Captain From Castile: The Best-Selling Historical Epic
by Samuel Shellabarger
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Book Summary Information
Author: Samuel ShellabargerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-25
ISBN: 1882593626
Number of pages: 640
Publisher: Bridge Works
Book Reviews of Captain From Castile: The Best-Selling Historical Epic
Book Review: Wonderful Book
Summary: 5 Stars
The New World (The American continent) had a powerful affect on the imaginations of the people who occupied 15th and 16th century Europe. The promise of huge amounts of gold and vast fertile land in the strange, and enchanted world to the west (stumbled upon in the search for an alternative maritime route to the Indies), proved too much to resist for those adventurous souls who lusted for such material riches.
After the initial explorations, led by notable figures like Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci, came the men who ravaged and destroyed; laid waste to the natives' idols, and replaced them with crucifixes and statuettes of the Mother Mary; wiped out the masses of native peoples who dared not to submit; and became the masters of the land they conquered. These men are known in history books as the infamous conquistadors.
Captain from Castile is a story about a young Spanish hidalgo, Pedro De Vargas, who flees from his native land as a fugitive from the Spanish inquisition. He escapes the clutches of the inquisition's cruel wrath by signing on and boarding one of the many ships in a fleet destined for the New World. This fleet of soldiers is captained by no other than the ambitious conquistador, and future conqueror of Montezuma and the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes.
When Cortes and his conquistadors reach the New World and penetrate the thick jungles and explore the land, they become busy with defeating the natives and taking valuables from them and toppling their idols. In the process, the conquistadors become hard, scavenger like, and ruthless. Among them, Pedro De Vargas also becomes hardened and ruthless, but retains his code of honor, and increases in wisdom through it all. The end results for Pedro are these: elevation through the ranks; favor in high places; and evolving from a courageous but naïve youth in to a seasoned and more than adequate hero.
Samuel Shellabarger did a wonderful job at creating a well-balanced story. He had a way of mixing a perfect blend of action, romance, suspense, and the multitude of emotions that go along with them, without dwelling too long on any single one. And everything in the book happens for a reason: the people that are encountered; the places that are visited; the dialogue that is spoken in conversations between certain characters - everything holds a varying amount of significance; there are no loose ends left dangling in this tightly stitched book.
It is hard for me to find fault in any one of the words, sentences, or paragraphs woven throughout the many pages of the book; just as it is difficult for me to have contempt for the taste of apple pie - for it is my favorite dessert. So instead of grabbing at any little imperfection that the book may have in order to help balance an over-indulgent, raving review, I will instead take pleasure in praising a praise-worthy book; for I believe that "Captain From Castile" is one of the most beautifully crafted, and captivating stories ever written.
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