From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the “engrossing and vibrant” (Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby) first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under … 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 even 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 a “brilliant world that shows the full panoply of human grace and depravity” (Ken Liu, award-winning author of The Grace of Kings). This epic adventure explores 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 this “absolutely tremendous” (S.A. Chakraborty, nationally bestselling author of The City of Brass) and most original series debut of the decade.
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This book blew my mind. It’s epic fantasy at its best, plus female-centric and based on ancient civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. The characters are complex, unique, and mesmerizing. I couldn’t decide which of them I loved the most and finally decided that I loved all of them equally with perhaps a slight lean toward the people who can mind-bond with crows and ride giant Carrion crows as their steeds.
Listen, you have to get this book! If the siren ship captain who calms the waters with her song, but also has a slight drinking problem and sleeps around with anyone in port doesn’t intrigue you, then surely the man whose eyes were sewed shut by his mother to trap the god’s soul that she put inside him will. Layer this with Ms. Roahnhorse’s beautiful prose, describing a spell-binding world and cultures that you loath to leave by the end of the book. Please write faster, Ms. Roanhorse! I need the second book in the series now!
Black Sun is a compelling narrative with a diverse cast of morally grey characters that drive the plot forward.
Engaging Plot Line
It is said that Black Sun l is inspired by pre-Columbian America’s and it shows in the writing and the world-building.
It is always wonderful to pick up a book and be engaged in world-building from the very beginning because it gives the reader a solid foundation to grasp. It is easier to imagine and see from the details to the intricate politics and culture.
Admittedly, the opening was a bit slow. However, while it might have a slow pace, it focuses on building up those dynamics, the culture, the fantasy, and the politics. Again, this is a very intricate story, but it is written and easy to follow.
Again, the reader sees the influence of Native American culture in the story. There is some argument as to whether or not the author officially belongs to the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo tribe. However, it says a lot that her memories as a child, her appreciation of her culture, and her husband’s culture, who is Navajo, shines in the novel. When reading, the reader sees Native American individuals portrayed in a way that is not stereotypical.
Character-Driven Story
What also helps Black Sun move forward are the characters. There are three central characters, Sun Priest, Xiala, and Serapio. What makes them attractive is how they are all different and how their fates are tied together.
First off, it is great to see such a diverse cast of characters. However, what makes them more engaging out the level of layers that go into their personalities.
The Sun Priest has to face her trials. Being from the Deep Earth, the Maw, she is considered other and lesser than by the Sky Made people around her. These are people who seek to undermine her, who want her gone because she is different. Despite this, however, she continues to be resilient and deals with morally questionable people to stop a war.
Xiala is Teek which automatically makes her an outsider. As a Teek, she is similar to a siren. Xiala can sing music to the ocean and, in a way, calm the seas. She faces her challenges as a woman with power. Again, she is considered other, but her origins only fuel men to dislike her because she has a power they do not and skills that allow her to rise above them in ranks. Xiala is, by far, one of the more interesting characters in the novel.
Finally, there is Serapio. Blinded as a child by his mother to be a vessel for the Crow God, Serapio is willing to die and kill for his people. He is soft-spoken but intimidating. His narrative goes back on time, building up the present, unlike the others, to give him more depth and create this idea of vengeance versus justice. He was raised to be a vessel, so a part of him is sad that his life was never his own, and it resonates with the reader.
Final Thoughts
Black Sun is such an incredible novel. As a start to a new series, it gives readers a fresh and inventive new fantasy with complex characters and an intriguing blend of mythology and politics.
Fabulous epic fantasy based on cultures of the pre-Colombian Americas — so richly detailed and beautifully constructed, the second you finish reading, you’ll want to start right over again. (At least until the next book in the series comes out!) Roanhorse’s gift for inventive world-building and clever, taut plotting is on full display. A must-read for fans of epic fantasy that shakes up the usual knights-and-castles canon.
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over: https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/category/reviews/
The book is epic in scope with a broad cast and a few incidental points of view (POV). The cast includes everything from a world governing body that has lost its relevance, the vessel for a reborn god, and a foul-mouthed captain from a people of myth. I could have become lost in all the names and different circumstances, but the characters are distinct and the characterization rich. Even with chapters between mentions, it took little to bring me back to knowing who held the POV.
Using multiple POVs in the same group of characters helped with this by reducing the stretch of time without a mention, and through developing an internal and external understanding of the people key to the story. These characters are far from cutouts or straight forward. Nor have their lives left them unscarred physically or psychologically. They are as likely to find their contradictions puzzling as the reader…or maybe more so because we know situations are rarely simple.
The same is true of the cultures and places. This is not a single nation with a single culture. Nor are the various cultures united under a single worship or practice. Instead, we have a rocky agreement based on an ancient treaty to hold all these cultures equal beneath the guidance of the Sun Priests. The world is a vivid mix of experience and myth. We learn through the eyes of sailors, priests, and fanatics among others, though that turn of phrase is too limiting as one character is blind.
