In Harbinger of the Storm, Aliette De Bodard brings back Acatl, the priest investigator, introduced in her first novel, Servant of the Underworld, in the second book of the Obsidian & Blood series.
Historical Setting
These novels are set in the fifteenth century Aztec Empire. The Aztec Empire was made up largely from the Nahuatl-speaking groups in central Mexico (the Aztec Triple Alliance) during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The Aztecs were polytheistic and recognized over 100 deities and supernatural creatures.
The Story
In this novel, Acatl, an Aztec priest of the dead, tries to solve the mystery surrounding the death of a councilman, Ocome. The council was meeting to select the next leader, as Axayacatl-tzin, the protector of the Mexica Empire has died.
Acatl believes the councilman was killed by a star-demon, but must find out who summoned the demon and why. There is no shortage of suspects in the councilman’s death, from the fractious heirs to the newly vacant throne to the back-biting remaining council members to soldiers loyal to different factions.
Acatl’s loyalty lies with his gods, those who speak to him and guide him in his duties. He is always concerned about Huitzilopochtli, Hummingbird of the South. The most powerful of the gods, he can only be mollified by human sacrifice.
Acatl does have a flesh-and-blood right-hand man, Teomitl, who is a member of the royal family. Teomitl is also in love with Acatl’s sister, much to the chagrin of the royal family, who are offended that Teomitl has chosen a commoner.
With help from Teomitl, and Ichtaca, his Fire Priest, Acatl sets out to find the murderer. Before he can even interview suspects, another councilman is murdered. It seems as if all the Council members are in danger and Acatl must go to great lengths, mentally, spiritually and geographically to find the killer.
The trail leads them to Nezahual, the ruler of Texcoco, one of the members of the Aztec Triple Alliance, who has his own reasons to want to be protectorate of the Empire. Acatl is able to persuade Nezahual to give them protection and to assist in the hunt for the killer.
This is a smart, fast-paced ride with an exceptional detective who must use all his wisdom and knowledge to find a killer before the gods become angry enough to destroy not only the council, but the entire city.
Author
De Bodard did intense research for both novels. She cites over twenty sources in her brief bibliography and explains at length the geographical, historical and political settings of the time period. She includes a glossary of Aztec terms and concepts and a pronunciation guide to Nahuatl.
In addition to the Obsidian and Blood series, De Bodard has written short fiction for Interzone, Realms of Fantasy and Asimov’s. She is a computer engineer, having graduated from the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique near Paris, where she lives with her husband.
Source:
- De Bodard, Aliette. Harbinger of the Storm. Angry Robot, 2011.
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