Fantasy

Black Sun

Black Sun

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-24 09:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Rebecca Roanhorse
  • ISBN：1534437681
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Summary

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 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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Reviews

Mitchell Covey ，

4 and 1/2 stars

Laura Grace ，

I liked Serapio’s take on the chosen one trope。 He was raised not knowing anything else and he acts like it。 Instead of being a doe eyed idiot he actually knew what was going on and had more or less believed in his fate。 Xiala was a fun pov， but I thought she had more potential。 But Naranpa’s pov felt pointless and did nothing for the story。 She added a view to some of the politics in the city， but then it fell flat。 Overall， a great story， but the ending was rushed and somehow an anticlimactic I liked Serapio’s take on the chosen one trope。 He was raised not knowing anything else and he acts like it。 Instead of being a doe eyed idiot he actually knew what was going on and had more or less believed in his fate。 Xiala was a fun pov， but I thought she had more potential。 But Naranpa’s pov felt pointless and did nothing for the story。 She added a view to some of the politics in the city， but then it fell flat。 Overall， a great story， but the ending was rushed and somehow an anticlimactic cliffhanger？ 。。。more

Joe Collins ，

Well written and always entertaining。 Liked the pacing and the different perspectives。 Only complaints were that I felt the ending was a little rushed and that because of the different perspectives， the side characters weren't fleshed out at all。 Well written and always entertaining。 Liked the pacing and the different perspectives。 Only complaints were that I felt the ending was a little rushed and that because of the different perspectives， the side characters weren't fleshed out at all。 。。。more

Lauren Kardosh ，

4。5/5

Katie。dorny ，

A wonderful fantasy book; a complete breathe of fresh air and a cast of characters I wish to explore this world with。 Following a myriad of characters across a land that is ruled by the upper classes and run by the lower - with magic flowing in between; we follow those looking to escape their destiny and others running to it。Saying too much about this would spoil the enjoyment。 I went in more or less blind （get it？） and loved every second。 This drew me in within the first chapter and I was appal A wonderful fantasy book; a complete breathe of fresh air and a cast of characters I wish to explore this world with。 Following a myriad of characters across a land that is ruled by the upper classes and run by the lower - with magic flowing in between; we follow those looking to escape their destiny and others running to it。Saying too much about this would spoil the enjoyment。 I went in more or less blind （get it？） and loved every second。 This drew me in within the first chapter and I was appalled every time I had to put it down。 。。。more

Heidi ，

I love fantasy， but so much is set in medieval era European type settings with European mythologies and magic traditions。 It can eventually start to feel a bit stale， especially when there is an entire world of history and mythology to be inspired by。 This book is exactly what I have been wanting。 Roanhouse did such a great job of pulling inspiration from a variety of Meso-American and South American Pre-Columbian cultures to create a rich， diverse setting。She also included characters outside of I love fantasy， but so much is set in medieval era European type settings with European mythologies and magic traditions。 It can eventually start to feel a bit stale， especially when there is an entire world of history and mythology to be inspired by。 This book is exactly what I have been wanting。 Roanhouse did such a great job of pulling inspiration from a variety of Meso-American and South American Pre-Columbian cultures to create a rich， diverse setting。She also included characters outside of the heteronaormative gender binary in such a way that they didn't feel like token representatives。 The pronouns took some getting used to （I am more accustomed to they/them being used for non-binary characters）， but that was worth the the effort it took me as a reader to see how these characters were depicted as important parts of the culture of this world。The magic system was well thought out with rules that varied from culture to culture。 I am hoping that future books dive deeper （pun intended） into the society and magic of the Teek since so many tantalizing details were given。In summation， the setting， the magic systems， characters， and the story were all very satisfying。 I can't wait for the next book to come out so that I can return to this world。 。。。more

Diana Ptaszynski ，

This was really good but I'm so annoyed by the cliffhanger ending and the fact that I have to wait til next year to see what happens！ Guess I better hold on to the book so I can re-read it next year when #2 comes out！ This was really good but I'm so annoyed by the cliffhanger ending and the fact that I have to wait til next year to see what happens！ Guess I better hold on to the book so I can re-read it next year when #2 comes out！ 。。。more

