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Free Fantasy Novel about the Maya Indians

neodoering

Minstrel
Some background. I have a BA in creative writing and an MA in anthropology, and in conjunction with the latter, I have extensively studied the Maya Indians, who live in Central America and had a great civilization from around 250AD to 900AD. I have been writing stories and novels for 30 years, mostly self-published, and I have produced one fantasy novel which I consider my work of genius (no, quit laughing; I really believe this). I want to offer you this novel for free.

I've heard many people over the past two years or so say they are tired of Euro-fantasy and would really like to try some fantasy about the American Indians, but they don't know which works are good and which ones are poor. Well, I've taken the guesswork out of it for you. It won't cost you anything but a little time to see if my novel is to your liking.

In the Temples of My Fathers is the story of a Maya Indian boy living in a village near a dead ancient city. He and his brother quarrel a lot, and supernatural beings live in the jungle around the village. The book follows the boy as he grows up and takes on training as the village storyteller. A supernatural jaguar begins killing people in the area, and the hunters and the priest can't stop it. The boy decides to hunt it down and destroy it, and he has some harrowing days ahead of him.

This book is available here: http://www.rdoering.com/temples.html. It is a set of PDF files, and you can download it as individual chapters or as a whole document. It took me years to write and illustrate this book; the paintings alone took half a year to complete. I hope you enjoy this book and feel you are right there with the boy as he lives and learns and fights for his people. A deep exploration of what it means to be Mayan.
 

neodoering

Minstrel
People are looking at this post, but no one is biting. So I thought I would post the prologue so you can get a taste for the voice of the main character and the culture he comes from. Ready? Here goes:

A Kernel
The day of my birth was 17 Ch'en 11 Ix, a day when the harvest was coming to an end and the delicious foods of the fields were plentiful. It was a good day to be born because on Ix days the ancestors of one's mother are close and watchful, and it is true that my entry into this world was easy for my mother and for me. On that day I was given my infant’s name, and the surname of my mother, and the surname of my father, and my mother sang to me that my lineage is one of the oldest in my village. I was told by my father that our bird is the potoo, the night bird with bright yellow eyes, but that is an evil flier which spreads suffering under its wings, and maybe he was only bitter when he told me this. Our tree is the red chacté, which gives strong poles for the blood-staff of the priest but cannot be used for furniture or other household objects because it shatters when bent.

Because of the things that have happened my given names are lost now, and I have fled to live in this hut in the dead city of my ancestors. There are wild dogs in the jungle that surrounds this place, but their cries are poor comfort on lonely days. Sometimes I walk through the jungle to the outskirts of the village where I was born and lived until my sixteenth year, that place I can no longer name for fear of leading evil spirits to my people, and there I can hear the sounds of life that keep my heart from dying. On certain days it is not enough only to hear, and I must creep close to watch the men working in their fields and the women washing clothing and carrying water. Children run about or quarrel or help their parents or throw stones at ain the crocodile, who lives in the river near the village. Then I remember the way it was for me in my childhood, with my brother, before the lords of the night won their victory over my lineage and over me.

My name now is ah-Kiinsah, Killer of His Fathers, and the stories I hear told about me are stories of magic and my betrayal of the powerful men of our village. But those stories are full of lies, and if I say nothing, no one will ever know what truly happened, or why. In this place of howler monkeys and black wasps I have plastered white the walls of my hut, and here I will write of my life in the village and in the temples of our fathers, and the things I discovered there. When I am gone from this world and someone reads these words, they will learn of the treachery of those who were supposed to protect our people, and the truth of why I did what I did.
 

ushKee

Scribe
hi.

This seems pretty interesting since it's something I haven't seen done before- Mayan fantasy. And it's written by someone who is essentially an expert in the field.

I've currently on the first Chapter, and have downloaded the next two. Your writing is good, although it reads more like a (fictionalized) biography or memoir than a fantasy novel so far. I'm not sure that was the intention, but I assume you are marketing to more than just fantasy enthusiasts. I think the style of writing makes it more suited to history nerds, who would probably be all over this stuff. That being said, this is a very impressive piece of work and I'm sure it can attract a wide audience.

Good luck on your book!
 

neodoering

Minstrel
Nature of the Beast

hi.

This seems pretty interesting since it's something I haven't seen done before- Mayan fantasy. And it's written by someone who is essentially an expert in the field.

I've currently on the first Chapter, and have downloaded the next two. Your writing is good, although it reads more like a (fictionalized) biography or memoir than a fantasy novel so far. I'm not sure that was the intention, but I assume you are marketing to more than just fantasy enthusiasts. I think the style of writing makes it more suited to history nerds, who would probably be all over this stuff. That being said, this is a very impressive piece of work and I'm sure it can attract a wide audience.

Good luck on your book!

Thanks for the comments, ushKee!

The book is structured like a memoir and is intended as a written defense of the young man who is recounting the events, because he has killed a prominent man in the village, and he has to explain his actions. The first few chapters establish the physical, social and religious setting. Then they show some important events in the young man's childhood, that established his world view and outlook. He is trying to demonstrate by this recounting, that he was brought up properly, in a family that is normal in most ways but is considered under a curse by many people. He is especially diligent in showing that there are no sorcerers or criminals in his family and no worshippers of the evil Lords of the Night. Then a supernatural jaguar starts killing people, and the more traditional fantasy elements of the story kick in. I won't tell you what happens: you commented on the structure of the novel, so there it is.

Glad you're taking a look at it. If you care to make more comments as you read more, I'd be pleased to listen.
 
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