The Writings of Scott O'Dell
Some may find it surprising that The Mysterious Cities of Gold was based on
a book written by the acclaimed author, Scott O'Dell, but it's true. If you
would like to read these books, try your local library and bookstore. Most
of them can also be found at www.half.com (you can usually get these books
for practically nothing there) and other online stores.
Title |
Synopsis |
The Publisher's Notes |
Editorial Reviews |
MCoG Connection |
My two cents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The King's Fifth |
In this novel set in the early 1540s, seven people travel across what is now known as the American Southwest in search of the legendary golden cities of Cibola. Captain Mendoza and three of his soldiers seek treasure, Father Francisco dreams of all the souls he can save on his journey, Esteban de Sandoval, a mapmaker, goes to draw out the land for his Spanish king and Zia, an Indian girl, accompanies the men as their guide. This historical novel explores the history of the Spanish conquistadors and how many of them were corrupted by their lust for gold. | In this deeply affecting novel Scott O'Dell envelops the reader in the
heroic world of the conquistadors, a world that is at once somber and
many-colored. ruthless they may have been, these steel-helmeted young
men of Spain, but they lived their lives on the very edge of eternity
with style and uncommon courage.
First Line: "It is dark night on the sea but dusk within my cell. The jailer has gone. He has left six fat candles and a bowl of grabanzos that swim in yellow oil." |
While awaiting trial for murder and withholding from the king the obligatory fifth of the gold found in Cibola, Esteban, a seventeen-year-old cartographer, recalls his adventures with a band of conquistadors. "The writing is subtly beautiful, often moving, and says more than may be caught in one reading." -- Horn Book ALA Notable Book | This is the book credited with inspiring MCoG. | When I read TKF for the first time, I was disappointed that it wasn't more like MCoG. But something about this deep and moving story draws me back to it. It is now one of my all time favorite books and think it is a must for MCoG fans. |
The Captive |
Julian Escobar, a young Jesuit seminarian, fights against the enslavement of the Mayan Indians in 16th-century Spain. Unfortunately, Julian soon finds himself weakened by his own greed and ambition. | As part of a Spanish expedition to the New World, a Jesuit seminarian
witnesses the enslavement and exploitation of the Mayas and his own seduction
by greed and ambition.
First Line: "By the cock that crew for our holy apostle St. Peter, by the bronze horse of Toledo and the six bishops of Valladdid, I swear all I put down here is the truth. There is nothing else but the truth in this fateful story." |
Julian travels to many of the places visited by the MCoG characters and even meets Marina (Marinche) and Pizarro. | I was surprised by how much this story reminded me of MCoG. It is definetely worth reading although the second and third books in the series can be very hard to find. | |
The Feathered Serpent |
In a fantastic adventure undreamed of when he had set sail from Spain, a young student finds himself trapped in the role of the legendary Mayan god Kukulcan, a captive of his own power and of his duties as lord of a great city. For Julian Escobar it is a perilous challenge. His only ally, the sly dwarf Cantu, who had tricked him into this impersonation in the first place, cares only for the gold that can be plundered from the Mayan temples. Even amid the barbaric splendor of his own court, where he is hailed as "Lord of the Twilight," Julian fears the treachery of the high priest Chalco. And not far from Julian's City of the Seven Serpents, an old enemy, Don Luis de Arroyo, has established himself as lord of a rival city. Julian's travels take him to the palace of the emperor Moctezuma, and before long he is caught up in the tragic encounter of Moctezuma and Hernan Cortes. In The Feathered Serpent, Scott O'Dell captures all the magnificence and terror of the Mayan world and gives his readers once again a powerful and exciting story. |
Julian travels to many of the places visited by the MCoG characters and even meets Marina (Marinche) and Pizarro. | The second book in the series continues the adventures of Julian. | ||
The Amethyst Ring |
Lord of the Twilight, Knight of the Red Jaguar, Rider of the Winds - these were only some of the titles Julian Escobar had acquired when in a bold gesture he took on the told of Kukulcan, legendary god of the Maya. It was a daring impersonation for the young Spanish student, and one that led him into a life of splendor and peril. But the fabled powers of Kukulcan were not enough to save Julian when the armies of the conquistadors threatened his City of the Seven Serpents. Driven from his realm, Julian became a wanderer, haunted by the terror he had seen and by the memory of the Spanish bishop whose ring he wore. First a trader of pearls, then a merchant of feathered cloaks, in Panama he casts his lot with the army of Pizarro. Thus it was that his path took him to the great city of Machu Picchu, high in the Andes, to witness the magnificence of the Incan empire and its swift and tragic fall. Scott O'Dell has chronicled the adventures of Julian Escobar in dramatic and powerful fashion, and in The Amethyst Ring he brings then to their surprising you inevitable conclusion. |
Julian travels to many of the places visited by the MCoG characters and even meets Marina (Marinche) and Pizarro. | Moving and surprising, AR brings the trilogy to a proper end. | ||
The Island of the Blue Dolphins |
When the young Indian girl Karana's tribe leaves their island because of marauding Russian fishermen, Karana insists on staying. Left to fend for herself and perform men's work that she has never done before, Karana spends 18 years on the island with only a dog for company. Based on a true story. Winner of the 1961 Newbery Medal. | "A haunting and unusual story based on the fact that in the early
1800s an Indian girl spent 18 years alone on a rocky island far off the
coast of California. . . . A quiet acceptance of fate characterizes her
ordeal".--School Library Journal, starred review. William Allen White
Award; ALA Notable Children's Book; Newbery Medal.
First Line: "I remember the day the Aleut ship came to our island. At first it seemed like a small shell afloat on the sea. Then it grew larger and was a gull with folded wings. At last in the rising sun it became what it really was--a red ship with two red sails." |
"A haunting and unusual story based on the fact that in the early
1800s an Indian girl spent 18 years alone on a rocky island far off the
coast of California...A quiet acceptance of fate characterizes her ordeal." |
The inspiration for Tao possibly came from this book. | This is a fabulous book! I read it for the first time in 6th grade and it has always been one of my favorites. |
Zia |
A young Indian girl, Zia, caught between the traditional world of her mother and the present world of the Mission, is helped by her aunt Karana whose story was told in the Island of the Blue Dolphins. | "[Scott O'Dell] presents an almost unbearably moving story of what
happened to the Indian woman Karana, when she had been left alone at the
end of the 'Blue Dolphin' tale." |
Since this book continues the story of IoBD, I thought it was worthy of this list. | Another excellent book that shouldn't be missed if you like IoBD. | |