Davies excels in three areas: his vivid descriptions of jungle and village life; his characterizations, especially of secondary characters such as Cuauhtemoc's friends and mentors; and his natural-sounding dialogue, perhaps the most difficult task for an aspiring author…an otherwise impressive first novel. -BlueInk Review This story takes place in the early 16th Century; a time when the world seemed to be expanding at an almost exponential rate. It occurs in South America in a land known as Maya: this is not a tale of what was, but rather, a story of what might have been if I had been in charge of that era. The main character, Cuauhtemoc, is born in a small village in the northwestern part of Maya: the story line follows his life from birth, through birdmanschool, where he learns to become a birdman and carry messages. The account unwinds, telling of his adventures, his fights with pirate raiders as well as some of his own people; and by the end of the book he is twelve years of age and is sent to the City of Emperors by the Commander of the soldier's garrison.