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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
The Blade Dancer Chronicles: Hummingbird by Daniel Díaz begins with Ohtli and his sister Metztli near the ruins of Cuicuilco, drawn into a conflict older than the Mēxihcah empire. A hidden dig ordered by Ahuani of the Iréchikwa uncovers a Gate bound to Mictlān and alerts gods, warriors, and archivists across the land. In Mēxihco, Tenōchtitlan, the enslaved scholar Tzintzuni is forced into service by knowledge guarded by the Great Library and the god Huitzilin. Blade Dancers from the Itztlimaceuhque move between city-states as Nahual undead and rival nations pursue blood-bound keys. From Maya lands to Tzapotēcah territory, journeys carry captives, secrets, and children across borders where history returns as force and survival depends on keeping people out of reach while the gods watch and armies march southward onward.
Daniel Díaz grounds The Blade Dancer Chronicles: Hummingbird in events that show how power functions through belief, ritual, and command. Authority is exercised through ceremony and blood. Ahuani gains access to forbidden knowledge only by sacrifice and obedience to Mictecacíhuatl, while temple rank and court favor determine who may act openly and who must operate in secrecy. Religious practice shapes the military force when priests, generals, and sorcerers coordinate movements, conceal excavations, and sanction violence in the name of the gods and empire. Pressure on characters is constant and explicit. Tzintzuni is pursued, wounded, and nearly killed because his knowledge makes him useful to competing powers, while Chᴧb-nichim is hunted across regions because her blood is required to reopen the Gate. Overall, this is a brilliant kick-off to the saga, and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
