What a stonking opening to the first book in a trilogy! "Black Sun" is gripping, entertaining, and a genuinely wonderful reading experience. It is so beautifully written. The characters and world are magnetic - they just pull you in and hold you. The story itself is an amazing display of imagination. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series - or anything else written by Rebecca Roanhorse.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This book is absolutely phenomenal...Highly original....I've never read anything like it...the author has brought pre-columbian folklore, myths ans stories out of the shadows!

The gist: I haven’t read epic fantasy for a while, but Black Sun was the vibrant, refreshing dive back into fantastical waters that I didn’t even know I was craving for. Roanhorse creates such a vivid world you can’t help but try and sneak back to it whenever you can. The sort of world you stay up late with and can’t wait to come home to. It’s an epic page-turner that insists you spend your waking hours living in its chapters.
Inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas, Black Sun paints an interesting, colourful world, filled with magic and darkness and characters who are flawed and engaging and real. It’s vast, but at the same time brings out the small things, the details, the nuances of the characters within this beautiful world.
And it is a beautiful book, no doubt about it. But within the beauty you’ll find violence and rough edges. The first chapter really hits deep and from that point onwards I knew this was a series I was going to be committed to. I care about the characters, I want to know what happens to them, I want to spend more time in the world that Roanhorse has created.
Black Sun is a magnificent start to what’s surely going to be a classic epic fantasy series, and I am absolutely down for the ride.
Favourite line: “Usually,” Xiala said carefully, “When someone describes a man as harmless, he ends up being a villain.”
Read if: You want a beautiful, epic fantasy with original world building and characters you’ll want to spend time with.
Read with: Patience, friend, because the next in the series ain’t out yet.

Review will be posted at www.thedustlounge.com

I have an on-off relationship with epic fantasy. Done well, it can excite, move, and entertain me, as well as providing the perfect setting to test conceptions of duty, loyalty, love, endurance and more.

But so often we go to that world - you know it, that world with animal skins, snow, nobles and hordes. And I'm so wary of that place. But I will look up for a fantasy that happens somewhere else - and happily, there are more and more of these, like Roanhorse's. And, also happily, I know from reading her Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts that she is a cracking writer, which is proved again in Black Sun.

The book hinges on an event referred to as "Convergence", with each chapter dated in relation to it - whether years or mere days before. What it is, and why it's important, are only revealed slowly, although you will quickly guess that the characters we meet will come together then.

There is Serapio, who we meet first as a boy, about to undergo a cruel rite at the hands of his mother. We see this, then follow his life after as he grows into a strange purposes. There is Naranpa, high priest of the Sun. She's low born, trying both to establish herself in her role and to restore what she sees as the lost glories of the office. And there is Xiala, a ship's captain. We meet her first in jail after a drunken episode with somebody else's wife.  Xiala was for me the easiest characters to get along with. She has a contempt for those who don't go to sea ('indwelling bastards, all of them') and at first, it seems as though she wants nothing much beyond a ship to sail, a drink, and company and her adventures are immediately readable with little need to understand any background. 

Roanhorse does, however, give Xiala plenty of background (There was something else deeply wrong with her, something she had no desire to examine with any rigour...'), an origin and abilities that mark her out as different and suspicious and discovering exactly who she is and what it means as she - almost, perhaps - falls in love with the mysterious passenger who's booked on her ship is both intriguing and actually moving. There's a definite current between the two, a taste of an attraction that can't be, less because of what they are than because of what her friend must do, the duty he sees upon him.

I found Naranpa less easy to relate to initially, and partly because she seems in such high peril - nominally in charge of the Watchers, the orders of priesthood (healer, assassin, historian and oracle) in their ancient tower, but surrounded by danger and somewhat hapless in its face. I suspect the time for her to really show what she's made of won't come till another book, but even so, Roanhorse again weaves a convincing and complex background for this character - a rise from the impoverished district of the Maw, a brother who's one of the local crime bosses, the sneers and condescension of the Sky Made clans. 

