War God Books

This is the epic story of the clash of two empires, two armies and two gods of war. Five hundred desperate adventurers are about to pit themselves against the most brutal armies of the ancient Americas, armies hundreds of thousands strong. Dark powers that work behind the scenes of history show their hand as the prophecy of the return of Quetzalcoatl is fulfilled with the arrival of Cortés. The Aztec ruler Moctezuma fights to maintain the demands of the war god Huitzilopochtli for human sacrifice. The Spanish Inquisition is planning an even greater blood-letting. Yet, in the midst of the brutal and bloody battles, deep friendship and love survive through the massacres. Tozi, a young girl, who has seen many deaths inflicted in many ingenious and horrible ways, uses her magical gifts to save those she loves. Pepillo, a Spanish orphan who serves a sadistic Dominican friar, is taken under the wing of Cortés, and begins to learn what it takes to be a conquistador. They are caught up in the headlong collision between two gods of war, along with Malinal, a beautiful sex slave, whose hatred of Moctezuma runs so deep she will sell out her own land and people to destroy him. Praise for WAR GOD: Nights of the Witch ‘Five hundred years ago the old Mexican prophecy which announced the return of Quetzalcoatl came true. In an era dominated by human sacrifices and the decadence of a great culture, bearded men, white-faced, from beyond the sea, arrived to impose their law. In this fast-moving, highly recommended novel, Graham Hancock masterfully reconstructs the biggest clash of civilizations ever, revealing aspects that only a genius author could unveil.’ Javier Sierra, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Supper and The Lost Angel ‘. . . part historical fact, part fantasy, the effect is as intense as the events themselves. It’s a fascinating read that will have you booking a flight to Mexico long before you finish the book.’ London Evening Standard ‘The book offers up a heady mix of action, politics, spirituality and the supernatural . . . Convincing fantasy elements and viscerally recreated details keep the narrative charging forward.’ Daily Mail ‘Interweaving historical fact and vivid fiction, Graham Hancock’s War God is packed full of blood, guts, conflict, sacrifice and witchcraft in the last days of the Aztec empire. The story of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the downfall of Moctezuma is the perfect (if very gory) distraction from modern life.’ Wanderlust ‘It will have you hyperventilating within minutes . . . Meets all the “thriller” criteria with gusto.’ Newcastle Journal ‘Graham Hancock has, once again, produced a book that entertains as well as educates . . . War God is a rich and deeply involving novel that grips you from the very first page. If you can handle the gruesome detail, then you will devour every page and the end will come too soon, leaving you desperate for book two . . .’ Sir Read-A-Lot Blog

Graham Hancock, an expert in ancient civilisations and author of the 7 million selling Fingerprints of the Gods, and expert too, on the use of hallucinogens to achieve higher states of consciousness, brings these two interests together in the second volume of the War God trilogy. The conquistador Hernan Cortes is dreaming of Tenochtitlan, the golden city of Aztecs. But in order to win the Aztecs' gold, Cortes and his small force of just five hundred men will have to defeat the psychotic emperor Moctezuma and the armies of hundreds of thousands he commands. Cortes expects that the warlike Tlascalans, hereditary enemies of the Aztecs, will join him, but instead finds himself locked in a deadly struggle. Even as Cortes risks all in the bloody campaign against the Tlascalans, he plays mind games with Moctezuma, aiming to dismantle the Aztec emperor's confidence and defeat him psychologically before ever having to face him on the battlefield. In this he is aided by his lover Malinal, a beautiful Mayan princess. It is from Malinal that Cortes learns of the myth of Quetzalcoatl, 'The Plumed Serpent'. She shows him how to exploit the prophecy of the fabled god king's return to weaken Moctezuma's resolve and keep alive the suspicion that the conquistador might actually be Quetzalcoatl himself. Meanwhile Malinal's friend, the witch Tozi, wages a supernatural war of her own against Hummingbird, the terrifying demon the Aztecs worship as a god, and against the evil sorcerer Acopol who does his bidding.

Cortés and his small army of Conquistadors enter Tenochtitlan, the island city of the Aztecs, as guests of the psychotic emperor Moctezuma who plans to trap them there and kill them all. In a stunning coup, Cortés acts first, taking the emperor hostage and ruling the Aztecs through him. All of Mexico seems about to fall into his hands until a report comes from the coast of the arrival of a new army of Spaniards. This force is more than three times the number of Cortés’ men and has been sent not to strengthen his army but to attack and wrest the conquest from him. Faced with the choice of abject surrender or war with fellow Spaniards Cortés chooses war and marches out to do battle but, in so doing he fatally weakens his garrison in Tenochtitlan and throws open the doors of Hell.