A dazzling political novel of high artifice and intelligent comedy to make Machiavelli blush

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'A compelling drama ... Fuentes at his best' - Sunday Times

'[Fuentes] writes with an energy, passion and humour that are as compelling now as when he first published a novel, more than forty years ago ... rattlingly good entertainment' - Daily Telegraph

'A man of remarkable gifts ... Fuentes has produced a narrative crammed with penetrating insights and provocative comments not merely on politics but also on history, art and literature' - Spectator
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The year is 2020. The Mexican President has provoked the United States by calling for the removal of US troops from Colombia and demanding higher prices for Mexico's oil. But the country's satellite communications system is controlled in Miami and suddenly Mexico is deprived of phone, fax and email. In a country where politicians never put anything in writing, letters are now the only way to communicate, leaving the private lives and true feelings of all brutally exposed. Especially regarding the hot topic of the day: Who will be the next President, the next to ascend the Eagle's Throne?

As the characters struggle to identify and ally themselves to the future President, the letters fly ever faster. Who will be the victor? Handsome Nicolás Valdivia? Bald satyr Tácito de la Canal? Or the 'unsavoury' ex-President César León? There are many questions to be answered before the last letter is sent.
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'This is Fuentes at his satirical best, mixing political wisdom, biting wit and poignant self-realisation' - Scotland on Sunday