- Publisher: Del Rey;
- Published Date: First Edition (July 23, 2019)
- Pages: 352 pages
- ISBN-10: 0-525-62075-3
- ISBN-13: 978-0-525-62075-4
- Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is set in the 1920’s in Mexico. Casiopea is a young woman forced to serve as a servant for her overbearing cousin and grandfather. The family is the richest in the small town where they live, but Casiopea is treated like Cinderella before the ball. One day when the rest of the family is away on an outing, she opens a chest her grandfather has said is off limits. It is filled with bones which quickly reanimate themselves into a handsome young man who happens to be the god of death and one of the Lords of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. The god, Hun-Kane, must find the few remaining pieces of his anatomy that are missing to regain his full power. Until then he is tied to the young woman who has a sliver of his bone lodged in her hand. This begins the adventure where Casiopea and Hun-Kane attempt to restore him and to try to wrest control of Xibalba from his treacherous brother who locked him in the chest some fifty years before.
Moreno-Garcia has based her story on the Popul Vuh and other Mayan mythology and folklore. I recently reviewed the Iliad and Odyssey and found the gods of these two very different ancient (Greek and Mayan) civilizations parallel each other in some ways.This book only discusses the two gods of the death and not the full pantheon of Mayan deities, but we can still draw some conclusions about the early civilizations. Both sets of gods are selfish and desire adulation and sacrifices. They are not loving gods that care for their people. They are tyrants who support their people in a transactional nature. If the people support the gods, then they may be granted favors and wealth, but they can be cast aside and destroyed on whims.
In Gods of Jade and Shadow, Hun-Kane is forced to interact with a lowly human, Casiopea, in a more natural way. With the sliver of his being lodged in her hand, she gains some very minor capabilities of the deity. He is tied to her until he can complete his restoration, and he gains some humanity from their connections.
The story itself bogs down a bit for the middle section of the story as they cross Mexico and even briefly swing through some of south western US. It doesn’t seem a whole lot happens here, but the descriptions of the areas help to keep interest. I liked the exploration of 1920’s Mexico, from small towns to larger resort locations. I liked the discussion and allusions to Mayan history and mythology. I cannot judge the accuracy of these aspects of the world of Jade and Shadow, but I appreciated the worlds Moreno-Garcia created.
I am not a big fan of fantasy/romance stories and this novel has aspects of both, but it does them well. The relationship and connections between Casiopea and Hun-Kane seem to be based more on physical qualities than on personal connections. Moreno-Garcia could have given us a little more reason to root for the two of them. Still, it is not an unbelievable connection, and the ending of the story is satisfying without being overly saccharin sweet.
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Matt Truxaw is the author of the hard science fiction thriller “Plastiphobia: aka Plastivore” and his newest novel “Anthrophobia: A Teacher’s Tale” – released January 3, 2025.
They are both available on Amazon in Paperback, Kindle and are free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
When you read either, he would really appreciate a review/rating on Amazon or your favorite book seller/book reader site.
More about Matt:
He was born in Orange County California many years ago and he still lives there. He has been reading books for most of those years and writing up book reviews for the last few years. He gets most of his books out of the library so expect a lot of old science fiction classics book reviews and other science related reviews in addition to newer books he comes across.
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