Children of the Black Sun
#4923.94 adjusted 3.95 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2012–2014 Reading commitment Medium Jo Spurrier Last reviewed 2026-10-14
Overview
Children of the Black Sun is a complete three-book Australian epic fantasy trilogy by Jo Spurrier, a new author to this canon. Set in a harsh, Siberia-inspired northern land, it follows a healer with a dangerous, uncontrolled magical gift who is caught up in tribal conflict.
Epic fantasy, Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Children of the Black Sun Jo Spurrier
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Winter Be My Shield | 2012 | 1 | core | 3.86 (1,140 ratings) |
 | Black Sun Light My Way | 2013 | 2 | core | 4.04 (568 ratings) |
 | North Star Guide Me Home; ISBN recorded is the HarperVoyager Australia paperback, 978-0-7322-9257-7: the publisher listing that gives it also gives the series' first two books under the ISBNs already recorded for them (978-0-7322-9253-9, 978-0-7322-9255-3), with this book as volume 3, which AustLit confirms. The author's encyclopedic entry gives 978-0-7322-9256-0, which sits in the number block directly after book 2's and is taken here to be another format of that book rather than this one's. | 2014 | 3 | core | 4.04 (430 ratings) |
The complete Children of the Black Sun trilogy.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Children of the Black Sun? Children of the Black Sun's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Children of the Black Sun? Publication order, starting with Winter Be My Shield. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Children of the Black Sun finished? Complete (2012–2014).
- How much reading does Children of the Black Sun take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Children of the Black Sun ranked? #492 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,138 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #492?
Ranked #492 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.94 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,138 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #491, Fire and Hemlock.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #492 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Winter Be My Shield (2012)
- Black Sun Light My Way (2013)
- North Star Guide Me Home (2014)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Aurealis Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2012: nominated: Winter Be My Shield
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.94 across 2,138 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Children of the Black Sun admitted accepted 2026-09-22
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Jo Spurrier - Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-22
Rule: Core Canon is the complete three-book trilogy: Winter Be My Shield (2012), Black Sun Light My Way (2013), and North Star Guide Me Home (2014), all published by HarperVoyager.