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![]() First edition | |
Author | Scott O'Dell [1] |
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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.
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:
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.[ citation needed ]