Those four clans, with their totem animals and their rivalries, the gods served by the four orders of priesthood, the fantastical city of Nova in which all live - a city of deep rocky gorges, mesas and caves, bound together by a skein of top bridges - the games of chance, the clothes, the ships made from reeds and the astral navigation of the captains - make for an unforgettable setting to Black Sun. Drawn from pre-Columbian America, this all pays tribute to the sophistication of those societies, in the service of a story that hits all those notes I referred to above. Different conceptions of duty - Serapio's, Naranpa's - colliding with the realities of life and of love. Endurance, both of suffering and of injustice - with a flame of hope for vengeance kept burning. Characters juggling inner and outer lives, personal flaws, secrets and desires. And with a clear-eyed view of some of the classic schemes and setups: 'They promise you a saviour, but that saviour ends up eating babies or kicking puppies or something, and the poor gull who's the prophesied one ends up dead.'

Skillfully blended together by Roanhorse, all this comes together in a compulsive story that I simply didn't want to end. This is a series I know I'll eagerly follow, and I'm counting the days till the next part is out.

Imagine a kind soul trained to be a villain, cursed as a god’s vessel and blinded by is mother, falling in love with a bi mermaid 😆 A soldier with a heart of gold that flies giant crows AND finally, imagine a political scheme to take down the only girl ☁️ that wants to actually save the world. Now add heartbreaking romance 🔥 a crazy journey in the sea and a city in the clouds. Wanna read it? 😍😍
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This book blew me away and I didn’t even knew it until the end. I am in love. 
The pace is a bit slow in the first couple of chapters but my god is it worth it?! Yes, yes it it. I was completely caught up in the aesthetic and imagination these pages bring to life. The characters growth and depth was my favourite aspect of the story.
Even the side characters were so real, it felt as I could meet them in real life. 
This is no doubt an adult fantasy tale so be prepared for lore. And it was such great lore! Gods, and star magic vs dirt magic? Wow.
The romance was incredibly well written. It was a bit fast but it made so much sense, and it broke me. And it was hot too!
My conclusion? Read it if you need to lose yourself in a book.

OH MY GOD

I've preordered every different edition of this book that I could get my hands on. Im obsessed. Xiala is one of my new favourite characters, head strong, she knows what she wants and she will do anything to get that. and a mystery stranger, could he be the villain, is he good? I loved guessing who he would turn out to be. I cannot wait for the next book in this series

Yeah, it was dark.

Black Sun focuses on the cost of vengeance, religious corruption, generational trauma, and politics. It features fascinating (and fun!) characters on their paths to change the balance of powers in their world. 

Serapio, a young boy raised (and maimed) to become the vessel of the god Grandfather Crow, has one goal - to end the Sun Priest’s reign. To do so, he needs to get to the city of Tova before the solar eclipse. Almost impossible, unless you can count on someone with the right skills. Enter Xiala, a foul-mouthed and hedonistic Sea captain, and general badass. Only she (and her magic) can make the seafaring adventure possible. 

Sun Priest Naranpa, the highest religious authority in the holy city of Tova, is a decent woman caught in political and religious machinations. Others judge her for her low birth and resent her drive to make priests more accessible to Tova’s people. Their stories, set on a collision course, reveal their layered and compelling personalities. Also, each POV character has a different perspective on the story’s events; highly appreciated, as it adds complexity to the world and characters’ fates.

Roanhorse digs into the worldbuilding right away. Ancient powers, god’s avatars, sentient crows, gigantic insects, mysterious powers don’t even begin to cover it. We get lots of detail and symbols that draw inspiration from the indigenous cultures of North and Central America. It felt fresh to me; while we observe a welcomed shift from pseudo-European settings, I haven’t read another epic fantasy inspired by the pre-Columbian culture and beliefs. 

Even more impressive, however, are Roanhorse’s characters, who keep her tale from getting bogged down in details, no matter how fantastical. Each is an outsider. Serapio is an avatar of the god, but he’s also a young boy speaking to crows and playing with shadows. Raised as a vessel destined to revenge his people, he deals with trauma and a rather narrow outlook on life. I mean, he is a chosen figure, only he’s not here to save the world... Xiala is a Teek, and most people loathe Teeks and see their value mostly as body parts worth a decent price (paid in cocoa). She’s brash and impulsive, but the story reveals her more vulnerable side. Naranpa, despite her high rank in the religious structures of Tova, doesn’t belong there because of her poor background. 

