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Shadowrun Novels Germany #32
Shadowrun Legends: Blood Sport
Let The Games Begin
Mama Grande streaked through Leni's life like a bad dream. She arrived out of nowhere, claiming to be the ex-Lone Star detective's grandmother. She prophesied rivers of blood and an earth in flames. But her murder was even more bizarre: she died at the hands of two Yucatán missionaries hiding a secret of the Gods.
With combat biker wannabe Rafael in tow, Leni dives into Mama Grande's past... and hurtles into the dark heart of Aztlan - where human sacrifice is all the rage, and where ancient ceremonial games could trigger the end of the world. Are they crazy cultists of true harbingers of doom? The closer Leni and Rafael get to the answer, the nearer they move to the brink of oblivion. Either way, their futures could be cancelled....
Mama Grande streaked through Leni's life like a bad dream. She arrived out of nowhere, claiming to be the ex-Lone Star detective's grandmother. She prophesied rivers of blood and an earth in flames. But her murder was even more bizarre: she died at the hands of two Yucatán missionaries hiding a secret of the Gods.
With combat biker wannabe Rafael in tow, Leni dives into Mama Grande's past... and hurtles into the dark heart of Aztlan - where human sacrifice is all the rage, and where ancient ceremonial games could trigger the end of the world. Are they crazy cultists of true harbingers of doom? The closer Leni and Rafael get to the answer, the nearer they move to the brink of oblivion. Either way, their futures could be cancelled....
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
4 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Smedman
79 books114 followersLisa was very much the tomboy growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia--playing in the woods behind her house, building tree forts, damming the creek, playing army with GI Joe dolls, swinging on ropes, playing flashlight tag, building models and go-carts (which she later rode down the street). She also liked reading science fiction novels from the 1940s, the Doc Savage series, and the Harriet the Spy books.
In 1984, she began her professional writing career, first as a journalist then as a fiction writer. She counts science fiction authors Connie Willis, Robert J. Sawyer, and H.G. Wells, and classic books such as Treasure Island, as influences.
Several of Lisa's short science fiction and fantasy stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies, and in 1993 she was named a finalist in the Writers of the Future contest for science fiction and fantasy writers. She has also had three of her one-act plays produced by a Vancouver theater group.
Lisa is the author of Extinction, one of several novels set in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game’s Forgotten Realms universe. Released in 2004, Extinction made the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.
After authoring several science fiction and fantasy novels, Lisa recently turned her hand to children's books. From Boneshakers to Choppers (2007) explores the social history of motorcycles. Her interest in motorcycles goes way back--as a teenager, Lisa enjoyed trips up the British Columbia coast, riding pillion on friends' motorcycles. She later purchased her own bike, a 50cc machine, to get around town.
Lisa is one of the founders of Adventures Unlimited, a magazine providing scenarios and tips for role-playing games. She has written short fiction for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game's Ravenloft and Dark Sun lines. She has also designed a number of adventures and gaming products for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Cyberpunk, Immortal, Shatterzone, Millennium's End, and Deadlands. Her original games include Valhalla's Gate, a tabletop skirmish miniatures game drawn from Norse mythology and runic lore. An avid gamer, Lisa belongs to the Trumpeter Wargaming Club.
After working for more than 20 years as a journalist, Lisa now divides her time between writing fiction and contributing to the Vancouver Courier (she edits and writes the History's Lens column). Besides a diploma in journalism, she also has a degree in anthropology. She is fascinated by history and archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age. Her future plans include writing more historical fiction, alternative historical fantasy, and game tie-in novels. Lisa is also interested in building models and dioramas, and tabletop miniatures gaming.
She lives in Richmond, British Columbia, with her wife, their son, four cats, and two pugs.
In 1984, she began her professional writing career, first as a journalist then as a fiction writer. She counts science fiction authors Connie Willis, Robert J. Sawyer, and H.G. Wells, and classic books such as Treasure Island, as influences.
Several of Lisa's short science fiction and fantasy stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies, and in 1993 she was named a finalist in the Writers of the Future contest for science fiction and fantasy writers. She has also had three of her one-act plays produced by a Vancouver theater group.
Lisa is the author of Extinction, one of several novels set in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game’s Forgotten Realms universe. Released in 2004, Extinction made the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.
After authoring several science fiction and fantasy novels, Lisa recently turned her hand to children's books. From Boneshakers to Choppers (2007) explores the social history of motorcycles. Her interest in motorcycles goes way back--as a teenager, Lisa enjoyed trips up the British Columbia coast, riding pillion on friends' motorcycles. She later purchased her own bike, a 50cc machine, to get around town.
Lisa is one of the founders of Adventures Unlimited, a magazine providing scenarios and tips for role-playing games. She has written short fiction for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game's Ravenloft and Dark Sun lines. She has also designed a number of adventures and gaming products for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Cyberpunk, Immortal, Shatterzone, Millennium's End, and Deadlands. Her original games include Valhalla's Gate, a tabletop skirmish miniatures game drawn from Norse mythology and runic lore. An avid gamer, Lisa belongs to the Trumpeter Wargaming Club.
