Customer Reviews

Land of the Dead

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This volume is every bit as much fun to read as its predecessor, House of Reeds. (I thought Wasteland of Flint was a bit slow in comparison with the other two, but still a rewarding read.) As Mr. Helsdon's review stated, the plot is richly complex, with multiple mutual simultaneous backstabbings choreographed in a masterly way.

The only critical remarks I have about the book is that the cover jacket looks cheap. I didn't care for the generic-looking art, and there seems to be a bit of flimsiness to the heft and binding...but even if the publisher had to cut costs to publish this book, I'm grateful they published it.

We have hitherto unheard-of Powers and Organizations enter the stage this time round. It appears that the Aztec Empire controls information about the true situation of the human race vis-a-vis the other intelligent species in the universe very tightly, and that the reader apparently had no need-to-know about some of these races in the previous volumes. Not only that, but there are some decidedly startling human organizations active in human space; at least one of them appears to be about equally as powerful as the Aztecs. It's strange we didn't hear about them before...but they are a secret society, after all.

I enjoyed the wider view of his alternate world that Harlan gives us in Land of the Dead, and the suspenseful plot couldn't have been tighter. This is a book to make you lose sleep, but it's worth the bleary eyes the next morning. The ending was a total head-slapper for me. Who woulda thunk...hey, I liked HIM! And how could she...well, buy the book. Read it!

Thomas Harlan seems to have really hit his stride with this series and this book shows off his craft very well. The universe he's created is very fresh. He's successfully envisioned an Aztec space Empire with Japanese and Scottish mixed in. I also like that humanity is portrayed as one of the weaker races in space. Harlan gets a head start on universes like this from his other jobs creating games, Since the players lead the universe in unexpected directions. However he hasn't let it harm the books the way he did in the Oath of Fire series when important characters would suddenly fall out of the story.
The plotting is good enough that I look forward to reading this again in a few months. Now that I know the end it will be fun to see what I missed the first time I read it.

Something unknown to Imperial science is lurking within the dust of the Kuub nebula.

Something ancient and deadly, holding a legacy from the distant past.

Something discovered by a doomed squadron of survey ships.

'Land of the Dead' is the third of Thomas Harlan's 'Sixth Sun' series, and follows some of the consequences of the events of 'House of Reeds'. On the surface, 'Land of the Dead' involves the discovery in deep space of an enigmatic artefact of one of the most powerful long-vanished civilisations of the Galaxy -- something vast, dangerous and mysterious -- and the conflict between those who would possess it.

'Land of the Dead' can be read and enjoyed on multiple levels: as fast and furious space opera, but it is also the darkest so far, with treachery, betrayal and revenge at its core (leading to a confrontation vaguely reminiscent of that at the Reichenbach Falls) countered by redemption, loyalty and the relationship of a parent to their child. The story stretches from the cold lonely streets of Shinedo on the Pacific coast of North America, to intrigues in the Imperial capital of Tenochtitlan in the Valley of Mexico, to the absolute zero of a hazardous nebula. All is not as it seems, and politics and ambition on Earth and beyond drive a deadly conflict, with revelations of the true status of the Méxica Empire and an ancient forgotten doom. One of the human factions will be a surprise (though foreshadowed early on in 'Wasteland of Flint'), and the semblance of Imperial solidarity is fractured by the intrigues within and between the Imperial Clan, the Mirror secret police, the Fleet and the Judges.

The series has a shifting cast of characters, and the interweaving threads of this novel feature the disgraced officer Mitsuharu Hadeishi, Susan Koshô at the helm of her first command the battlecruiser Naniwa, the Swedish-Russian xenoarchaeologist Gretchen Anderssen and the Méxica judge Green Hummingbird. An Imperial Prince, Xochitl, is a major character and a complete contrast to his brother Tezozómoc (who appeared in 'House of Reeds'). Sadly, Parker and Magdelena are firmly off stage; it can only be hoped they will appear in a future volume.

Of all the characters in this volume, Hadeishi is the perhaps the most complex, and a primary thread follows on from the loss of his ship in 'House of Reeds'. His recollections of old television episodes of The Book of Five Rings featuring the sword-saint Lord Miyamoto Musashi (in this time line involved in the Restoration of the Home Islands of Japan from the rule of a Mongol oppressor) give both an insight into Hadeishi's character and his earlier actions, and a window into the history of this alternate past/future history. Hadeishi, the son of a violin-maker and a shop-clerk, though the descendant of samurai, lacks the high clan status to survive the disgrace of the loss of the Corneulle, but childhood memories of the adventures of Musashi (fighting Mongols, Maori, Iroquois and bandits - with a nod to the Seven Samurai) inspire him to struggle against the fate decreed by Admiralty and Emperor.