The ensemble of characters feels inclusive–we get queer, trans, and non-binary characters (Roanhorse uses neopronouns xe/xir/xirself to address them), as well as impaired or members of minorities. There’s no social stigma coming with gender-identity or sexual orientation.

I found the worldbuilding impressive, but Roanhorse takes her time setting the stage for the next books in the series. As a result, Black Sun ends on a lackluster cliffhanger and leaves many unresolved loose ends. Readers craving a satisfying closure won’t find it here. I found the characters’ interplay, magic, and the world engrossing and I have no problem with waiting for another fix.

I first came across Rebecca Roanhorse when reading the anthology book A Phoenix First Must Burn, and was really impressed with her short story collected there. Later I saw that she'd contributed to the ongoing new Star Wars canon with Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, and thought she did great work within that universe, so when I saw that she was coming out with a new trilogy of books partly inspired by and based upon the Pre-Comlubian Americas I knew that this was going to be a project that interested me; and I wasn't wrong, as Black Sun was an absolute joy to read.

The story follows a handful of characters in the weeks building up to the winter solstice, and the solar eclipse that will take place at the same time. There's Naranpa, the Sun Priest in the city of Tova; a woman who has worked her way up from the bottom of society, both literally and figuratively, to become one of the four high priests of their society. During the build up to the winter solstice Naranpa has to deal with the machinations of the other priests, and discovers that there is a secret plot to try and remove her from power, by violent means if necessary.

Heading into Tova during this difficult time is also Xiala, a ship captain with mysterious magical abilities, who has been hired by a wealthy merchant to transport a very special cargo, making sure that it arrives at Tova before the eclipse. This cargo is another of our lead characters, Serapio, a blind young man, covered in ritualistic scars. But, there's a lot more to Serapio than there first appears, and his arrival at Tova will mean not only the fulfilling of his destiny, but could change the world as we know it.

The three lead characters of Black Sun are a great collection of people, all of them are outsiders in their own ways, all of them seen as different and undesirable by those around them, and all of them thrust into important roles in this story. The narrative will shift between the three of them, and a fourth character who plays a smaller role, and we're provided with unique perspectives because of this, with each other them having very different outlooks on the world. Naranpa and Serapio are two of the most interesting, as their positions and the journeys that they are on should put them both at odds with each other, but Roanhorse never makes one of the other the hero or the villain, and its easy to identify with and agree with characters that should in theory be enemies.

Roanhorse manages to walk this line wonderfully throughout the narrative, and you find your opinions on characters and ideas shifting a lot during the course of the book. People that you thought were nice will end up looking like villains, and some people who are set up to look pretty bad early on are revealed to be more victims of circumstance who are demonised simply for having the will to survive. The narrative and the way you see the world of Black Sun feels so real because of this, and the book seems more grounded in reality because of its complex moral nature, despite the fact that it deals with magic and gods.

There's also been a lot of love and attention given to the world beyond the characters, and the various locations we visit over the course of the book feel varied and different, yet still feel like part of the same world. Roanhorse has managed to craft a world with variety and wonder, but never goes to extremes that could draw you out of the narrative, and even when the amazing or wondrous happened I never felt like it didn't fit with. Even without the main narrative this is such a well crafted universe that you'd still want to read about it, to learn about the various peoples, their homes, and their histories.

The only downside to the book is that because this is the first part of a trilogy I came to end and desperately wanted to jump straight into the next one, but instead I have to wait for the second book to come out. Other than that, there wasn't a single moment where I wasn't enthralled by the journey, enchanted by the world, or falling in love with the characters. Black Sun is the start of a series that I know is going to do well, one that will win over a lot people, so make sure that you're not one of the ones who misses out.

I genuinely wasn’t sure what to expect of this book and I think that’s maybe why it felt a little slow to start for me – as with a lot of fantasy I suspect that has more to do with the sheer amount of worldbuilding necessary to set up a world of this kind of scale with so many moving parts. This is also a setting that hasn’t as yet been explored a huge amount in fantasy fiction so things can’t be taken as read as much as they can be in ‘it’s pretend Europe’ books. So despite that slightly slow beginning I really fell head first into this book, it’s got some really great moments and I would definitely recommend it.

