Nights of the Witch

War God, Book 1

By: Graham Hancock

Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards

Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A young girl called Tozi stands at the bottom of a pyramid, waiting to be led to the top where her heart will be cut out....

Pepillo, a Spanish orphan who serves a sadistic Dominican friar, is aboard the Spanish fleet as it sails towards Mexico.... 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. This is a war of gods and men.

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 Cortes. 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.

Caught up in the headlong collision between two gods of war are Tozi, Pepillo and the beautiful sex slave Malinal whose hatred of Moctezuma runs so deep she will sell out her own land and people to destroy him.

©2013 Graham Hancock (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

"[P]art 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." ( Evening Standard)

engaging story.

The historical fiction is filled with action and adventure. A really great story well performed and well read. makes one want to study again this time in history though the lens of this story-telling.

captivating

great read, thanks to Mr Hancock for this entertaining and informative piece. two thumbs up

Brings History to Life

Graham Hancock does a lot of really clever things with this book. I was worried that picking it up the book would hit page three and go straight off the deep end into pseudoscience and aliens, but the combination of supernatural and real history really serves to tell a better story here. Nights of the Witch is an excellent retelling of the Spanish conquest that is focused on drawing you in to the world. The choice to create characters that are not based on historic figures allows this story to explore themes and show a view of the world that normally gets glossed over. So while Hancock does take some major liberties with the events of the conquest they mostly make for a more intriguing story. For instance, in the book Malinalli is a Mayan girl who became a slave of the Aztecs. In reality she was born in the Aztec empire and became a slave of the Mayans, but that wouldn't let you see what being a slave of the Aztecs meant so he flips that relationship. Hancock's portrayal of the world is better than a lot of tv documentaries that I've seen even though this is clearly fiction, and that comes down to his excellent descriptions and his search for the motivations of the people involved. It does have some issues like too many one dimensional characters, and the story does take a little bit to get going as there are a lot of characters that it needs to introduce. Once everyone's plot lines are in action the story does become engaging though. Hancock's understanding of Aztec religion is also a little basic (much better than most people) I just think he could have told a better story otherwise. Fun fact, you actually can't open up a ribcage with an obsidian knife, and if you could that would kill the person before you could rip the heart out. You would have to make a cut below the ribcage and once you do that you could easily reach in and up and rip out the heart with your hand. Still I really enjoyed it.

Informative, captivating and outright magical.

War God is a great fusion of Hancock's untethered imagination and his exotic experiences in understanding the roots of our "modern" civilization.

Absolutely incredible.

This book had me from the start. Really enjoyed the flow of the book bouncing around from story to story. it really painted an interesting pucture of the Spanish Reconquista. and the crazy part is that most of it is true. Obviously excluding the supernatural aspect of the novel.
All in all I loved it, and Im just glad they made an audiobook of this finally!!!

Yet another great work by Graham Hancock

Firstly, much praise should be given to Mr. Barnaby Edwards for the great read with a full cast made possible by his vocal variety!!! Cheers to a job well done. What else can be said about this book other that it’s is fantastically written and is capable of transporting the listener back in time to the days of Maya and the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors.

I adore Graham and his non fictional work but...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. It was painful to get through and left me feeling dark and kind of soul sick.

Would you recommend Nights of the Witch to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I really dislike the penchant Hancock has for graphic physical and sexual violence. I love the history he covers but it's strung together with gruesome markers of killing and mayhem. This may in fact be an historical accuracy and part of a point he is making; however, I feel cynical and sick after listening to books like this. Sorry Graham. I'm no Pollyanna, but this really grosses me out. There are ways to talk about sex and violence without digging the knife into the listener's gut or having him/her feel like he has been raped and abused. This is my last time purchasing Hancock's fiction.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I agree with others the accents through me a bit, but you get used to them.

Do you think Nights of the Witch needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. It should be burned by Christian missionaries and never heard from again. (ironic kidding)

Any additional comments?

Love Graham Hancock. Can't abide the violent and savage nature of his fiction. I feel tainted after I listen to his fiction books like I need to take a shower.

I love this book. Cant wait for the third.

Where does Nights of the Witch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really like this series. My favorite so far.

What about Barnaby Edwards’s performance did you like?

He has great voices for the Characters.

Pre-Hispanic Dickens?

What disappointed you about Nights of the Witch?

The reader uses English class accents to distinguish the characters. it's jarring. Why is the protagonist speaking in a cockney accent? it's set in pre-hispanic Mexico!

How could the performance have been better?

A straight reading or non British accent would have helped.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Nights of the Witch?

I'm not sure Moctezuma had the glee in taking human sacrifices as described in the book. A lot of this is up for debate and some suggest that the sacrifices were grossly exaggerated to justify the horrible looting and violence of the Spanish themselves.

Any additional comments?

I really was looking forward to this but I can't continue. It's too frustrating.

Best Book I Have Ever Listened To

Wow, typically I listen to audio books for 30 minute to 60 minutes at a time. This was so engaging that I just listened to 5 hours in a row and could not turn it off. Usually a book this long starts to get tedious, but the author really knows how to build things up to a crescendo so that I actually felt my interest build as it went on and did not get story fatigue.

In history lessons, we get glimpses or brief paragraphs of the fascinating clash of civilizations between the Conquistadors and the Indian empires, but Hancock really brings the whole thing to life and you feel like you are there. He answers alot of questions and unravels the mystery of the encounters that is very satisfying.

