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Master of the House of Darts

(Obsidian and Blood #3)

Aliette de Bodard (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 360 ratings · 38 reviews

The year is Three Rabbit, and the storm is coming...

The coronation war for the new Emperor has just ended in a failure, the armies retreating with a mere forty prisoners of war - not near enough sacrifices to ensure the favor of the gods.

When one of those prisoners of war dies of a magical illness, ACATL, High Priest for the Dead, is summoned to investigate.

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Mass Market Paperback, 443 pages

Published October 25th 2011 by Angry Robot (first published January 1st 2011)

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Aztec, Maya & Inca - Fiction

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3.92 ·

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· 360 ratings · 38 reviews

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Oct 21, 2016 ᴥ Irena ᴥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amateur-sleuth, historical-fiction, mystery, mythology-legends-folklore, paranormal, wizards-mages-or-sorcerers

4.5

Revered Speaker Tizoc is back from his coronation war with only forty prisoners. When people start dying from what seems to be a plague caused by magic, Acatl realizes that the Fifth World is in danger. Again. Only this time the actions of the High Priests gave the opportunity to their enemies. I can't say how and why because of what happens in Harbinger of Storm (my favourite of the three books). To make everything worse, it seems even some of the gods are afraid.

You could say that Acatl stu ...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Scott Kennedy rated it really liked it

Shelves: review

If you want to take a plunge into the bloody realm of the Aztecs as Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, tries to unravel the mystery behind a mysterious illness spreading in the capital, then this book is for you. It's filled with palace politics, ancient gods, costly magic, and growing tension as the plague grows in severity. One particularly nice aspect of reading this book is that it paints a balanced portrait of a highly civilized Aztec society that nonetheless engages in regular human sacrifice ...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Rob rated it really liked it

Shelves: random-comments-review

...I enjoyed reading Master of the House of Darts as much as the previous two novels. We see a bit more confident Acatl in this novel, despite the fact that he is dealing with unintended consequences of his own actions. He is not a particularly optimistic character but his dark moods fits the dire situation the Mexica Empire is in. It was a nice touch to see that even the gods fear what might happen if the fifth world (the current one according to Aztec mythology) were to come to an end. Readers ...more

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Jan 14, 2019 Jeni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-detective, read-in-2019

This is the final book in the trilogy and I've really enjoyed reading these over the past few years. It's a shame there isn't more.

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Dec 11, 2012 Nathan rated it really liked it

Shelves: author-female, historical-fantasy, rated-4-star, read-2012

First posted here

Third, and currently last, in the series, Master of the House of Darts once again follows Acatl as he investigates threats to the empire, and the mortal world itself. A quick recap for those unfamiliar with the series. Acatl is the High Priest for the Dead, who in his duties of ushering the dead to his master also does his best to keep people from messing with the boundaries that protect the world. Magic is real, gods are accessible (on their own terms of coarse), and blood fuel First posted here

Third, and currently last, in the series, Master of the House of Darts once again follows Acatl as he investigates threats to the empire, and the mortal world itself. A quick recap for those unfamiliar with the series. Acatl is the High Priest for the Dead, who in his duties of ushering the dead to his master also does his best to keep people from messing with the boundaries that protect the world. Magic is real, gods are accessible (on their own terms of coarse), and blood fuels many things. Told in the first person, the book follows Acatl in his investigations.

Building off events of the second book, we learn that the coronation war for the new Reverend Speaker Tizoc-tzin was a disaster, not bringing in near enough captives for sacrifice. The Reverend Speaker is a weak, paranoid man, yet his coronation necessary to keep the boundaries safe. Thus matters are made worse during the celebration, when one of the captives falls to a illness. Tizoc-tzin sees it as a slight at best, a plot at worst, and Acatl is called in to investigate. He once again face hostile witnesses, political infighting, and magical enemies. Worst of all, some of the blame for the sickness may fall in his own lap.