Sara ，

A compulsively readable epic fantasy with world-building inspired by various indigenous cultures of the Americas。 The fast pace propels the plot forward， but at a minimal cost to characterization and world-building。 Roanhorse expertly subverts Western expectations of the Chosen One narrative and the dichotomy of destiny and free will。 Be warned that the book ends abruptly and on a cliff-hanger - you may want to wait to read until the next installment has been released。4/5

Mya ，

Wtf was that ending- How am I supposed to wait till 2022 😭On another note this book was amazing the writing ， the world building the characters all top tier 。 These types of books are the reason high fantasy is the best genre

Chris Buskirk ，

I really enjoyed the world and the story。 My my main complaint is the cliffhanger ending， makes it feel incomplete。 It fine in a tv show， but I prefer books to have an solid ending that hints at more， rather than just telling half a story。

Ticha_11 ，

A Book with an Oxymoron in the Title; A book by an Indigenous author

Charlotte ，

‘”They’ll steal your very bones for a chance at destiny。”’If I had to pick one word to describe ‘Black Sun’ it would have to be ‘epic’。 From the very first page of this book I was hooked。 It has the sort of beginning that immediately draws you in yet disturbs you; that leaves you wanting more but almost wary over what exactly will unfold。 And from then on my interest never even waned。 I was hooked upon this story from page one and didn’t ever want to put it down。 It was one hell of an epic fanta ‘”They’ll steal your very bones for a chance at destiny。”’If I had to pick one word to describe ‘Black Sun’ it would have to be ‘epic’。 From the very first page of this book I was hooked。 It has the sort of beginning that immediately draws you in yet disturbs you; that leaves you wanting more but almost wary over what exactly will unfold。 And from then on my interest never even waned。 I was hooked upon this story from page one and didn’t ever want to put it down。 It was one hell of an epic fantasy with a fascinating world， cast of complex characters and so much scope for what could still be explored。Truthfully I loved everything about this book but if I had to pick a favourite element it would probably be the characters。 My favourite of these was Xiala with her determined nature， intriguing abilities， love of drink and wonderful banter。 Everybody fascinated me though。 Serapio had a background that was so complex and haunting; Naranpa had complicated ties within her life; Okoa intrigued me to no end and I could honestly go on and on。 Everybody had such well crafted backgrounds and ties and I honestly can’t wait to see where on earth they go next。 I also look forward to spending more time in this fascinating world。。。especially after that ending。 I will say that things felt rather open to me but then， on reflection， I realized that everything ended in the perfect place。 It made me think of how a first season of a television fantasy would conclude。 And yes， I admit， I’d love to see this adapted。The writing of this book was wonderful。 There was banter that made me smile， gory scenes that made me flinch， romantic tension that felt utterly believable and so many gloriously written passages that I was tempted to jot down as quotes。 This is my first full length read of Rebecca Roanhorse’s （I have read a short story of hers in an anthology） but it certainly won’t be my last。 The little snippets from various sources within this world were a lovely little touch at the start of each chapter and the timing is a good idea to take note of。 I found it easy enough to follow this story but it’s not entirely linear。 Most individuals stories are however and I think the timeline worked really well。 Overall I definitely recommend this book， especially to fans of fantasy stories。 It’s a wonderfully crafted epic fantasy set within a fascinating world， featuring magnificent characters and unique fantastical elements。 I， for one， plan to count down the days to book two。 。。。more

