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* ForgivenButNotForgotten: Tizoc lets Acatl know that's the case. Accordingly, Acatl makes sure to stay outside of the former's field of vision.
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* ExperiencedProtagonist: Acatl begins the first book as the High Priest for the Dead and he knows his job.
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** Acamapichtli also doubles as a DeadpanSnarker whenever he and Acatl exchange more than two words.
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* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Sure, [[spoiler:Tizoc-tzin]] is [[EntitledBastard obnoxious, incompetent and paranoid]], but the alternative would be having star-demons [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt wreak havoc]] in the [[AztecMythology Fifth World]].
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* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Acamapichtli, HighPriest of Tlaloc, never does anything that does not further his needs or agenda or just generally makes him look good. He does, however, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold truly care for the members of his clergy]].
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* ReligionOfEvil: Completely averted. While the gods are shown to be capricious and dangerous, and life itself is much the same, it's more a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality than it is of a religion of evil.
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* ReligionOfEvil: Completely averted. While the gods are shown to be capricious and dangerous, and life itself is much the same, it's more a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality than it is of a religion of evil. evil.
* ShownTheirWork: See above with {{Mayincatec}}. It is obvious that a lot of research was involved, but it never is obtrusive or derails the story, it just adds flavour to the setting and creates a sense of the characters living in the surroundings and culture natural to them.
** It even goes so far that as soon as one learns the real name of one important character it's possible to predict the outcome of the third novel IF one knowns the chronology of the real Revered Speakers of Tenochtitlan. The definite clue is given offhandedly and at the right point in the story, but it's possible to infer it way earlier.
* ShownTheirWork: See above with {{Mayincatec}}. It is obvious that a lot of research was involved, but it never is obtrusive or derails the story, it just adds flavour to the setting and creates a sense of the characters living in the surroundings and culture natural to them.
** It even goes so far that as soon as one learns the real name of one important character it's possible to predict the outcome of the third novel IF one knowns the chronology of the real Revered Speakers of Tenochtitlan. The definite clue is given offhandedly and at the right point in the story, but it's possible to infer it way earlier.
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* EntitledBastard: Tizoc-tzin, up to eleven.
** Quenami, too, who is Tizoc's understudy in this.
** Quenami, too, who is Tizoc's understudy in this.
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* OccultDetective: High priest of the dead who uses blood magic to solve supernatural crimes.
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* TheCoroner: Acatl's job begins with examining corpses for cause of death. He wishes it ended there.
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* TheCoroner: Acatl's job begins with examining corpses for cause of death. He wishes it ended there. there.
* TheExoticDetective: Acatl is the second type.
* TheExoticDetective: Acatl is the second type.
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* TheCoroner: Acatl's job begins with examining corpses,
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* TheCoroner: Acatl's job begins with examining corpses, corpses for cause of death. He wishes it ended there.
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There are also two short stories set in the same universe and starring Acatl. Both are avaliable online for free. They are:
* [[http://aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/online-fiction/obsidian-shards/ Obsidian Shards]], the first story de Boudard wrote in this universe.
* [[http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/beneath-the-mask-by-aliette-de-bodard/ Behind the Mask]]
* [[http://aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/online-fiction/obsidian-shards/ Obsidian Shards]], the first story de Boudard wrote in this universe.
* [[http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/beneath-the-mask-by-aliette-de-bodard/ Behind the Mask]]
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* TheCoroner: Acatl's job begins with examining corpses,
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* WellDoneSonGuy: Acatl's dad seriously disapproved of the fact that his son went off to become a priest of the dead instead of a respectable knight, like his older brother; this eats at Acatl ''constantly''. Unfortunately, his dad is also dead, so no matter how hard Acatl works for the Empire, he'll never get that approval.
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* AztecMythology: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
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* AztecMythology: UsefulNotes/AztecMythology: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
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* {{Pre-ColumbianCivilizations}}: The setting is pre-Conquest Tenochitlian, and is rendered in lavish detail.