Personally, I found this to be the best book of a very good series. The same positives from the first two books are still present, a very easy to read writing style(easy to read but not simple or dumbed down), a quick pace, and some incredible world building, incredible accessibility despite the lesser know pantheon and names. Even though the second book dealt with a possible end to the world, Master of the House of Darts took a similar fate and did it better. Perhaps this was because in many ways it felt more like a fantasy book than a mystery book, which lends itself better to the "save the world" type story. The magic felt more organic here, it was never used as a crutch, or perhaps it was just better explained. There was a bit less traveling this time around, which also led to a tighter story. The ending involved several confrontations that were tense and believable, including some between people who are supposed to be allies

Perhaps it is because I am more familiar with the characters three books in, but I felt several were seen at their best in this book. Acatl continues to build on his improvements from the second book, and is now more secure with his place than ever. Which is good, because as usual he is surrounded by people who are only friends if it helps their own cause. Nezahaul-tzin is back from the second book, still infuriating Acatl, but still helping in small ways. I have grown to enjoy any chapters with Acamapichtli, one time enemy of Acatl, whose master of political manners are in direct contrast to Acatl, who finds the politicizing to be the worst part of his job. Mihmatini, Acatl's sister, has a larger presence in this book, and makes the most of it. She is one of the most resourceful characters in the book.

The book is at its' weakest when it is following conventions of the mystery genre. Constant dead ends in the investigation have started to get repetitive after three books. The "cryptic message" trope is also overused. Is there any reason that not one person cooperates fully with Acatl? Especially those innocent of wrong doing? But as this book is more focused on the weakening of the boundaries, this is a minor squabble at most.

There was also one plot point that seemed to rely on knowledge that I am not privy too. It was brought up that Acatl's order was forced to expel many of the female followers, making it currently an all male priesthood. I know there were several short stories published before the novels, and wonder if the details are are in one of them.

All said, this was a great end to the series.

4 stars. ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Kate Sherrod rated it it was amazing

Shelves: angry-robot

The Aztec godpunk trilogy that began with Servant of the Underworld and continued in Harbinger of the Storm comes to its Obsidian-y and Bloody end in this last volume but as should be the case in any good mystery series, Master of the House of Darts stands perfectly well on its own, even though we take up the thread of the story very soon after the conclusion of Harbinger.

The middle volume was all about the struggle for succession, and ended with the more or less expected victor emerging as Reve The Aztec godpunk trilogy that began with Servant of the Underworld and continued in Harbinger of the Storm comes to its Obsidian-y and Bloody end in this last volume but as should be the case in any good mystery series, Master of the House of Darts stands perfectly well on its own, even though we take up the thread of the story very soon after the conclusion of Harbinger.

The middle volume was all about the struggle for succession, and ended with the more or less expected victor emerging as Revered Speaker (in a bizarre and unique way), but his rule was not yet cemented, for various reasons. To do that, Tizoc-zin must lead his warriors in battle (his "coronation war"), capture physically perfect prisoners, and sacrifice them to the gods to ensure the continuation of the world as the Mexica knew it.

As we begin the action in Master of the House of Darts (the title given to the heir apparent to the Mexica throne, usually the Revered Speaker's younger brother), that battle has been fought and won, but a paltry 40 prisoners are brought back to Tenotichtitlan -- so the new Speaker's rule is already on shaky ground.

And then one the victorious warriors and one of the would-be sacrifices die unexpectedly and mysteriously.

And others suddenly aren't looking so good either.

Enter our hero, Acatl, the Death God Gumshoe, solver of crimes, defender of innocence, and High Priest of the Dead. He is by now a most seasoned solver of supernatural crime and has the scars and scabs to prove it.* Quickly, he determines that the sacrifice, an honorable warrior of a faraway kingdom now lying dead and leaking pus, died of most unnatural causes, namely a supernatural disease, as did the warrior who claimed credit for capturing him.

Uh and also oh.

Soon the plot is thicker than clotted blood as various candidates for the caster of the malign spell that has caused what threatens to become an epidemic are brought up and eliminated. Is it the merchant from a previously conquered city who turns out to have been a member of that city's Imperial Family? Is it the High Priest of the storm-god Tlaloc (a vicious frenemy of Acatl's -- and hey, the diseases's symptoms mimic suffocation or drowning, so this hypothesis immediately volunteers itself to the seasoned Obsidian & Blood fan)? The titular heir-presumptive, who happens to be a devotee of Tlaloc's wife Jade Skirt? All of them? None of them?

