Soyala's Saga

Book excerpt: Author House Review: The Sixth Coming is set within an original mythology to fascinating results. It combines vividly realized characters with spiritual themes and elements of Aztec lore. There is an incredible array of exciting sequences that could provide great material for adapting this work into another medium. Due to the nontraditional structure and storytelling style, live theater could be an interesting option. Film is another option; perhaps animation could make the most of the impressive locations, creatures, and spectacles. There are several elements that are very well suited for a film or theater piece. Because both these mediums usually feature the interactions between characters, the strong personalities of The Sixth Coming are essential to capture. Soyala is a great heroinefrom her borderline petulance over the Builders gift to her reluctant and confused acceptance of her destiny. She isnt perfect, which makes her all the more compelling as she overcomes overwhelming odds. Kajika, Burilgi, and the Minstrel are wonderful supporting characters. Each of these brothers has his own distinct personality, and their squabbling provides comic relief. Burilgi and the Minstrel in particular provide humor. Kajika could bring in sex appeal for female audiences while Soyala and Xochiquetzal could do so for males. Xochiquetzal/Tona-teootl is a fascinating villain. Her sinister sexuality when welcoming Soyala and Kajika could play very well in a film. The later scenes on the Barge are thrilling due to Tona-teootls increasingly evident madness. These scenes would provide terrific moments for an actor to really chew up the scenery. The Shield Maidens story begins with the reader being introduced to her loved ones. Each character is well developed and had distinctive characteristics. When bad things happen to them, we also feel her loss. We also learn more about how she came to be and how important loyalty is to her survival. The places that this story takes us to are either incredibly beautiful or eerily foreboding. The creatures in it are also very uniquely described and incredibly different from the mundane realm that we currently inhabit.