Although Gretchen and Hummingbird are pivotal to the plot, and Koshô shows her mettle, this is very much Hadeishi's story, as he follows the teachings of his childhood hero, enacting the role of a samurai turned ronin in the depths of deep space.

'Land of the Dead' includes major battles, with warships tens or hundreds of thousands of kilometres apart manoeuvring at high g as swarms of missiles accelerate in and particle beams and lasers excite the dust of the Kuub: time and distance contracting in lethal combat. The impressions of space warfare are a vividly drawn backdrop to the heart of the mystery within the Kuub.

On the surface, 'Land of the Dead' is a classic tale of space combat and adventure, and it can certainly be read as a story of high adventure and peril. Behind this are wheels within wheels, with clues scattered throughout. Without giving any spoilers, the most obvious clue is what happens to the scout ships, why they just happen to be exactly *where* they are, and who may have sent them there. There are layers upon layers, and after reading the final chapter, the reader would be rewarded to re-read the first few chapters.

Each of the novels of the 'Sixth Sun' lies within a slightly different genre: 'Wasteland of Flint' - explored the relationship between science and mysticism; 'House of Reeds' - colonialism and political intrigue; `Land of the Dead' - space combat and <...>. All three share the underlying theme of xenoarchaeology and the quest for the secrets of alien technologies. This volume strongly hints as to why the Empire is so desperate for ancient alien tech.

With searing antimatter detonations and catastrophic revelations, 'Land of the Dead' sets the stage for future volumes.

[Declaration: Having spent time proof-reading the text of penultimate drafts I have a non-financial interest.]

3 1/2 stars. I'd almost forgotten Thomas Harlan's series about this far future Japanes/Aztec hybrid space culture, since it was so long since the last volume in the series. I snapped it up from the bookshelves as soon as I saw it, and I must say for the most part quite enjoyed it. Ancient artifacts, political intrigue, hostile aliens, black holes and gravitational sinks - good old fashioned space opera. But I have two major quibbles: (1) the constant POV shift from chapter to chapter. I know this is something that is currently prevalent in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, but I still bring it up, because I find it detracts from the cohesion of the story, and the ability to fully realize a character. I am not suggesting there be no POV shifts, but that they occur less frequently and perhaps with fewer characters. (2) The space battles, as the Empire and the alien bandits tried to get closer to the ancient artifact. This went on far too long. Perhaps there are afficinados of 2nd World War battles (ones that really happened) who like to know every detail of each battle, but imaginary space battles described with the same aching detail weigh the book down. Otherwise, I do recommend the book for fans of space opera and alternate histories.

I had very much enjoyed the two previous books in this series, Wasteland of Flint, and House of Reeds. I had looked forward to this book, but there was a long gap between it and its predecessors, and when it finally did come out, I missed it. I finally found it in a bookstore recently, and within a few pages, I was hooked again. With its alternate history foundation, the series has an exotic flavor, made even more exotic by a fascinating universe that mankind has stepped into. The first books blended archaeology, exploration and military adventure in a very exciting manner. And this one is easily the best of the three. The space battles are epic in scope and absolutely gripping. Harlan avoids the temptation to explain too much that many military SF authors fall into--instead, he gives us just enough detail to keep things glued together, and not so much that it slows things down. The characters are well realized, and grow even more compelling as you get to know them better. And the book delves into some of the mysteries posed by the earlier books, revealing enough to keep us turning pages, but still leaving many mysteries for future volumes. About three quarters of the way through the book, I thought that he wouldn't be able to wrap up all the threads he had put in motion, but he did, in a rapid and exciting pace. I couldn't put this book down, literally. I was on my exercise bike reading it the other morning--my normal ride is 30 minutes--and looked down and realized I had ridden for over an hour. My legs still haven't recovered! I would highly recommend this whole series and especially this book to anyone who loves science fiction or high adventure.

Well, I'm not in the habit of writing reviews for books I had enjoyed but seeing this serie having so few of them, I finally decided to add my own hoping it helps this serie reaches the heights it deserves.

So, to get this straight, I have to say the science fiction genre cannot be assessed in the too few lines Amazon would let me write for this review, if I ever wanted to. So let' assume this particular serie, though it shares a few key elements with other well known series, can stand on it own based on the sheer complexity of its plot and its character development without falling in the pitfall authors usually fell for when they try their best at writing 'space saga' spaning across whole universes.
The author, Thomas Harlan, certainly knows how to keep it tight following only several protagonists and still be able to make us feel overwhelmed with a sheer sense of hugeness implied by the reconstructed universe he is trying, and succeeding, to sell us.