Acatl goes through all of the usual detective motions, trading hypotheses, interviewing suspects, raising the souls of the victims to ask what they remember of how they died... all the while stubbornly clinging to his faith in a person who has pretty much been the Archie to Acatl's Nero Wolfe. As the story and the mystery all finally come together, the roots of the later holiday, Dia de los Muertos, become evident and the reader suddenly feels a compulsion to re-read Malcom Lowry. As one does.

One also feels a need to go back and read the trilogy from the beginning, all in one go, to catch all the stuff she obviously missed. And knowing that she needs to read on an empty stomach.

And since a lot of elements in these stories are inspired by actual events, actual history -- the emperors, the inter-city politics, and yes, the epidemic -- one wants to do some non-fiction reading as well. As one does.

Damn fine stuff, this.

*Aztec spell-casting and other acts of propitiation and divination requiring that the supplicant donate quite a lot of his own as well as other animals' and people's blood to the cause. ...more

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Jan 14, 2017 Loth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, post-college, non-eurocentric, fantasy, mystery-thriller

The final book of the trilogy had the hallmark mystery that made the first two interesting, but there were two areas in which it struggled that made this less enjoyable to read. The first is that the magic we saw was beginning to feel routine, diminishing the sense of wonder the reader gets when exploring Acatl's world. There was a lot of repetitive phrasing that made magical scenes feel dull, and some of the magical discoveries felt too rushed to be exciting.

The second, more important flaw, was ...more

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Jan 08, 2016 Saphana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

I'm not going to do a full review, since there's no need for a synopsis - enough of them out there already. Let's just say, that Acatl has to solve another murder mystery threatening the existence of the Fifth World in this noir fantasy, based in 14th century Tenochtitlan.

It's like I assumed in my review of the first volume. The author has by now fully grown into her art. Gone are the repetetive and overpronounced introspections of the MC. Gone are the -sometimes- very non-sequitur dialogues and ...more

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Jul 04, 2013 Nikki rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, based-on-myth-saga-etc, mystery

There's a certain formulaicness you start to feel creeping in when you read too many mysteries in a row. The confused detective, with everyone turning to him for answers and very few allies to help him leverage his way out. I don't know if it strikes everyone that way, but it's there with Harry Dresden and Matt Richter and... I can't think what, now, but it feels so familiar.

Still, Master of the House of Darts did surprise me, in some ways. Mihmatini had a big role, still, despite being Acatl's ...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Andrew rated it really liked it

igh priest continues to solve crimes, avert the end of the world. The noir parallels are rather explicit, now that I think about it: Acatl is the ex-cop who left the force because the top brass were all corrupt and he couldn't stomach the ass-kissing needed to get ahead. Okay, it's not a perfect parallel -- he never was "on the force" -- but the "last honest man, refuses to play politics" theme is very much there. This is the point in the series where he has friends and allies, but he's not sure ...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Gabrielle added it

Magical Mysteries in the Time of the Aztec Empire: an interview with Aliette de Bodard

Aliette de Bodard, a 2009 finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, wraps up her Obsidian and Blood trilogy this November with Master of the House of Darts. The series is a “cross between a historical Aztec fantasy and a murder-mystery, featuring ghostly jaguars, bloodthirsty gods and fingernail-eating monsters.”

In all three installments, de Bodard masters the atmospherics needed to pull rea ...more

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Nov 19, 2013 Kam rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, historical, mystery, mythology-and-folklore, urban-fantasy

When one is reading a series, it's inevitable that one begins to develop expectations, or attempts to make predictions, regarding what will happen next. One grows attached to certain characters, and based on events that have already happened, one may attempt to guess what will happen to those characters, as well as how the rest of the plot will impact them, and how they themselves will impact the plot. Will they die, and will that death be a vitally important one, or will it be some nondescript ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Wrong Train, Right Time rated it really liked it

I have less and less to say as the series goes on since, well, I zoomed through the second and third books so quickly and because all the good stuff from Book 1 continues and holds up well as it goes through. In a way, the trilogy feels more like one big book in my mind rather than three separate books.