His action sequences are amazing and you can tell the small details he throws in are METICULOUSLY researched. Tension, sense of dread, and the cunning and violence are illustrated well.

Narrator was also top notch, even surpassing R.C. Bray, which I thought was impossible. His repertoire of so many different voices and distinct personalities really adds to the deep characterization.

You get to see the motivations of all the different sides and this story flows really really well.

Already bought part 2.

Compelling Historical Fiction, Excellent Narration

This book, the first in what is currently a trilogy, is definitely in my top three of 'fictional books that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to' (No mean feat). You may not struggle too hard to guess the other two. Okay so it is not entirely fiction, a lot of it is based on historical fact, but all of the story lines of the people involved are compelling and as the stories evolve the author has allowed us to love and hate almost every character, in fact you may find yourself 'jumping ship' and siding with your original enemy on many occasions before 'jumping back' again and again. Each to his own. In my humble opinion this is a very clever, compelling and absorbing book, as is the rest of the series, written by a very intelligent human being. To add insult to injury the narrator is the perfect man for the job and again is one of the best that I have listened to. All in all the combination of Author and Narrator really does make this the next audiobook you must listen to.

Loved it.

Great story. Very well read. Endearing characters and despicable villains. Looking forward to book two.

Hancock talent is undeniable

Most people might believe that Hancock is better known for his factual, if a little controversial, books on ancient civilisation and the many inconsistencies that question the standard model of how civilisation began. I have listened to 4 of these books and have found them really interesting if a little too much focus on all things celestial and cosmic.

It was a huge surprise when I came across the War God Trilogy as 'surely a factual writer who has dedicated his life to endless research and travel could not have the skillset to be capable of such storywriting'

Was I wrong? Not only was I wrong but the term 'story' does little justice to the incredible epic book that uses the underpinning of his historical research to develop one of the most engrossing audiobooks I have yet listened to. This book was responsible for several poor night's sleep while I was unable to stop listening to the unfolding drama and the development and subsequent changes in the key characters.

No desire to divulge spoilers other than the book has the conquistadors and the indigenous tribes coming together in the most epic of tales. I'm sure that some historians will scoff at this story citing some aspects as being ad odds with conventional historical thinking. That misses the point. To develop the engrossing storyline the author was not on a quest to write a step by step historical text book. However, along with an amount of poetic licence Hancock's story undoubtedly captures historical events with the gaps bridged through the development of characters and their interaction with historical events.

The book is blood thirsty and graphic in places. However, to avoid this would be to ignore the savagery that was very much a part of this time in history.

Hancock also alludes to facts that are often ignored by historians, facts that are therefore little understood by people of today. Primarily the notion that indigenous people were no more than savages with no civilization. The truth is the opposite. These tribes showed incredible knowledge in architecture, crop cultivation, governmental structures and social interaction that we only associate with civilization. The appalling and systematic mass human sacrifices is unfortunately at odds with their otherwise developed society.

The Spanish, 'for God and King' tried to impose their way of life. This, however, was a smoke screen hiding their true motivation of greed, slaughter of what they saw as sub humans and the theft of lands and property.

Hancock has really surprised me with a gift of story telling, so much so that I have finished the 2nd and 3rd books.

Any good book requires a good narrator. Barnaby Edwards is a British actor who has wrote his own novels, acted in many parts including a dalek in Doctor Who and has directed some of Doctor Who episodes. It's a little amusing that many of the accents he used are those found in many parts in England. But you soon forget this and appreciate his skill in delivering the narration. I have listened to other books narrated by Edwards that, whilst good, are not on a par with the enthusiasm he narrates this book. It is almost as if Edwards completely enjoyed reading this book and was able, when tensions in the storyline increased, was adept at conveying the urgency and excitement of what was happening.

If you are struggling for an excellent historical fiction novel....this is very, very hard to beat.

not what I expected but!

Not what I thought it was going
be but I enjoyed it an interesting mix of history and fantasy. I am now going to read the rest of the trilogy

Great riveting story that comes together perfectly

This book has kept me engrossed from start to finish. Already got second book ready to roll. If it’s half as good as book 1 war god I’m not moving till it’s done,
I feel like I’m learning history as I listen... definately one of the best books I listened too in three years

really enjoyed this book

I downloaded this book in error thinking it was sci-fi but it was an unexpected gem that had me so hooked i have bought the next one...couldn't wait for my next credit

don't buy just cause you like the historical books

big time fan of the more historical books here. this is interesting but I felt like the story was a little immature.

Nights of the witch

Another great book. I couldn't stop listening. This book kept me rivited. I am to looking forward to the next one.

Amazing mix of myth, history and fiction

I have heard Graham Hancock's documentary style books and loved his detailed articulation of events. This book builds on his factual research, mixes in a lot of myth and fiction and builds up an amazing storyline with great characters. Having visited Mexico it takes me back to the wonderful lands. Unfortunately people were subjugated in the name of religion and freedom and their culture was trampled over. There are no real heroes in this story, only different people trying to justify bloodletting on different premises of following a religious path. Its the women who stand out for their fierceness and determination to fight against all odds. Great series and I will continue to delve deeper into this great epic. Brilliantly narrated as well

A great story

A true pleasure reading/ listening to the story, can't wait to continue with the next book