I really like how the main character, Cristobal, begins an unravel journey of conquest, magic, and also about redemption. This is a great novel to read with a sip of coffee. This challenge our believe and assumptions.

“Conquist” is a strong novel, using historical fact as a jumping off point for an original fantasy adventure which will intrigue many readers.
In 1538 Capitan Cristobal de Varga is leading an army of conquistadors in Peru, intent on conquest and on finding a fortune in Incan gold. In actual history, these twin lusts led to many deaths among both conquistadors and Incans, and very little success for anyone.

Here Cristobal and his army are led through a magical portal which traps them in a new war between two eternal enemies. Cristobal tries to stay focused on his goals, and on protecting his men, but increasingly finds himself questioning everything that has guided his life: his command principles, his God, his honor, his love.

The actual history here is a very light touch, but it’s enough to lend veracity to the people and setting. The attitudes and behaviours are very typical of white men of this class and time. Combined with a realistic projection of the Incan natives’ own behaviour and attitudes, I found it believable and easy to sink into.

This veracity is helpful when Strasser plunges you into his fantasy world. You’re already engaged with strong and realistic characters, and it’s not a stretch to follow them into something fantastical.

The fantasy world is well imagined. The portrayal of other races is particularly vivid. It may not rouse much empathy in you – they’re deliberately portrayed as very alien to the humans in their attitudes and behaviours – but you’ll probably find them understandable.

Although there’s a fair bit of action here, there’s more than a few thoughtful questions underpinning the story. Cristobal becomes quite introspective at times, reflecting on the motivation and actions of not only himself, but his men. This gives the novel considerably more depth than if it relied on action alone.

Overall this is a great read. It’s fast moving and a lot happens, but there’s also a fair bit to think about. It’s vivid and original, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

I was a judge for the 2023 Aurealis Awards. This review is my personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinators, or the Aurealis Awards management team.

Dirk Strasser’s Conquist is a riveting historical odyssey with deep characters, like Ithilia, the gold-winged leader of the duendes—‘her face shimmering like sunlight on water’, and how she befuddles Capitán Cristóbal de Varga, the captain of the conquistadors. Cruel and tender. A stunning novel of conquest and magic. Enchantment splashed with darkness and light. —Eugen Bacon

A rip-roaring lost world adventure.

For more than a century our collective imaginations have been set alight by tales of lost worlds and the brave or foolish explorers that stumble into them. Stories like Rice Burroughs’s The Land That Time Forgot, Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and H Rider Hagard’s King Solomon’s Mines have spun wonderous tales of places that exist beyond our wildest dreams. And it’s from such works that Strasser’s Conquist takes its cue.

Cristobal de Varga idolizes Pizarro and Cortes and – like them – admits to being victim to an ‘insatiable thirst for gold’. Having sacked Machu Pichu with his six hundred conquistadors at his back, he’s now searching for Vilcabamba, reputed hiding place of Incan leader Manco Inca, where he and his men will find the mountains of gold they so desire. After six months of fruitless searching Varga has all but given up hope when his men pursue an Incan messenger through a mountainous pass. Following on, Varga finds a strange valley under an angry red sky where his men are attacked by bearded warriors. It’s then he discovers there is no way back to his own world. And so Varga must travel onward through a treacherous, hostile land in search of both the gold his men expect and a way home for all of them.

Like the best ‘lost world’ stories, the action of Conquist is unrelenting from the moment Varga and his men step through the one-way ‘entrada’ until the very last page. Through his travels, Varga encounters the strangest of flora and fauna, others like him who have wandered into this world only to be lost, enemies who become allies, and seeming friends who will betray them all.

Varga himself is a fascinating character, seemingly cruel and uncaring of the misery he inflicts on the Incas, staunchly loyal to his men, hoping to raise himself and his cousin Diego from penury and struggling with the legacy and memory of his father who chose honour above gold. He’s a clever tactician and brave in a fight and he and his men experience fearful battles, strange discoveries, desperate flights and pursuits, hidden places, and unimaginable wonders in equal measure while Varga learns a few hard truths about himself and his place in the world. He may not achieve all that he desires, but perhaps there are other more personal victories possible that can bring him peace.

I tore through the novel in record time. Conquist is a rip-roaring action adventure with heart that is sure to please.