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Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II
By Ian Hunter
By Ian Hunter
Publication Date: 22nd April 2021
Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH
Print Length: 277 Pages
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is discovering that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.
Jessie’s life has become a series of terrible challenges. Now she must lead her friends in the hopeless task Grandfather set them: hunt down and destroy the Time Stones. But her leadership has already failed. Tip has left them and Abe has simply disappeared, while she and Kes are trapped in the heart of an ancient empire in turmoil.
Thrust into a fractured, threatened Mexica nobility, Jessie is immersed in a way of life, fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, yet powerless before the approaching Conquistadors and the impending clash of cultures.
Even as the fabulous city of Tenochtitlan descends into savage violence, Jessie’s determination to succeed is undiminished. But with world history taking a new, bloody direction before her, she is finally forced to decide which is more important: continuing the task or simply surviving.
Publication Date: 22nd April 2021
Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH
Print Length: 277 Pages
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Read with #KindleUnlimited
Book Review
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Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II opens the story outward, moving beyond the more contained journey of the first book and placing the characters in a world that feels larger, older and far more unpredictable. What stands out most in this instalment is the sense of exploration — not only across landscapes, but across cultures, histories and ways of understanding the world.
The historical backdrop becomes much more prominent here. Through the letters of the merchant and the experiences of his son travelling with early Spanish expeditions, the story introduces a layer of real historical movement beneath the fictional narrative. These passages offer glimpses of ships crossing unknown oceans, settlements forming along unfamiliar coasts, and the ambitions of people who believe they are stepping into a completely new world. Rather than feeling separate from the rest of the story, these moments gradually weave themselves into the wider narrative, creating a sense that different lives and journeys are slowly moving towards the same point.
The book also touches on the complex political world the Spanish are entering. References to powerful local rulers, tribute collectors and the authority of Moctezuma hint at the structure of the Mexica empire and its noble class. These elements give a sense that the lands being explored are already part of an organised and sophisticated civilisation, adding depth to the historical setting and raising the stakes for the encounters that lie ahead.
At the same time, the younger characters are navigating their own unfamiliar surroundings. Much of the story unfolds through small moments of discovery — learning how to move carefully through strange places, noticing the behaviour of people around them, and trying to understand what kind of world they have arrived in. These quieter observations give the book a strong sense of atmosphere. Instead of rushing from event to event, the story allows readers to feel the uncertainty and curiosity that come with stepping into unknown territory.
The landscapes themselves play an important role in shaping that experience. Beaches, settlements, forests and distant cities are described with enough detail to make them feel real without overwhelming the story. They create a feeling that the characters are moving through places that existed long before they arrived and will continue long after they leave.
Another interesting aspect of this book is how it allows the mystery of the wider story to deepen rather than immediately answering questions. The origins and purpose of the Time Stones remain only partly understood, and the characters are left to piece together what they can from experience rather than explanation. That approach keeps the sense of wonder alive and encourages the reader to think about the larger patterns that may be forming behind the scenes.
What emerges from all of this is a story that feels both expansive and carefully grounded. The world grows wider, the historical context becomes richer, and the sense of discovery remains constant. By the end, the journey feels less like a simple adventure and more like the beginning of a much larger story gradually unfolding.
Ian Hunter
Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.
School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.
During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.
In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://ianhunterwrites.com
Twitter / X: https://x.com/IanHunterAuthor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07KPKWG1C
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