Harbinger of the Storm (Obsidian and Blood)
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Review
A gripping mystery steeped in blood and ancient Aztec magic. I was enthralled.A" - Sean Williams
Product Description
IT IS YEAR TWO-HOUSE - AND THE MEXICA EMPIRE IS IN CHAOS. Flesh-eating demons roam the land, and rumours persist of a return of their creator, a malevolent goddess. The council needs to choose a new Emperor to unite them all, but when a councillor is murdered only Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, can solve the mystery. Dark magic and authentic Aztec history combine to create another gripping novel in this very entertaining and original series.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Some days I feel like an Angry Robot fanboi. Who am I kidding? I am a huge fan. This book continues the great run of books they have released.
This is the second book in a series and I highly recommend reading Servant of the Underworld first.
I found the beginning of the first book a little too slow and hard to get into for my liking, but I was right there in the story from the first page of Harbinger. The main protagonist Acatl is the reluctant high priest of the dead and is part of a triumvirate of religious leader that advise the leaders of the Mexica empire. I thought about writing down more place names and character names in this review, but even though they have been shortened to enable easier reading they are still difficult to get your head around out of context. The politics and intrigue at court are anathema to Acatl and the one part of his job that he dislikes. The plot starts with the death of the Revered Speaker the ruler of the Triple Alliance. Add to that a supernatural plot that threatens to destroy the world and you start to get an idea of how difficult the job of finding the killers and saving the empire will be.
I am a simple man and usually like things quite simple, and lots of dialogue in my fiction. I shouldn't really like this book as there are a lot of big sections with little or no dialogue. It works though. The descriptions are simple and never seem too long, the dialogue always adds value, and the plot flows nicely. I didn't work out what was going on until I was told and this added to my enjoyment. I particularly love the way the capricious nature of the gods is portrayed.
If you want to read crime fiction in an interesting and vibrant historic setting this book will be right up your street. I am eager to reading the third book in this series, and will be downloading it as soon as I can.
This is the second book in a series and I highly recommend reading Servant of the Underworld first.
I found the beginning of the first book a little too slow and hard to get into for my liking, but I was right there in the story from the first page of Harbinger. The main protagonist Acatl is the reluctant high priest of the dead and is part of a triumvirate of religious leader that advise the leaders of the Mexica empire. I thought about writing down more place names and character names in this review, but even though they have been shortened to enable easier reading they are still difficult to get your head around out of context. The politics and intrigue at court are anathema to Acatl and the one part of his job that he dislikes. The plot starts with the death of the Revered Speaker the ruler of the Triple Alliance. Add to that a supernatural plot that threatens to destroy the world and you start to get an idea of how difficult the job of finding the killers and saving the empire will be.
I am a simple man and usually like things quite simple, and lots of dialogue in my fiction. I shouldn't really like this book as there are a lot of big sections with little or no dialogue. It works though. The descriptions are simple and never seem too long, the dialogue always adds value, and the plot flows nicely. I didn't work out what was going on until I was told and this added to my enjoyment. I particularly love the way the capricious nature of the gods is portrayed.
If you want to read crime fiction in an interesting and vibrant historic setting this book will be right up your street. I am eager to reading the third book in this series, and will be downloading it as soon as I can.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Emperor is dead and so is the protection he provided for the fifth world now threatened by star demons, malicious summoners and inner strife.
It all starts when they find councilor Ocome cut to pieces by a star-demon inside the palace. The demon is on the loose and has to be found. The investigation into the councilor's death starts to peel an onion of mystery with many surprising twists and turns to be enjoyed.
The succession is far from as clear as it ought to be even though the Emperor named his preference and while the council and the different fractions struggle for power they have a star-demon loose in the palace and the wards protecting the world is getting weaker by the hour.
You can compare the story to a traditional detective story with Acatl as the lead detective and Teomitl as his loyal sidekick muscle with the difference that Acatl is the High Priest of the Dead with magical powers of his own beside the deductive mind needed for the job. Teomitl is a member of the Imperial family, the next leader of the House of Darts and a frequent vessel for his gods and their powers. He is also in love with Acatl's sister which his family frown on to say the least. The daughter of peasants? It is not done. As his brother the dead Emperor's chosen successor says.
Acatl continues to show little ambition for power but his life is starting to get intertwined with the ones in power and the gods that favors them. One could say that he is in the hot pan for the duration. I think we get an inkling of how people in a different culture reason and think. That is something I value in a book.
Aliette de Bodard has done it again. Harbinger of the Storm is an action packed Aztec mystery opera with magic, interventions from the gods and more twists and turns than the first book. It even has a love story with amusing snippets here and there, I love formidable women. The story is self contained and can be enjoyed standalone, but you will not want to miss out on the first. I wish it was 2012 already even if the world is going under while I read the final Obsidian and Blood.
It all starts when they find councilor Ocome cut to pieces by a star-demon inside the palace. The demon is on the loose and has to be found. The investigation into the councilor's death starts to peel an onion of mystery with many surprising twists and turns to be enjoyed.
The succession is far from as clear as it ought to be even though the Emperor named his preference and while the council and the different fractions struggle for power they have a star-demon loose in the palace and the wards protecting the world is getting weaker by the hour.