The conflicts are against society and history as much as individuals. Betrayal and sabotage are often grounded in birthplace or events two generations before. Cruel or kind people exist, but most are a blend of these states, showing position and history fail to produce a perfect or corrupt person consistently. This is not a book for those seeking simple answers or splits between good and evil. Both violence and rough language exist on the page, along with an intimate scene, but these elements reveal the characters and their philosophies in important ways.
The book throws you into the thick stew of a fantasy world drawn from pre-conquered indigenous cultures in what we now call the Americas. People and cultures connect through areas of influence or control, and through the trade moving between the locations by canoes, barges, and presumably, over land. The author doesn’t hold to what we have discovered of the histories, though. She uses them as a starting point to create a world of her own populated by old and new gods; fantastical beasts large enough to bear a human or two whether crow, eagle, flying serpent, or water bug; and myths that might have more truth to them than anyone in the story knew.
Each chapter begins with an excerpt from a historical or religious text belonging to this world and offering the reader insights. These headers also provide a date and timeframe that’s crucial to tracking the story. The novel is not chronological, or even set in a current time with flashbacks to a previous one. Instead, it combines flashbacks, flash forwards, and time moving up to meet the future we have seen.
Normally, this lack of chronological storytelling would have bugged me, but it’s more a story outside of the strict limitations of time than not. I was grateful to realize the header held the necessary grounding, however. The book’s epic not only in scope but in timeframe. It covers the lifetime of gods along with that of humans, and yet everything works and makes sense in context.
The novel has fascinating cultural beats, something I enjoy, yet they can sometimes slow the story down. I noticed a few slower spots in the beginning as we’re getting to know the people and places, but the story moved quickly overall. Switching between the various characters helped this. The captain offered a good contrast to the Sun Priest, for example, until that part of the tale got rolling. By the end, I couldn’t say which of them I preferred.
Black Sun speaks to my craving for sociological speculative fiction. It draws on North, South, and Central American ancient indigenous societies whose sophistication is often ignored whether the Polynesian navigational skills or the buildings found in Inca or Aztec ruins. Then add in complex characters who come to life in their contradictions. Yes, there are dark moments, but I don’t think that’s the heart of this narrative. There’s a lot of meat on these bones, and I look forward to the next book in the series.
P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I love going into another time or any world and this one took time understanding the classes of people, the religious divisions, and the complications of life. Interesting and certainly absorbing. Would definitely keep reading to see how this all plays out.
OMG!!!! I absolutely love this book! I want to know when the next book comes out. I have put in for this book several times and I am glad I received one and will also go out and purchase this book. I have to say, so far this year, this book is my favorite read. There was a bit of confusion in the beginning on the book set up, but after finally getting it, I could not put this book down.
There are three main characters and stories in this book. I love all three and cannot pick which one I would consider my favorite. The author intertwines these characters with one another even when one does not realize this until the end. These three characters are well rounded and beautifully written. Each character has their flaws and I can see the growth in them as I got further to the end. I cannot wait to learn and see these characters again in the next book!
Serapio is the main character we are following. We learn from the first chapter, his destiny, which is to bring the Crow God alive and bring justice for the Crow Clan. He learns many ways to survive as a blind person to transition from boy to man, from man to god. It intertwines his destiny with the priesthood and the sun priest. You watch him grow as a character in the book.
Xiala is an interesting and for me the most mysterious out of our three characters. Her story is not fully revealed because I think there is more than what was told. She is an alcoholic captain and a teek, which seems to be a siren like character. In this book, the author intertwines her story with Serapio. She agrees to give him passage to Tova, not knowing who or what he is until halfway through the voyage. He intrigues Xiala and Xiala intrigues Serapio.
Naranpa is the last main character. She is the new sun priest and has ideas to change the priesthood for the good. Sadly, she came at a time where there was a lot on her shoulders. She is part of Serapio’s destiny. She is a noble character and someone you want to be on their side. I can feel she is a good person who wants to do great things for the people, but there are others who do not see her position as a good. Maybe she is my favorite.
What pulled me into this book is its mythology and world building. I felt the realism and was immediately sucked into this book. The different clans with their the old religious faiths battling the new beliefs of the priesthood are frankly no different from what has happened in this world. The old religious faith drew and created Serapio’s destiny.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology, dark fantasy, great world building and writing. I cannot wait till the next book comes out.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this review on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
What a gem of a book! I can’t wait for the next one. The characters were so well fleshed out and the world building was great, the plot hooked me from the beginning. I was impressed by everything about this book from the fact that the author wrote about non binary characters and disabled characters with agency and based her book off of pre-Columbian Indigenous civilizations. I think most people who like fantasy will enjoy this one, it has mermaids and witches and magic.
Ok so on the one hand, I hated how the chapter’s skipped around in time. In the other hand, this book is freaking epic and I loved everything else about it. From the vivid imagery to the non binary representation to the way someone who has been so hurt in life begins to crawl out of their shell…my god it’s a masterpiece. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Trigger warning: child abuse
After a slow start, this one really picked up and was fun to read. I had heard about Ronehorse before, but this was my first time reading her. I now know what the fuss is about. This is a big fantasy, but rather than based on a medievel England sort of mythology, this one is best on Central American cultures like the Mayans and the Incas. Good stuff.
