Post by Dreadlocksmile on Aug 21, 2009 11:20:35 GMT
Dreadlocksmile review:
Published back in 2007 by Bloodletting Press, Brian Keene's novella `Tequila's Sunrise' was only available in a limited edition signed and numbered hardback (500 copies) or a more deluxe lettered hardback edition (26 copies). This has made the novella reasonably rare already and indeed quite a sought after book.
The tale begins with Keene setting the scene for this mythical fable. The reader is quickly introduced to the land of Oaxaca and the tribe of the Tenochas (who Keene states were later known as the Aztecs). War is upon the Tenochas, so the men of the tribe leave Oaxaca in order to fight for their land. Fourteen year old Chalco is left behind to look after the women and children.
The tale follows Chalco as he leaves Oaxaca to hunt for food. Chalaco encounters a messenger of the gods named Huitzilopochtli, who allows Chalco to gain the vision of the gods by drinking tequila. Chalco obliges and a door to the labyrinth (a dimensional shortcut between worlds, universes and realities that is a recurring principal within Keene's work) is revealed. Chalco is sent on a mission by Huitzilopochtli to save the Tenocahs people (and indeed humanity itself) by killing the leader of the invaders which plan to attack the Tenochas people.
Chalco's mission is filled with unworldly surprises along with glimpses of other times throughout history. There are subtle suggestions towards Keene's other work scattered throughout, which are glimpsed within the depths of the labyrinth.
Running for a total of 58 pages, `Tequila's Surise' is a fast paced and highly imaginative fable that manages to squeeze in a clever fictional history for tequila (which is what the whole tale revolves around).
Keene ties in a host of gods and prolific historical figures, creating a tale of almost epic proportions that somehow sits snugly within such a short novella. However surreal this may sound, Keene has managed to do this well, delivering a tight tale of the fantastic that concludes well, whilst wrapping up the historical elements behind the drink of tequila.
The novella is in no way overwhelmed with the details behind the Tenochas people, nor does it go to great lengths to set down the purpose of the ensuing war, or the various intricacies of the gods. Instead Keene takes the reader on a short yet fantastical trip that unearths a whole host of surprises.
All in all `Tequila's Sunrise' is a thoroughly enjoyable read that fits well within Keene's other work. For hardcore fans of Keene, this will be another must read, whereas for everyone else it is simply a pleasure to follow Chalco's story.
The book also includes a three page afterward that lets those readers who are unaware of the principals behind Keene's labyrinth, a very important insight into what is involved and how it links all of his previous work.
www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1W7IT1AC57PD9/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm