Requiem for a Lightning Bolt

The five novels of Manuel Scorza''s <I>La guerra silenciosa</I> are self-contained, yet reading them in the order of their appearance enhances an appreciation of the saga''s underlying thematic development. In this final volume, the Indian struggle, which began in the first book as a single-handed revolt against the despotism of Judge Montenegro, has evolved into a fully organized insurrection against the oppression by ruthless landowners and the powerful mining company of Cerro de Pasco. This novel also depicts the culmination of the gradual shift in the Indians'' psyche from a mythical interpretation of events to a more realistic worldview.