The King's Fifth
First edition | |
| Author | Scott O'Dell[1] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | September 1966 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 272 pp (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-395-06963-7 (hardcover), ISBN 0-440-94538-0 (paperback) |
| OCLC | 301963 |
The King's Fifth (1966) is a children's historical novel by Scott O'Dell It describes, from the point of view of a teenage Spanish Conquistador, how the European search for gold in the New World of the Americas affected people's lives and minds.[2] The title refers to the one fifth share of spoils expected by the Spanish Crown.
Plot
The story takes place in a time when the Spanish adventurers, known as Conquistadors, colonised the New World of the Americas, in search of the mythical gold treasures of the dethroned Native Americans.
Characters:
- Estéban de Sandoval: a teenage mapmaker to the expedition to Cibola to find the gold.
- Zia Troyano: a younger teenage Native American guide.
- Captain Blas de Mendoza (very loosely based on Antonio de Mendoza) - an aristocrat in search of gold.
- Father Francisco: a priest to the expedition who joined as a missionary and an explorer.
- Roa and Zuñiga: part of a trio of musicians who are Mendoza's cronies.
Influence
While the book is sometimes cited as the inspiration for the cartoon TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold,[3] that show's creator, Jean Chalopin, has stated that only the names of its primary characters were drawn from the book.[4]
The book is also a slight influence in the Choose Your Own Adventure Time Machine's 1987 book Quest for the Cities of Gold, as the reader meets Esteban at different points.
Awards and nominations
- Newbery Honor Book, 1967[5][6][7]
- Federal Republic of Germany Jugendbuchpreis, 1970[8]
References
- ^ "Scott O'Dell, 91; 'Writer of Books That Children Read'". Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1989.
- ^ "THE KING'S FIFTH by Scott O'Dell". Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Buried Treasure - Mysterious Cities of Gold". Anime News Network. February 10, 2024.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20050209053305/http://www.japimpact.com/interview/chalopin.php%7Cquote="In fact, we used almost nothing from the book, except for the names of three characters: Mendoza, Zia, and Esteban—because our characters have nothing in common with Scott O'Dell's work. In fact, "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" is a work of pure imagination resulting from the joint creative effort between the Japanese team at MK Prod, Studio Pierrot, and DIC—that is, Bernard and I."
- ^ "STREAMS TO THE RIVER, RIVER TO THE..." Los Angeles Times. July 20, 1986.
- ^ Cullinan, Bernice E.; Person, Diane Goetz (January 1, 2005). The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. A&C Black. ISBN 9780826417787 – via Google Books.
- ^ Payment, Simone (December 15, 2005). Scott O'Dell. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 9781404206519 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The King's Fifth - reviews and awards". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.