The main threat in Master of the House of Darts is plague. It's an interesting choice of threat in that it plays on Acatl’s ongoing reluctance to rest and not let himself be run into the ground. I have less and less to say as the series goes on since, well, I zoomed through the second and third books so quickly and because all the good stuff from Book 1 continues and holds up well as it goes through. In a way, the trilogy feels more like one big book in my mind rather than three separate books.

The main threat in Master of the House of Darts is plague. It's an interesting choice of threat in that it plays on Acatl’s ongoing reluctance to rest and not let himself be run into the ground. Suddenly, that persistent and endearing little flaw becomes a much more serious weakness, even a threat to everyone around him, due to the nature of plague and sickness. Just an interesting reflection on him.

One thing I quite liked about this book is how the previous book comes back to doom Acatl and in fact his allies. The solution to the previous book winds up being the problem in this one. Overall I found this book to be much more intricately tied to Book 2 than Book 2 was tied to Book 1; 2 and 3 feel more like halves of the same novel than discrete adventures. I feel like the trilogy could be more accurately divided up into two parts: Book 1, and then Book 2+3. I wonder if this is an artifact of the trilogy format? It gets harder to keep individual episodes in an ongoing series completely standalone, not if one wants any kind of continuity or character development. Hmm. Something to think about.

I realize now that I have said very little about Teomitl, Acatl's sort-of apprentice and a very important supporting characters, especially in this book. I guess he didn't make much of an impact on me, not even his slowly changing relationship with Acatl. I was, it must be said, far more interested in the mysteries, the world, and Acatl's struggles with both. Again, possibly an artifact of the speed with which I read the books. Perhaps on a reread I'll have more leisure time to devote to examining Teomitl and his progress over the books.

Still, overall a really interesting set of reads. I'm glad I took the plunge and bought them. I look forward to reading Aliette de Bodard's other novels in other universes. ...more

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Oct 21, 2018 Michel rated it it was ok

This review will count for all three books in the series, since I felt the same way about each of them.
I love the idea of the Aztec Pantheon and setting. There was just something that didn't click with me in these books. The main character seems to be this relatively unqualified/inexperienced high priest, who admits repeatedly that if he would do his high priest duties better all of his investigations would go more smoothly. Instead he runs into friction wherever he goes. The uncooperativeness ...more

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Jan 06, 2019 bkwurm rated it liked it

This is last book in the trilogy and deals with the consequences of decisions taken in book 2 as well as those taken well before the events in the trilogy.

The Mexica empire is under supernatural attack again. The Revered Speaker is proving to be less than capable and Acatyl, High Priest of the Dead, finds that the one he trusted most may no longer be reliable.

Great story and an interesting look at a completely different culture and value system where sacrifice and especially blood sacrifice is ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

So complicated and huge and magical. Everytime I read part of this series, I want to learn Nahuatl!

I really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to re-reading the series at some point, but I also can see that she's getting much better editing support at Gollancz (Fallen series).

Favorite quote:
"The gods took pain, which was the only sincere sacrifice. Prayers were nothing more than children’s wishes, but pain and blood made them real – because it cost to give them, and because they were freely o ...more

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Mar 07, 2017 Sara Norja rated it really liked it

An enjoyable conclusion to the trilogy! Overall I think I liked the second book the best, but Master of the House of Darts was also excellent. The plague thing was super creepy (and gross... aaah I made the mistake of eating while reading these books SO many times! :D). I liked seeing Acatl take more steps in his journey to become a true High Priest and become more confident. Having him take the lead was nice to see, and (view spoiler). ...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Jacob rated it it was amazing

(Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2011/1... )
Steampunk. Urban Fantasy. Alternate History. They're all steps out of the generic European Fantasyland, and I love them for it.

But never - to my knowledge - have we seen an Aztec urban fantasy mystery: and one taking as its protagonist a priest of death (generally reserved for those antagonistic cults in most fantasy, complete with ominous latic chanting). I've gone on about fantasy taking its inspiration from outside Europe, and this is pro (Repost from http://drying-ink.blogspot.com/2011/1... )
Steampunk. Urban Fantasy. Alternate History. They're all steps out of the generic European Fantasyland, and I love them for it.

