A few weeks ago in this space, I made the off-hand comment that historical fiction, or rather, what Anita Cohen-Williams calls archaeo-fiction, is not really my cup of tea, that novelists like Lyn Hamilton and Kathleen and Michael Gear who use archaeology as a background for fiction left me cold. I was chided for that, albeit gently, because, as it was pointed out, these novels are practically painless ways for people to learn about the past. One of my chiders was retired archaeologist Richard Diehl. Naturally, I rapidly replied, wouldn't you like to review Xibalbá Gate?

Xibalbá Gate is one of Rob Swigart's 'teaching novels', set partly in the ancient Maya past, and therefore, a perfect novel for Prof. Diehl to review. Luckily for us, he was willing.

• Review of Xibalba Gate, by Richard Diehl
• Contributor Biography, Richard Diehl
• More Archaeo-Fiction
• Buy the book at Altamira
• Compare prices at PriceGrabber