Book Log 25/2012 - Aliette de Bodard: Harbinger of the Storm - Obsidian and Blood #2

Another outing for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead in Tenochtitlan, the capital if the Mexica/Aztec world. This takes up the story begun in Servant of the Underworld, approximately one year later. Acatl is a little more secure in his job, though he still tries to avoid the politicking which the high priests of the other gods seem to revel in. Teomitl, the younger brother of the current Revered Speaker (emperor in all but name) has now taken up with Acatl's sister, much to the disgust of the heir presumptive, Tizoc, another of the Revered Speaker's brothers and names by him as his successor.

When the Revered Speaker dies - of natural causes as it was mentioned that he was ill in the previous book - the palace is thrown into an uproar. It should be simple, Tizoc has already been named heir, but the council has to ratify this and in the meantime with the deceased Speaker still not buried and Tizoc's place not confirmed Tenochtitlan is vulnerable to star demons and all manner of other supernatural threats. Only the confirmation of a new Revered Speaker can save them because the Speaker channels the power of the god Huitzilpochtli (the sun god) to protect the fifth world (this one).

If it were only political wranglings it wouldn't be so bad but someone is summoning star demons from inside the palace's protected precincts to kill council members - messily - and Acatl is trying to unravel the mystery, find the culprit and stop him (or her) without the help of the high priests of the other major gods - since they seem to be too busy sticking their oars into the political pool.

As with all good mysteries there are a number of suspects, all with motive and means, but when these are eliminated one by one, all that remains is the unthinkable.

Tizoc has no love for either Acatl or his sister and he's acting as though he's already wearing the turquoise, so even his brother Teomitl has to watch his step - not Teomitl's strong suit.

It's all change in Tenochtitlan. Acatl is involved whether he likes it or not and it may be that he has to solicit the help of a god to sort things out. Unfortunately not his own god.

This is that difficult middle novel of a trilogy but Ms de Bodard doesn't let the pace drop. Characterisation is excellent, but it's the setting that makes this trilogy stand out. The world is perfectly painted and as historically accurate as it can be - given that the magic is depicted as real and physical. The setting encompasses details both large and small, from the descriptions of Tenochtitlan - a world without metal technology (hence the fragile but obscenely sharp obsidian knives) - to the tiny details of eating newts. Sacrifices, animal and human, are a fact of everyday life and are all that keep the gods and Mother Earth appeased.

I've more or less overcome the strangeness of the Aztec names which provided speedbumps to a smooth story in the first book and I've started to recognise them as visual words – but I'd hate to have to pronounce them. I take my hat off to Ms de Bodard if she does readings from these books.

Book Log 25/2012 - Aliette de Bodard: Harbinger of the Storm - Obsidian and Blood #2

Another outing for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead in Tenochtitlan, the capital if the Mexica/Aztec world. This takes up the story begun in Servant of the Underworld, approximately one year later. Acatl is a little more secure in his job, though he still tries to avoid the politicking which the high priests of the other gods seem to revel in. Teomitl, the younger brother of the current Revered Speaker (emperor in all but name) has now taken up with Acatl's sister, much to the disgust of the heir presumptive, Tizoc, another of the Revered Speaker's brothers and names by him as his successor.

When the Revered Speaker dies - of natural causes as it was mentioned that he was ill in the previous book - the palace is thrown into an uproar. It should be simple, Tizoc has already been named heir, but the council has to ratify this and in the meantime with the deceased Speaker still not buried and Tizoc's place not confirmed Tenochtitlan is vulnerable to star demons and all manner of other supernatural threats. Only the confirmation of a new Revered Speaker can save them because the Speaker channels the power of the god Huitzilpochtli (the sun god) to protect the fifth world (this one).

If it were only political wranglings it wouldn't be so bad but someone is summoning star demons from inside the palace's protected precincts to kill council members - messily - and Acatl is trying to unravel the mystery, find the culprit and stop him (or her) without the help of the high priests of the other major gods - since they seem to be too busy sticking their oars into the political pool.

As with all good mysteries there are a number of suspects, all with motive and means, but when these are eliminated one by one, all that remains is the unthinkable.

Tizoc has no love for either Acatl or his sister and he's acting as though he's already wearing the turquoise, so even his brother Teomitl has to watch his step - not Teomitl's strong suit.

It's all change in Tenochtitlan. Acatl is involved whether he likes it or not and it may be that he has to solicit the help of a god to sort things out. Unfortunately not his own god.

