2020

Gods of Jade & Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

cover art of Gods of Jade & Shadow featuring Art Deco design and Mayan Symbols

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. 

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

NEBULA AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Tordotcom • The New York Public Library • BookRiot
 

Author photograph: Silvia Moreno-GarciaSilvia Moreno-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed speculative novels Gods of Jade and ShadowSignal to Noise, Certain Dark Things, and The Beautiful Ones; and the crime novel Untamed Shore. She has edited several anthologies, includ­ing the World Fantasy Award–winning She Walks in Shadows (aka Cthulhu’s Daughters). She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia on Gods of Jade and Shadow

Video: Inside the Book - Gods of Jade & Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Sin City: Mexico, the Jazz Age, and the Birth of Cross-Border Tourism by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Resources for Book Discussions

Random House Publishers Book Club Kit: Gods of Jade & Shadow

Learn More

The Mayans - Learn more about Mayan culture with this interactive display

Xibalba - Learn more about the Mayan underworld, and its depiction in Mayan sacred texts, art and architecture 

Mayan Art & Sculpture in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cassiopeia the Queen - Learn more about Cassiopeia and where to find the constellation in the night sky

Deep Dive into the Caves of the Mayan Dead with National Geographic emerging explorer Guillermo de Anda