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by Ernest Hogan (Author)
THE DAZZLING MUST-READ SF CLASSIC An ancient god. A new technology. The future will never be the same. New technologies resurrect an ancient Aztec wizard/ warrior god, who hijacks the body of the one who resurrected him, running wild through a futuristic Hollywood, adapting the brave new world and getting back to his old business of creating chaos and taking control."The rising movement for more diversity in literature has put the spotlight on Latino fiction, however, the subset of works that make up what Rudy García calls "Latino SpecFic" are also worthy of greater notice. I would argue that the tools it affords an author are uniquely apt for exploring the human condition."On the eve of Dead Daze, Beto Orozco, ladies' man and game developer, decides to put to use the god-simulator program he has stolen from Xóchitl, an engineer from Mexico City. Unfortunately, he selects Tezcatlipoca as his test deity - the Aztec Lord of Chaos, trickster brother of Quetzalcoatl - and he does so without any safety measures. The simulation gains access to the Internet and attains sentience, reaching out to control Beto's body first through hypnosis and then a cerebral implant."Plunging into the celebration, Tezcatlipoca - using the recombo name translation "Smokey Espejo" - takes control of a corporate gang and soon becomes the center of the festivities, his musical talents, suave presence and seeming omniscience attracting the attention of the media ... and other groups."Ti Yong/Hoodoo Investigations sizes up the threat this AI god represents (to wit, he wants to use music to foment chaos across the globe, partying hard as he does so), and they decide, with the help of the simulation program's creator and a handful of Beto's original friends, to stop Tezcatlipoca and free Beto (whose mind has been imprisoned in his own brain)."Their mission is complicated by the Earth Angels, a shadowy organization of monotheistic terrorists who believe the only way to stop Smokey Espejo is by creating a cybernetic version of their "one true God" using the same software."As these three groups head toward a collision, one thing is certain: the gods humanity has crafted will hold a dark and smoking mirror to our collective soul."Hogan's style is both deftly self-assured and gleefully madcap, harkening to the very best of Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison and Samuel R. Delany. Shifting viewpoints are intercut with commentary from news reporters and the communications of different organizations. Steamy, explicit scenes are juxtaposed with philosophical conversations and political machinations, but the narrative flows smoothly, drawing a reader deep into this imagined world."If you love great speculative fiction and/or Chicano literature, you owe it to yourself to give this a read." -David Bowle, The Monitor"A delirious mosaic of sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, post-cyberpunk savvy, linguistic fun and Aztec myth. Exemplary -- and exuberantly fun." -Claude Lalumiere, January Magaxine."If you're looking for something new and different, or just want to read something wacky with a little edge to it, then Smoking Mirror Blues is a book you should be reading right now." -James M. Palmer, New York Journal Of Books
