Tobias S. Buckell, Crystal Rain

Crystal Rain

Tobias S. Buckell

Tor, Feb 2006, $24.95, 352 pp.

ISBN 0765312271

The Wicked High Mountains prevented the Aztecas from conquering the peaceful Nanagadans, a colony of Caribbean refugees, because there is no way an army can pass through the only small pass. The Aztecas worship their gods the Teotl, and the Nanagadans serve their gods the Laoas; not realizing the "gods" are really aliens who use the humans to war against each other because Loasas and the Teotl want to destroy one another.

For over a century the Aztecas have dug a tunnel under the mountains, and are poised to invade Nanagada. Only one man can stop them, John deBrun, but he has suffered from amnesia for twenty seven years and has made a new life for himself with his wife and son. Many people are looking for John, including Oaxcytl, who was ordered by a Teotl to get the coordinates of the Ma Wi Jung, and his comrade Pepper who has been stranded on this backwater planet for three centuries, and wants John to use the Ma Wi Jung to help them go home. On an expedition to the frozen North, John is almost killed while the Azteca prepares to break through to the city. Only John can save them if his memories return in time to devise a plan that will force the Aztecs to retreat.

Tobias F. Buckell is a fantastic world builder exploring the cultures of the various people living in Nanagada. Through Oaxyctl, readers get a glimpse into the Azteca culture that is much like the Aztec civilization on old Earth, complete with blood sacrifices and slavery. John is a stranger in a strange land, but he loves his adopted world and is willing to fight to keep her safe. CRYSTAL RAIN is an exciting work of science fiction filled with lush descriptions, a fast paced action oriented plot, and characters that are complex and realistically drawn.