Land of the Dead

It's a small change in our history: imagine that the Japanese made contact with the Aztec Empire. Instead of small-pox and Christianity, they brought an Imperial alliance, samurai ethics, and technology. By the time of these books, the Emperor in Mexico City rules not just the entire planet Earth, but a growing interplanetary Empire.

But the Galaxy is not a hospitable place, and there are other powers, both new and very very old, who would stop the spread of the power in Anuhuac. A weapon of the Old Ones, from the time of the First Sun, has been found in a region of space. It must be investigated, then tamed or destroyed to keep it from the hands of opposing powers. Gretchen Anderssen, freelance archeologist and specialist in First Sun artifacts, has been hired by her old mentor Green Hummingbird, agent of the Mirror Service, to join him in the study. They will be joined by old friends, and some old enemies as well.

"An artfully constructed alternate history setting, in which Earth and nearby worlds are ruled by an alliance of the Aztecs and the Japanese, serves as a tantalizing background to a breathless yet tedious stream of battle scenes and complex conspiracies in the third Time of the Sixth Sun installment (after 2005's House of Reeds). Archeologist Gretchen Anderssen, mysterious provocateur Green Hummingbird and other familiar characters find an unusual ancient artifact. Several military forces soon converge on it, with unknown forces behind the scenes pulling the strings, but the focus is not on the politics, intrigue and people behind this complex encounter. Instead, battles are described at length in technical jargon, spaceships explode with monotonous regularity and bodies pile up by the dozens, overwhelming the intriguing subtleties of the world." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Readers who enjoy intricate sf mystery-adventure will like this title." Library Journal

"Harlan's space opera is fast and action-packed, and his world-building splendid." Booklist

"To the fog of space warfare, Harlan brings crackling excitement if little realism: Think Star Wars rather than Heinlein. Less culturally and psychologically complex than hitherto...but with plenty of computer-game-style battle sequences to keep combat fans happy." Kirkus Reviews

Thomas Harlan is the author of the highly regarded Oath of Empire fantasy series, as well as being an internationally-known game designer. He lives in Salem, Oregon.