Tag: Obsidian & Blood

Aliette de Bodard’s SERVITEUR DES ENFERS is Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024

Aliette de Bodard‘s widely-acclaimed debut novel, SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, is out now in a new French edition! Translated by Laurent Philibert-Caillat, SERVITEUR DES ENFERS is published by Mnémos. Here’s the synopsis…

A Tenochtitlan, la capitale des Aztèques, les sacrifices humains sont les seules choses qui maintiennent le soleil dans le ciel et la terre fertile. Quand une prêtresse disparaît, Acatl, grand prêtre des morts, enquête. Il découvre que son ancien frère est impliqué, et, en creusant, est entraîné dans les intrigues politiques et magiques des nobles, des soldats, des prêtres et des dieux eux-mêmes.

The Obsidian & Blood trilogy is published in English by JABberwocky (print and digital editions): SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, HARBINGER OF THE STORM, and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first book…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead — except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received…

‘A gripping mystery steeped in blood and ancient Aztec magic. I was enthralled.’ — Sean Williams

‘Part murder mystery, part well-researched historical novel and part fantasy… The fantasy element blends neatly with the other parts. 4*’ — SFX Magazine

‘An Aztec priest of the dead tries to solve a murder mystery, and finds that politics may be even more powerful than magic. A vivid portrayal of an interesting culture in a truly fresh fantasy novel.’ — Kevin J. Anderson (New York Times bestselling author)

‘Amid the mud and maize of the Mexica empire, Aliette de Bodard has composed a riveting story of murder, magic  and sibling rivalry.’ — Elizabeth Bear

‘From page one I was drawn into Acatl’s world… a remarkable historically-based fantasy, using the myths and legends of the Aztec people as a background to a twisting murder mystery.’ — Speculative Book Review

‘The world-building is exquisite and we *believe* we are transported to the 15th century Tenotichtlan and together with the superb voice they formed the main reason I enjoyed this book so much… Highly recommended… Ms. de Bodard is a writer to watch.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

‘SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD is a highly original debut novel. Thanks to a solid mystery plot and Aliette de Bodard’s extensive research into pre-Conquest Meso-America, this novel should strike a chord with more than just fantasy readers.’ — FantasyLiterature.com

‘The book starts out a slow, steady pace and builds momentum from there. It’s not some huge action scene that hooks you. It’s the atmosphere. The blood spilled to gain favor from the gods. The cultural details Bodard infuses in each moment.’ — Examiner.com

Aliette’s latest novel is the widely-acclaimed A FIRE BORN OF EXILE — part of the author’s Xuya science fiction universe — which is published by Gollancz (UK) and JABberwocky (elsewhere in English).

Aliette de Bodard’s SERVITEUR DES ENFERS is Out in Three Weeks!

Posted on Monday, February 19th, 2024

The new French edition of Aliette de Bodard‘s debut novel, SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, is due out in just three weeks! SERVITEUR DES ENFERS is due to be published by Mnémos on March 13th. It was translated by Laurent Philibert-Caillat. Here’s the synopsis…

A Tenochtitlan, la capitale des Aztèques, les sacrifices humains sont les seules choses qui maintiennent le soleil dans le ciel et la terre fertile. Quand une prêtresse disparaît, Acatl, grand prêtre des morts, enquête. Il découvre que son ancien frère est impliqué, et, en creusant, est entraîné dans les intrigues politiques et magiques des nobles, des soldats, des prêtres et des dieux eux-mêmes.

The Obsidian & Blood trilogy is published in English by JABberwocky: SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, HARBINGER OF THE STORM, and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first book…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead — except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received…

‘A gripping mystery steeped in blood and ancient Aztec magic. I was enthralled.’ — Sean Williams

‘Part murder mystery, part well-researched historical novel and part fantasy… The fantasy element blends neatly with the other parts. 4*’ — SFX Magazine

‘An Aztec priest of the dead tries to solve a murder mystery, and finds that politics may be even more powerful than magic. A vivid portrayal of an interesting culture in a truly fresh fantasy novel.’ — Kevin J. Anderson (New York Times bestselling author)

‘Amid the mud and maize of the Mexica empire, Aliette de Bodard has composed a riveting story of murder, magic  and sibling rivalry.’ — Elizabeth Bear

‘From page one I was drawn into Acatl’s world… a remarkable historically-based fantasy, using the myths and legends of the Aztec people as a background to a twisting murder mystery.’ — Speculative Book Review

‘The world-building is exquisite and we *believe* we are transported to the 15th century Tenotichtlan and together with the superb voice they formed the main reason I enjoyed this book so much… Highly recommended… Ms. de Bodard is a writer to watch.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

‘SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD is a highly original debut novel. Thanks to a solid mystery plot and Aliette de Bodard’s extensive research into pre-Conquest Meso-America, this novel should strike a chord with more than just fantasy readers.’ — FantasyLiterature.com

‘The book starts out a slow, steady pace and builds momentum from there. It’s not some huge action scene that hooks you. It’s the atmosphere. The blood spilled to gain favor from the gods. The cultural details Bodard infuses in each moment.’ — Examiner.com

Aliette’s latest novel is the widely-acclaimed A FIRE BORN OF EXILE, which is published by Gollancz (UK) and JABberwocky (elsewhere in English).

