You Dreamed of Empires

From the visionary author of Sudden Death, a hallucinatory, revelatory, colonial revenge story set in sixteenth-century Mexico

'An Aztec West Wing' GUARDIAN 'A triumph' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Glorious' i-D

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF 2024 A GUARDIAN TOP FIVE TRANSLATED FICTION OF 2024

In 1519, Conquistador Hernan Cortes and his troops ride into the floating city of Tenoxtitlan - today's Mexico City - in this hallucinatory, revelatory, colonial revenge story.

Invited to a ceremonial meal with the steely princess Atotoxtli, sister and wife of the emperor Moctezuma, the Spanish nearly bungle their entrance into the city and its labyrinthine palace. Soon, one of Cortes's captains, Jazmin Caldera, begins to question the ease with which they were welcomed, and wonders at the risks of getting out alive, much less conquering the empire.

Moctezuma himself is at a political, spiritual and physical crossroads, relying on hallucinogens in a quest for any kind of answer from the gods. When Cortes and Moctezuma meet, two worlds, empires, languages, and possible futures collide.

You Dreamed of Empires brings to life Tenoxtitlan at its height - and reimagines its destiny. It sets afire the moment of conquest and turns it into a moment of revolution, in a novel so electric and so unique that it feels like a dream.

Translated by Natasha Wimmer

'A mischievous fantasy' TLS

A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY TOP TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR