I really enjoyed this book. This is another one that I picked up in hopes of finding another series to follow and I found one. Levack’s novel Demon of the Air is set in 1517 in Mexico in the Aztecan capital Tenochtitlan, where Emperor Montezuma resides.
In the first chapter, Levack exhibits a dark humor as the
main character Yaotl, the Chief Minister’s slave, goes about the ho-hum practice
of human sacrifice, with a nonchalance as we would an every day task. The mystery begins as the sacrifice victim
Yaotl and his friend Handy brought for the Chief Minister escapes from their
grasp. They chase him but he utters a
strange prophecy before leaping to his death.
First, the Chief Minister wants to know why his sacrifice
got away. Second, he wants to know what
the prophecy means. Third, he wants to
know why all the sorcerers in the city have disappeared.
Yaotl has few friends in the city and is estranged from his
family, as a result of being dishonorably discharged from being a priest. He has to forge new alliances and mend bridges
to solve the mystery.
Levack introduces each character by their Aztec name but
then uses the English translation, such as Curling Mist and Black
Feathers.
The novel is fast paced and keeps the reader’s
interest. I found it easy to follow the
story although I am not at all familiar with the Aztec culture. Levack brings out their culture beautifully
and it is very entertaining. I look forward to reading more of his work.
No comments:
Post a Comment