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Book Reviews of The Mask of the Sun

The Mask of the Sun
The Mask of the Sun
Author: Fred Saberhagen
ISBN-13: 9780441520787
ISBN-10: 0441520782
Publication Date: 9/1/1981
Pages: 240
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2

3.5 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Ace
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

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This tale is an alternate history set among the Incas in which 20th-century hero Mike Gabrieli finds himself a hero planning battles with the Incas who are determined to drive Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish conquistadors from their lands..

It all begins when his brother, Tom, discovers a gold mask in shallow ocean waters. Realizing that it is indeed pure gold, he decides to seek someone who will buy it. Then he disappears, leaving a message for his brother. When Mike reads the message he learns about the gold mask. However, when he finds it and raises it to his face he encounters strange images. At this point he also meets an old man named Esperanza appears and begins a conversation.

The brothers are about to have the adventure of their lifetimes. The mask leads Mike from the twentieth century into the past, the future, even another dimension. He meets the Incas in all the periods. Almost always, too, he encounters the old man, Esperanza, appearing as one who lived in that period. At one point Mike discovers that he is not the person expected. Mike is a clerk, not the soldier who died in an auto accident. As the story progresses Mike becomes a hero, leading the Incas against Pizarro whose men are raging across the Inca Empire, stealing their gold, silver, precious stones, wives, and enslaving many. As the Incas fight for their existence, Mike begins himself planning how to defeat the Spaniard and his cruel soldiers. And, yes, Mike finds his brother several times in all the periods in which he finds himself. It's a good tale with many
a battle.