My only problem with it is that the author writes too slowly. But I guess it's the price to pay if you want to read a Masterpiece.

Land of the Dead is the latest instalment in Harlan's loosely connected series about about a far-future Human society ruled by a Mexica emperor. In the previous two books, Wasteland of Flint and House of Reeds, archeological mysteries unfold through the agency of well-drawn, appealing characters as the distant past threatens to overwhelm the present. I was expecting the same from Land of the Dead, but unfortunately this was quite a different book, with character suppressed in favour of action. An intriguing premise degenerated into battling spaceships and not much else. Harlan's attempt to move this series beyond the more contained settings and consequences of his previous books didn't really work for me, not least because so many elements had a deus ex machina feel that the whole thing started to feel quite artificial.

I was disappointed by this book and rather angry by the time I finished it. Harlan spent so long on his space battles - something I'll freely admit I have no interest in - that the events that actually wrapped up the mystery I bought this book for felt like a rushed afterthought. What happened was so unclear that it then had to be explained in a monologue infodump. Unlike in House of Reeds, the prose was clunky enough to be distracting.

While I'm glad things are working out for Hadeishi and Kosho, those excellent and likeable ship captains, I was stumped by Gretchen in Land of the Dead. She's so devoid of personality now, she's barely a presence in the book at all; just a cipher activated when the plot needs to move along. Harlan has made her artificially angry and bitter because it suits the plot, not because we've seen it grow naturally out of events. What happened to her kindness and humour, her philosophical attitude? The blame she heaped on Hummingbird made no sense in the context of the previous books, and so her actions at the end seemed motivated by nothing more than spite.

Is it unfair to judge a book unfavourably because it's such a departure from the previous books in the series? Not if there's no clue in the book description that that departure has been made, I think. Also not if key characters are so inconsistent and have become so unlikeable, and then do inexplicable things. I've given this three stars because it is imaginative and if you like action and space battles, you may very well enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this book but I had several problems with it. It is the third book in a series but the first I havr read by Harlan. While it is okay as a stand alone book I just had a hard time getting into what the many different factions were. This book is on the face about a major space battle near the center of the book. Some of it is very good space opera milscifi but with about the same pace in combat as Pirates of the Caribbean. On the other hand it is a book with a lot of political factions pulling invisible strings causing the main characters to do things. The other problem was a slow buildup that introduced characters for most of the first half of the book.

I think the single biggest piece of info needed from the start without being completely explained is that "NAUALLIS" is the term for an agent who is part Aztec shaman, Japanese Shugenja, and Man In Black. A nauallis or judge is an imperial agent but does not answer to the Emperor, Bureaucracy, Military. I would consider him having authority most like a Warhammer 40K Inquisitor set in a different culture.

LotD is an 'okay' continuation of the series by Harlan. The first few books were, however, much better IMHO. LotD does head off on a few new angles that are interesting, as well as a darker outlook, particularly as you (partial spoiler) come to find out what happened to Gretchen's(sic) son. While not as pleased with this work as the prior SS novels, its still a reader if you like the series.

Honestly, however, I would much rather Harlan went back to the Oath of Empire series and actually 'end' it. I very much enjoyed that alt-history-fantasy series, but it just sort of 'stopped' without any real ending or closure.

In a rarely traveled part of space, an even rarer artifact from the glorious era of the First Sun Old Ones has been discovered. The leaders of the interplanetary Mexica Empire know the significance of the find from a historical perspective and even more important understand this is a weapon of mass destruction.

In Mexico City, the Emperor wants the relic brought under their close supervision so he sends his son, Prince Xochitl to retrieve it. At the same time Mirror Service operative Green Hummingbird, First Sun anthropological expert Gretchen Anderssen and Captain Susan Koshy are also trying to obtain the artifact. Others also make a trek to gain possession as everyone understands the impact of an Old Ones' weapon.

The premise of In The Time of the Sixth Sun saga (see WASTELAND OF FLINT and HOUSE OF REEDS) is simplistic as Thomas Harlan changes a key pivotal sixteenth century moment in which the Japanese instead of the Spanish meet the Aztecs first. From that first encounter, the author has extrapolated an alternate history based on the Annals of Cuauhtotlan that provides the audience with a super futuristic science fiction saga. LAND OF THE DEAD is a great action-packed thriller with tense battle scenes in space as the race to possess an artifact from the era of the First Sun has everyone on edge. Green and his cohorts, and Xochitl bring to the exciting plot a human rivalry that compares how miniscule earthlings are against the big vastness of outer space.

Harriet Klausner