Fantasy Fiction Book Review: The Turquoise Serpent, by Alexander Palacio

Conan the Barbarian meets Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I’ll start off this review by saying that in terms of fiction the last 15-20 years have really felt like a drought, and The Turquoise Serpent was like a cool and refreshing cantaloupe agua fresca to my parched lips. It is written very much in the vein of 1970’s pulp fantasy, particularly Robert E. Howard, the author responsible for Conan The Barbarian which should come as no surprise considering the author is none other than @conan_esq on twitter.

That being said, despite the book having lots of refreshing similarities to both Howard and 1970’s pulp in general, it has lots of unique and creative choices that help the novel stand on its own two feet and really set itself apart as a world worth exploring and leaving the reader excited for more. And with that, lets dive into the “Green Hell” of The Turquoise Serpent.

A Meso-American Sword & Sorcery Adventure

The background of this book is fascinating. I’ve never read of a fantasy book with a Meso-American themed setting and quite frankly, I’ve never heard of one existing until now. This was a little alien and unfamiliar to me at first but it let my imagination stretch its legs a little more than usual, and you are given just enough to fill in the blanks without too much trouble. For example, Cayucali’s weapon is described as an “Ironwood Blade” but is always described as if it were a bludgeoning weapon. I correctly imagined it as a Macuahuitl, popularly known as an Aztec War Club, but readers might struggle with some of these details if they haven’t played Lizardmen in Warhammer Fantasy as much as me.

An Aztec War Club, Cayucali wields a large two handed version of this with a point at the tip.

This world is one of stone and wood and plants, with rich descriptions of the textures and shapes and form of the physical world the story takes you to with metal very notably absent from the buildings and weapons and accessories in it. The descriptions of stone and obsidian carved weapons, sparse clothing made of plant fibers, carved stone buildings, and constantly creeping jungle do a beautiful job of setting up this unfamiliar theme in the mind of the reader.

“Though they had left the aviary itself, the sound of bird-song was not less. The lands south of Kalak Mool were lower, warmer, wetter. The warm hum of insects filled the shadowed caves of the jungle that fringed the slope. They followed the fringe of dense jungle southwest, toward the place they had last seen the condor. The sun was hotter here, a constant presence on their shoulders. They walked in the shade of the trees, swatting at the fat black flies that swarmed them from deeper in the forest.”

The story starts with our protagonist, the hulking taciturn warlord Cayucali, being transported across a sheer mountain pass as a prisoner who has violated his exile and will probably be executed for his crime and accepts his fate. In his company is a young blue blooded sorcerer named Tezca, full of the narcissism and haughtiness you would expect of a courtier and minor noble. The two are whisked away to be “guests” and prisoners of the Serpent King of Kalak Mool, a City of profane sacrificial blood magic and a culture the characters go through their own unique journeys to understand, confront, and hopefully, survive.

The side characters are more than adequately fleshed out and none of them are throwaways. Named characters with speaking roles get enough detail to be relatable without wasting any space on the page. Every character is very unique in both their image and their role in the story and there’s no chaff to be found in this short book of 155 pages.

I can’t help but find myself picturing Cayucali and Tezca as a darker and edgier version of Kronk and Kuzco from The Emperors New Groove.

As you would expect from an author so inspired by Robert Howard, the fight scenes are phenomenally done. They are fast and detailed, with the realistic “feeling” to the reader that these fights are short, dirty, and full of carnage. Cayucali is an absolute beast, an aged veteran of many alluded to conflicts who has already earned his scars and his reputation before the book begins. He is a physical powerhouse with a sharp mind and sharper reflexes who has feels no mercy or hesitation in plying his bloody trade.

Tezca on the other hand is young, inexperienced, and more sure of himself than he should be. He is cunning and capable, but self-important and narcissistic. As a foil to the sheer will-to-power of Cayucali, he relies on magic and cunning to navigate (and cause) most of his problems. The two contrasting points of view have good synergy with one another.

“His shoulder bled where the serpent had brushed against him. The crowd roared again. He had forgotten them. He heard a coarse whistle and turned to see Zolin kick the little stone knife through the wooden gate. He scowled.

He knew the anaconda’s trick now, and marked its languid path in the sand. Even still, the next strike nearly caught him. The great snake seemed to attack from out of the sun. Cayucali leaped aside, and the serpent scraped away another strip of skin. Cayucali raced across the sand to the little stone knife and caught it just in time to roll away from another strike.

This time, the serpent did not retreat back beneath the soft sand. Instead, it drew itself up again and glared at him with a cold, reptilian eye. He backed slowly away from the wall of the arena. Cayucali readied himself to dive away again, but the serpent seemed content to watch him for the moment. Then he heard the whisper of sand on scales from behind him. It was too late! The dry, muscled body coiled around him.”

Final Thoughts

My only complaint with this book is that while the physical descriptions of everything going on in the story are fantastic and enjoyable to chew on, the exposition of the social and cultural aspects are very bare bones. There is enough world-building to get the job done and explain the setting, but I enjoyed the scraps I got so much that I was left hungry for more. What was given was very interesting, but it wasn’t much, and I found myself wanting to know more about Cayucali’s reputation that other characters alluded to, of the King that he seemed to hold in such high esteem that he was willing to accept his fate of execution for violating his exile without protest, or the reason for that exile in the first place. I enjoyed every minute of this book and the world it takes place in, and because of that I wanted to know more!

That may be remedied however, as The Turquoise Serpent is the start of a series titled Ashes of the Urn and more books are planned in the fascinating world of Cayucali and Tezca, and I can’t wait to read them.

Where should you read this book?

In the bathroom, on the airplane, in the terminal, on the beach. This is a short book clocking in at 155 pages that manages to set up and knock down a moderately complex plot cleanly, and is a fun ride the entire way through. The chapters are short, which lends it to being very easy to pick up and put down.

Where should you buy this book?

The Turquoise Serpent is available on Amazon at the reasonable price of 7 dollars, about the same price as an (inflation adjusted) Happy Meal at McDonalds, and is worth every penny. Affiliate Link below:

The Turquoise Serpent: Ashes of the Urn 1