. I would recommend this author when you really feel like a quick read to get away from more difficult reading. This is about a four hour read, and I am not a speed reader. It is a great read for a long flight. The author puts this into an interesting period of Meso American and though I have read WH Prescott's The Conquest of Mexico, I can not truly say that the history is correct though many of the locations will be familiar to readers of Prescott. I did order her newest novel "The Fall of the Empire" and will read it when I need to escape from heavier reading. I will let all know when I read it what my thoughts are.
2 people found this helpful
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Douglas Terry
4.0 out of 5 stars A good novel and different
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013
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This was an interesting story of a young main coming to age in the Toltec civilization - the civilization before the Aztecs). It seems to be well researched and therefore gives an indication of how the people probably lived. It's a balanced story of life and war in that time. It seems realistic and is an entertaining and I think somewhat informative read.
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Top reviews from other countries

Seamus C Corry
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book by an amazingly talent writer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2013
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In a sentence I am hooked. This type of literal genre is right up my street and Zoe has written a book that captures you from the off and takes the reader on a magical journey back through time and places you right in the centre of life that the book describes so eloquently

If you want to feel the heat of the sun, the sands beneath your feet the noise hustle and bustle as well the epic stories and travels of the young jaguar well this is the book for you. Let it excite you capture you and take you on an amazing journey one you will not be able to stop or leave down
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Damon Lord
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting historical political drama
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2012
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This book is set in a different part of the Americas to the previous book in the series, and is set 15 years after the previous book. The same two strong central characters remain, however, along with a varied and diverse supporting cast, introducing the exciting and enticing political machinations taking place in the various empires and states centred in and around the valley of Mexico. I flew through this book, desperate to find out if certain characters would win or lose. I cannot wait to begin the next one in the series!
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D.Z.C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Pre-Colombian America to life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2013
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This series achieves something that I had previously thought impossible - giving us a glimpse, and a believable one at that, into pre-conquest Mesoamerica. I had always taken it for granted that there was just too little clear information about how people saw and understood their world, but by dint of excellent research and brilliant writing, Zoe Saadia pulls it off.
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William Tait
2.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous Characterisation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2013
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The sequence of events and personalities and actions of the main protagonists are simply unbelievable. I would not recommend this series.
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Mr. John Connolly
1.0 out of 5 stars dissapointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2014
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Very few books are written about South America a pity this one was, a lost opportunity it could have been a whole new genre instead it was an opportunity lost.
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