Black Sun
2020
- epic fantasy
- fantasy
- american literature
- prophecy
- fiction
- indian mythology
- solar eclipses
- voyages and travels
- fiction / fantasy / epic
- fiction / fantasy / historical
The story
"A god will return when the earth and sky converge under the black sun in the holy city of Tova... The winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man's mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain. Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade"--Provided by publisher.
What it’s like
Sweeping, sun-scorched epic fantasy with the heat of a desert city and the salt wind of open water running through every chapter. Roanhorse writes in a vivid, muscular prose that lingers on bronze-gold light, ochre plazas, sacrificial pomp, and the eerie dimming of an eclipse sky, while the sea voyages carry the dank cold of hulls and the hush of waves under a captain's song. The voice is close and intimate, sliding between a few wary, wounded perspectives, and the pacing builds like a slow tide: long stretches of tense conversation and political scheming give way to sudden bursts of brutal action and magic. Violence is frequent and often graphic, with battle, bloodshed, and some cruelty rendered in unflinching detail, and there is dread about bodily harm and coercion, though sex is not a focus. Its emotional register is grave and yearning, a vibe of decadent power and fractured loyalty rather than comfort. It suits readers who want immersive worldbuilding, mythic stakes, and morally tangled characters, reading during long evenings or on a long journey rather than as a gentle bedtime story.
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