I've been looking for good fantasy and sci-fi novels set outside of the usual Euro-centric mythologies forever, and Crystal Rain has the goods! Tobias Buckell seamlessly weaves elements of Caribbean and Axtec history, culture and mythology throughout the fabric of his intriguingly anachronistic world, populates it with a diverse and fascinating cast of characters, and delivers an engaging page-turner that had me ready to jump right into the sequel, Ragamuffin.
Amongst several great characters, perhaps the most fascinating is the reluctant villain, Oaxctyl, the god-fearing Aztecan spy charged with capturing, John DeBrun, the novel's hero and key player who has no memory of his past or why he's such an important figure in a story that's been unfolding for centuries.
