Orellana: El Caballero de las Amazonas

This rousing biographical novel by the Ecuadorian journalist, Miguel Albornoz, is in the well-researched fictional tradition of the North American, Kenneth Roberts. Relying on published sources, Albornoz recreates the ambiente of early sixteenth-century Extremadura, sketches the adventures of the young Orellana with the Pizarro clan, and then moves on to the Gonzalo Pizarro Expedition of 1541 from Quito eastward into the land of Cinammon and El Dorado. This exciting tale of adventure, well told and based on authentic information, is recommended for the historian who wishes to get away from footnotes for an evening and savor the spirit of the Spanish conquest and its will to infinity which motivated such men as Francisco de Orellana, Knight of the Amazon.