We follow various characters throughout this story. My general rule on multiple POV fiction is I will either love every single character and whizz through the book or there will be one character who I enjoy and I will power through everyone else in order to get to their part of the story again. Neither approach is better than the other but in this case it was the latter. Is anyone surprised I loved ship captain Xiala? Anyone? No. While I thought the plotlines of the other characters were very good and I liked the story in the book overall I would quite happily have read another 3000 pages of Xiala being awesome.

This is one of those books that sweeps you along through the plot at a pace – once it has got going – which is good. I like a story that is moving towards a clearly defined point, in this case the solar eclipse, because it helps to keep all the different threads moving towards the same destination and it also helps to anchor the reader in the story despite jumping about from character to character. I thought that Roanhorse handled the different aspects of the story leading up to this point really well, as a reader I never felt totally adrift in the story and – bonus points for me – I never forgot who was who!

This is a wonderful setting and I am excited to see it develop more as more books in the Between Earth and Sky series develops. I know very little about the Pre-Columbine Americas beyond what I might have picked up in an episode of Horrible Histories so this felt very new to me, and while this is obviously a fantasy and not a historical book designed to educate and be 100% accurate it does include some really great jumping off points for those wanting to learn more, and poses some good discussion questions. If we’re dismantling the idea that colonisation was good (which I am so here for, please dismantle this) this book is a significant part of that. I liked that this book included characters using neo pronouns, I liked the exploration of matriarchy and diplomacy – it is fresh and new while also drawing on some real-world ideas that maybe haven’t been explored as widely in fantasy before.

I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re a fantasy reader, while you may need to hold your breath through the first chapter and a chapter towards the end if you are a bit squeamish. I am very excited to see what comes next and I also need to go back and read all of Rebecca Roanhorse’s backlist….

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley – all opinions are my own.

Black Sun Publishes January 21st!

This book is magnificent - the characters, the plot lines, the pre-Columbian mythos, all amazing and move away from the more traditionally told European mythos of many fantasy novels.
Serapio is introduced to us at age 12, at a solar eclipse, where his mother finishes the process to create in him the perfect vessel for the return of the Carrion Crow god.  This process is brutal as Serapio is blinded and physically scarring,  As I discover now the meaning of Serapios' name could be bright or solar and fitting for his narrative.
Xiala is a female sea captain of Teek descent - these women have a close affinity with the Sea and through their Song are able to charm men,  calm waters,  lighten winds but always framed as a request.,
Xiala is hired to get Serapio to Tova (home of the Sky Made clans and the Sun Priest) before the next convergence of earth, sun and moon.  At this time the god spirit which lies within Searpio can become manifest and fulfil his mother Saayas obsession for revenge.
Saaya was a member of the Carrion Crow Sky Made clans and escaped a brutal culling of the clan by the priests of Tova.  Seeing loved ones murdered fueled her desire and seals the destiny of not just Serapio but also Tova and its priests.
I devoured this story in two days (would have been faster if pesky work hadn't interfered!), and my thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.  Highly recommended - go read!

I've heard so many people talking about Black Sun, so I had to pick it up, and oh boy I wasn't disappointed! An amazing pre-Columbian America fantasy with political intrigue, ritual sacrifice, and beautifully casual queer representation. I can't believe I have to wait to read the next one.

Reading this book truly felt like stepping into another world. I adored the pre-Columbian setting, and the multi-perspective narrative allowed for a glimpse into various parts of the world Rebecca Roanhorse created. Vivid, rich, and full of life I had so much fun.

I'm always here for a cheeky bit of political intrigue, and Black Sun had bundles! The conflict among different factions, the betrayals, the secrets! All of it was handled with such skill. Add in some celestial prophecies and ritual sacrifice, and you've got the perfect mix for a fantastic book. Black Sun is incredibly dark at times, but it's so intriguing you can't put it down.

I know multi-pov books can be a bit hit or miss depending on if you resonate with all of the characters. I'm glad to say I enjoyed all of the perspectives. Don't get me wrong, I had my favourites (hello Serapio and Xiala), but all of the characters were multi-faceted and interesting.

