Aztec Fire by Gary Jennings

Aztec Fire by Gary Jennings

The Aztec uprising in 1810 left young Juan Martez orphaned in a savage land. Like many native Aztecs, Juan was sentenced to hang by the Spanish. But his life is spared when a Spanish gunmaker learns of his skills with gunpowder and buys him to make munitions.

Keeping his Aztec heritage low key, Juan becomes the finest gunmaker in the colony--and the best shot. But both talents are kept secret--if the Spanish knew of his skills, he would surely be killed. Juan secretly works the Mexican underground, running guns and black powder to guerrilla forces fighting for independence. Along the way he falls in love with Maria Volza, a fiery revolutionary stirring up the masses, but she rejects him as fallen under the Spanish boot.

But Juan's destiny is to lead the Mexicans against Spanish rule, and when Maria discovers the life Juan has hidden so well, a battle is ignited and the revolution begins.

Robert Gleason, author of End of Days, has worked for 40 years in the New York book industry, where he has published many scientists, politicians and military experts. He starred in and hosted a two-hour History Channel special, largely devoted to nuclear terrorism and has discussed the subject on many national TV/radio talk shows, including Sean Hannity's and Lou Dobbs's TV shows and George Noory's Coast to Coast AM. He has also spoken on nuclear terrorism at major universities, including Harvard.