ouse of Reeds is the sequel to Wasteland of Flint, Harlan's first book in his Mexica empire series. In this book, which takes place immediately after the first, xenoarchaeologist Gretchen Anderson and her team find themselves routed to the planet Jagan in order to investigate a rumored artifact from the First Sun empire. Unfortunately for Anderson, the planet is going to be used in a "flowery" war, a war created to give experience to military officers, to manipulate politics and to get rid of embarrassments.
The Emperor's youngest son, Tezozomoc, is a fop, and the war is partially designed to give him his first taste of blood, much to the dismay of two bodyguards who must cater to the prince's demands while trying to keep him safe. The imperial light cruiser IMN Henry R. Cornuelle is also at Jagan. The Cornuelle is commanded by Mitsuharu Hadeishi, who has intentionally destroyed orders calling the ship home so it can be scrapped, because he does not want to see his crew disbursed. The ship is in serious need of resupply, refit and repair and is hoping for the same from the large fleet now orbiting Jagan. Instead, Hadeishi's requests for repair are denied, and he finds himself ordered to remain in orbit as a support ship for ground troops while the whole remaining fleet leaves for another system.
The Jehanan, a lizardlike race, are also on the planet. They're not indigenous, but have lost the art of starflight after a conflict that sank them back to barbarism. Tezozomoc and his bodyguards find themselves in any number of tough scrapes, as do Anderson and her team, as the whole planet seems to be armed and ready for war, a situation definitely not known when the planning for this experience began. As things break down, it becomes harder and harder for those caught in the middle of the conflict to discern who's the real enemy.
Alternate-history Aztecs
This series qualifies for alternate-history status, as Harlan takes the basic idea that the Aztec not only managed to beat back the Spanish, but also, over time, went on to become the major power on Earth. Readers should not feel reluctant attempting to read this book without having read the first. While the first book definitely establishes the major characters, readers need not have read the first to enjoy this one.
Harlan has created a rich world in Jagan, and he barely scratches the surface as he weaves his three main plot lines to conclusion. The least of these, but perhaps the most intriguing, concerns the Jehanan, a race that has lost spaceflight, living on a planet that is bereft of metals, knowing that they are not native but not knowing why or whence they came. Closely tied to this, since the Jehanan hold the First Suns artifact that Anderson has been sent to investigate, is the story revolving around Gretchen Anderson and her team. They've been sent to Jagan, they don't know why, and just as they arrive everything goes wrong. Finally, there's the story of the imperial prince, and Harlan uses this story line to play out the politics of the situation through the use of the Mirror Priests who are controlling, or at least think they are controlling, everything on the planet.
This is a complex book, with plots within plots that weave into and out of each other and characters who don't appear to be what they are. It's also a fun read, extremely imaginative, and takes place in a setting that's larger than any of the characters who move in it. There's another book coming in this series, which will continue the adventures of Gretchen Anderson and some of the other characters seen here. The title is Land of the Dead and all I can say is, "Bring it on."