But never - to my knowledge - have we seen an Aztec urban fantasy mystery: and one taking as its protagonist a priest of death (generally reserved for those antagonistic cults in most fantasy, complete with ominous latic chanting). I've gone on about fantasy taking its inspiration from outside Europe, and this is proof that when it happens, it's amazing. These aren't the 'token human sacrifice people' Aztecs. These are the Aztecs as they knew themselves, complete with a culture far wider than you've seen. In fact, Aliette de Bodard wrote an introduction as a prelude to the first book, which you can find here.

Master of the House of Darts (not set in the local pub) is the third novel in the Obsidian and Blood series, following the excellent Servant of the Underworld and Harbringer of the Storm. Acatl, High Priest of Death, is struggling with the aftermath of the resurrection of their leader - the Revered Speaker. Tizoc-tzin is paranoid, rash, and worse, unsuccessful in his coronation war. Sacrifices are few, and to make matters worse, Eptli, an honoured warrior, dies.

An ill omen, but physically much more harmful: the death was the result of a magical perstilence. With Eptli's enemies numerous, the means of death uncertain, Acatl needs to investigate. This is a mix of UF and crime - and even the gods are suspect. Worse, the Revered Speaker's rule in insecure, and Acatl must face the consequences of his previous actions. Teomitl, his pupil, cannot wait forever to displace an incompetent ruler. And his patience is drawing short...

Aside from the innovative setting (Have I mentioned I love it? I believe I have), Acatl is a fantastically non-traditional protagonist. High Priest of Death, he turns around the stereotypes to investigate a murder, and in the process questions his own actions and beliefs. He's a more - not passive, but thinking - protagonist than, say, Harry Dresden. This is relatively low action, with a few notable exceptions, but it's nevertheless engaging.

Pure mystery, however, this is not. As you might expect, many of the causes are supernatural. Though well-explained, fans of the more human-centric mystery will likely be disappointed. If you're willing to embrace the world's heady mix of theological and mundane, however, you're in for a treat.

In terms of characters beside Acatl, there's no dominant personality, though I was particularly fond of the secondary Acamapichtli: another priest with whom Acatl has what's called an 'uneasy understanding'. There's no overwhelming presence, but he and several others are particularly strong - and occasionally amusing - additions. Teomitl, Acatl's pupil, and current Master of the House of Darts (title drop, anyone?) is also a frequent companion. Although the change he goes through is fairly radical, it is believable and well-developed. Though I can't spoil it by telling you what it is... Frustrating, aren't I?

This is an eclectic urban fantasy written with verve and style, and one very likely to end with you attempting to pay the local shopkeeper in cacao beans. Yes - I might be exaggerating, but it's almost that engaging. Though slower paced than the Dresden Files (what isn't?), if you're looking to read outside the typical, this is an excellent choice.

...But read its predecessors first.

8.5/10

This novel will be released on November 3rd, so be ready... ...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Jacey rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction

This third book in the Obsidian and Blood trilogy, also in omnibus form, sees Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, trying to deal with a magically conjured plague that is threatening to sweep through Tenochtitlan following Tizoc's triumphal return from his first war as Revered Speaker (Emperor). Tizoc needs a resounding victory to cement his place and provide many prisoners for sacrifice as only blood will appease the gods. The war is proclaimed a victory even though Tizoc's warriors have only manage This third book in the Obsidian and Blood trilogy, also in omnibus form, sees Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, trying to deal with a magically conjured plague that is threatening to sweep through Tenochtitlan following Tizoc's triumphal return from his first war as Revered Speaker (Emperor). Tizoc needs a resounding victory to cement his place and provide many prisoners for sacrifice as only blood will appease the gods. The war is proclaimed a victory even though Tizoc's warriors have only managed to capture a paltry 40 prisoners which is nowhere near enough to please Grandmother Earth and Huitzilpochtli, Mexica's patron god. There are mutterings amongst the army

