screenshot of book cover by K. Reyes 3/2021
Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Black Sun
- Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
- ISBN: 978-1534437678
- Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press
- Copyright Date: 2020
Genre / Format of the Title:
-
Sci-Fi/Fantasy, speculative fiction, epic fantasy, adult cross-over, action/adventure [book]
- subject tag: LGBTQ+
- 2021 Winner, Alex Award
- 2020 Nominee, Best Novel Nebula Award
- Grades 7-12 (Teachingbooks.net, 2021); ideal for older readers - adults who enjoy epic fantasy and world-building.
Plot Summary:
A young boy, Serapio, is blinded and prepared by his mother to be a vessel who will carry out the plan of the Carrion Crow, and now that he is a young man, he is traveling to the holy city of Tova to fulfill his destiny. Xiala, a Teek who has the ability to control the sea with her song and her voice, is hired as a sea captain who will transport Serapio to Tova. He must arrive there in time for the Day of Convergence when the winter solstice coincides with a solar eclipse. Their journey is fraught with natural disasters and mutiny but Serapio will meet the Sun Priest, Naranpa, and with Xiala’s help, he will fulfill his destiny.
A young boy, Serapio, is blinded and prepared by his mother to be a vessel who will carry out the plan of the Carrion Crow, and now that he is a young man, he is traveling to the holy city of Tova to fulfill his destiny. Xiala, a Teek who has the ability to control the sea with her song and her voice, is hired as a sea captain who will transport Serapio to Tova. He must arrive there in time for the Day of Convergence when the winter solstice coincides with a solar eclipse. Their journey is fraught with natural disasters and mutiny but Serapio will meet the Sun Priest, Naranpa, and with Xiala’s help, he will fulfill his destiny.
Author Background:
Rebecca Roanhorse was born in 1971 in Arkansas to a Native American mother and a Black minister who didn’t know of her existence. Her birth was not a welcome one and she was adopted and raised by white parents in Texas (Shapiro, 2020). She knew she was biracial and in her late twenties, sought to find more information about her biological family. That reunion did not turn out as well as she hoped.
Roanhorse graduated from Yale University, received her Masters Degree In Theology from Union Theological Seminary, and worked as a computer programmer in Wall Street (Shapiro, 2020). After her encounter with her biological family, she decided to study Federal Indian law and got her JD from University of New Mexico Law School. She is married to a Jewelry artist who is Diné from the Navajo Nation. She lives and writes from her home in New Mexico which she shares with her husband, daughter and a pug (Roanhorse, 2021). Roanhorse has written several books and short stories and many of her books are populated by characters from the Navajo Nation and involve Diné myths. This has recently resulted in critics arguing that since she is not a registered indigenous Native American, the stories she tells are problematic. She finds this very troublesome and complicated and has of late removed any references to her indigenous lineage from her official website.
Rebecca Roanhorse was born in 1971 in Arkansas to a Native American mother and a Black minister who didn’t know of her existence. Her birth was not a welcome one and she was adopted and raised by white parents in Texas (Shapiro, 2020). She knew she was biracial and in her late twenties, sought to find more information about her biological family. That reunion did not turn out as well as she hoped.
Roanhorse graduated from Yale University, received her Masters Degree In Theology from Union Theological Seminary, and worked as a computer programmer in Wall Street (Shapiro, 2020). After her encounter with her biological family, she decided to study Federal Indian law and got her JD from University of New Mexico Law School. She is married to a Jewelry artist who is Diné from the Navajo Nation. She lives and writes from her home in New Mexico which she shares with her husband, daughter and a pug (Roanhorse, 2021). Roanhorse has written several books and short stories and many of her books are populated by characters from the Navajo Nation and involve Diné myths. This has recently resulted in critics arguing that since she is not a registered indigenous Native American, the stories she tells are problematic. She finds this very troublesome and complicated and has of late removed any references to her indigenous lineage from her official website.
A sampling of Rebecca Roanhorse's ouvre. (Screenshot by K. Reyes, 3/2021)
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items:
It is incredibly refreshing to read a fantasy novel that isn’t steeped in European lore. Instead, this one draws from the world before conquistadors’ arrival. It reimagines the political, social, and cultural affiliations of people in the Meridian Continent (or what we would now call the Americas). It is replete with political intrigue, backstabbing, social injustices, cultural clashes, and heavy doses of superstition, mystique, and magic. And yet, it is all so believable and inhabitable. Roan builds this world so skillfully that one feels like a visitor in the new land and the reader gets invested in the three primary characters: Serapio, a young man with unimaginable powers, Xiala, a Teek whose mother is the sea, and Naranpa, a Sun Priest whose rise to the power has a more complicated backstory. The characters are so diverse in their personalities, cultural practices, as well as sexual preferences. But they’re written so casually within the plot that they are part of what make the characters so engaging and likeable.
