This was a dnf for me. I struggled to engage with the world and characters, and the dark apocalyptic tone was a challenge for me with all that’s going on in the real world. I read 25% before giving up. Definitely has good writing and creative world building, but was not for me.

4.5* Black Sun is a richly worded treat of a book. Rebecca Roanhorse has a unique voice that takes you on a journey that's as fun and interesting as the climax of the story. Black Sun has multiple POVs, which I normally dislike. That being said, Roanhorse does it right. Even though I had favorite POVs in the beginning, I liked them all by the end and that NEVER happens to me. There is a lot of LGBTQ representation. Each character is trying to figure out their path in life and I love how there isn't really a villain. There are just people hating other people based on differing beliefs. I wish there was more to the ending of Black Sun. Too much was handed off to the next book. I deducted half a star because I don't see myself rushing back to read it again, but I enjoyed my time in this resplendent world and I look forward to the sequel.

Roanhorse consistently delights me with her fresh takes in the fantasy genre. This book will appeal to readers of mythic and epic fantasy, and I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

One of my favorite reads of this year. While this was my first Roanhorse book, it certainly won't be my last.
This was beautiful. It has everything-humor, heartache, action (lots), and a little romance.
The representation in this book was done fantastically.
The story is set in pre-Columbian Americans-and such a breath of fresh air from the more common settings we see in Fantasy. Mystical creatures and gods are just a few POVs that we follow throughout this story, and each one is very well crafted.
I loved Serapio's character. I was intrigued with him the most and felt for him the whole time.
I know I just read and ARC-but like, can I please have the second book now-that ending was intense!?

Many thanks to NetGalley, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Gallery/ Saga Press for providing this amazing ARC which was at my wish list in exchange my honest opinions.

The first novel of Nebula Award-Winning Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky series paints indigenous North and Central America lore in a new and glorious light.

A colorful, vividly imagined world, Black Sun explores the power of politics and religion. Through Sun Priest Naranpa, the vision for more approachable religious authority creates tension and discord in fellow priests' ranks. Serapio, born in a distant landlocked city, is trained through sacrifice and pain to become the vessel of the god, Grandfather Crow. Sea captain Xiala carries the powerful magic of her kind, the Teek, that would have men willing to kill for her eyes to wear them like jewels.

Xiala and Serapio will become companions, maybe even friends, on a long voyage that will take him to Tova, where he will seek revenge for the Night of Knives and become the god he is destined to be. All three characters drive the story forward without abandon, and all three are on a collision course set by the countdown to a winter solstice marked by an eclipse.

Immaculate world-building is woven expertly with the themes Roanhorse skillfully explores. Black Sun is both immersive and haunting. There is something ethereal about the story, almost reverent. Serapio's introduction is eerie and magnificent, a poetic exploration of a mother's determination to make her son a god. The devotion explored in the moments of poisoning her son, of making him watch the sun until he goes blind, is both terrifying and beautiful.

Chapters are marked by location and time until the Convergence and excerpts from essays or books from the world Roanhorse has created. The shifting timeline, from ten years before the Convergence, to 20 days before, creates building tension as the countdown winds to a close.

There is much still to come from the Rebecca Roanhorse and the Earth and Sky series. Fantasy fans will feast on this first installment, Black Sun, and eagerly await what will follow.

This was a great novel that gives a glimpse into the fabric of the ancient peoples of the Americas, long before Europeans came on the scene. Weaving fact and fantasy in a wonderful tapestry. Highly recommend and purchasing for library.

This epic fantasy rekindled my love for the fantasy genre. It's refreshing to read an epic fantasy story based in a world that's not Euro-centric. All of the characters were compelling and their stories were woven together so satisfyingly. I'll read all the books in this series, but in the meantime I might as well go back and read Roanhorse's backlist.

Since late March, I’ve been in a reading slump. I barely read more than one novel these last few months. But when I was offered the chance to read Rebecca Roanhorse’s upcoming novel (first of a new trilogy) Black Sun, I decided to jump right into it. Roanhorse’s past works, including Trail of Lightning and her award-winning short story Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience, never failed to impress me. I expected something just as amazing when starting Black Sun, but Roanhorse’s storytelling this time shattered beyond my expectations. Black Sun is an example of superb world building and a compelling cast and plot.