I love Serapio and Xiala so much! So so much! Xiala is the perfect disaster bisexual pirate woman of my heart. Serapio is the kind, gentle, traumatized, crow god vessel of my dreams. Their voyage and the way they slowly grew together over a mutual understanding of what it was like to be feared due to their differences was wonderful. I need the next book right now; the ending did a number on my lovely pair, and I need answers.

Naranpa is our other major pov character, and although I didn't enjoy her as much she offered such interesting insights into the city and factional infighting. I loved the discussion of privilege when it came to her sun priest position, and how even being the most powerful woman in Tova doesn't protect her from prejudice over her origins. I'm looking forward to seeing how she'll grow, especially if we get to see more of her brother!

One of the things that set this book apart in my eyes is how brilliantly casual the queer representation is. There is so much diversity in this book. I haven't seen many occurrences of xe/xer pronouns used so casually, and the way non-binary gender identities were incorporated into the world was excellent. I'm so happy to see books with this kind of representation becoming more and more mainstream.

I enjoyed how the book slowly built into an action-packed ending. However, I do wish it had more of a complete story in itself rather than what is undeniably an amazing set up for the rest of the series. This isn't a major criticism at all, but it's hard to know how I feel about this book when it's so reliant on the rest of the series. I felt like I was continuously wanting a little more. Regardless, I'm now super excited for the rest of the series and can't believe I'm going to have to wait to get my hands on it.

It's almost hard to truly capture just how brilliant this book is because the world is so expansive and detailed. There are so many wonderfully developed themes, so many beautiful characters. I'd recommend everyone who enjoys adult fantasy to give this a go because my words won't do it justice.

https://lynns-books.com/2020/12/21/black-sun-between-earth-and-sky-1-by-rebecca-roanhorse/
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Rich worldbuilding, characters with depth

I had a great time with Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. To be honest, I expected to like this one, I loved the first two books in the Sixth World Series after all, but, as we all know, high expectations combined with lots of hype can sometimes spell disaster. Fortunately this was not the case with Black Sun. This is a story that combines rich world building with well drawn characters all singing from their own hymn sheets and it just works so very well.

I’m going to be a little lazy here and steal part of the description from Goodreads, simply because it’s well written and so why reinvent the wheel:

“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“

I mean, right there – Pre-Columbian America – who would not want to read a book with this setting? Seriously, this just feels so unique and not just that, it’s well written with descriptions that bring the place vividly to life.

On top of this we follow four pov characters with all the threads slowly converging during the course of the book. What is satisfying about this is it feels more like two storylines simply because of the geography with the story switching between time on the high seas and time in the city of Tova, and occasionally incorporating flashbacks.

As the book starts we meet Serapio as he undergoes a painful ritual performed by his mother. This is the first step in fulfilling the prophecy that predicts his destiny as Crow God. We then jump forward a few years, Serapio, now a young man, is about to journey to Tova to confront, well, not to be spoilery, to fulfil his mission in life.

Xiala is a mysterious sea captain known as a ‘Teek’. The Teek are feared and also revered for their abilities to sing to the sea and the sea creatures and smooth the passage of ships that travel upon them. Xiala is an outcast who now takes jobs as and when she can find them. Her latest job takes her onto the wider oceans (rarely travelled upon at this time of year due to the threat of stormy weather and the inevitable watery grave) where she is charged with transporting Serapio to Tova. A journey that must be completed within a certain period to coincide with the Solstice and solar eclipse.

Meanwhile, at Tova we meet Nara, recently appointed Sun Priest. She has new ideas and is enthusiastic about making positive changes. Unfortunately, it would seem that not everyone is equally enamoured with this recent appointment and Nara will encounter assassination attempts and behind doors machinations to remove her from this coveted position.

Finally, Okoa, member of the Crow Clan. Recently returned to the fold to support his sister following the somewhat suspicious death, of their mother.

Now, you do have to bear with things here because obviously with four characters populating the pages there’s a lot to take in, but it is well worth the effort.