Tizoc is mercurial and paranoid, a poor leader in every way, always doing exactly the opposite of what he should be doing, helping himself, but at the expense of everyone else. He should be the Fifth World's connection with Huitzilpochtli, but even the god is not impressed and that's potentially disastrous for the Mexica empire. Acatl partly blames himself. Reclaiming Tizoc from the realms of the dead (in the middle book) may have seriously upset the balance of the Fifth World even though at the time it was done with the best of intent, closing a gate to keep out the star demons

Teomitl, Tizoc's younger brother, now Master of the House of Darts, leader of a quarter of the army, husband if Mihmatini and heir to the throne, is anxious to take a shortcut to the place that will eventually be his. He sees all Tizoc's faults and knows he is destined to do better, but Acatl knows Tenochtitlan and the Mexica empire can't withstand another upheaval, especially with someone sending plague amongst them. Acatl not only has to find the plague vector, but the person - or maybe the god - who is sending it.

The plot is - as usual – convoluted, with many false leads. Sometimes it moves painstakingly slowly because Acatl doesn't seem to ask the questions he knows he needs the answer to, or because the conventions of the society don't give him freedom, as the investigator, to investigate. And that's one thing that Ms de Bodard never compromises on; she never bends the society to the needs of the plot. This is not a police procedural with the numbers filed off. The questions and the answers evolve naturally from the setting, the situation and the characters

Characterisation is strong with Acatl's sister, Mihmatini, finally coming to the fore as a strong Guardian (priestess for the Duality), turning into someone who will obviously be a force of nature in future books - and I'm assuming that there will be more because though Acatl and co. have successfully negotiated some murky waters and solved three mysteries, this world is begging for more stories. I understand there are some short stories and I'll now have to seek them out. The ending is satisfying, but there enough loose threads to take the story further.
...more

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Oct 13, 2016 Elias Helfer rated it liked it

This is the third and (presumably) last book of Obsidian and Blood. If you've read the previous two books, you know more or less what you're in for: Acatl, high priest for the dead, must investigate a mysterious death, and along the way, discovers that all is not what it seems.

This book takes place three months after the last book, right as the soldiers are returning from the Coronation War for the new Revered Speaker. A mysterious, magical plague is striking the city, and Acatl must seek out th This is the third and (presumably) last book of Obsidian and Blood. If you've read the previous two books, you know more or less what you're in for: Acatl, high priest for the dead, must investigate a mysterious death, and along the way, discovers that all is not what it seems.

This book takes place three months after the last book, right as the soldiers are returning from the Coronation War for the new Revered Speaker. A mysterious, magical plague is striking the city, and Acatl must seek out the origin of this disease.

The pacing is high, as with the other books in the series, and it's quite an action packed book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the plot as much as I did with the other two books. The plot seems to hang more loosely together, and I would often find myself puzzled as to a new development in the book. For instance, a very important character is suddenly introduced very unceremoniously three quarters of the way through, and isn't even named until the last couple of chapters of the book.

In general, I had the impression that this book may have been somewhat rushed. There seemed to be a couple of things that should have been caught in editing - though I listened to it on Audible, so I guess it could have been errors in the narration.

Another thing that irked me was in the way the sickness is described. The world of Aztec gods, priests and warriors seems quite well researched, and very well presented. But the knowledge they have of diseases is in some ways advanced past nineteenth century doctors, which seems odd for someone who believes that diseases are poured out of a clay vessel by one of their gods.

All that is not to say I didn't enjoy the book - I did. It's a very enjoyable book, and in many ways a good finale to the saga of Acatl and his cronies. But I could have wished for a slightly more cohesive and more skillfully wrought end to a very enjoyable series. The Aztec mythology seems very rich, and full of fun little nuances. Unfortunately, this book isn't quite as rich or quite as nuanced.

Anyone who've read and enjoyed the first two books would probably enjoy this one as well. If you haven't read both Servant of the Underworld and Harbinger of the Storm, you should read those first. ...more

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Apr 05, 2016 Mervi rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

The book starts about three months after the end of the previous one. The Mexica Empire has a new ruler, the Revered Speaker, but he hasn’t yet consolidated his rule with the gods. In order to do that, he needs to get lots of war captives and sacrifice them. However, when he gets back from the Coronation War, his warriors have captured only a small amount of enemies and during the welcome ceremony one of the Mexica warriors falls down, dead. Acatl suspects that he died of magic and wants to see ...more

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Jan 18, 2014 Outis rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fantasy

After two volumes, I've become strangely familiar with this alien setting and those characters. So reading the third book was a relaxing read, kind of like coming home. A bloodier version of home, rather.