To say that Roanhorse’s world building is a breath of fresh air is an understatement. Right from the first page, I’m already invested in the setting and characters. The attention to detail, from the architectural delights down to the smell of someone’s clothes, makes me, a reader, feel like I’m part of this world. Roanhorse takes inspiration from pre-Columbian mesoamerican civilizations, but unlike most of her previous work, she has ultimately created a unique and fascinating world. While the Sun Priests could reference the Incan civilization, for instance, Roanhorse introduces giant crows and water striders, adding original elements to her world’s lore and history. Even after reading for the first time, the world remains in my mind.


The novel alternates between the four main characters. For some writers, having multiple perspectives/point of views can make or break a story. The plot beats and shifting POVs need to connect and lead to the climax and ending. Fortunately, Roanhorse does that. Some of the alternating chapters take place in the past, but they contribute to the plot in the present moment effectively instead of disorienting the reader.


The characters aren’t merely memorable. They are complex and complicated with their own strengths and shortcomings. Different relationships are developed, whether familial, platonic or romantic. Black Sun introduces themes of traditional values vs. reformation, choice vs. destiny, and being othered by your people. Some readers say that rich world building matters in SFF, and that is true, but in Black Sun’s case, it’s the relationships and complexities of the characters. Along with suspense to hook the reader in, Roanhorse provides a treasure’s worth of a story.


Black Sun offers immersive world building and memorable characters, but the book also has LGBTQ+ representation. People of varied genders and sexual orientations are mentioned and introduced, showing a queer normative world. SFF (as with all media) still has a long way to go with representing marginalized identities, so it is heartening to see it seamlessly woven into the novel.


Highly recommended.


Preorder from Bookshop


Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the e-ARC of this title.


At the request of the publisher, direct quotes from the book are prohibited.

This book was absolutely incredible. I was completely immersed in Black Sun from the moment I started reading, and now that I finished it I don’t know what to do while I wait for the sequel.
Black Sun is beautifully written, with complex characters that aren’t all good or all bad. The mythology and history of the world is incredibly intricate and is woven throughout the story perfectly.
I love this book so much.

It took me less than a day to read this...and I want to start it over again immediately!

I have enjoyed the two Maggie Hoskie books that I've read, and I've recommended them and gifted them to so many people....but Black Sun is a step up in scale, in magic and in depth. I will still read any and all new Sixth World books, eagerly, but I desperately hope to spend more time in the Black Sun universe before returning there.

The mixture of pre-european history and religion with magic and fantasy is compelling and new. I love that she draws across many of the different histories and time periods, from Polynesian sailing techniques through Ancestral Puebloans, with allusions to the Cahokian mounds, plus Incan and Mayan traditions as well. Plus mermaids and giant crows the size of dragons! Add in a mystical quest, a winter solstice eclipse and characters that are compelling, flawed and fascinating and you have a the beginning of a truly epic and original series. I cannot recommend this enough!

This book really cements Rebecca Roanhorse's already solid place as a new and exciting voice in the SF&F space. I can't wait to read whatever she does next!

This book was fantastic and it's definitely a new favourite. Rebecca Roanhorse did a spectacular job and I will personally bake her cookies if she let's me beta read the sequel.

I adored the characters and the fact that loving them all meant that my heart was going to be broken at some point, since there are two sides of the main conflict and you're rooting for both of them. Txiala was fascinating, both because of her powers and the lore of her people, but also as bi/pan representation. Serapio is the first blind character I have ever read about and I loved him. And I really appreciated that there were two named non-binary characters and the gender of others was sometimes not assumed either.

The setting was spectacular. It was beautifully vivid and filled with life: different locations had their own societal rules and expectations, traditions and religion, vocabulary, fashion and food. I felt transported into this world and I simultaneously never wanted to finish this book, but I also wanted to know how it ended. The best kind of heartbreak. I can't wait for the sequel!

I am angry at how phenomenal this book is. Like, what gave you the right to be so good, BLACK SUN? Go preorder this, everyone. You’ll thank me for it.

***

But he did have something that others lacked, something he would have willingly traded for love had the bargain ever been offered. He had purpose.

“A man with a destiny is a man who fears nothing,” he whispered to himself.

