THE SEVENTH SUN

Mesoamerican mythology gets a long overdue epic fantasy treatment.

Prince Ahkin is immersed in interpreting concerning signs among the stars when he receives the tragic news of his father’s passing. With his untimely death, the mantle of leadership for the Chicome people falls to Ahkin. In order to ascend the throne, Ahkin must choose a wife from among the royal daughters who, like him, are descended from the gods. Each has been blessed with unique abilities through the blood of their ancestors, but the first to catch his eye is the tempestuous Mayana. Descended from the goddess of water, Atlacoya, Mayana’s compassion and courage are quickly apparent. As she falls for the young prince however, her empathic heart leads her to question the blood sacrifice on which the religious traditions and future of the empire hinge. Can she lead a people whose traditions she cannot agree with? Though debut author Forbes uses Aztec mythology as her inspiration, she takes poetic license with the actual history and geography of the Aztec empire, downplaying the role of human sacrifice and including locations and deities not found in the original Aztec tradition. In the vein of Percy Jackson, take these wanderings from the source material with a grain of salt and simply enjoy the captivating story.

A page-turning adventure that, though imperfect, highlights a rich and relatively unknown mythological heritage that begs to be explored.