Description

It’s world history. But not as we know it.

c.1000AD: Erik the Red’s daughter heads south from Greenland
1492: Columbus does not discover America
1531: the Incas invade Europe

Freydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them. Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even when captured, his faith in his mission is unshaken.

Thirty years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in a Europe ready for revolution. Fortunately, he has a recent guidebook to acquiring power – Machiavelli’s The Prince. So, the stage is set for a Europe ruled by Incas and, when the Aztecs arrive on the scene, for a great war that will change history forever.

‘Binet’s best book yet: the work of a major writer just hitting his stride. A delightful counterfactual novel’ ***** – Daily Telegraph

Publisher Review

Glorious, funny and profound * Daily Telegraph * A wild romp of a book that turns history on its head * Guardian * A bold and thrilling experiment in counter-factual history from a masterful storyteller * Financial Times * Characteristically ambitious, brilliant...Combining all the pleasure of a period romp with vital questions about our shared origin stories...a triumph * i * A propulsive 'counter-factual' romp...both dizzying and fun -- Claire Allfree * Metro, *Summer Reads of 2021* *