Death Song of the Dragón Chicxulub

Book excerpt: In this Young Adult, SciFi/fantasy, college-bound Miguel Reilly summers in New Mexico's outlands to explore its Mexican and Native American ruins and traditions. But an outrageous bon vivant shaman, Tomás Martinez, apprentices him into The Nine Passions, teachings that upset the teen's worldview. Miguel takes the legacy of US and Chicano-Mexicano-Native history to heart but learns he's not "pure" Irish-American. But can he rid himself of his white privilege? Ever? Tomås has a hidden agenda. Transforming the timid, unwilling nerd into a Slayer? Wielding powerful Otherworld magic, he trains Miguel to battle La Muerte Blanca, a dragon-like creature that stalked the ancient Aztecs, for their hearts. Aided by his nagual jaguar spirit, Miguel finds allies. The jovial bartender Julio, three curandera healers, the bruja witch Blasa and an elusive Mexican dwarf. But Maya med student Maritza Magdalena who once escaped the creature becomes his valuable partner. Her life-passion: to locate and destroy La Muerte Blanca. Investigating the labyrinth of Mexico City's sewers, Miguel and Maritza barely escape the dragon's paralyzing toxins and kill Maritza's dragon. Still, another exists. Clues in Náhuatl codices lead the duo to Chichén Itzá. Can they both survive a descent into the sacrificial cenote wells for the final, fantastical battle? And will Miguel find his true identity and self-worth? A coming-of-age fantasy of kinship and high-adventure, Death Song of the Dragón Chicxulub reminds of Zorba the Greek and The Teachings of Don Juan. More than "ethnic fiction" or genre fantasy, this cross-genre novel takes inspiration from the legacy of Rudy Anaya.