I loved the writing, there’s something subtle and understated about how the author manages to combine so many elements and pull them together in a way that makes you hungry for the next instalment. On top of this she injects history, myth and lore with religion and rebellion and chucks in a little seafaring and light romance for good measure. To top it off, the characters are each so distinct with their own stories and histories to discover. And, what’s really superb is the tingly feeling that I have that Roanhorse has only just scraped the surface of what’s to come such as learning more about Nara and her family, particularly her brother, or Xiala and her abilities – or more to the point, finding out what she truly is. And, if this isn’t enough, for me, there’s an ambiguity here, that is very clever. For example, Serapio – is he one of the good guys or one of the bad guys. It’s difficult to tell at this point and it feels like the lines are muddied for a purpose.

Now, one thing I will say, and this isn’t a criticism so much as an observation, I couldn’t help feeling more attached to certain characters/storylines. Xiala and Serapio stole the show a little for me but I’m still open to the other storylines winning me over in the next instalment.

I think it’s probably time to start drawing this review to a close and in case you haven’t guessed, this was great and I definitely recommend it without a doubt.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion. I also bought a copy of the audio and I both read and listened – and I thought the audio for this was really good.

This is the story of Old Gods, blood magic, sacrifice, murder, revenge, and of course love.

Set in a fictional representation of a world with similarities to the Mesoamerican cultures of Central and North America, we follow a cast of characters through a powerful story of revenge.

A well-written slow burn of a read, each chapter revealing more of the world and characters to build a magnificently layered low-fantasy world with believable are relatable characters.

We follow Serapio and his quest to avenge the Night of the Knives and become the Crow God. Along the way we meet some brilliant supporting characters such as Xiala a Teek who has her own hidden past and is something other than human, and Narapanpa the Sun Priest from Tova's slum district The Maw. There are others and I'm looking forward to these being fleshed out further in the coming books.

The weaving of these stories build tension really well up to the climax, with some wonderful revelatory scenes where we see the magics of the world out in full daylight (or shadow as the case may be). I will just say keep an eye out for the crows and the canoe, a belter of a scene which starts hinting at the power and possibility of more in one of the main characters.

A really good book, with so many ways for the rest of the series to go.

I've now got so long to wait for a follow up and I really want to know what happens to everyone.

This is one of the very best fantasy books I've ever read - strong world building and fascinating characters. Cannot wait for the next book

3 ¾ stars (rounded up)

It took me awhile to warm up to Black Sun and during its first half I worried that I would find myself once again in the 'unpopular' opinion camp. As I'd read and liked Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning I was hoping that I would find Black Sun to be at least an entertaining read...but within the first 40% I found myself tempted to DNF it but I'm glad i persevered. Overall I think this is a really good start to the Between Earth and Sky series. I do have some 'reservations', but these are minor criticisms, and on the whole I would definitely recommend it to fans of N.K. Jemisin and Guy Gavriel Kay.

This novel's biggest strengths is its world-building which is inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas. The Meridian is a land that is home to many different clans, all of which have their own distinctive customs. Many resent the Watchers, "whose duty it was to keep the calendar and wrestle order from chaos" and who maintain "the Balance between what is above us and what is below", which isn't surprising given when we learn of the Night of Knives. The Watchers, an order composed of priests such as the Sun Priest and the Priest of Succor, reside in the "celestial tower" which is located in Tova. The sprawling action of the novel takes us all over Meridian. From the city of Tova, Meridian's religious heart (where we learn of the conflict between the Watchers and the cultists as well as the disparities between Sky made clans and Dry Earthers), to the merchant city of Cuecola. We also accompany characters on their voyage across the treacherous Crescent Sea and gain insights into the matriarchal Teek people. Although part of me wishes that the novel had focused on two particular characters, I understand that the multiple perspectives allow us to explore different quarters and cultures of the Meridian. While certain settings could have been described more fully, we always given detailed descriptions of what the characters are wearing (from their clothes and hair styles to their accoutrements), which made them all the more vivid. Also, these descriptions often lead to insights into a particular clan/culture: "She came from a culture that lived on islands and in the water. Clothes were for protection from the elements and occasionally to show status, bug generally, Teek weren't big on covering up for any supposed moral reasons. Cuecolans and, frankly, all the mainlanders were much too uptight about nudity."
Although each city/district/clan has its own set of established norms, the Meridian has many LGBTQ+ people (and with the exception of Cuecola seems an accepting place). We have queer main and side characters and a third gender which are referred to as bayeki and use xe/xir pronouns. I loved the casualness of Roanhorse's representation (casual but never insensitive or superficial).
This world also has some fab lore and magic. There are those who can read the skies, the Teek who can Sing to the water ie calm the seas (they call the water Al-Teek, their mother), and those who can converse and command crows. And we also have gigantic crows that can be ridden. How cool is that?
Unlike many other high fantasy books there is no info-dumping here. If anything Roanhorse keeps her cards close to her chest. We sometimes learn of certain things via conversations, such as when a character from X place has gone to Y place and is questioning a particular aspect of that society/city/culture. These dialogues didn't feel contrived, and they provided us with a fuller picture of the Meridian.
I can't wait to explore this world more in the next instalment.

