Conquistador

“In Conquistador, Buddy Levy offers a fascinating account of the first and most decisive of those encounters: the one between the impetuous Spanish adventurer Cortés and Montezuma… . Mr. Levy has an eye for vivid detail and manages to build a compelling narrative out of this almost unbelievable story of missionary zeal, greed, cruelty and courage.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A sweeping and majestic history of a clash of civilizations that reshaped the New World. With its larger-than-life cast, bloody no-surrender battles, and empire-shifting finale, Conquistador is a pulse-quickening narrative. It is a mark of Levy’s skill that I felt sorrow at the Aztecs’ defeat as well as respect for Cortés’s triumph.”—Neal Bascomb, author of Red Mutiny: Eleven Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin

“To read Conquistador is to see, hear, and feel two cultures in a struggle to the death with nothing less than the fate of the Western Hemisphere at stake. Prodigiously researched and stirringly told, Conquistador is a rarity: an invaluable history lesson that also happens to be a page-turning read.”—Jeremy Schaap, bestselling author of Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History and Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics

“Levy carefully picks his way through … [and] conveys with ghastly power the relentlessness of Cortés, the tragedy of Montezuma, the brutality of battle, and the utter bewilderment of one culture in the face of the other.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Drawing heavily on both Spanish and Aztec sources, as well as major secondary works, Levy gives a straightforward telling of the entire story, stressing the military strategy, diplomatic initiatives, and personal relationship between Cortés and Aztec emperor Montezuma… . This well-written book is a good starting point for those seeking to understand the conquest of Mexico.”—Library Journal (highly recommended)

“Levy provides realistic portraits of the two major figures and their initial meeting … in a factual, enthralling, enlightening—if at times disturbing—lush narrative that reads like good fiction.”—Michael I. Shoop, Historical Novels Review

Buddy Levy is the author of the recent books:

• No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (with Erik Weihenmeyer)
• Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior (with Mike Leach)
• River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon

His other books include:

• Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (a finalist for the 2009 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and nominated for the 2009 Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award and a 2009 PEN Center USA Award)
• American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett
• Echoes on Rimrock: In Pursuit of the Chukar Partridge

His books have been published in six languages.

As a freelance journalist, he has covered adventure sports and lifestyle/travel subjects around the world, including several Eco-Challenges and other adventure expeditions in Argentina, Borneo, Europe, Greenland, Morocco, and the Philippines. His magazine articles and essays have appeared in Alaska Beyond, Backpacker, Big Sky Journal, Couloir, Discover, High Desert Journal, Poets & Writers, River Teeth, Ski, Trail Runner, Utne Reader, TV Guide, and VIA.

He is a clinical associate professor of English at Washington State University and lives in northern Idaho.

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