What would have happened if Columbus had not discovered America, and the Incas had invaded Europe, introduced the religion of the sun and conquered the continent under the guidance of Machiavelli's "prince"?
Civilizations is a brilliant alternate history novel that hypothesizes:The Indians lacked three things to resist the Spanish conquerors: give them horses, iron and antibodies to diseases, and you changed the history of the world.
Under these conditions, the Inca ruler Atahualpa lands in Charles V's Europe.
What does he find?
the Spanish Inquisition, Martin Luther and his supporters and capitalism in its infancy; the wonder of writing and talking pages; Kingdoms exhausted by endless wars; a sea infested with pirates; A continent torn by quarrels over religion and inheritance.
But most of all he finds oppressed, starving populations on the verge of uprising: Martyred Jews from Toledo, Muslims from Granada, German peasants - in other words, allies. Will it be possible for the Incas to establish a more beautiful and just world on the continent of Europe in the place where the Christian religion grew?
The ambitious and entertaining work of Laurent Bina, winner of the Goncourt Prize and winner of the French Academy Award, brings a story of globalization in reverse - thanks to Bina's extreme talent, it seems that basically only the tip of Yod is missing for it to win and become a reality.
