Servant of the Underworld

Obsidian and Blood, Book 1

By: Aliette de Bodard

Narrated by: John Telfer

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan – the capital of the Aztecs. The end of the world is kept at bay only by the magic of human sacrifice. A priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. Acatl, high priest, must find her, or break the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead. But how do you find someone, living or dead, in a world where blood sacrifices are an everyday occurrence and the very gods stalk the streets?

©2010 Aliette de Bodard (P)2014 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"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" ( 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)
"I haven’t enjoyed a proper detective story this much in ages, and the rich setting, monsters and magic just added an extra layer of delight." (David Devereux)

amazing.

absolutely amazing story all around. great character fleshing out and growth. incredible world building, display and research. beautiful prose. the rising action and climax was well executed with a satisfying resolution. I've never enjoyed a detective story as much as this. the narrator was great. he had clear enunciation, pronounced words I couldnt have ever hoped to with ease and had wonderful pacing with a rich smooth voice.

Stunning

The performance was breathtaking. The story was unexpected in the most beautiful way. left me absolutely in love.

Not Your Average Detective Story

An interesting take on the magic enabled detective story ... sort of like an Aztec Dresden Files. Put in on in the background and don't worry about catching everything ... it pretty much goes where you would expect it to go, so just enjoy listening.

Enjoyed it so much more than I expected!

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to connect with the setting, and it did take me a while to feel invested in the story, but I ended up liking several characters (and loving to dislike several others) and found myself drawn into the mystery. It's a Whodunit with gods and magic.

Unique setting, excellent writing

Truly love this trilogy and wish there was more. The setting alone is enough reason to pick it up, but the way it dives into the culture to create non traditional plots elevates it.

A Nice Change of Pace in Fantasy

No pdf at Audible. Visited her website for character list and glossary. It helped alot.

love it!

I did struggle a little with some of the names, but the story and narration is really great. I got really invested in the story and the main character. Aliette de Bodard is my new favorite author. She writes the most amazing and intriguing adventures!

Good story but irritatingly written

Well thought out story and lots of excitement but written in a trying and drawn out manner. The tense relation between the nice but irritating main character and his warrior brother is important for the story, but it is overworked in my opinion. The action scenes are squeezed to, litterally, the last drop of sacrifical blood and the whole mix is just a bit too much.

Couldn't get through it.

What disappointed you about Servant of the Underworld?

I hate when an author makes words up. If you want to make an example of something from a chess game, just do it. Or a new word to describe a king or an official. Maybe one or two throughout the story would be OK but I don't want to learn a new language just to enjoy a story. And those annoying names that he gave the characters. I didn't know one from the next. I had to give up.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Telfer’s performances?

Yes

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

no