Kenneth McIntosh ，

I've read several dozen novels over the past two years: this was the best。 I enjoyed the two Maggie Hoskie books by Rebecca Roanhorse （Trail of Lightning/ Storm of Locusts）。 Those books were enjoyable because I used to live adjacent to Navajo Nation and the books included practices， stories， and places that I knew from experience。 Those novels were good--Black Sun is great！This is Epic fantasy on a big scale。 The concrete style of language， depth of characterization， and world-building are on th I've read several dozen novels over the past two years: this was the best。 I enjoyed the two Maggie Hoskie books by Rebecca Roanhorse （Trail of Lightning/ Storm of Locusts）。 Those books were enjoyable because I used to live adjacent to Navajo Nation and the books included practices， stories， and places that I knew from experience。 Those novels were good--Black Sun is great！This is Epic fantasy on a big scale。 The concrete style of language， depth of characterization， and world-building are on the scale of Song of Fire and Ice （and the struggle for power between empires is also reminiscent of GRR Martin's work）。 The attention to power dynamics--between cultures， genders， and status--reminds me of NK Jemison's Broken Earth Trilogy （which I enjoyed， but not as much as this）。 Roanhorse does substantial world-building: Black Sun follows four point-of-view characters， each in a different cultural and geographic setting。 Their lives converge as the sun and moon converge at the novels' end。 Since the names are all non-European （and all unfamiliar to me） I feared initially that I might have trouble keeping the people and places straight？ Turns out I had no need to fear。 She makes each character and setting so vivid that it's easy to keep their stories distinct from one another。 There's enough detail and complexity to stretch the readers' mind a bit， but not so much that the reader will get lost。Since childhood I have loved epic fantasies that take place--as Roanhorse says in her afterword--in a make-believe England。 I've also been fascinated by the Pre-Columbian Americas， including visits to the Puebloan great houses， Southern US Mound-builder sites， and the stunning remains of the Incas' cities in Central America。 So I'm glad that Roanhorse tried something entirely different--an full-scale epic fantasy based on the cultures of the Pre-Columbian peoples whose lands border what is now the Gulf of Mexico （from Cahokia to Mexico City plus traveling Polynesians）。 For comparison think how George Martin takes his knowledge of 15th Century England then incorporates elements of fantastical creatures and magic into that world: in the same way Rebecca Roanhorse takes the rich and diverse cultures of ancient Meso-America and incorporates their myths and magic into that mix。Having said all this。。。most important。。。this is a really good story， pure and simple。 I couldn't put the book down and was drawn in more deeply as the book neared its crescendo。 Without any spoilers， this is the first book of a trilogy， and Roanhorse gave it what I'd call a partial conclusion。 Each character's saga is ongoing， and I want to know where fortune will take them next， but I'm also satisfied that a cycle of each characters' life has reached a good stopping point。 IMO， a perfect ending for book 1 of 3。I can't wait for the next book in this trilogy。 。。。more

Raksha ，

Immediate add to my All Time Favourites list。RTC。

Relena_reads ，

It is painful to have to wait for Fevered Star to find out what happens to these characters next。 Roanhorse manages to create an entire sprawling decolonized universe in a not-too-long package。 Her four focal characters， one introduced quite late， are all equally interesting and integral to the story moving forward。 The unabashed matriarchalness， queerness， and indigeniety just make what would always have been an epic work of fantasy better。

Caleb Ackley ，

Overall this was an excellent read。 Exciting and immersive， with many of its characters defying typical tropes and expectations。 Roanhorse also does an excellent building tension， with a culmination that is both surprising and taught with suspense。My only criticism would be that the writing itself does get a bit heavy-handed and melodramatic every once and a while， but those moments are few and far between！ Very much looking forward to the second installment。

Jennifer ，

This is a small nit to pick but it still bothers me weeks after finishing the book。 One of the side characters is consistently referred to as xe throughout the book， and at first I thought， great nonbinary representation！ But near the end we suddenly see that character from the perspective of one of the other main characters， who doesn't know xe and describes xir as a woman。 And that pissed me off。 It felt like Roanhorse was undoing all the work she'd done to establish that character as nonbinar This is a small nit to pick but it still bothers me weeks after finishing the book。 One of the side characters is consistently referred to as xe throughout the book， and at first I thought， great nonbinary representation！ But near the end we suddenly see that character from the perspective of one of the other main characters， who doesn't know xe and describes xir as a woman。 And that pissed me off。 It felt like Roanhorse was undoing all the work she'd done to establish that character as nonbinary and it was really unnecessary。 。。。more

