title: The Fifth and Final Sun: An Ancient Aztec Myth of the Sun's Origin
author: Shana Greger
description: Grade 1-4-According to this Aztec creation myth, humankind lives in the Age of the Fifth Sun. The first four suns were destroyed by jealous gods; the fifth was born by an act of unselfish sacrifice. Greger's retelling embroiders upon traditional details to create a unique version of this porquoi story about the origin of the sun and the moon. The tale is illustrated with fantastically detailed watercolors, most of which are single page; others are double-page spreads framed by a border of Aztec-style designs. Shapes are outlined with strong, flowing curves. The emotional content of each scene is accented by the use of color-the dying light of the Second Sun turns the sky a dim mustard yellow; bathed in the Fourth Sun's soft white rays, the green and gold fields glow with vitality. Greger's lively, imaginative mixture of pictures and text bring real sparkle to this story, which may be unfamiliar to many young listeners.<br /><i>Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL</i><br />Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: The Stolen Throne
  The Time of Troubles, Vol. 1
  DEDICATION:
  To the Redlines, father and son.
  AUTHOR'S NOTE:
  The events chronicled in the books of The Time of Troubles begin about 150
  years before those described in The Tale of Krispos and thus about 650 years
  before those of The Videssos Cycle.
  From the battlements of the stronghold, Abivard looked north across the broad
  sweep of land his father, Godarz, held in the name of the King of Kings. Out
  beyond the village that surrounded the stronghold, most of what he saw was
  sere and brown from high summer; only near the Vek Rud River, and in the
  gardens nourished by the underground channels called qanats, did green defy
  the blazing sun.
  Off to the east, the Videssians, Makuran's longtime foes, gave reverence to
  the sun as a symbol of their god. To Abivard, the sun was too unreliable for
  worship, roasting the highland plateau of Makuran in summertime and then all
  but disappearing during the short, cold days of winter.
  He raised his left hand