Black Sun

“We have become a place of long weeping
A house of scattered feathers
There is no home for us between earth and sky.
—From Collected Lamentations from the Night of Knives”

Black Sun is a fascinating speculative fiction novel that takes the cultures and mythos of the indigenous Americas and crafts a brutal yet beautiful world teeming with strife, injustice, and conflict. I have always been quite curious about Aztec mythology and I for one am glad to see more stories reflecting the beautiful diversity of the indigenous Americas (also, plug for Onyx Equinox, an adult animated series based on indigenous myths that you can watch for free on Crunchyroll—it’s so good). The story follows several major protagonists, and though the shifted perspectives left me wanting more at times, each character got a decent amount of time in the spotlight. Roanhorse uses actual historical and mythological records as a basis for the worldbuilding yet also manages to make it her own. The pacing of the plot could have been better, but overall this was a refreshing novel and fun take on the fantasy genre.Of the characters, Xiala and Okoa were my favorite, but I also found myself curious about the side characters like Lord Balam and the dedicants of the celestial tower. Roanhorse manages to set up a world that feels quite lived-in, but I wish she would have spent a bit more time making the characters feel fleshed out and not just static representations of their role in the storyline. For example, when we first meet Xiala, her ‘thing’ becomes getting drunk and ending up in prison… and this is referenced at least a couple other times in the story. She is a captain, a Teek, and many other things besides—but the reader doesn’t need to know much more than that, apparently.The plot starts off with a bang—as other reviewers have said, this has one of the best first chapters I’ve read in a while. It hooked me right away and it doesn’t pull its punches. The rest of the book is not as strong, and while it was enjoyable, it definitely had a bit of a meandering pace to it. The shifting perspectives didn’t help, as every time I felt myself getting comfortable with one character, the narrative shifted to another; as a result, I’m mildly ‘OK’ with all the characters but not too enraptured with any one in particular. Since this is a trilogy, it is reasonable that a lot of this book will be setting up what is to come—and what has been set up seems very promising, so I’m excited to read the forthcoming books in the series.Speaking of plot, the book does start to develop some interesting themes that I hope we will see more of in future books. What is the role of authority, and who determines who should wield power? What do we owe to victims who have suffered a great loss? Do we have a duty to do what we have been brought up to do? Can the trauma of our ancestors be truly healed without furthering the cycle of pain? Is it possible to leave one’s past behind? What is the value of sacrifice and justice? All of these questions play some role in the narrative and in the character’s roles, and I found myself engaging with many of them. These are familiar themes and not particularly groundbreaking, but I enjoyed how Roanhorse tied them into this story.Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is the worldbuilding—and this is hardly a surprise as I was expecting it to be. First, a fair warning: the world can seem overwhelming and confusing when you start, but power through and you will find yourself acclimating. There are plenty of hints and drops to indigenous mythologies and cultures in the text; I’m no expert, but some references were obvious enough. For example, the different regions of the Meridian reflect different elements of actual historical cultures. But take care to remember that this is epic fantasy, not historical fiction—so while it’s not exactly something familiar to the reader, Roanhorse does make the world of the Meridian just as interesting. There is magic, sorcery, people born with a connection to the sea, giant crows, and that’s to name a few. Some aspects were not as developed as I would have liked, but this being a trilogy it’s possible that they will be developed further in other books. The religious underpinnings were also incredibly interesting and I became quite invested in learning about the backgrounds and traditions of the religious factions in the story; hopefully this will be developed in the upcoming books. I certainly wouldn’t mind spending more time reading the book if it meant I could stay in this world a bit longer.Being me, I do have a few nitpicks however… the writing style felt a little ‘modern’ at times, what with the now-unfortunately-common trend of writing in half-sentences and doing a bit more telling-than-showing. This seems to be a ‘thing’ now in publishing and I’m not sure I like it… but it was bearable, considering everything else. I applaud Roanhorse for the use of neopronouns but they did make the writing feel a bit clunky to get through, and moreover, the entire point of neopronouns is that they are a socially constructed thing—there wasn’t an established background for their use within the context of the story. I would’ve appreciated more development of the idea of being outside the gender binary rather than a superficial display of ‘representation’… and speaking of, there are LGBT characters but the main ‘romance’ was your standard heteronormative fare. I wasn’t a huge fan as the romance seemed quite underdeveloped and unsuitable for the characters involved. Thankfully the romance is not a large part of the plot, but it does result in a few melodramatic moments.What with that first chapter, it was quite easy for me to lose myself in this book for a few days, and it still managed to tick off a lot of boxes for me. As Roanhorse describes it, there are “spearmaidens and assassins, shipkilling tempests and god-made storms deadlier than any weather”, and a rather cool map as well. If you’re interested in epic fantasy and/or speculative fiction and/or indigenous cultures, definitely check this book out.Favorite quotes:※ “‘A man with a destiny is a man who fears nothing,’ he whispered to himself.”※ “What use is a power to read the heavens if it cannot be turned to your own benefit?”※ “I once saw a crow befriend a kitten and protect it with its own life.” (I am no fan of birds but this does sound like something crows would do. In fact, this entire book made me appreciate crows in a way I haven't since reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo... and there were very few actual crows in that book.)※ “…justice came though the actions of humans holding wrongdoers to account, not through some vague divine retribution and certainly not through violence.”※ “It was a simple thing, but it felt good. She had had a problem and she solved it. It wasn’t so hard. A manageable danger rather than the precipice of future decisions that lay ahead.” (Note to self: the next time I am procrastinating because something is difficult, do something small.)※ “But if your stories are of adaptation and survival, of long memory and revenge, then I will know you are a Crow like me.”

"Today he would become a god. His mother had told him so."

The opening line may seem like something any mother would tell her son, but in the case of Serapio, his mother truly believes he will become the Crow God reborn. She blinds him, carves marks of the Carrion Crow tribe into his skin, all so he can fulfil the prophecy on the day of the convergence.

Black Sun was the epic fantasy I was waiting for. I loved all the characters, the world-building was fantastic and I didn’t want to put it down once. The story can be dark at times but overall it felt hopeful, and the majority of the characters showed compassion and a desire to do good, even when things aren’t going quite as planned.

It opens with the mutilation of Serapio by his mother ten years prior. Once you have been shocked by that, the rest of the cast is introduced. A captain with iridescent eyes, feared to be part fish by superstitious sailors. Xiala is Teek, she can sing the sea into submission, but the secretive nature of her ancestors means many think she is something to be feared, or carved up for magic.

Then there are the Watchers, living in the hills remote from Crescent City. Naranpa is the Sun Priest, a position more likely held by a Sky Clan member. But she is young and from a poor background, and not everyone agrees with her position. She wants change, and change can be dangerous.

The Carrion Crow tribe have fallen from grace, and a growing number of them are awaiting the return of their god. The Watchers dismiss this, whilst the reader knows their god is coming, or at least someone who believes they will become one.

The world is inspired by Pre-Columbian Americas, that’s before Europeans went and meddled on the continent. It is so refreshing to read epic fantasy away from feudal systems, and other trappings of European history. Mayan civilization is the inspiration for Crescent City and the Watchers, with their Sun Priest being dominant in their culture, even if faith is wearing thin. The Tovans are based on the Tewa people, indigenous to North America. The Teek’s relationship with the sea is inspired by ancient Polynesian sailing methods.

After reading an article on Rebecca's past, I felt her themes of returning home and not-belonging were ever so much more poignant.

The ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger. The main points of this story are resolved, I think it’s more of an “OMG what happens next?” type moment than lack of an ending. And OMG I do want to know what happens next! Bring on book two!