Jennifer Collins ，

This is a sprawling， powerful read， and I'm glad to have discovered the author。 Roanhorse's prose is gorgeous， and the blending of fantasy with concrete reality here is masterful in every detail， from textures and nature down to human nature and prejudices。 It did take me some time to get into the book for the same reason that this ended up being a slightly uneven read for me--I found two of the POV characters' stories and voices incredibly compelling。 The third， though， introduced the reader to This is a sprawling， powerful read， and I'm glad to have discovered the author。 Roanhorse's prose is gorgeous， and the blending of fantasy with concrete reality here is masterful in every detail， from textures and nature down to human nature and prejudices。 It did take me some time to get into the book for the same reason that this ended up being a slightly uneven read for me--I found two of the POV characters' stories and voices incredibly compelling。 The third， though， introduced the reader to so many different characters and cultural details， I found that that particular POV character's sections felt more like work and simply weren't as enjoyable。 I suspect that if I'd been given more time to get to know that character， rather than learning so much through her， this would have been a five-star read for me， but as it was， those sections did make the read rather uneven for me。 That said， I think I will probably pick up the next book in the series， and I'll certainly pick up more of Roanhorse's work。 。。。more

Beth ，

Really vivid scenes that veer a bit too close to horror for me， and a wide variety of characters that don't all finish their arcs in this book。 It's strong and powerful but very much a first book in a series -- the setting is a major character but some of the people （Oata） are still lightly stepping on to the stage。I liked how we learned about the cultures from watching them do their thing。 Really vivid scenes that veer a bit too close to horror for me， and a wide variety of characters that don't all finish their arcs in this book。 It's strong and powerful but very much a first book in a series -- the setting is a major character but some of the people （Oata） are still lightly stepping on to the stage。I liked how we learned about the cultures from watching them do their thing。 。。。more

Rachel ，

I loved this book - great characters， interesting plot， that thing where the various plot points twist together。

Sarah ，

I want the crow man and pirate lady to be happy。 I beg。

Andrea-Kim Jacinto ，

I would give 3。5 if I could！ Refreshing characters。 Exciting world with pre-Colombian background！ I still found that the story had a few。。。 holes in it？ Maybe it was intentional and we are going to learn about it in the next books。 Also， I'm not sure about the ending。。。 ？ Overall， I have a lot of questions but I enjoyed reading it ！ I would give 3。5 if I could！ Refreshing characters。 Exciting world with pre-Colombian background！ I still found that the story had a few。。。 holes in it？ Maybe it was intentional and we are going to learn about it in the next books。 Also， I'm not sure about the ending。。。 ？ Overall， I have a lot of questions but I enjoyed reading it ！ 。。。more

Lyssa ，

Rebecca Roanhorse does a great job keeping the reader interested。 The descriptions of characters was perfect and I could easily imagine each one。 I appreciated the gender concepts used。 I guess my only complaint is Xiala。 I love the character but felt like the dialogue used for her seemed off from the rest of the world and other characters。 Overall， I loved it and definitely want to read it again。 Can’t wait for Fevered Star！

Ro ，

I’m sure it’s fabulous- I’m reading it with a few others who think that。 For me it’s just confirmed that I’m not into world building fantasy。 Dystopian， utopian and magical all work for me but fantasy world building nope， it’s too different。 There are some interesting bits in the story and character development is interesting， it’s just not for me。