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* {{Pre-ColumbianCivilizations}}: {{UsefulNotes/Pre-ColumbianCivilizations}}: The setting is pre-Conquest Tenochitlian, and is rendered in lavish detail.
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* {{Necromancer}}: Pretty literally. Acatl is the High Priest of the Dead. This gives him certain powers related to the Underworld, and to speaking to the dead.
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* Pre-ColumbianCivilizations: The setting is pre-Conquest Tenochitlian, and is rendered in lavish detail.
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* Pre-ColumbianCivilizations: {{Pre-ColumbianCivilizations}}: The setting is pre-Conquest Tenochitlian, and is rendered in lavish detail.
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* Pre-ColumbianCivilizations: The setting is pre-Conquest Tenochitlian, and is rendered in lavish detail.
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* [[Mayincatec]]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
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* [[Mayincatec]]: {{Mayincatec}}: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
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* Mayincatec: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
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* Mayincatec: [[Mayincatec]]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
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* LockedRoomMystery: The plot of ''Servant of the Underworld''. A high-ranking priestess vanishes entirely from a room covered in blood, with no evidence as to where she had gone.
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There are three books in the series:
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* HighPriest: Acatl is the High Priest of Mictlantechuhtli, the God of the Dead. It's a bit of a different position than the equivalents in Western culture, however: the priests of the Dead is a much less prestigious clergy, than, say, the priests of Huitzilopochtli or Tlaloc. Indeed, Acatl was held in contempt by the rest of his family for choosing to take up the "lowly" mantle of the priesthood instead of the much more honorable and glorious position of a warrior, like his brother.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back the end of the world. Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, in real life, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back the end of the world. Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back TheEndOfTheWorld Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back TheEndOfTheWorld the end of the world. Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back TheEndoftheWorldasweKnowIt. Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back TheEndoftheWorldasweKnowIt. TheEndOfTheWorld Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* BloodMagic: TONS. All the magic and spells in the series require some form of sacrifice to complete. It's one reason HumanSacrifice is 100% tolerated--unlike InRealLife, it ''actually'' keeps the Empire running, and holds back TheEndoftheWorldasweKnowIt. Not everything requires human sacrifice, however: minor spells can be done with one's own blood, and most of the magic Acatl does uses various animal sacrifices instead. It's only the really big magic (like, y'know, keeping back the apocalypse) that requires the sacrifice of hearts.
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* [AztecMythology]: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
* [GenreBusting]: It's an urban murder mystery Aztec fantasy! Whee!
* [Mayincatec]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
* [PantheraAwesome]: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit.
* [GenreBusting]: It's an urban murder mystery Aztec fantasy! Whee!
* [Mayincatec]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
* [PantheraAwesome]: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit.
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* [AztecMythology]: AztecMythology: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
*[GenreBusting]: GenreBusting: It's an urban murder mystery Aztec fantasy! Whee!
*[Mayincatec]: HumanSacrifice: It's pre-Conquest Tenochitlian. What were you expecting? Interestingly, it's portrayed in much [[ValuesDissonance the same way that the Aztecs themselves would have viewed it]], which is to say a normal part of daily life and a high honor for those who volunteered for it.
* LoveGoddess: In ''Servant of the Underworld'', the missing priestess is a former priestess of Xochiquetzal, the goddess of lust and childbirth. Said priestess was angling to become the consort of Xochipilli, a much higher-ranking position. [[spoiler: Acatl actually goes to meet Xochiquetzal at one point to ask her for help in his investigation. Turns out she was exiled to the world of the Fifth Sun (Earth) for sleeping with all the gods. She's shown to be aging rapidly due to being on Earth, but still well capable of exerting her powers, and extremely dangerous.]]
* Mayincatec: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
*[PantheraAwesome]: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit.OminousOwl: Mictlantecuhtli's preferred sacrifices.
* PantheraAwesome: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit. This is a major plot point in the first book. Also, Acatl's brother is a Jaguar Warrior.
* ReligionOfEvil: Completely averted. While the gods are shown to be capricious and dangerous, and life itself is much the same, it's more a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality than it is of a religion of evil.
