Black Sun
core novel 2020 Between Earth and Sky
Record
| First published | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.16 (57,313 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 454 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781534437678 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Black Sun is set in the holy city of Tova as the approach of a rare solar eclipse coinciding with the winter solstice drives its interwoven plot. Xiala, a disgraced sea captain whose voice carries a dangerous magic capable of calming or unraveling minds, is hired to ferry a mysterious blind passenger named Serapio to Tova before the solstice arrives. Serapio, marked by ritual scarring since childhood and bound to a destiny tied to the Crow God, travels toward the city with intentions he keeps largely to himself. In Tova, Naranpa, the Sun Priest who leads the religious order known as the Watchers, navigates mounting political intrigue as the rare celestial event draws nearer, aware that it threatens to upend the fragile order she oversees. The narrative follows these converging paths as the eclipse approaches, without resolving what happens when they finally meet.
Where it sits
- Universe: Between Earth and Sky
- Series: Between Earth and Sky core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
Awards (verified)
- Ignyte Award (Outstanding Novel (Adult)), 2021: won
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2021: finalist; Lost to Network Effect (Martha Wells).
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2021: finalist
- Locus Award (Fantasy Novel), 2021: finalist; Placed 4th in the Locus poll.
- Lambda Literary Award (LGBTQ Speculative Fiction), 2021: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (Between Earth and Sky): Complete trilogy set in the invented secondary world of the Meridian region, inspired broadly by pre-Columbian Americas. No Expanded-canon short fiction exists for this specific universe as of this research.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Between Earth and Sky: position 1 of 3: next Fevered Star (2022)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sun_(Roanhorse_novel)
- Rebecca Roanhorse, official site
- https://realmsofmymind.wordpress.com/2020/10/12/review-black-sun-by-rebecca-roanhorse/
- https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2021-hugo-awards/
- Nebula Awards (SFWA)
- https://www.sfadb.com/Rebecca_Roanhorse
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