I have loved this book since I was a teeny weeny little girl. I totally agree with everything that has been previously said about how good it is. It's accurate, it's a headlong read - you can hardly put it down once you get rolling. I had one of the original hardcovers (it was my aunt's), plus a falling-apart paperback which I just gotta replace. True, the movie does not do it justice although it is real, real good - I think this was Tyrone Power's role of a lifetime. The music is now considered a classic and the cinematography is utterly gorgeous (filmed in Mexico with all the mountains and flora and fauna, etc.). I told my daughter to bury me with a copy of this book... This is truly a movie they should absolutely re-make (and get it right) - anyway, more later!

This intriguing novel immediately propels the reader into the life of a young and courageous Spaniard who sacrifices everything he owns for a chance to find honor and treasure in the New World. Each adventure, from the escape from the Spanish Inquisition to the conquest of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), seems so real that you feel as if you were there alongside the characters, fighting for a common cause. This novel offers a vivid and accurate depiction of the Conquest of Mexico, the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition, and a comparison between the "pagan savages" of the New World and the supposedly superior and religious conquistadors. The excitement of battle is also intertwined with an enthralling, romantic story line.
Although this book would be fantastic with only its compelling story line and breathtaking adventure, it is enriched by a profound and universal philosophy that questions and defines such concepts as love, friendship, racism, and religion. Captain from Castile is an inspiring and enthralling novel that I would equally recommend as an adventure, a romance, a historical and cultural depiction, or a deeper, almost philosophical piece. I found it a book that was hard to put down, yet so absorbing that when I reached the final page, I wished that the book was longer so that I might remain in the story a few moments longer.

...you'll love this book! I have to agree with "No from Seattle." This is one of my five all-time favorites as well. I first read it about 35 years ago when I was a kid, and have re-read it probably 5-6 times since (it's pretty intense and not a once-a-year read). Its compelling characters, graphic and historically accurate account of the Inquisition and the Conquest, heroes and villains, tough hombres and scoundrels, are no less real to me now than they were 35 years ago. Pedro de Vargas has been my archetypical hero since my first read, and few others have matched or exceeded him in my mind. Cortez was every bit as complex in reality as he is portrayed in the book, and the Conquistadores' audacity and greed in believing that a few hundred men could conquer a martial civilazation was realistically and breathtakingly portrayed. The period in Tenochtitlan is portrayed in a detail rarely seen anywhere else, including in histories I've been inspired to read as a result of this book. The account of the Sad Night was grim, desperate, and exciting. The author's descriptions of the Aztecs, a tough warrior race with a strange mixture of brutality and beauty, gave me a much better sense of the high culture present in North America when the Europeans arrived. And of course we can't forget the romantic storyline - enough to satisfy any romance addict. Be warned - the movie doesn't really do the book justice: it only covers about the first half of the story, with a contrived ending, and Tyrone Power was a little too old and a little too wooden to play Pedro de Vargas with conviction. But don't let that stop you from reading this book! It has to be one of the all-time great adventure stories.

I read this book when a was a teenager, years and years ago, finding the hardcover from the original publication in a trove of an older siblings books. It made an indelible impression on me then, and, re-reading it, it still does. Pagentry, politics, emotional angst, it's all here. The book made such a vivid impression on me, that when I travelled to Italy years later, one of the most exciting experiences I had was to go to the Castel Saint'Angelo outside Rome. Not only is it the site where Tosca jumps to her death in the opera, but it's the setting for the very atmospheric scene in "Prince of Foxes" where Andrea goes to the secret audience with Borgia and is worried about being assasinated. That's how concrete that scene was. They don't write books like this anymore. For years, I was upset over the fact that I have thick thumbs, like Angela Borgia!
The movie that was made in the 1950s (Tyrone Power as Orsini, Orson Welles as Borgia and Wanda Hendrix as Camilla) does not do the book justice, for all that there are some nice scenes actually filmed on location in Italy. Oh, and Tyrone Power does look great in tights. Check him out in the wedding scene at the end.

More than just a story of a Renaissance Man, this is a tale of a young, talented but materialistic and opportunistic man who pulls himself out of poverty by selling himself to the highest bidder. There are many parallels to the challenges facing today's young men who live in our inner cities. After an encounter with Saint Lucia, the man questions his motivations and finally becomes a more mature and fulfilled individual, at peace with himself and his formidable artistic talents. Also, this book was made into a GREAT movie in the 1950's (I think). I think Virginia Mayo as Camilla, Rex Harrison as one of the Borgia brothers, and Cliff Montgomery as Zoppo/Andrea??

My father handed me his old worn copy of Prince of Foxes, without even a cover, and told me that I'd like it. Well, he was more than right. If you like action, intrigue, romance, and who doesn't, this is a great book. Believe me, order it now, you won't be sorry!

THE KING'S CAVALIER is in the same tradition of rich pageantry, high adventure, and unforgettable romance. Against the violent background of 16th century France, he tells the thrill-packed story of Blaise de Lalliere, an impulsive young night who fell in love with the one girl he should never have dreamed of -- Anne Russell, the beautiful redhead desired by the King himself! What happens when Blaise and Anne flee across France, sharing the intimacies of their hazardous journey, and pursued by the ruthless forces of the jealousy-maddened King, makes an adventure and suspense story that never falters -- and a love story you will never forget!