Aztec Fire

The fascinating history of Mexico that began in the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Aztec continues

Juan Rios comes from a long line of Aztec warriors. Slave to a Spanish gun-maker, he becomes the finest gunsmith and sharpshooter in colonial Mexico. But Juan has a secret life as the revolucion's #1 gun-runner.

Juan falls for the beautiful Maria, a beautiful writer and fearless revolucionaria whose dream of freedom is a liability for them both. The hard-drinking, womanizing, con-man Luis becomes their last hope against the rack, the stake, and the blood-stained torture dungeons of the Inquisition.

Aztec Fire sweeps readers on a perilous journey from the fabled ruins of ancient Tula to the slave-labor galleons of "the Manila Run" to a South Seas jungle island teeming with crocodiles, snakes, and blood-crazed cannibals. When Juan and his friends finally reach home, they find their country in flames, struggling against its hated Spanish oppressors.

Gary Jennings was known for the rigorous and intensive research behind his books, which often included hazardous travel―exploring every corner of Mexico for his Aztec novels, retracing the numerous wanderings of Marco Polo for The Journeyers, joining nine different circuses for Spangle, and roaming the Balkans for Raptor. Born in Buena Vista, Virginia in 1928, Jennings passed away in 1999 in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, leaving behind a rich legacy of historical fiction and outlines for new novels.

Junius Podrug is an accomplished writer of both fiction and nonfiction. He lives on Cape Cod.

Robert Gleason was Gary Jennings' editor for a number of years. He lives in New York City