In The Courts of The Sun by Brian D’Amato

". . . a captivating science fiction thriller . . ."

Booklist calls In The Courts of The Sun “a richly detailed, intellectually stimulating adventure through time,” a look at what happens to the world on the brink of 12/21/12, the date when the ancient Maya predicted that time would end.

Best-selling author and artist Brian D’Amato is a definitive expert on all things Mayan. He spent fifteen years studying the Mayan language and culture, resulting in a provocative first book in a projected trilogy. He tells the story through the eyes of Jed DeLanda, a math prodigy and Mayan descendent.

Jed is fascinated by “the Sacrifice Game” played by his ancestors as a way to predict the future. Jed’s friend and former mentor, Taro, uses the game to “teach computers to teach themselves.” Jed tells Taro that he could do a better job of teaching computers if he knew exactly how the game was played by the ancients. He convinces Taro to send him into the mind of a long-dead Mayan king to learn more. But Jed also has his own motives. He wants to find out why and how the Maya chose 12/21/12 for their doomsday prediction. The plan goes horribly wrong when Jed lands not in the mind of a king, but in the mind of a ballplayer named Chaco who is about to sacrifice himself. The only way to stop Chaco from dying—and Jed himself in the body of Chaco—is to unlock the secrets of the Sacrifice Game.

In The Courts of The Sun is a captivating science fiction thriller full of accurate—though at times heavy—historical detail about the Mayan culture.

Reviewer: Melissa Eisenmeier