Black Sun
By Rebecca Roanhorse
Black Sun’s story unfurls from a ritual to awaken the sky god into a messy hive of politics and manipulation. Throughout the fantasy novel, characters discover powers they didn’t think themselves possible of inside of mythos they believed to be folk tales. When it’s working, the story is fascinating and full of color. When it’s not, political power-struggling plays out like an episode of gossip girl. While I started reading the physical book, the audiobook became available when I was around halfway through, and I can’t recommend it enough. Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett all bring unique life to their characters. It is refreshing to have multiple narrators for a multi-character casted book.
The book begins with an attempt to reawaken the crow god, which will continue until the final pages of the novel. Serapio and Xiala make up half of the four main characters, and their chapters cover about half of the book. Okoa is introduced about halfway through, and is immediately a surprise perspective added to the mix. His presence is solidified within his first few chapters, as he becomes a welcome perspective in a progressively more intriguing plot.
Naranpa, Sun Priest, last, and least of the four main characters, begins the book with energy. She is going to shake things up, and return the tower to its former glory. Unfortunately she’s a bit of a push over, spending most of her time doubting every plan and alliance she makes. The political intrigue she gets into feels more like high school mean girls and when she finally shows her strength, it comes out of nowhere. There are attempts to foreshadow her scrappiness or her ability to climb and gamble, but it’s only ever seen when vital to moving the plot forward, making her feel like a waste of time who could have been removed entirely, or killed off early on as a dramatic turn.
Naranpa aside, all the other characters are a delight to follow. Serapio’s story is half flashbacks, but his fascinating existence in the present day chapters deepens those vital moments of revelation. Xiala is a hot mess from her first moments waking up in a jail cell, only getting hotter and messier as time goes on. She’s got a big plot point midway through her journey on the ship, and while it’s a crime there isn’t more, it creates a debt for the story to pay forward in the sequel. Xiala and Serapio’s relationship as they make their way into the city could have been written across their foreheads and it would still be as exciting to follow. There is still potential for them to reunite before the story concludes, though the distance between them is considerable.
While there are some moments of drag that can be blamed on one character in particular, Black Sun is an otherwise exciting book with the potential to only get better through the rest of the series. This is a necessary audiobook read, both for the talent of the voice actors, and to avoid duller moments that can at worst, be listened to at faster speeds. The second book is out now and all but Kaipo Schwab are back as narrators, with a secret fifth name that I know nothing about. Whatever revelations, twists, and turns the next book will bring, it’s sure to carry Black Sun’s commitment to a unique setting filled with, mostly, dynamic characters.