This is that difficult middle novel of a trilogy but Ms de Bodard doesn't let the pace drop. Characterisation is excellent, but it's the setting that makes this trilogy stand out. The world is perfectly painted and as historically accurate as it can be - given that the magic is depicted as real and physical. The setting encompasses details both large and small, from the descriptions of Tenochtitlan - a world without metal technology (hence the fragile but obscenely sharp obsidian knives) - to the tiny details of eating newts. Sacrifices, animal and human, are a fact of everyday life and are all that keep the gods and Mother Earth appeased.

I've more or less overcome the strangeness of the Aztec names which provided speedbumps to a smooth story in the first book and I've started to recognise them as visual words – but I'd hate to have to pronounce them. I take my hat off to Ms de Bodard if she does readings from these books.

Movie of the Week: Red Lights

We had to go all the way to Batley to see this as Cineworld in Wakefield wasn't showing it - apparently due to low viewing figures. I'm not sure how they expect to get viewing figures up if it's not available to watch. There were several advantages, however: 1) Showcase Batley is across the road from Ikea, so we combined the movie with shopping and lunch - always good - and 2) the Showcase Cinema in Batley is quite nicely designed, has some comfirtable waiting space and the seating layout (in our screen anyway) is good and seats are comfortable. Cineworld in Wakefield doesn't have seating if you have to wait and some of thir screens are suffeiung from tired seating and cramped layout. The Odeon multiscreen in Huddersfield has a horrible atmosphere and a weird layout, funnelling customers up a single escalator to the main floor, and it's seats are semi-reclined and play havoc with my back.

Anyhow, the cinema isn't the main point, I'm supposed to be talking about the movie, which was actually much better than I expected it to be given Wakefield's dire prognostications regarding poor audiences. The gist of the story is that Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver are part of an underfunded university department of psychology concentrating on debunking mediums, hauntings and psychics. They've had a reasonable amount of success, but Toby Jones, head of a rival department, is sucking up funding for his big experiment - to prove the existence of psi-powers.

And then into the middle of interdepartmental wrangling comes Simon Silver, blind psychic, healer, psychic surgeon and spoon-bender, (Robert De Nero). He makes a spectacular return to the stage after many years, having retired when one of his detractors died during a performance, leaving the believers half convinced that there was a psychic cause. Murphy is desperate to investigate Silver, but Weaver, who has crossed paths with him before, wants to leave him well alone.

To say anything more would be offering too many spoilers, but it is worth watching. There is a reveal at the end which I only got about 30 seconds in advance. Performances are good. The only thing I found irritating was the use of hand-held cameras or 'shakycam' for at least some of it. Presumably it was to disorient the audience more, but once spotted it was just annoying. That aside, though, this is well worth seeing if you can find a cinema that's still showing it.

Movie of the Week: Red Lights

We had to go all the way to Batley to see this as Cineworld in Wakefield wasn't showing it - apparently due to low viewing figures. I'm not sure how they expect to get viewing figures up if it's not available to watch. There were several advantages, however: 1) Showcase Batley is across the road from Ikea, so we combined the movie with shopping and lunch - always good - and 2) the Showcase Cinema in Batley is quite nicely designed, has some comfortable waiting space and the seating layout (in our screen anyway) is good and seats are comfortable. Cineworld in Wakefield doesn't have seating if you have to wait and some of their screens are suffering from tired seating and cramped layout. The Odeon multiscreen in Huddersfield has a horrible atmosphere and a weird layout, funnelling customers up a single escalator to the main floor, and its seats are semi-reclined and play havoc with my back.

Anyhow, the cinema isn't the main point, I'm supposed to be talking about the movie, which was actually much better than I expected it to be given Wakefield's dire prognostications regarding poor audiences. The gist of the story is that Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver are part of an underfunded university department of psychology concentrating on debunking mediums, hauntings and psychics. They've had a reasonable amount of success, but Toby Jones, head of a rival department, is sucking up funding for his big experiment - to prove the existence of psi-powers.

And then into the middle of interdepartmental wrangling comes Simon Silver, blind psychic, healer, psychic surgeon and spoon-bender, (Robert De Nero). He makes a spectacular return to the stage after many years, having retired when one of his detractors died during a performance, leaving the believers half convinced that there was a psychic cause. Murphy is desperate to investigate Silver, but Weaver, who has crossed paths with him before, wants to leave him well alone.

To say anything more would be offering too many spoilers, but it is worth watching. There is a reveal at the end which I only got about 30 seconds in advance. Performances are good. The only thing I found irritating was the use of hand-held cameras or 'shakycam' for at least some of it. Presumably it was to disorient the audience more, but once spotted it was just annoying. That aside, though, this is well worth seeing if you can find a cinema that's still showing it.