21 Jan 2022

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays: BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse

    

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fridays introduces readers who are unfamiliar with the Adult SF/F genre to books, authors, and discussions all about the vast expanse of the world of Adult SF/F!

BLACK SUN

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
Series: Between Earth and Sky #1
Source: Audiobook from Audible
Publisher: Saga Press
Publication Date: October 13, 2020
Summary:

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.
Purchase:
From the synopsis, I knew it was going to be epic, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer brilliance of BLACK SUN. I feel like any words I use will minimize what I feel about this book. It's like standing before the Grand Canyon and trying to take a selfie with it. It's impossible. No photo will do it justice just as my review will never be good enough.

With an eye-widening first chapter, Roahhorse pulls you into indigenous myths inspired by pre-Columbian Americas. The setting is visually stunning in its world-building, and the magic systems and political intrigue accompany you into a world of Sun Priests, giant crows, and mermaids.

This is a multiple POV book. We have a blind young man, a magical captain, a Sun Priest, and a beast rider. All on their own paths that converge with a thunderous roar at the book's conclusion. I loved the different POV's personally, but I know some people have a hard time with them especially with high fantasy such as this one. I connected with each character on a personal level. The author excels in placing humanity in her characters so well that you learn to empathize and cheer for them. The pacing of this book is fast, packed full of action and heart. Everything was superb.

This is definitely one you want to listen to because the audio narrators totally make you BELEIVE the story in a way just reading it doesn't. I thought that it was so well emulated, so well articulated, and the emotions and story got that much deeper in my soul because of that.

There is a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of this one, so be prepared for that! At least the sequel will be releasing fairly soon so you can pre-order it (like I did) so that you can read it right away!

The author set out to write epic fantasy and she hit the mark a million times over. I would compare BLACK SUN to books such as THE FIFTH SEASON, THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER, and KUSHIEL'S DART to name a few. With a YA comparison to THE SEVENTH SUN and SOULSWIFT.

Have you read this one? What was your favourite part?

1 comment:

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