What would you do if you were imprisoned in a box, waiting
to be sacrificed to the Sun God? You’d want to run. You’d want to get as far
away from there as possible. Unless, of course, you believe the gods will
listen to your sacrifice and spare your people. When Atl [Ay-tell] is released
amidst an attack by the Spanish Pale Lord, and told to run to a neighbouring
city for help, he sees it as an opportunity to run for freedom. But something
more sinister and unforgiving is chasing him, and if he is caught, slavery is
no longer an option. Death will quickly follow.
Sandy Fussell has created a rich, fast-paced novel that
drags you in so you don’t realise that she is also giving you a light history
lesson. Ancient cultures are fascinating; the Maya / Inca civilisations of
South America in particular.
Atl finds that (although he doesn’t want it - to begin with)
he needs help on his journey from both humans and gods. Even if the gods
delight in spilling human blood, which angers Atl. But his journey gives him
time to contemplate the nature of sacrifice, slavery, friendship, courage, and
pride. What I loved about this book is that Atl’s contemplations provide a great
opening for the reader to think about these things too. What kind of gods would
demand the slaughter of their subjects?
I really like the cover too.
Find it on Goodreads
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