Black Sun (Roanhorse novel)

Serapio of the Carrion Crow family is blinded and scarred in a religious ritual. He becomes the new incarnation of the Crow god. Years later, Captain Xiala is hired to transport him to the city of Tova. Xiala's crew mutinies. Serapio summons an army of crows to kill the crew and save her.

In Tova, Naranpa serves as the Sun Priest, head of the Watchers. She attempts reforms to reverse the priesthood's long decline from power. The Carrion Crow hate the Watchers. Decades ago, the Watchers massacred many Crow to destroy the Odohaa Crow religion and increase their own power. Yatliza, leader of the Carrion Crow, dies. Her son Okoa returns home to Tova and attempts to prevent conflict with the Watchers. At her funeral, a riot breaks out and Okoa is falsely accused of an attempted assassination on Naranpa. The Watchers prepare for war with the Odohaa cult. Naranpa is ousted from her position as Sun Priest. She seeks help from her brother Denaochi and Zataya, a witch. Rogue priests attempt to kill Naranpa; Zataya attempts to resurrect her.

Xiala and Serapio arrive in Tova. During an eclipse, Serapio kills most of the Watchers. He is surprised to discover that Naranpa, the true Sun priest, is not there. He is severely injured but is rescued by Okoa. Time seems to freeze and a black sun hangs over Tova as the new year begins.

There are four point-of-view characters: Serapio, Xiala, Okoa, and Naranpa. The present-day timeline is interrupted with frequent flashbacks.[3]

Though Black Sun features many queer characters and has been praised for its inclusivity, a reviewer for SyFy pointed out that "queerness" is a product of white supremacy and colonization. In many pre-Columbian civilizations, queer identities would not be considered "other" but would be considered normal parts of those societies. Xiala's bisexuality is used to highlight the varying degrees of acceptance among different cultures. Other characters are non-binary and use neopronouns, and this is accepted in most cities in Black Sun's world.[4]

Roanhorse researched Southeast Asian, Native American, and Mesoamerican civilizations while writing Black Sun. She wanted to write fiction that was different from the traditional European settings of epic fantasy novels. She started by writing the character of Xiala, and stated that "all the other characters started to come together" afterwards.[5]

In December 2021, it was reported that AMC Studios will be adapting the novel into a television series with Roanhorse and Angela Kang as executive producers.[6]

Black Sun received positive critical reviews with a "Rave" rating from the book review aggregator Book Marks based on eight independent reviews.[7] Kirkus Reviews praised the characterization and political intrigue, calling it "the next big thing".[8] The book was praised for its characterization and action sequences,[3] as well as its positive and nuanced portrayal of queer characters.[4] A reviewer for Locus praised her "awareness and respect" when writing fictionalized versions of Indigenous cultures.[1]

Black Sun and Roanhorse's other books have received mixed reviews from Native American commentators. Some have criticized her for cultural appropriation in her portrayals of Indigenous communities.[9] Others have praised her for "uncolonizing" fantasy literature.[10]