The Europeans thought that a country called Eldorado existed far away, where the mountains were pure gold and all the houses were made of gold and the roads and streets were paved with gold as well. Finding ways to get more gold alongside silk and spice, drove European sailors to the vast oceans. But the tranquil era of the merchants was gradually coming to an end. The Turkic tribes of Asia Minor had formed the powerful Ottoman Empire and dominated all parts of the eastern and southern Mediterranean region. European kings, especially the Portuguese and Spanish kings, were in fierce competition to find new routes to capture other countries’ resources. The Portuguese were going to reach the Far East by going around Africa. After discovering the route to India, they sent their troops to India, and the Spanish went to Latin American lands and also the Indian Territory which was full of gold mines. They met in the Atlantic Ocean and there was heavy fighting between the ships of both sides on the water. The main theme of this book is the competition between European countries, in particular, Spain and Portugal, for access to gold and other resources of unknown and weak countries. What happened in the course of competition between the soldiers of the two kings, their plans to plunder the resources of the deprived people, their use of inhumane methods, mass killing and exploiting the people in resource-rich lands were among the topics that the author tries to convey to his adolescent audience in the form of stories and narratives with a simple language. Given the adolescents’ thirst for knowledge and to learn more about world history, this book has attracted the attention of Iranian audience. Book Expert: When the Spanish Armada reached the shore and all the soldiers and sailors got off the ships, Cortez ordered them to set the ships on fire. Now, his troops had only one way to survive: the destruction of the Aztec Empire. Portugal was the first country to think of new sea routes to the east. This small country on the Atlantic coast always had to use sea routes to connect with other countries and at the time that the idea of reaching the east via new routes had occupied the minds of Europeans, the Portuguese pioneered in this regard.

Mehdi Mirkiaei (1973-Tehran) Mehdi Mirkiaei is a contemporary writer and scholar who is also an academic of Allameh Tabataba’i University. He began his literary career by penning stories for children, but later expanded his activities by attaining an academic certificate in history. In the years after the Islamic Revolution, Mirkiaei’s works gained the attention of many literary critics and award juries and beside the book of the year award, he managed to nab a variety of literary awards including the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults’ book of the year award and the Council for Children’s Books’ book of the year award. Furthermore, two translations of his works have been published in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of his Books: -Legend of the Marble Lair (Afsaneye Laneye Marmarin). Tehran: Shabaviz, 2004 -The Song of the Charred Tree (Avaz-e Derakht-e Sookhteh). Tehran: Taka, 2010 -Fire and Water (Ab o Atash). Tehran: Amir Kabir, 2015 -Let’s Write a Story (Biaid Dastan Benevisim). Tehran: Talaee, 2015