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Maxtla Colhua #1
Aztlan: The Last Sun
It’s 2012. Maxtla Colhua is an Investigator for the Empire--an Aztec Empire that, having successfully repelled Hernan Cortes in 1603, stretches from one end of what we know as the Americas to the other. Now the Last Sun is upon Maxtla’s people, and someone has decided to punctuate it with a series of grisly murders reminiscent of the Aztecs’ pagan sacrifices in ancient times. Can Maxtla find the killer before his city is ripped apart and the Last Sun becomes the death knell for the Empire?
Aztan: The Last Sun is the first in a series of brand-new murder mysteries set in an exciting world that never was but could have been!
Aztan: The Last Sun is the first in a series of brand-new murder mysteries set in an exciting world that never was but could have been!
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2012
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Michael Jan Friedman
373 books205 followersMichael Jan Friedman is an author of more than seventy books of fiction and nonfiction, half of which are in the Star Trek universe. Eleven of his titles have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. Friedman has also written for network and cable television and radio, and scripted nearly 200 comic books, including his original DC superhero series, the Darkstars.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 30, 2015
A mystery in the classic sense, the twist this time is in the rich setting. Imagine a North America in which the European explorers did not cause the downfall of the Aztec Empire. Bring that into modern times, and the massive empire encompasses the entire continent, all united into one culture.
While alternate history is definitely science fiction, this reads like a standard mystery, and the strange customs and names made this feel perhaps like a light fantasy. The reader is never sure what may happen next, mainly because of the uncertainty of just how different this culture might turn out to be.
In the end, I was dissatisfied with the amount of information that the protagonist held that wasn't shared with us. The fun in a good mystery is in guessing, so I felt a little cheated when it was revealed that a few cards had been held back. When the ultimate confrontation finally takes place, the detective knows more than the reader, with a few final clues that are only revealed at that point.
Overall, this is a quick read, as it's a short book, and the setting is very satisfying. I'll be moving on to the sequel and hope that more mysteries appear in this series.
While alternate history is definitely science fiction, this reads like a standard mystery, and the strange customs and names made this feel perhaps like a light fantasy. The reader is never sure what may happen next, mainly because of the uncertainty of just how different this culture might turn out to be.
In the end, I was dissatisfied with the amount of information that the protagonist held that wasn't shared with us. The fun in a good mystery is in guessing, so I felt a little cheated when it was revealed that a few cards had been held back. When the ultimate confrontation finally takes place, the detective knows more than the reader, with a few final clues that are only revealed at that point.
Overall, this is a quick read, as it's a short book, and the setting is very satisfying. I'll be moving on to the sequel and hope that more mysteries appear in this series.
March 1, 2013
I love the setting of Aztlan: The Last Sun, a 21st century city in an alternate continuum where Cortes and his forces were beaten back by the North American indigenes in 1602. I am pleasantly reminded of the settings of Joe Haldeman's stories set in the Confederación as well as George Alec Effinger's When Gravity Fails.
The Last Sun is the first of a series of police procedurals set in this continuum, focusing on the work of the Investigator Maxtla Colhua. I could easily see Esai Morales playing Colhua in a SyFy series based on these stories.
I'll admit I guessed as to the identity of the villain early on, but I wondered about the motivations until they were revealed.
A fun, often moving story. I look forward to reading more in this series.
The Last Sun is the first of a series of police procedurals set in this continuum, focusing on the work of the Investigator Maxtla Colhua. I could easily see Esai Morales playing Colhua in a SyFy series based on these stories.
I'll admit I guessed as to the identity of the villain early on, but I wondered about the motivations until they were revealed.
A fun, often moving story. I look forward to reading more in this series.
March 21, 2014
What a fun book.
And the best part, a cool detective story.
Boorish coworkers and a ticking clock.
A few good fight scenes, interesting suspects and hot babes. [who could be suspects]
Max is a fun detective.
The backdrop of Aztec 20th-21st century is what drew me in.
The writing is what kept me reading.
Do yourself a favor and check this out.
And the best part, a cool detective story.
Boorish coworkers and a ticking clock.
A few good fight scenes, interesting suspects and hot babes. [who could be suspects]
Max is a fun detective.
The backdrop of Aztec 20th-21st century is what drew me in.
The writing is what kept me reading.
Do yourself a favor and check this out.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews