Book Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Between Earth and Sky
Publisher: Saga Press (October 13, 2020)
Length: 464 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I am stunned! I mean, I always knew Rebecca Roanhorse would go places ever since I read her debut Trail of Lightning, and I have also gone on to adore the follow-up Storm of Locusts as well as the novel she wrote for the new Star Wars universe, Resistance Reborn. Her first crack at epic fantasy, however, was even better than I could have imagined! Black Sun is incredible, my favorite work of hers yet.
Told via multiple perspectives, the story takes place in a world inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. As the winter solstice descends upon the holy city of Tova, all the members of the Sky Made clans under the newly appointed Sun Priest would normally be preparing for the upcoming celebrations. But this year, the event would be coinciding with the solar eclipse, a sign of great disturbance. In Carrion Crow, disgraced among the clans, a fanatical group of renegades believe that it is a sign of the imminent return of their god who will take vengeance upon those who stripped them of their power generations ago.
Meanwhile in the city of Cuecola, exiled far from home, a Teek captain named Xiala finds herself taking on an unusual assignment. The job sounded easy enough when she agreed to it, involving the transport of a single passenger across the seas to Tova. As it turns out though, the passenger in question is a strange and unnerving young man—blinded, scarred, and rumored to have the ability to speak to crows. Called Serapio, his very presence makes Xiala and the crew uneasy, added to the fact that their benefactor has stipulated a nearly impossible deadline for their journey through treacherous waters. Anyone else would have said it can’t be done, but Xiala is no ordinary sailor. Her Teek heritage has bestowed upon her the magical power to use song to calm the oceans, to coax the waters into speeding them along. But of course, every voyage has its perils and unexpected destinies—some more than most.
Beautifully crafted and filled with lusciously detailed descriptions of exotic locales and memorable characters, Black Sun is as close to perfection as you can get. Fellow epic fantasy fans, these are the kinds of stories we live for, richly woven adventures that whisk us away to imaginative worlds full of complex magic. There’s also an effusion of cultures and religions colliding with layers upon layers of political intrigue, ultimately creating a web of perspectives that not only helps bind the narrative but offers deeper understanding into its themes as well.
But above all else, characters are at the heart of every good novel, and Roanhorse is an author who grasps this concept extremely well. Black Sun is completely character-focused, with the narrative alternating between our different POVs. Each one is a uniquely fleshed out individual, with well thought out personalities and backgrounds. Flashbacks are also occasionally used to provide past context, but these are always artfully worked into the present thread to flow seamlessly with the rest of the plot. My favorite character was hands down Xiala, followed closely behind by Serapio, and the two of them made this book very special, even if their relationship may have felt a bit rushed. However, watching this dynamic develop and grow between them was probably my greatest joy of reading this book.
If I’m being honest though, I could go on for hours about the things I loved about Black Sun. So many highly anticipated novels have disappointed me so far in 2020, but this one is the real deal, and not just because it has great characters and world-building. The story itself is genuinely entertaining and engaging, fueled by real motivations which are enacted in a relatable, human way. As a result, falling in love with this book was effortless, magical.
So, do yourself a favor—run, don’t walk, to pick up Black Sun. Then, make sure you have ample time in your schedule before reading, as you may find it impossible to stop once you start. I know that I personally found it hard to put this book down, and that doesn’t happen nearly enough with epic fantasy. Rebecca Roanhorse has proven once again her talent and versatility as a writer, and I am now an even bigger fan than before.
The BiblioSanctum 
Great review! This book sounds very good!
(www.evelynreads.com)
LikeLike
One of my best reads of the year for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Up on my tbr! I‘ve read only one story from her so far, this year’s Locus finalist – I liked it but it wasn’t mind blowing. Here’s the review: https://reiszwolf.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/locus-finalist-a-brief-lesson-in-native-american-astronomy-%e2%80%a2-2019-%e2%80%a2-sf-story-by-rebecca-roanhorse/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out! I’ve only read her novels so far, haven’t really explored her short fiction yet! I think most authors do better in long form though, when they can have more time to develop their characters and setting, and I think that definitely helps her!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Depends, every author finds the length they are working best in.
Some authors just are so much better in short fiction – naming Ken Liu or Harlan Ellison. Others don’t write novels at all – like Ted Chiang.
But you’re mostly right, because oftentimes, authors get known with shorter fiction and then get to publish novels where they excel.
LikeLike
I have read Ken Liu’s short fiction and novels, and I agree, he’s one of the few authors who can pull off writing a good short story, but even his anthologies are typically a mixed bag for me, and I’ll enjoy maybe only a third of the stories. I loved his Grace of Kings though, 600+ pages but it’s one of my favorite books ever, lol!
Another author who can write great short stories/novellas is Brandon Sanderson, but then everything he writes turns out to be awesome (though he’s my favorite author, so I may be biased) 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ken Liu’s Dandelion novel wasn’t good IMHO. I like most of his short stories, but they aren’t all 4/5 stars. And gosh, is he productive! Like Sanderson just with short ststories 😁
And I like Sanderson‘s doorstoppers far more than his shorter works. I haven’t read anything shorter than novella size by him. Short is relative 😁
LikeLike
Have you read Sanderson’s The Emperor’s Soul? Definitely give it a try if you haven’t! It might be the only novella I’ve ever given 5 stars to 😛
LikeLike
That one and Warbreaker were 4 stars for me. I have the reviews on GR.
LikeLike
Oh, my fault. Warbreaker is a novel, not a novella. On a second thought, comparing it with his full size novels, one might consider it as short 🤣
LikeLike
Oh wow Mogsy! I didn’t plan to but now I am adding it!
LikeLike
I’m so glad!
LikeLike
Ok this is totally getting bumped higher on the TBR, thanks for the great review
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!
LikeLike
Great review, Mogsy! I heard so many great things about it, but the thing you wrote about it being character-focused made the wait that much harder. Can’t wait to start it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m all about the characters too! I hope you’ll love this one! 😀
LikeLike
I’m really glad you loved it so much! I only wish I got it from Netgalley… That’s one of few for which my request was turned down, sigh. I’ll have to track this down in my library! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that sucks! But I hope your library will have it, and that you’ll enjoy it 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, such high praise! I can’t wait to get started😁
LikeLike
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
LikeLike
Hmm, maybe it was wrong book at the wrong time, but I really struggled with this. I gave it 100 pages and decided it’s just not for me. Glad to hear you liked it, though!
LikeLike
Aw, that’s a shame, but at least you gave it a shot!
LikeLike
This book sounds really good. I’m totally putting it on my TBR.
LikeLike
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that! I hope you’ll enjoy it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fantastic! I love seeing reviews this positive, especially for a book I was already curious to read. Now I absolutely will read it. Beautiful review, thanks much!
LikeLike
I’m happy that my luck with books has been picking up too, this summer was pretty bad with a string of disappointing reads, but since the beginning of fall I think I’ve had 2-3 five star reads!
LikeLike
I’m glad someone else thought that “Black Sun” is as AMAZING as I did!!! I hope the sequel doesn’t take a full year to come out! Then again, I want the story to be well-written!!!
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, agreed! The wait for the sequel is going to be tough 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent review, Mogsy. 🙂 Richly woven adventures and magic is any true fantasy lover’s dreams. Seems like I will love this book, Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
You’re very welcome, and I hope you’ll get a chance to check out Black Sun 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had no doubt that this new Roanhorse book would turn out to be an amazing and engrossing story, but it’s always good to have confirmation. So I’m taking your advice and can start running toward the nearest bookstore… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Fantastic! I hope you can get to it soon, I’m curious to know your thoughts on it 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, nice! I only tried the first book of her other series but I should read more!
LikeLike
This one’s a bit different from Trail of Lightning, but also oh so good!
LikeLike
I said I couldn’t add to my TBR list at present but I had to make a note of this book. Thank you for the review.
LikeLike
You’re welcome, and I totally understand not wanting to add more to the already mile-high tbr, lol! But this one’s definitely a good one 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s on my new list that I wasn’t going to start!
LikeLike
Awesome! This book is on my list!
LikeLike
Sweet! Hope you’ll enjoy! 😀
LikeLike
Wow, 5!! I am intrigued
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fantastic review, Mogsy:)). This one is definitely going on my TBR! Though I’ll wait until the price drops, or order it from the library. I love the sound of it – I’m allll about the characters and this one sounds my kind of read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a glowing review – I will definitely pick up a copy of this one.
Lynn 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
What high praise. I have a copy already and now I’m even more excited for it!
LikeLike
Pingback: Bookshelf Roundup 10/17/20: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads | The BiblioSanctum
Oh wow. I feel my excitement skyrocketing now haha.
LikeLike
Pingback: Book Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse — The BiblioSanctum – Word Mongery and Musings
I seriously need to get myself a copy of this book!!
LikeLike
It is really good! And omg, sorry, I just gotta gush, you have a cav in your photo! I have two of them, such wonderful dogs 😀
LikeLike
Omg I love when people want to talk about dogs! So the cavalier is Sophie and she’s quite the princess. She is definitely a regal breed, that’s for sure! The other dog on my lap is my english springer spaniel Roxy and she and I are like SUPER bonded. Seriously I’ve always had dogs and loved them but this dog and I are so much closer than I thought possible. We also have a 6 month old golden retriever named Cleo but this photo was taken before she was a part of our family. What are your dogs names?
LikeLike
I have a male and female, they’re actually half-siblings. The male is Strider, and he’s a Blenheim like Sophie there, and his sister is Mara, and she’s a ruby. Both of them are ten years old now, but still act like puppies and are sweeter than ever 🙂 Love your story of you and your dogs!
LikeLike
Sophie is turning 11 in a couple days. She’s such a lover. She’s really close with my mom. She loves to have the highest spot, it’s actually really funny. She’ll pull down all the blankets and pillows and then pile them up just so she can have a high spot. I’ve always thought the ruby’s were really good looking dogs! It’s hard to deny the dogs anything when they’re so cute.
LikeLike
Pingback: #WyrdAndWonder Fantasy Five Tuesday: We’re Going On A Quest | The BiblioSanctum
I adored this novel too!! From the very first page I was hooked but is that really surprising with such a disturbing yet compelling opening? My favourite characters line up with yours too and I did love watching the pair interact. And I really liked the flashbacks. They really made my heart ache but we’re so informative too!! I seriously can’t wait for book two but I’m kind of terrified to see what happens next.
Hopefully we’ll both enjoy the sequel.
LikeLike