On the HahaFiction shelf
You Dreamed of Empires
Audiobook available · 6 hr 24 min
Cortés and his entourage arrive in Tenoxtitlan in 1519 to meet Moctezuma. Inside an unfamiliar palace, a ceremonial meal does little to reassure the visitors about their welcome. One Spanish captain is already wondering whether they can get out alive.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Riotously entertaining”Read the full description at Financial Times, quoted by Penguin
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What makes it funny?
Captain Caldera can barely eat beside priests whose clothes smell of blood. Cortés smiles while swearing at him, and the translators explain to their hosts that the Spaniards are praising dinner. An argument about an unbearable meal passes as successful diplomacy.
The comedy at work
Polite appearances protect an encounter full of disgust, insults and fear. Enrigue exposes the private panic of men presenting themselves as rulers and conquerors, while his narrator keeps their political vanity in view.
Try this if…
An irreverent version of a famous historical encounter, with court politics and dark humor, suits readers who welcome deliberate invention. Modern allusions and departures from the historical record are part of its approach.
Good to know
Sacrificial violence, profanity and hallucinogens feature. Natasha Wimmer translated the novel from Spanish; the original appeared in 2022 and the first English translation in 2024.
A few distinguishing details
- Cortés's anxious entourage awaits Moctezuma in 1519 Tenoxtitlan
- Translators turn a profanity-filled dinner quarrel into compliments
More funny historical
Sources & further reading
- Publisher
Publisher
- Kirkus review
Review
- Unabridged audiobook edition
Book information
- Publisher’s opening excerpt
Publisher
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