Purgatory's Shore

July 26, 2021
Returning to the world of the long-running Destroyermen saga (completed in 2020 with Winds of Wrath), this familiar prequel and Artillerymen series launch transports a group of displaced U.S. soldiers to an alternate Yucatan Peninsula. Capt. Lewis Cayce is shipping with an assorted troop of artillery and infantry soldiers to rejoin the 1847 U.S. invasion of Mexico when, once again, a mysterious storm transports the convoy to an entirely different version of Earth. Gathering the scattered survivors, including a troop of Mexican cavalry, Cayce learns that this “other” Yucatan is populated with giant, killer dragons and, worse, the Blood Priests of the Holy Dominion, who practice a twisted combination of Spanish Inquisition theology and Mayan blood sacrifice. Allying themselves with the few remaining free Mayans, Cayce and his forces must build up a base of technology and train an army to stop the Blood Priests on their unholy crusade. Anderson deftly switches his military and social focus to an earlier milieu of muskets and slavery, adding new layers to the history of this alternate Earth while providing longtime fans with plenty of recognizable touches. This is a promising series starter. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary.

September 1, 2021
Having recently concluded his Destroyermen series (with Winds of Wrath, 2020), Anderson takes readers back about a century, to 1847, on his alternate-Earth timeline in Purgatory's Shore, launching the Artillerymen series. Captain Lewis Cayce was a passenger on the Mary Riggs, one of four American ships heading to the Yucat�n during the Mexican-American war, when a strange storm lifted the ships and deposited them in this alternate world. The initial confusion at being far inland is quickly replaced by a need for strategy as they encounter unfamiliar creatures and hostile allies of the Grik, anthropomorphic lizards; and the Dominion, a destructive religious group working towards world domination by merging native blood sacrifices with Christian beliefs. Captain Cayce becomes the reluctant commander of the ragtag survivors, partnering with Mayans, Ocelomeh, and the lemur-like Mi-Anakka. Anderson masterfully digs into detailed military strategy and battle action while forcing his characters to reconsider the racial biases and religious dogma of the mid-19th century. This is a must read for fans of Harry Turtledove and other alternate-history authors.

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