Lord Of the Earthquake - Leigh Brackett

Novelette

Number of words : 11000
Percent of complex words : 6.3
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 13.1




READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.8
Flesch : 74.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 6.2


SETTING

Mu

Ancient civilisation, 12 thousand years in the past.

The Hole

In the ocean, how Krim and Langham are transported to Mu.

Manoa

City in ancient Mu, seat of Xacul.


CHARACTERS

Coh Langham

Adventurer and explorer, tags along with Krim.

Simon Krim

Archaeologist partner of Langham on this mad expedition. Used to work with Langham's father, also an archaeologist.

Helva

Mu woman and rebel.

Sigri

Injured young Mu man.

Itzan

Mu warrior leader for Xacul.

Xacul

Self-styled Mu god.

CONCEPTS

Kukulcan

The feathered serpent god of both the Mayans and Murians, under another name. Tattooed on Langham's chest. Sign of the Creator in ancient Mu.

Naga the Creator

Mu deity, see Kukulcan.

Quanlan

Ancient Norwegian language.

Quichua

Ecuadorian language.

PLACES

Temple of Sacred Mysteries at Uxmal

A temple of sacred mysteries, Mu style.

Hiranypura

City in Mu.

Atlantis

Another ancient civilisation with undersea issues.

Cimmeria

Another ancient civilisation.


TECHNOLOGY

Anti-gravity

Mu has flying ships.


PLOT

Brackett does Merritt. Langham and Krim are on what the latter thinks is a quest for ancient Mu, and the former thinks is crazy. Only not so much. The bottom of the Pacific does have a portal to another time.

There the pair run into an armed skirmish, brains being split. Warriors of the god Xacul (really just a really big scary guy) are capturing Naga-worshipping rebels, and also our protagonist. Helva and Sigri are captured along with Langham and Krim, and transported in flying cars. They recognise Langham as possibly special due to his Kukulcan tattoo.

To get away, they need to do something about this, with harps, duels to the death, earthquakes, pyramids, portals and time travel.


3.5 out of 5