Connor ，

Mixed feelings on this one for sure。 I'll start with the good。 This book's worldbuilding is great。 It has a unique setting and excellent pacing。 I never found myself getting particularly bored， though some POVs were more interesting than the others， namely Serapio and Xiala。 I think the decision to move this away from the classic fantasy setting of some mythical version of Europe was extremely smart and refreshing。 I also commend the author for incorporating trans， non-binary， and disabled chara Mixed feelings on this one for sure。 I'll start with the good。 This book's worldbuilding is great。 It has a unique setting and excellent pacing。 I never found myself getting particularly bored， though some POVs were more interesting than the others， namely Serapio and Xiala。 I think the decision to move this away from the classic fantasy setting of some mythical version of Europe was extremely smart and refreshing。 I also commend the author for incorporating trans， non-binary， and disabled characters in a way that felt authentic rather than "woke。" Now for the less good。 I've seen a lot of discourse around the book being "decolonized" literature， but it felt， to me， to be the opposite in some places。 The politics of the book are very western European。 We have the out of touch government in a tower， a liberal reformer trying to fix it too slowly， and a populist outsider trying to take it all down。 All of that feels influenced by democracy as we know it， and I needed a lot more imagination here。 What were the politics of the region really like？ The author said she did a ton of research， and I'd love to see it incorporated。 The same goes for the characters。 I wish we had gotten a non-binary POV， but instead the POVs were the most bland characters in the book。 I wanted to like this one， and I mostly do。 I just hope the next installment pushes the world a little farther。 。。。more

lex ，

4。5/5 but this book。。 the whole world-building and how things progressing and the generational trauma。。 immaculate。

Maegen ，

That was really good， the author has improved tremendously。 I loved the world and the characters and I'm excited for book 2！ :） That was really good， the author has improved tremendously。 I loved the world and the characters and I'm excited for book 2！ :） 。。。more

genesis ，

NEED THE SECOND BOOK RN OMFGG

Jalilah ，

This year I've surprised myself by enjoying books of genres I don't normally like！ I normally hate epic fantasy where the setting is in a made up universe。 When I started Black Sun I was not sure if I was even going to continue reading it， but I ended up loving it！ Set in an alternate world resembling pre-Colombian America， this compelling and entertaining novel follows the lives of 3 characters; Xiala， a bad ass lady captain who can turn into a mermaid （ my favourite by far！）， Serapino a blind This year I've surprised myself by enjoying books of genres I don't normally like！ I normally hate epic fantasy where the setting is in a made up universe。 When I started Black Sun I was not sure if I was even going to continue reading it， but I ended up loving it！ Set in an alternate world resembling pre-Colombian America， this compelling and entertaining novel follows the lives of 3 characters; Xiala， a bad ass lady captain who can turn into a mermaid （ my favourite by far！）， Serapino a blind young man destined to become a crow god and Naranpa， a sun priest。 The fate of all 3 characters intertwine。 The ending is quite a cliffhanger and I will be waiting in anticipation for the next book。 I believe it's meant to be a trilogy。 I recommend this book not only to everyone who likes fantasy fiction， but also to everyone who like me， normally don't like fantasy set in a made up world。 This book is so different from the others I tried to read， but couldn't get into！ 。。。more

Francesco Lanza ，

Not my cup of tea: once again Roanhorse reveals herself a very good writer， who is entirely not charming me。 I frankly found two thirds of the books tedious in a way that eluded even Erikson's Garden of the Moon， maybe because some of the characters were in a part that kind of politically embroiled， rather cold and helpless people that make blunders and get caught in webs of uninteresting pettiness I so remember from Russian fiction。 It picks up a lot of pace in the last 50 pages。 At that point， Not my cup of tea: once again Roanhorse reveals herself a very good writer， who is entirely not charming me。 I frankly found two thirds of the books tedious in a way that eluded even Erikson's Garden of the Moon， maybe because some of the characters were in a part that kind of politically embroiled， rather cold and helpless people that make blunders and get caught in webs of uninteresting pettiness I so remember from Russian fiction。 It picks up a lot of pace in the last 50 pages。 At that point， I couldn't really save the entire experience， but I'm ready to admit it's a very satisfying "first of a series" finale for anybody that felt engrossed up to that point。 The worldbuilding is interesting， and feels fresh and awesome， even if still on its own "first volume infancy" and not yet intricated。 There's plenty of mistery and stuff left hanging somebody else will certainly love in the next volume。I do not think I'll go any further， though。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Black Sun

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Black Sun&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Black Sun&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0