Another great read from Roanhorse, with all the trademarks I’ve come to expect from the author: excellent world-building, compelling characters, and a fun, exciting plot. I highly recommend this to readers looking for something outside of Eurocentric fantasy.
Read for 2021 Hugos
Roanhorse’s worldbuilding is consistently great. I loved the Native American non-colonized civilization displayed here, as well as great LGBTQIA inclusion including several other genders. I also really wanted to like the story more than I did. As I said, the worldbuilding is fantastic, but I had trouble getting invested in the plot. This was similar to my reaction to Trail of Lightning. I just didn’t have a great connection to the characters and their movement through the story. Especially with trading between several different characters in the first few chapters, I wanted a little more immediate punch to the story.
I am, however, very interested in how the story unfolds from here. I can’t say much without spoiling, but the story is definitely not conventional!
If you love epic fantasy for the quests, missions, prophecies, courtly political intrigue, magic, monsters, multiple storylines on a collision course, etc., but you get a bit tired of all those quasi-medieval European-ish worlds, this is the book for you. It has all those things you love in epic fantasy, but instead of a setting based on quasi-medieval Europe, it’s a secondary world based on pre-Colombian America. That injects a shot of real originality into the story and makes those old fantasy tropes come to new life from a different perspective.
I plowed through this book pretty quickly, even though it’s rather long, and I hope the sequel is coming soon because I immediately wanted more of the story (the ending does wrap up the main events but immediately sets up new ones). I found the setting and the cultures fascinating and really pulled for most of the main characters. It scratched that epic fantasy itch, but in a new and exciting way.
Crazy good! The characters were excellent. The banter was fun and there was never a dull moment.
This walks a different path; deep characters, their interactions span unique entanglements. Reflect on your own day to day encounters
I wrote a review for this book here:
https://tammydeschamps.com/2021/01/03/book-review-black-sun-by-rebecca-roanhorse/
Thank you @rebeccaroanhorse @sagasff & @librofm for a #gifted copy of this audiobook.
4.5/5 Stars
This is the first book of a new fantasy trilogy, one I will definitely continue reading. This book will take you on a journey into a new world through the POV of four characters, each originating from different places and all converging to the holy city of Tova on day of convergence.
This is an epic fantasy adventure; full of unforgettable characters, betrayal, prophecies, and political intrigue. Roanhorse did a fabulous job at weaving a new world and drawing you into the story and the characters. Each chapter was labeled with the location and date, making it easy to track the story progression leading up to “convergence” while changing POVs.
While several of the characters are on opposing sides of this story, I grew to love them all as individuals. The ending of this book left so many unanswered questions and I was glad to see that this wasn’t a standalone story! I cannot wait to see how “Year of the Crow” transforms the lives of each of the characters.
: This audiobook had four narrators, one for each character. Each voice was quite distinctive, making it easy to know who’s talking if you pick it up in the middle of the chapter. Each narrator was clear and easy to listen to.
Already knew that Rebecca Roanhorse rocked at world building but OMFG did she knock it outta the park with this one! It’s a Pre-Colombian epic fantasy adventure that’s like if the Princess Bride (fighting, fencing, chases, escapes, true-love) was a dark and bloody tale of a badass indigenous American god. Only hitch is now I gotta wait to see what happens next
Best Book of 2020 in my opinion
I am really struggling with how to rate this book. Fantasy is not my first choice but since I heard so many good things about it I decided to give it a try. This book started strong and got my attention right away. About 75% into the book I was impressed, interested; it was a strong 4 and then “boom” – such a disappointing end. I understand that this book is a part of the trilogy but I feel like the author could give us more interesting cliffhanger. Overall it was a good read, good story. Will I read the next book? Probably not.
Thank you to Net Galley and Saga Press for an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.
This is book 1 of the trilogy “Between Earth and Sky”, and is one of the best fantasies I’ve ever read. The setting, the people, and the customs, according to the author, were inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas. I really liked that non-binary people are recognized in this book and that the pronouns xe and xis were used instead of he/she and his/hers. As a warning, the book opens with a horrific scene, but it is there for a reason.
The next chapter takes place years later, in the city of Tova when the winter solstice is approaching. This winter solstice, a cause for celebration, is unusual this year because it will be combined with a rare eclipse of the sun, leading to the title (Black Sun). If I could only pick two words to explain this book, they would be ‘converge’ and ‘explosive’.
There are three main characters in focus in this book: Naranpa, the Sun Priestess; Serapio, a young blind man anxious to get to Tova to be there for the eclipse; and Xiala, captain of the very large canoe that is carrying Serapio to the city of Tova. The explanation of how Xiala navigates the featureless ocean (featureless to us) is fascinating. She pays attention to the action of the waves, as well as the positions of the sun and the moon.
There is a fourth character, Okoa, who also plays a pivotal role. Okoa receives bad news and travels to Tova … on the back of a giant crow. I’m imagining what that would be like, and I’m envious, terrified, and airsick – and ready for the next book.