Now...on the things that sort of worked and sort of didn't (for me of course, these 'criticisms' are entirely subjective and I encourage readers to read reviews that express opposing takes/views). We have three main storylines: Xiala, a captain and a Teek who after accepting a job offer from a merchant lord finds herself transporting important cargo to the city of Tova; the cargo happens to be Serapio who was blinded by his own mother as part of a ritual and is now part of an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it prophecy prophesy; Narampa, the Sun Priest, who is a Dry Earther and as such is held in contempt by other Watchers. Although we are given the perspectives of individuals who are on opposing sides, I never felt very sympathetic towards Narampa, so for awhile I found myself rooting for the anti-Watchers...until that ending of course.
While most readers will correctly predict that at one point or another the lives of the paths of these characters will cross, they each of their own storyline. The first half of this novel is very much of slow-burn. While there is plenty of action and drama, I didn't find the plot all that gripping (the chapters focusing on Serapio's childhood were strongly reminiscent of Damaya's chapters in The Fifth Season). Much of Narampa's storyline irked me as it was kind of predictable (we have the cunning mean girl who tries to sabotage her). It is suggested that Narampa wants to change the ways of the Watchers but this isn't explored all that well. There is too much time spent on her relationship to Iktan, the Priestof Knives who now protects Narampa. They were former lovers, and Narampa is suddenly interested again merely because she assumes that Iktan is seeing someone else (which is somewhat realistic but their former relationship remains vastly uncharted so that I never could picture them together or even believe that Narampa still had feelings for Iktan). Part of me thinks that we weren't meant to like Narampa all that much, but I do wish she could have been made more sympathetic. After the 80% I did start to dislike her less so at least her character arc isn't a flat one. Flashbacks into her childhood would have probably made her seem like a less uptight and supercilious.
Xiala and Serapio at first reminded me a bit too much of the two main characters in Trail of Lightning. Their personalities too seem to revolve around their unique abilities. But once their voyage across the Crescent Sea gets interesting we get to see a more rounded picture of their personalities as well as insights into their pasts, fears, and desires. Dismissing Xiala as a loud-mouth or the typical spitfire heroine would be to ignore her more vulnerable side. Her powers were cool, and I loved learning about the ways of the Teek or their relationship to Al-Teek. Serapio did walk to close to the "monster/villain/antihero" line. Readers seem to love type of character in spite of his actions. Usually his traumatic past gives him a free pass. Thankfully, Roanhorse subverts this trope. Serapio, like Xiala, has many vulnerable moments. Although he does question the path he has taken, we see that there are quite a few people responsible for his having embarked upon it.
While I could get past their instantaneous kinship, given their status as outsiders, I wish that their feelings had remained platonic...or that at least that their romance could have been explored in the next instalment. I wasn't a big fan of their romance. While I did enjoy their dynamic, their attraction and romantic feelings for each other made their relationship a bit more basic. And, dare I say that my sapphic heart was sad to read another fantasy book with a het central romance? While Xiala is queer and attracted to women, she has never felt anything like what she feels for Serapio (insert eye roll). And I definitely did no enjoy reading this line: "I've been on a ship for the past two weeks with a celibate. Offer now, and who knows what happens? I've only got so much self-control". This line would not be okay if uttered by a male character...so why is it okay if Xiala says it? Serapio is younger and inexperienced, so why can Xiala make a 'I will jump your bones/I can't help myself' joke?
Still, I did overall enjoy their bond and scenes together. Hopefully their romance will be more convincing to me in the follow up book.
We also get a fourth character. He is introduced around the 40% mark...and his chapter are unnecessary. We never learn more of what kind of person he is, but rather his chapters are very oriented. He has very few chapters and with the exception of the last one these could be cut out of the novel without any major changes to the overall narrative.

