Black Sun- Fantasy Annotation

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse

Title: Black Sun

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

Number of Pages: 454

Geographical Setting: A fantasy version of North American Indigenous lands

Time Period: Pre-Columbian

Series: Between Earth and Sky #1

Plot Summary: Black Sun takes readers through the richly detailed lands of the Meridian, inspired by civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. Grand prophesies are made, politicians and religious leaders scheme, and magicians, sailors, and warriors alike seek to alter their land’s fate. Narunpa, the unpopular Sun Priest has grand aspirations to help her people but fears her time in power is limited. Xiala, a disgraced Teek and ambitious ship captain with magical abilities is charged to safely transport one man, Serapio, blind, scarred, and altogether too handsome, who seems to be much much more powerful and significant than originally thought. These characters and their aspirations build as the Convergence draws near and the Meridian descends into chaos.

Subject Headings: 

High fantasy
Legends-- North America
Queer identities
Navajo magic

Appeal:

Setting: Roanhorse creates an intricate world based on Pre-Columbian North America, inspired by Navajo legends and beliefs. She builds cities, mountain ranges, clans, cults, religions, and semi-magical races that all interact in the novel in complex ways.

Pace: The novel is fairly fast-paced; each chapter presents a countdown to “the Convergence,” when the moon will block out the sun and celestial power is at its highest.

Storyline: The novel jumps between different perspectives and leans heavily into the “world-building” aspect of fantasy. Satricks tells us that “readers turn to this genre to enter a new realm, and they want that world to be detailed and fully described” (2019, p. 154). Roanhorse has created a complex world of high fantasy that feels wholly unique from most else in the genre today.

Characterization: The main characters we get to know belong to many different groups across the Meridian and often find themselves pitted against each other. It is difficult to nail down one protagonist and antagonist as we understand the people and motivations on every side of an issue. Additionally, Roanhorse portrays several complex character identities and sexualities, portraying the traditional indigenous belief in a third gender.

3 terms that best describe this book: Indigenous, Richly detailed, Queer

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works:

Critically Sovereign: Indigenous Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies- Joanne Barker

For readers intrigued by Roanhorse's complex portrayal of gender and sexuality, this book explores Indigenous history and current beliefs.

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus- Charles C. M

This is a new historical exploration of the Americas in the centuries before Columbus brought colonial beliefs and practices.

She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea- Joan Druett

For those drawn in by Xiala's story as a ship captain, this novel explores the real-life history of female explorers of the sea.

3 Relevant Fiction Works:

She Who Became the Sun- Shelley Parker-Chan

Like Black Sun, this novel presents themes of power, priests, fate, divinity, antiheroes, and queer identity, though She Who Became the Sun is rooted in Chinese History.

The Bone Shard Daughter- Andrea Stewart

This is another work of adult high fantasy with strong queer themes. The Bone Shard Daughter draws from Asian culture and is rooted in dynasty and ancestral magic.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms- N. K. Jemisin

Both novels are own voices high fantasy featuring political intrigue, deities, and religion, but Jemisin's novel is a work of Afrofantasy.