***

I feel inadequate in writing any sort of review because it would pale in comparison to the book. Y’all, it’s so fucking good. I don’t say that lightly because I don’t five star very often. Any attempts at describing the worldbuilding would just result in a series of exclamation points while words burst in an incoherent stream of consciousness. If you read epic fantasy, read BLACK SUN because it is a masterclass in stakes and driving the reader into tears (awe and shock!).

For those who care about romantic arcs: there are hints of two romantic pairings (bi f/m & f/nb) but nothing gets resolved in this book. There is a cliffhanger because this is epic fantasy trilogy.

We’re living in the golden renaissance of fantasy. It awes me when authors like Rebecca Roanhorse, N.K. Jemisin, Tasha Suri, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia outdo themselves with every new book. It’s an embarrassment of riches, and we are so lucky to be witnessing their greatness.

Love to see fantasy in a setting inspired by early American cultures! Interesting characters, interesting worldbuilding. I wasn't a big fan of Roanhorse's other series, but I've always favored stuff that isn't set in the real world, so Black Sun was much more to my taste! My only real complaint was the ending is very much "oh, this is the first book in a series". Don't expect things to be particularly well resolved. Nonetheless, definitely looking forward to seeing how this series develops.

When Rebecca Roanhorse sets out to write an epic fantasy with the "scope, scale, magic, and intrigue" inspired by the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas set in a fictional secondary world, she does not miss the mark!! Black Sun is the fantastically intense and mystical beginning of her new series.

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is a time of celebration, and this year it coincides with a solar eclipse.

Xalia, is a disgraced Teek and ship captain, whose Song can calm waters and warp a man's mind, sets sale for Tova. On board is a singular passenger, one shrouded in mystery and shadow. Serapio is a scarred, blind young man, and he is the sole purpose of the voyage to Tova.

Roanhorse created a world rich with culture, hierarchy, intrigue, magic, dynamic characters, and so much more. Firstly, the entire geographical setting, albeit fictional, is breathtaking and mystical! The civilizations and their belief systems created in this story are incredibly inventive and beautiful. It is those very things that lend to the dynamics of the characters.

There are several characters and clans in this book, all equally worth discussion, and each of them are so well written. The main characters: Xalia, Serapio, the Priests, and the different clans. There are some other secondary main characters as well, but they come in a little later. All the characters arcs are well developed and believable. Xalia is hilarious and bawdy, but she's still a woman with feelings. Serapio... hero? Villian? Anti-hero? We shall see. There are four different priests of note. Naranpa, the Sun Priest, predicts the world will descend into chaos at the solstice, but naturally that is what the Priesthood is for; to prevent such things. The Sun Priest also seems to have slightly different, more progressive views of those that she leads. Her own character arc lends to a major sophisticated plot development. Roanhorse wrote about four different clans, basically living harmoniously among each other in their own areas but under the same Priesthood. The scope in which she created all the clans in relation to the rest of the characters and setting is artful and amazing.

Her writing style kept things interesting and moving. I loved the poetic, proverbic intros to every chapter. They were hauntingly beautiful and insightful to Clan ideology. Some of the characters' POVs and self-inflections are intimate and romanticized lending even more credence to their development and intrigue.

Black Sun is truly an epic fantasy. It gripped me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down! I finished it in one reading. There's magic, mystical, beasts, gods, prophecy, social inclusion/exclusion, deception, nostalgia, and dark intrigue. I cannot wait for book two!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“A Convergence is a celestial alignment. A day when the sun, moon, and earth align, and the moon’s shadow devours the sun.”
“A black sun,” she said, nodding. “That’s what the Teek call it. They are rare.”

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun is the first book in an epic fantasy series set in a world inspired by ancient American civilizations and cultures. This a-chronologically told story revolves around four main characters (with the chapters all alternating from each of their perspectives—in third person) who are all bound by forces of destiny beyond their knowledge or control. The story itself succeeds in the dynamic originality of the worldbuilding, the depth of the characters, the engrossing plot, and the extremely multifaceted, subtle, and insightful exploration of the human mind and soul.

“A man with a destiny is a man who fears nothing.”

In a genre full of literally thousands of books easily confused and conflated due to their similar looking worlds, trope-y characters, and identical plot devices, Roanhorse’s new book stands startlingly alone in its refreshing originality but also in the penetrating and beautiful humanity of its characters.