You can compare the story to a traditional detective story with Acatl as the lead detective and Teomitl as his loyal sidekick muscle with the difference that Acatl is the High Priest of the Dead with magical powers of his own beside the deductive mind needed for the job. Teomitl is a member of the Imperial family, the next leader of the House of Darts and a frequent vessel for his gods and their powers. He is also in love with Acatl's sister which his family frown on to say the least. The daughter of peasants? It is not done. As his brother the dead Emperor's chosen successor says.
Acatl continues to show little ambition for power but his life is starting to get intertwined with the ones in power and the gods that favors them. One could say that he is in the hot pan for the duration. I think we get an inkling of how people in a different culture reason and think. That is something I value in a book.
Aliette de Bodard has done it again. Harbinger of the Storm is an action packed Aztec mystery opera with magic, interventions from the gods and more twists and turns than the first book. It even has a love story with amusing snippets here and there, I love formidable women. The story is self contained and can be enjoyed standalone, but you will not want to miss out on the first. I wish it was 2012 already even if the world is going under while I read the final Obsidian and Blood.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Is it the end of the fifth world?
31 Jan 2011
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Emperor is dead and so is the protection he provided for the fifth world now threatened by star demons, malicious summoners and inner strife.
It all starts when they find councilor Ocome cut to pieces by a star-demon inside the palace. The demon is on the loose and has to be found. The investigation into the councilor's death starts to peel an onion of mystery with many surprising twists and turns to be enjoyed.
The succession is far from as clear as it ought to be even though the Emperor named his preference and while the council and the different fractions struggle for power they have a star-demon loose in the palace and the wards protecting the world is getting weaker by the hour.
You can compare the story to a traditional detective story with Acatl as the lead detective and Teomitl as his loyal sidekick muscle with the difference that Acatl is the High Priest of the Dead with magical powers of his own beside the deductive mind needed for the job. Teomitl is a member of the Imperial family, the next leader of the House of Darts and a frequent vessel for his gods and their powers. He is also in love with Acatl's sister which his family frown on to say the least. The daughter of peasants? It is not done. As his brother the dead Emperor's chosen successor says.
Acatl continues to show little ambition for power but his life is starting to get intertwined with the ones in power and the gods that favors them. One could say that he is in the hot pan for the duration. I think we get an inkling of how people in a different culture reason and think. That is something I value in a book.
Aliette de Bodard has done it again. Harbinger of the Storm is an action packed Aztec mystery opera with magic, interventions from the gods and more twists and turns than the first book. It even has a love story with amusing snippets here and there, I love formidable women. The story is self contained and can be enjoyed standalone, but you will not want to miss out on the first. I wish it was 2012 already even if the world is going under while I read the final Obsidian and Blood.
It all starts when they find councilor Ocome cut to pieces by a star-demon inside the palace. The demon is on the loose and has to be found. The investigation into the councilor's death starts to peel an onion of mystery with many surprising twists and turns to be enjoyed.
The succession is far from as clear as it ought to be even though the Emperor named his preference and while the council and the different fractions struggle for power they have a star-demon loose in the palace and the wards protecting the world is getting weaker by the hour.
You can compare the story to a traditional detective story with Acatl as the lead detective and Teomitl as his loyal sidekick muscle with the difference that Acatl is the High Priest of the Dead with magical powers of his own beside the deductive mind needed for the job. Teomitl is a member of the Imperial family, the next leader of the House of Darts and a frequent vessel for his gods and their powers. He is also in love with Acatl's sister which his family frown on to say the least. The daughter of peasants? It is not done. As his brother the dead Emperor's chosen successor says.
Acatl continues to show little ambition for power but his life is starting to get intertwined with the ones in power and the gods that favors them. One could say that he is in the hot pan for the duration. I think we get an inkling of how people in a different culture reason and think. That is something I value in a book.
Aliette de Bodard has done it again. Harbinger of the Storm is an action packed Aztec mystery opera with magic, interventions from the gods and more twists and turns than the first book. It even has a love story with amusing snippets here and there, I love formidable women. The story is self contained and can be enjoyed standalone, but you will not want to miss out on the first. I wish it was 2012 already even if the world is going under while I read the final Obsidian and Blood.
An Excellent Sequel
5 Mar 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read the first book of this series and surprised myself by how much I loved it. This sequel does not disappoint. The rich discription of the culture, the politics and the magic of the Gods combined with an engrossing mystery really hits the spot and drags you in. Like the first I started reading and just got pulled in and every time I thought I'd figured out what was really going on some new twist was revealed that changed everything and left you on the edge of your seat once again. I have to say that I already have the third book and only the knowledge that I don't have enough free time to read it is actually keeping me from picking it up and just reading it until I pass out from exhaustion.
Truly fascinating world for a political/murder mystery!
28 Feb 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A truly fascinating, well-researched historical fantasy set in the 15th century Mexica Empire. I have to say the star-demons and the Wind of Knives are my favorites, but the magic, mythos, and culture are quite fascinating as well, and the ending was satisfying. A political mystery set in an ancient, fantastic, little-known Empire? Heckyes, everyone should give reading this trilogy a shot.
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