Coming Soon: SERVITEUR DES ENFERS by Aliette de Bodard!

Posted on Thursday, January 4th, 2024

This March, Mnémos is due to publish a new French edition of Aliette de Bodard‘s debut novel, SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD! To be published as SERVITEUR DES ENFERS, it was translated by Laurent Philibert-Caillat. Here’s the synopsis…

A Tenochtitlan, la capitale des Aztèques, les sacrifices humains sont les seules choses qui maintiennent le soleil dans le ciel et la terre fertile. Quand une prêtresse disparaît, Acatl, grand prêtre des morts, enquête. Il découvre que son ancien frère est impliqué, et, en creusant, est entraîné dans les intrigues politiques et magiques des nobles, des soldats, des prêtres et des dieux eux-mêmes.

The Obsidian & Blood trilogy is published in English by JABberwocky: SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, HARBINGER OF THE STORM, and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first book…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead — except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received…

‘A gripping mystery steeped in blood and ancient Aztec magic. I was enthralled.’ — Sean Williams

‘Part murder mystery, part well-researched historical novel and part fantasy… The fantasy element blends neatly with the other parts. 4*’ — SFX Magazine

‘An Aztec priest of the dead tries to solve a murder mystery, and finds that politics may be even more powerful than magic. A vivid portrayal of an interesting culture in a truly fresh fantasy novel.’ — Kevin J. Anderson (New York Times bestselling author)

‘Amid the mud and maize of the Mexica empire, Aliette de Bodard has composed a riveting story of murder, magic  and sibling rivalry.’ — Elizabeth Bear

‘From page one I was drawn into Acatl’s world… a remarkable historically-based fantasy, using the myths and legends of the Aztec people as a background to a twisting murder mystery.’ — Speculative Book Review

‘The world-building is exquisite and we *believe* we are transported to the 15th century Tenotichtlan and together with the superb voice they formed the main reason I enjoyed this book so much… Highly recommended… Ms. de Bodard is a writer to watch.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

‘SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD is a highly original debut novel. Thanks to a solid mystery plot and Aliette de Bodard’s extensive research into pre-Conquest Meso-America, this novel should strike a chord with more than just fantasy readers.’ — FantasyLiterature.com

‘The book starts out a slow, steady pace and builds momentum from there. It’s not some huge action scene that hooks you. It’s the atmosphere. The blood spilled to gain favor from the gods. The cultural details Bodard infuses in each moment.’ — Examiner.com

Aliette’s latest novel is the widely-acclaimed A FIRE BORN OF EXILE, which is published by Gollancz (UK) and JABberwocky (elsewhere in English).

Aliette de Bodard’s SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD turns 10!

Posted on Tuesday, January 7th, 2020

January marks the tenth anniversary of Aliette de Bodard‘s acclaimed debut, SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD! The acclaimed first novel in the author’s Obsidian & Blood trilogy, it was followed by HARBINGER OF THE STORM and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS.

Congratulations, Aliette!

Originally published by Angry Robot Books in 2009, the novel is now available as an eBook via the JABberwocky’s eBook Program. Here’s the synopsis…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead – except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

Here are just a few reviews the novel has received…

‘Part murder mystery, part well-researched historical novel and part fantasy… The fantasy element blends neatly with the other parts. 4*’ — SFX Magazine

‘An Aztec priest of the dead tries to solve a murder mystery, and finds that politics may be even more powerful than magic. A vivid portrayal of an interesting culture in a truly fresh fantasy novel.’ — Kevin J. Anderson (New York Times bestselling author)

‘Amid the mud and maize of the Mexica empire, Aliette de Bodard has composed a riveting story of murder, magic  and sibling rivalry.’ — Elizabeth Bear

‘From page one I was drawn into Acatl’s world… a remarkable historically-based fantasy, using the myths and legends of the Aztec people as a background to a twisting murder mystery.’ — Speculative Book Review

‘The world-building is exquisite and we *believe* we are transported to the 15th century Tenotichtlan and together with the superb voice they formed the main reason I enjoyed this book so much… Highly recommended… Ms. de Bodard is a writer to watch.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

Since the release of this novel, Aliette has published an impressive number of award-winning and nominated short and long fiction, including the acclaimed Xuya Universe stories, many of which are published by Subterranean Press and JABberwocky; and the Dominion of the Fallen series, which is published by Gollancz in the UK; and Roc Books (#1-2) and JABberwocky (#3) in North America. The author’s stand-alone novella, IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is also available, published by JABberwocky.

Lavie Tidhar’s StoryBundle… (Also featuring Aliette de Bodard!)

Posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2018

A bonus bit of news, today: Multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar has set up a limited time StoryBundle! The bundle is live now, so click on that link to find out more. The bundle has been set up as part of the author’s ongoing attempts to highlight SFF from around the world. Here’s a little bit of his explanation for the project…

Over ten years ago I came up with the crazy idea of an anthology collecting speculative fiction stories from around the world. The resultant collection – The Apex Book of World SF – came out in 2009 and has since spawned a series of books, with the fifth volume coming out later this year. Over the course of that decade I encountered some brilliant writers, and was able to watch what had once seemed impossible – overseas writers flourishing in the genre world – come to seem a matter of course…

Our chosen charity for this bundle, English PEN, works tirelessly to promote translated works into English, championing literature beyond national and linguistic borders. They provide funding for translation projects, are the founding centre of a worldwide writers’ association with 145 centres in more than 100 countries, and are also a founding member of the Free Word Centre. They campaign to defend writers and readers in the UK and around the world whose human right to freedom of expression is at risk. I couldn’t think of a better partner for this bundle, and hope you help us support them and their work.

“World SF” as a term has been somewhat nebulous, encompassing a huge range of voices and approaches to the fantastic. Here is what I hope is but the first sampler of some of today’s exciting writers working in the field. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Among the initial titles included in the World SF Bundle, which you would receive for a minimum $5 purchase is SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD by Aliette de Bodard, the first book in the Obsidian & Blood trilogy. Additionally, for that minimum purchase, you would receive…

  • The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia
  • The Apex Book of World SF: Vol. 4 edited by Mahvesh Murad
  • A Small Charred Face by Kazuki Sakuraba

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular titles, plus SIX more!

  • THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF: Vols.1-3 edited by Lavie Tidhar
  • Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
  • Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  • Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw
  • Castles in Spain edited by Mariano Villarreal
  • Azanian Bridges by Nick Wood

New OBSIDIAN & BLOOD eBooks!

Posted on Monday, January 18th, 2016

deBodardA-Obsidian&BloodJAB-Blog

Aliette de Bodard‘s debut trilogy of Aztec fantasy, Obsidian & Blood, is now available as eBooks! The trilogy includes SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, HARBINGER OF THE STORM and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS.

Released through the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead — except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD was also selected as one of ‘6 Historical Fantasy Novels that Don’t Skimp on the Details’ by Barnes & Noble. Here’s what they had to say…

‘The world  is fascinating, with a richly developed culture, and it’s clear de Bodard has done her research, creating a deeply involving story of court intrigue, demons, the realm of the dead, and shifting court politics. Even the magic system, wherein every spell involves either some kind of sacrifice or bloodletting, is presented in a way that rings true with what we known of these ancient cultures.’

Here’s just a small selection of the great reviews the Obsidian & Blood series has received…

‘Part murder mystery, part well-researched historical novel and part fantasy… The fantasy element blends neatly with the other parts. 4*’ — SFX Magazine on SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD

‘An Aztec priest of the dead tries to solve a murder mystery, and finds that politics may be even more powerful than magic. A vivid portrayal of an interesting culture in a truly fresh fantasy novel.’ — Kevin J. Anderson (New York Times bestselling author) on SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD

‘Political intrigue and rivalry among a complex pantheon of divinities drive this well-paced murder mystery set at the height of the Aztec Empire in the late 15th century… incorporates historical fact with great ease and manages the rare feat of explaining complex culture and political system without lecturing or boring the reader.’ — Publishers Weekly on HARBINGER OF THE STORM

‘Very impressive, the plot is both mature and seductive, twisting and turning like a weather vane in a force 9 gale while the action is both bloodthirsty and imaginative. The world building is fantastic and we get to learn even more of this rich culture and the many gods and creatures of the dark. I really can’t fault this book at all and recommend it to one and all but if you haven’t yet read Servant of the Underworld I suggest that you get them both and read them in order, you won’t be disappointed.’ — SF Book Reviews on HARBINGER OF THE STORM

‘The final volume features an easily imaginable yet utterly horrific threat. Knowledge of the Aztecs’ historical defenselessness against smallpox heightens the sense of peril, as does the postwar political dissatisfaction that de Bodard adroitly weaves into the background… reflective, bittersweet… MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS is an accomplished novel, featuring sharply-observed characters negotiating a world where magic does not negate unpleasant consequences, but rather amplifies ethical dilemmas… the trilogy goes out on a high note.’ — Strange Horizons

THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, Aliette de Bodard’s latest critically-acclaimed novel, is out now published in the UK by Gollancz and in the US by Roc Books.

deBodard-HouseOfShatteredWings-Blog2

Nebula Nomination for Aliette de Bodard

Posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2015

AlietteDeBodard-AuthorPicAs announced over the weekend, Aliette de Bodard has racked up yet another well-deserved award nomination. Aliette’s THE BREATH OF WAR has been nominated in the short story category. The story originally appeared in the March 6th, 2014 issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies (#142). The story is also free to read online, here.

But you wouldn’t know, Rechan thought, chilled. You’d be quite happy, either way. That’s what you were carved for, to give your breath to Akanlam’s babies, and even if you hadn’t been born knowing it, everyone in our society has been telling you that for as long as you can remember. How much responsibility did people have for their carvings? How much of themselves had they put into them; and how much had they taught them?

Aliette de Bodard is the multi-award nominated and winning author of a great many short stories. She is also the author of the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, published by Angry Robot Books; and the upcoming, highly-anticipated new novel THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, which is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz and the US by Roc Books, in August 2015.

Nebulacolor-150x150