“Usually,” Xiala said carefully, “when someone describes a man as harmless, he ends up being a villain.”

One of the most interesting and compelling things that I thought Roanhorse did in this book was not to set a clear delineation between good and evil. Even after the end of the book, it is still not clear who the villain is—if there is one. Which, in a fantasy novel, is extremely innovative and rather ingenious because if fantasy is the mirror by which we as readers examine our own reality, I feel as though Roanhorse is expertly accomplishing that feat by creating a cast of characters whose individuality outweighs their role in a mere plot. The characters act in very human and unexpected ways that belie expectation and predictability but still make perfect sense in the context of their development.

I also loved her use of Crows as subcharacters—corvids have always been my favorite kind of birds—and her comment in the acknowledgment sections about how she made up the talking crows but that they “are closer to the real thing than you might think” was just 😚👌🏻. She KNOWS if you know what I mean. 😉

“We will witness order move to chaos and back to order again.”

While the writing style is not very literary—which is what I’m usually most drawn to in my readings—the plot was extremely engrossing, the characters were all very interesting, and the worldbuilding was exquisite—easily my favorite thing about this book. I also especially loved its originality and the very effortless, casual representation of various genders and orientations. This book is the first book I’ve ever read that had a character using xe/xir pronouns which was extremely cool, and one of the MCs was pansexual! And yes. There is a bibliography. 💯 I am so excited to see where the rest of this series goes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW // CW: ritual suicide, violent death, murder, gore, seastorms, drowning, violence against children

Additional thoughts…
I really hope this book comes with a map in its published version—especially with a zoomed-in map of Tova which sounds like *such* a beautiful city.

I’m also getting kind of emotional thinking of just how amazing a movie adaptation of this book—how beautiful the setting, how powerful the music, and how incredible an all-indigenous cast—would be.

I do wish Roanhorse had used even more (though she definitely uses a reasonable amount anyway) of the Yucatec Maya and Tewa languages that she was inspired by for the cultures she invented in her story as language is one of the main things that really draws me into a fantasy world.

Favorite character: Zataya—definitely hope there’s a *lot* more of her in the sequels!

Recommended further reading: A Phoenix First Must Burn, ed. Patrice Caldwell; Rebecca Roanhorse’s story “ was my favorite of this outstanding anthology.

I just finished Black Sun and even though the book doesn't come out until October, I had to share my excitement. It was an absolute privilege to go on this journey laid out by Roanhorse. The character development is second to none and the world building is top shelf in all of high fantasy, and the climax is one of aplomb and tremendous payoff. I know I am gushing but I am slightly abashed I have not read this author before! A full and detailed review will be out close to the publication date.

I received an ARC for a honest review.

It was truly an honor to read this book. To be immersed in this epic fantasy and see the world through a shuttered in, blind character, opened this book up to a new depth. I loved the story line. I am definitely awaiting book two. Xiala, Serapio or Naranpa, And Naranpa’s brother hold my attention. I want to know more about them. Will. Area survive. Will Serapio seek her out and end her? So many questions.

A tight, intricately plotted book with a fully realized world and compelling characters. BLACK SUN should be considered a masterclass in fantasy writing and take a space next to the greats of the genre.

Black Sun is the first in a series, a powerful and compelling introduction to a SFF world based on the cultures, cities, and religions of indigenous, Pre-Columbian American civilizations. Full of detail and depth and complex, conflicted characters, it is written with great skill and beautiful timing and plotting. Everything about this feels real and immediate, and there is so much more I can't wait to learn about the cultures presented here, the characters, and, of course, what happens next. The book ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, albeit one constructed so well that it also feels like an appropriate point to pause, so be prepared. But go read it, right now.

Thank you NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

The short of it?

Read this book. Devour it.

I’m completely at a loss now that I’ve finished it. How can something be so perfect at the right time?

I won’t talk about anything plot related, but Rebecca Roanhorse is truly a master at her craft. I want to scream about characters, moan my love for them, yell about the plot, but all of that will have to wait. Just know that you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t buy this book. Rebecca has made such a beautiful, fascinatingly rich and unique book that the fantasy genre has been waiting for. Read it.