Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)

by Rebecca Roanhorse

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the 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 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.

Reviewed by Empty Kingdom on

5 of 5 stars

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Black Sun is an epic fantasy adventure unlike anything I've ever read. This pre-Columbian inspired fantasy will take you on a high stakes ride with bisexual mermaids, crow gods, sun priest, sailors on a voyage, forbidden magic, political intrigue and a celestial prophecy with our four diverse cast of main characters on a mystical quest.

Reasons to add to your TBR:

☀ It's a high stakes political intrigue and rivalries

☀ The worldbuilding, inspired by various Indigenous cultural influences, is excellent, sharp, innovative and expansive. And the prose is absolutely vivid and vibrant which really brings this fantasy to life. Rebecca Roanhorse proves she has the range.

☀ Complex and fully developed (morally grey) characters

☀ The rep. One of the MCs is nonbinary whom prefers neo-pronouns (xe/xir) to which the characters respect. Another MC is bisexual. The casual queerness is commonplace in their non-cis/heteronormative society and it's very much appreciated. There's nuanced disability rep as well which was also handled with care (i.e. the author hired sensitivity readers).

☀ The story revolves around the winter solstice, a time for celebration and renewal, however this one will coincide with a solar eclipse which is a rare celestial event that tips the balance of their world.

"The sea herself," she said. "I am her daughter, and when I'm with my mother"--she exhaled gustily--"nobody fucks with her children."

 

Black Sun is easily one of the best books I've read this year, or of all time.  Find out more: https://www.emptyxkingdom.com/2020/10/story-diary-black-sun-by-rebecca-roanhorse.html

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Reading updates

  • 23 July, 2020: Started reading
  • 1 August, 2020: Finished reading
  • 13 October, 2020: Reviewed