In spite of my initial sentiments towards this novel Roanhorse's writing is absorbing. There are many discussions, surrounding violence and justice for example ("justice came through the actions of humans holding wrongdoers to account, not through some vague divine retribution and certainly not through violence"), that can be applied to our own world. Xiala, Serapio, and even Narampa face stigma for who they are ("People like us are always hated until they need us—isn't that always the way?"). Roanhorse gives different perspectives on the same or similar incidents/issues, presenting us with a nuanced view of things. She also wrote some wickedly cool lines and descriptions such as "He screamed, euphoric, and the world trembled at his coming" / "a false god is just as deadly as a true one" / "the world shuddered, as if it recognized him and feared what it saw".
If you want to read an action-driven epic set in a non-Western inspired world and that is brimming with amazing visuals and concepts look no further. In spite of my criticisms towards the first half of the novel and the romance I did enjoy it and I would actually read it a second time (perhaps when the sequel is about to come out).

Ha habido una campaña de marketing brutal entorno al lanzamiento de Black Sun, hemos visto la portada del libro incluso anunciada en Broadway, lo que sin duda indica que estamos ante una de las grandes apuestas de la editorial para este año. ¿Merece el libro la pena? La respuesta es sí, aunque con matices.


El mundo que plante Roanhorse, basado en las culturas precolombinas, es bastante atractivo. Pero tiene además unos toques de magia que lo hacen mucho más interesante y no se recrea innecesariamente en los sacrificios humanos que parecen formar la espina vertebral de todos los libros que toman como referencia estas culturas. Además, se trata de una historia con múltiples puntos de vista y están muy bien llevados aunque como suele pasar en estos casos, algunos revisten más interés que otros.

Con todos estos puntos a favor os preguntaréis qué problema le he encontrado a Black Sun. El principal es que se trata de un primer libro eminentemente introductorio, tanto de los personajes como de la cultura en sí. Tiene un recorrido temporal claramente fijado, sabemos que todos los hilos tienen que llegar al gran final del eclipse al que hace referencia el propio título pero resulta muy evidente que se va a dejar mucha historia para las siguientes entregas, demasiado a mi entender. La sensación que queda es que es una primera parte de una novela, no una novela completa que se sostenga por sí misma. Entiendo que quizá, si la siguiente novela estuviera disponible y se leyera de corrido esta sensación desaparecería, pero como no es así la impresión que queda en el lector no es la mejor.

Entre los personajes, destacaría especialmente a Xiala y Serapio. La primera, por su relación casi destructiva con su propio poder y herencia, el segundo por ser un personaje ciego pero excepcionalmente bien narrado y con unos capítulos de flashback que son de lo más interesante de la novela. También me maravilla cómo se desarrolla la relación entre ellos de una forma orgánica y totalmente natural, extremos que se acercan y que se comprenden a causa de sus propias individualidades. Los demás personajes también están exquisitamente descritos, pero estos dos se han ganado un lugar en mi corazón.

Me parece importante destacar la trama política subyacente a toda la narración, sobre todo cómo unos hechos acaecidos hace tiempo, una represión violenta e injustificada sembró las semillas de la rebelión y cómo la clase privilegiada es incapaz de ver el resentimiento de los perjudicados, regodeándose en sus prebendas y obviando cualquier movimiento de reforma. En este sentido, el libro lanza un mensaje eminentemente político, aún envuelto de cobertura fantástica.

La prosa de Roanhorse es fluida y ayuda mucho a avanzar en las páginas de una forma fácil y rápida. Yo he disfrutado el libro en su versión audio, con varios narradores (Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab y Shaun Taylor-Corbett) que han realizado una gran labor caracterizando a los personajes, aunque en este caso también he de reconocer que el trabajo de algunos me ha gustado más que el de otros.

Espero con mucha curiosidad la siguiente entrega de la saga.