I'm a history fan without the head for dates. I don't care about the exact date and time something happened; I'm more interested in the human story behind it. When I picked up Smoke Around The Moon by T.K. Sheils, I was excited to jump headfirst into a time and story I knew little about.

The end of an empire, and the rise of another. This is when we meet Piyo, an Incan farmer that Spanish conquistadors call The Ear. Because of his gift for languages, Piyo is recruited by Hernando de Soto to act as translator for the Spanish. In Smoke Around The Moon, Piyo also acts as the eyes for the reader, giving us a glimpse into the life and times of the Incan empire. The twelfth Sapa-Inca, God-Emperor, has just died. According to a prophecy, he will be the last and the Incan empire will be brought down by white-skinned god-people soon after. Piyo is witness to the events that turn this prophecy into history.

Smoke Around The Moon has all the exciting promise of the New World, but the adventure falls short. When Piyo first sets off on his journey, his father warns him to not get involved in important affairs. This means that through much of the story Piyo just watches the scenes unfold around him. He has little to say about what he sees and seems to feel even less, except for a few impassioned outbursts. These are so few and far between that the passion seems out of character, but it is exactly that passion that I want to see from him. He is the link between the Inca and the Spanish and I wish he were more of a link from the 1500s to me. In addition to not showing me his surroundings, Piyo failed to grow as a character and doesn’t learn from his mistakes.

The language of the book is stilted in places, as if the author was continually reaching for the thesaurus. Peculiar phrasing brought me out of the story. Why would an Incan man use "cups" as measurements? Or the phrase “old bugger,” that sounds very British to me. Other times, the author used Incan vocabulary and that added realism and authenticity to the story.

There are mentions of violence. In the beginning, it is glossed over but as the book progresses, it is shown with greater detail. There are also several mentions of sex and a few descriptive scenes that should give the book an X rating.

I only learned the basics of Incan history in school, so I was excited to read the Incan creation myth, their legends, and to learn some Incan words. Smoke Around The Moon moves at a good pace and is interesting enough for a beach read or for a lazy weekend.

Reviewed by Cam
© March 2008