This book won the 2021 Alex Award and is definitely written for adults as the subjects it deals with would require a more mature audience. However, the award validates the young adult appeal.
It is incredibly refreshing to read a fantasy novel that isn’t steeped in European lore. Instead, this one draws from the world before conquistadors’ arrival. It reimagines the political, social, and cultural affiliations of people in the Meridian Continent (or what we would now call the Americas). It is replete with political intrigue, backstabbing, social injustices, cultural clashes, and heavy doses of superstition, mystique, and magic. And yet, it is all so believable and inhabitable. Roan builds this world so skillfully that one feels like a visitor in the new land and the reader gets invested in the three primary characters: Serapio, a young man with unimaginable powers, Xiala, a Teek whose mother is the sea, and Naranpa, a Sun Priest whose rise to the power has a more complicated backstory. The characters are so diverse in their personalities, cultural practices, as well as sexual preferences. But they’re written so casually within the plot that they are part of what make the characters so engaging and likeable.
This book won the 2021 Alex Award and is definitely written for adults as the subjects it deals with would require a more mature audience. However, the award validates the young adult appeal.
Creative Use for a Library Program:
Epic fantasies tend to appeal to an esoteric group of teens who enjoy long, drawn out unfamiliar worlds populated by fantastical, magical, and mythical creatures. To this end, conducting a Myths Around the World project where groups of students were given a short myth and they could then create an artistic image or representation from the myth for display next to the story or on a story wall. This would be more inclusive and allow all students, regardless of whether or not they enjoy reading fantasy books, to participate.
Epic fantasies tend to appeal to an esoteric group of teens who enjoy long, drawn out unfamiliar worlds populated by fantastical, magical, and mythical creatures. To this end, conducting a Myths Around the World project where groups of students were given a short myth and they could then create an artistic image or representation from the myth for display next to the story or on a story wall. This would be more inclusive and allow all students, regardless of whether or not they enjoy reading fantasy books, to participate.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
Myth or reality? God or devil? Serapio was born to fulfill a destiny that Carrion Crow will one day return to avenge its people. With the help of Xiala, a Teek who is hired as a ship captain, Serapio is transported to Tova in time for the auspicious aligning of the solar eclipse with the winter solstice. Find out what happens when he finally arrives.
Myth or reality? God or devil? Serapio was born to fulfill a destiny that Carrion Crow will one day return to avenge its people. With the help of Xiala, a Teek who is hired as a ship captain, Serapio is transported to Tova in time for the auspicious aligning of the solar eclipse with the winter solstice. Find out what happens when he finally arrives.
The official book trailer with its luscious, saturated visual treat (Simon & Shuster Books, 2020)
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
Graphic scenes of violence and sexual descriptions, as well as strong language, drunkenness, Xiala’s bi-sexuality, and violent scarifications are all potential reasons for challenging this text. However, none of these are gratuitous details and censoring a book like this at the high school level is a violation of the librarian’s responsibility to defend materials from censorship as indicated in Article 3 of the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association, 2020).
Graphic scenes of violence and sexual descriptions, as well as strong language, drunkenness, Xiala’s bi-sexuality, and violent scarifications are all potential reasons for challenging this text. However, none of these are gratuitous details and censoring a book like this at the high school level is a violation of the librarian’s responsibility to defend materials from censorship as indicated in Article 3 of the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association, 2020).
Reason for Inclusion:
The plot is complicated and sweeping in scope and the multi-layered world-building that focuses on pre-columbian myths intrigued me.
The plot is complicated and sweeping in scope and the multi-layered world-building that focuses on pre-columbian myths intrigued me.
MAP of the world in Black Sun: https://simonandschusterpublishing.com/black-sun/#home
REFERENCES
American Library Association. (2020, September 25). Library Bill of Rights. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill.
Roanhorse, R. (2021). More about me + contact information. [web log]. https://rebeccaroanhorse.com/about/
Shapiro, L. (2020, October 20). The sci-fi author reimagining indigenous history. Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/article/rebecca-roanhorse-black-sun-profile.html
Simon & Shuster Books. (2020, September 28 ). Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse | Book Trailer [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HzWjJL6dpyQ
TeachingBooks.net. (2021). Black Sun. TeachingBooks. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=74835
Roanhorse, R. (2021). More about me + contact information. [web log]. https://rebeccaroanhorse.com/about/
Shapiro, L. (2020, October 20). The sci-fi author reimagining indigenous history. Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/article/rebecca-roanhorse-black-sun-profile.html
Simon & Shuster Books. (2020, September 28 ). Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse | Book Trailer [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HzWjJL6dpyQ
TeachingBooks.net. (2021). Black Sun. TeachingBooks. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=74835
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