Imagine for a minute what
it might be like if a long dead civilization had actually survived to modern
times. Say, for instance, the Aztecs. What would it be like if the Conquistadors
under Cortez had never arrived in ancient Mexico, or if they had what would it
be like if the Aztecs had successfully defended themselves against the Spanish conquerors?
Michael Jan Friedman of
Star Trek novel fame as well as numerous other projects put his imagination to
work and came up with two independently published novellas that take a look at
criminal activity in the Aztec city of Atzlan.
The first of the two
works, Aztlan: The Last Sun (and Mike
recommends that you read them in order because there are spoilers in the second
book that point events in the first), introduces us to Maxtla Colhua, an
investigator for the Aztec Empire that stretches across a large part of the
Americas. Maxtla is a former athlete
that played an often brutal game that seemed to be a mix between American
football and basketball.
While enjoying a meal
with his aunt, Maxtla is called to the scene of a murder that is much like
those from ancient times. It is up to
him to determine who is responsible for that murder and a series of murders
that all follow the same pattern. His
investigation reveals numerous distractions and misdirection to stop him from
finding the truth. But his keen senses
keep him on track as he discovers corruption in his own department, as well as
problems at the highest levels.
In the second of the two
novellas currently available, Aztlan: The Courts of Heaven, We once again follow the adventures of Maxtla as he
learns more about his department’s corruption, and investigates the murder of
the greatest athlete to play the game.
Maxtla has to find the answers again as he is lead through a confusing
trail of leads that go nowhere, and with the most popular player of the game
turning up dead, he has to get it done before the devoted fans rip the city to
shreds.
I have always had a
fascination with ancient civilizations, which is why I decided to read these
two stories. I thought I would give the
first one a try and found myself hooked within the first few pages and couldn’t
stop reading until I had finished both stories, finding myself wanting
more. Maxtla is a very interesting
character that cares a great deal about the traditions of his department. He is a patient, plodding detective that can
use his wits to get to the bottom of a case, no matter what deceptions are
thrown in his way. He takes a lot of
punishment in these two stories, but is like a devoted bloodhound, able to glean
the truth and make sense of nonsense. He
is not a larger than life hero, just a man doing his job for the Empire. He has a great sense of humor that manifests
itself in the form of a dry wit. If I
had to compare these stories with another idea, I would have to say that it is
much like NYPD Blue set in a world with a very different culture than what we
know today.
I was able to contact
Mike before writing this post to ask him a few questions about Aztlan. He graciously responded to my questions, for
which I extend my sincere thanks…
Q:
Would you consider the Aztlan stories Science Fiction, Alternate Reality, or
perhaps Speculative Fiction? None of the
above?
Mike:
“Great question. I once described the Aztlan series to an editor at Random
House. She said she loved the idea but she could never buy it because no chain
book store buyer would know where to put it in his stores. It's certainly an
alternate reality, but not what you might call an alternate history in that the
point of divergence--the failure of Cortes to conquer the Aztecs--is hundreds
of years in the past as compared to when the stories take place.”
Q.:What
possessed you to resurrect a long dead civilization?
Mike:
“I've always been fascinated by the Aztecs, I guess. As the end of the
Mesoamerican calendar caught the public's imagination with its end-of-days
flavor, I started thinking more and more about what that end would look like if
the Aztecs were still a thriving civilization today--an isolationist empire
that stretched from what we call Baffin Bay to what we call Tierra Del Fuego.
The concept just grew from that point on.”
Q:
Obviously, you were well researched in the culture of the Aztecs, what was
involved with that?
Mike:
“As I say, I'd been interested in the Aztecs for some time so I wasn't starting
my research from scratch. Still, I took out books from the library, surfed the
net, and so on until I felt comfortable in the world I was creating. Believe
me, there's a lot of research that will never make it into the stories but you
always have to know more than you'll tell the reader if you want to create a
believable setting.”
Q:
Can we Expect future installments of Aztlan?
Mike:
“I've got more stories in mind, sure, but a couple of other projects are a
somewhat higher priority right now--one of them being my new young-adult
superhero novel I Am The Salamander, which was the subject of a successful
Kickstarter and will be out in June.”
Q:
If every character is a part of you,
which part is Imperial Investigator Maxtla Colhua, the protagonist in the
Aztlan stories?
Mike:
“Maxtla is like me in a lot of ways. He's devoted to his work, he has a sense
of humor, and he's a romantic. Of course, he's also a political conservative,
as I was when I was very young, but he's learning more about the world around
him and is becoming more open-minded as a result. He's growing in a way that I
think is very plausible and very exciting, sort of like the Jack Nicholson
character in Chinatown.”
Mike
is part of an independent publishing company called Crazy 8 Press; a group of
authors that that, along with Mike, includes such names as Robert Greenberger,
and Peter David and many others. While many
of the authors are part of mainstream publishing, especially many of the Star
Trek novels, they needed an outlet for their other works that the mainstream
may not wish to take chances on, or as Mike explains it:
“The
publisher of the Aztlan tales, Crazy 8 Press, which I co-founded, is dedicated
to getting quirky stuff like the Aztlan stories out to readers. These are tales
traditional publishers can't afford to take a chance on because they're suited
more to the discerning reader than to the masses. However, we at Crazy 8 Press
don't have to sell tens of thousands of copies to make the effort worth our
while. All we need to reach is that consumer who has seen the same story a
dozen times and wants something different for a change.”
Those
of you that read this blog on a regular basis know that it is by and for fans
of science fiction, but every now and again, I find that I have a need to read
something that is outside of the strict scifi realm; I just need a break once
in a while. I came upon the Aztlan books
through posts on Facebook from Mike promoting these stories, and found them to
fit the bill of a diversion perfectly. Both
books are under 150 pages each and can easily be read in one sitting giving a
complete story in each. If you, like me,
need a break from your usual fare, I highly recommend Aztlan to broaden your
horizons a little.
Well,
there it is…
QaplaH’!