*
*
* LoveGoddess: In ''Servant of the Underworld'', the missing priestess is a former priestess of Xochiquetzal, the goddess of lust and childbirth. Said priestess was angling to become the consort of Xochipilli, a much higher-ranking position. [[spoiler: Acatl actually goes to meet Xochiquetzal at one point to ask her for help in his investigation. Turns out she was exiled to the world of the Fifth Sun (Earth) for sleeping with all the gods. She's shown to be aging rapidly due to being on Earth, but still well capable of exerting her powers, and extremely dangerous.]]
* Mayincatec: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
*
* PantheraAwesome: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit. This is a major plot point in the first book. Also, Acatl's brother is a Jaguar Warrior.
* ReligionOfEvil: Completely averted. While the gods are shown to be capricious and dangerous, and life itself is much the same, it's more a case of BlueAndOrangeMorality than it is of a religion of evil.
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[[quoteright:Number:http://angryrobotbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ObsidianBlood-144dpi.jpg]]
''Obsidian and Blood'' is a book trilogy by Aliette de Bodard. It concerns the adventures of Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, as he tries to solve a series of murder mysteries in Tenochitlian, the capital of the Aztec Triple Alliance. Notable for being fantasy novels not set in some version of medieval Europe, but instead in the Aztec Triple Alliance at its height.
There are three books in the series:
* ''Servant of the Underworld'': A priestess is found in an empty room covered in blood. Traces of powerful magic fill the place, and Acatl is called on to find the missing woman. Things get complicated as Acatl finds himself embroiled in court politics.
* ''Harbinger of the Storm'': The Emperor is dead, demons have overrun the empire, and to top it all off, a councilman has been murdered--one of the councilmen tasked with choosing the new Emperor. Once again, Acatl is charged with mystery solving, only this time he has to do it while trying not to be eaten by demons.
* ''Master of the House of Darts'': The coronation of the new emperor has failed, and there's barely enough sacrifices to hold off the apocalypse. One of those sacrifices dies of a magical illness, and Acatl has to find out why.
----
!! These books provide examples of:
* [AztecMythology]: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
* [GenreBusting]: It's an urban murder mystery Aztec fantasy! Whee!
* [Mayincatec]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
* [PantheraAwesome]: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit.
''Obsidian and Blood'' is a book trilogy by Aliette de Bodard. It concerns the adventures of Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, as he tries to solve a series of murder mysteries in Tenochitlian, the capital of the Aztec Triple Alliance. Notable for being fantasy novels not set in some version of medieval Europe, but instead in the Aztec Triple Alliance at its height.
There are three books in the series:
* ''Servant of the Underworld'': A priestess is found in an empty room covered in blood. Traces of powerful magic fill the place, and Acatl is called on to find the missing woman. Things get complicated as Acatl finds himself embroiled in court politics.
* ''Harbinger of the Storm'': The Emperor is dead, demons have overrun the empire, and to top it all off, a councilman has been murdered--one of the councilmen tasked with choosing the new Emperor. Once again, Acatl is charged with mystery solving, only this time he has to do it while trying not to be eaten by demons.
* ''Master of the House of Darts'': The coronation of the new emperor has failed, and there's barely enough sacrifices to hold off the apocalypse. One of those sacrifices dies of a magical illness, and Acatl has to find out why.
----
!! These books provide examples of:
* [AztecMythology]: The main character is the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli.
* [GenreBusting]: It's an urban murder mystery Aztec fantasy! Whee!
* [Mayincatec]: Averted. de Bodard has done her research, and it shows; the people in the book are (correctly) called the Mexica, not Aztecs, the gods are all unique, and while human sacrifice DOES happen, it's shown in the way the Aztecs would have considered it -- a normal, if gruesome, part of daily life.
* [PantheraAwesome]: In addition to the usual Aztec preoccupation with how damn cool jaguars on, anyone born on a Jaguar day can potentially summon a Jaguar spirit.
