The Bone Flower Throne

Book excerpt: Can One Woman Alone Defeat a God? I slid to a stop and gasped when I saw the black-robed monster hunched over Father s bed mat. Its long, matted hair glistened in the moonlight, and it sang in a harsh voice that sounded like bones snapping. I screamed, my heart thudding as if trying to break out of my chest. Tenth century Mexico is a world in great upheaval. Incursions from the north bring constant warfare as clashing politics and faiths battle for supremacy. At the fore stands Smoking Mirror, a bloodthirsty god bent on subjugating humanity with his hunger for human hearts. Now his high priest, Ihuitimal, has conquered Culhuacan, one of the Toltecs' most powerful kingdoms. When Smoking Mirror s archenemy, the Feathered Serpent, tasks Quetzalpetlatl, exiled princess of Culhuacan, to help his mortal son Topiltzin end human sacrifice, she eagerly embraces her new destiny. It means avenging her father's murder at the hand of her uncle Ihuitimal, but for Topiltzin who's more than just a brother to her she will do anything. Even sacrifice her own heart. A wonderfully immersive look at the Tolteca civilization, which brings to life the old myths giving voice to a strong cast of characters who linger with the reader long after they have closed the book. Aliette de Bodard, 2013 Nebula Award winner Morganfield delivers an elegant tale of love and honor, passion and betrayal a fascinating journey through the tangled webs of rivalry and betrayal that surround a royal family in the world of the ancient Toltecs. J. Kathleen Cheney, author of The Golden City "