The flipside is that it felt repetitive and kind of boring. I don't think #2 was all that different than #3. I felt the heavily red-herringed plot was rather uninspired and the goings on often formulaic, as if the author was talked into writing a trilogy. At times, the book even felt rushed.
Some ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, mystery

In some ways, one can see the author has learned a lot since her first novel, Servant of the Underworld. For instance, the plot here is less predictable. On the other hand, I can tell she stopped using a copy editor. Characters are consistently pooling their boats where they used to be poling them, and sometimes they nearly repeat sections of dialogue. It’s little, but distracting. That combined with the fact that, while the world is still interesting, I was less interested in the characters tha ...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Shaina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Ok I want to start by saying that I picked up a massive copy the whole trilogy on a whim while I was buying popcorn at the Shoppette on base. I saw the cover and thought, "Ohhhh big book about Mexica, sounds good". I had never heard of them before that moment, and before I knew it, I was on a whirlwind adventure through one of my favorite times.

Bodard does a fantastic job of building the plot slowly; sometimes agonizingly slow as a matter of fact. This only add the to the allure and keeps you f ...more

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Jan 06, 2014 John Carter McKnight rated it really liked it

A thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It began with a wonderful character arc for the main character, from determined slacker to a high official determined to keep his integrity, and ends here beautifully with mastery and mentorship.

The theme here is "chickens come home to roost," unsurprisingly, given the immense moral compromise at the heart of Book 2. There's no right answer to the dilemmas it raised, and the paths of stability and change are both explored honestly and unblinkin ...more

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Aug 05, 2013 Liz rated it really liked it

One of the things I like about this series is, despite being a collection of three mysteries, the books themselves don't feel like they're rehashing the same plot over again. Acatl grows as a character throughout the series and the challenges he faces, both intellectually and emotionally, reflect that. Ad the mystery elements are also excellently done. De Bodard never resorts to making her detective stupid for the purposes of the investigation and it feels as though Acatl is always one step ahea ...more

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Nov 26, 2011 LemontreeLime rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-old-and-new

Once again, Bodard writes a fast paced mystery adventure that when you reach about halfway through, just be prepared to stay up late to finish the rest of the book that night. I was trying to describe Acatl the high priest to someone and all i could come up with was 'He's like the combination of Brother Cadfael and Harry Dresden, but in ancient mexico...' Lots of fun! Excellent job of world-building!

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Feb 11, 2012 Todd rated it it was amazing

Another masterful mystery from Mlle de Bodard, with death and plague showcasing the horror of an Empire on the verge of collapse due to the weak leadership of Revered Speaker Tizoc. Acatl and Teomitl remain brilliantly executed, though I felt that the SheSnake could have made more of an appearance. Acamapictli was also fully and well drawn here, showing that while he is a self-centered plotter he is, more or less, on Acatl's side... for now :)

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Jul 09, 2013 Fraser Sherman rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

de Bodard continues doing solid work in this historical fantasy/mystery series. A plague starts spreading through the Aztec capital and Acatl, High Priest of the death god, has to find a way to stop the magical curse behind it. de Bodard does a great job making the Aztecs more than just bloodthirsty savages.

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Apr 21, 2014 Stephen rated it liked it

This is a beautifully written book. It's another murder mystery incorporating the myths and magics of the Latin American culture. Unfortunately, after reading the first two in the series it seemed a little repetitive. While it wrapped up some of the events in the previous books, it was just another murder mystery and took a while to get through.

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About Aliette de Bodard

Aliette de Bodard

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I am a speculative fiction author living in Paris, with a strong taste for history and mythology. Rice addict, tea addict and nước mắm addict.
My short fiction has appeared in various professional venues, and my Aztec fantasy series "Obsidian and Blood", Servant of the Underworld, is published by Angry Robot.
My next novel is The House of Shattered Wings, set in a devastated Paris where quasi-feud ...more