After working for more than 20 years as a journalist, Lisa now divides her time between writing fiction and contributing to the Vancouver Courier (she edits and writes the History's Lens column). Besides a diploma in journalism, she also has a degree in anthropology. She is fascinated by history and archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age. Her future plans include writing more historical fiction, alternative historical fantasy, and game tie-in novels. Lisa is also interested in building models and dioramas, and tabletop miniatures gaming.
She lives in Richmond, British Columbia, with her wife, their son, four cats, and two pugs.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2022
A fun standalone read. Great to see that it tied in elements from the dragon heart saga, and the main setting was outside of UCAS cities. Was also great get more content on the Mesoamerican magic in politics.
May 21, 2020
Nice to see atlazan and blood magic but as a thriller, this wasn’t very compelling.
July 29, 2024
I enjoyed the book very much. My favorite part was all of the Aztec religion and myths in intertwined in the story.
August 9, 2014
Way back when I was still actively reading Shadowrun I remember disliking this book. Having re-read it now that I'm cleaning up my library I must say it's somewhat better than I remembered.
The story is basically a tie-in to the whole Aztec blood magic thing Shadowrun had going at this point in the timeline. When ex-cop Leni's Aztlanian adopted grandmother is killed after a visit by strange missionaries, she and Mama Grandes biker son set out to find the truth about the murder. The voyage takes them all the way into the Aztlanian jungle where sinister mages prepare a blood ritual that could usher in the end times.
The plot is nothing to write home about but the story is infused with all the little touches - from sports team trivia to local brews - that normally gives a fictional world some extra life. I have to say, the novel is technically well written (if you can disregard the rather melodramatic foreshadowing at every chapter close - "if only we had known at the time that ...").
Nevertheless the whole thing never really got off the ground for me. The main reason is probably that it is essentially a "railshooter" novel. While the protagonists have plans, these never amount to anything. Instead they are yanked around the plot by a series of basic misfortunes and random encounters that always leads them to the big mystery no matter what they try to do.
To give just one example, they travel to the home village of the grandmother without any real plan what they will do once they get there. Then, on the way back from the mostly pointless visit, one of their group is randomly kidnapped by a stranger. Following the guy they just happen to stumble over an important secret they will later need to unravel the mystery in the finale.
That is just basic plot hackery and leaves the entire novel with a clinging veneer of "Why should I care if they succeed in their endeavours ? They will be railroaded back to the solution anyway."
If you can live with the fact that your alter ego in the novel is basically just a vehicle for the [i]really [/i] important people to show off how their cool stuff, this is probably not bad. It's easy to read and entertaining enough
For myself, the whole thing left me so emotionally uninvolved that the novel and plot were basically forgotten the moment I put it down. I didn't even remember I owned this thing until I began cleaning up.
The story is basically a tie-in to the whole Aztec blood magic thing Shadowrun had going at this point in the timeline. When ex-cop Leni's Aztlanian adopted grandmother is killed after a visit by strange missionaries, she and Mama Grandes biker son set out to find the truth about the murder. The voyage takes them all the way into the Aztlanian jungle where sinister mages prepare a blood ritual that could usher in the end times.
The plot is nothing to write home about but the story is infused with all the little touches - from sports team trivia to local brews - that normally gives a fictional world some extra life. I have to say, the novel is technically well written (if you can disregard the rather melodramatic foreshadowing at every chapter close - "if only we had known at the time that ...").
Nevertheless the whole thing never really got off the ground for me. The main reason is probably that it is essentially a "railshooter" novel. While the protagonists have plans, these never amount to anything. Instead they are yanked around the plot by a series of basic misfortunes and random encounters that always leads them to the big mystery no matter what they try to do.
To give just one example, they travel to the home village of the grandmother without any real plan what they will do once they get there. Then, on the way back from the mostly pointless visit, one of their group is randomly kidnapped by a stranger. Following the guy they just happen to stumble over an important secret they will later need to unravel the mystery in the finale.
That is just basic plot hackery and leaves the entire novel with a clinging veneer of "Why should I care if they succeed in their endeavours ? They will be railroaded back to the solution anyway."
If you can live with the fact that your alter ego in the novel is basically just a vehicle for the [i]really [/i] important people to show off how their cool stuff, this is probably not bad. It's easy to read and entertaining enough
For myself, the whole thing left me so emotionally uninvolved that the novel and plot were basically forgotten the moment I put it down. I didn't even remember I owned this thing until I began cleaning up.
November 23, 2016
Blood magic from Seattle to Aztlan
Unlikely heroes drive this story. Spend time in Aztlan. Get to know the rebels. Experience the magical culture. Avoid the blood magic and the spirits it conjures. This is a detailed and fast paced adventure with deep and personal insight into the main character. This is a classic on the map of the Shadowrun universe. Thank you to the author.
Unlikely heroes drive this story. Spend time in Aztlan. Get to know the rebels. Experience the magical culture. Avoid the blood magic and the spirits it conjures. This is a detailed and fast paced adventure with deep and personal insight into the main character. This is a classic on the map of the Shadowrun universe. Thank you to the author.
October 17, 2012
I love lisa smedman's shadowrun & her forgotten realms book just good reading :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews