Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Black Sun or a Novel wherein the plot, characters, setting and action is fully eclipsed.

Black Sun

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

by
 
 
Longest short story I've ever read. 

Some notes;
Brutal, off putting 1st chapter. 

The time jumping is pointless. If this had been told in a linear fashion, maybe it would have felt like the characters actually did something in the story.

Characters; Serapio. His role is to be a kick the dog character (kick the god character). Goal: become a god. Obstacles: none. Mission Accomplished, more or less?

Xiala. Female Jack Sparrow. The only character I enjoyed. She's also a water-bender and mermaid. She is written as incompetent and fails at her 1 job. Too bad, because she was the only one having any fun. Goal: Captain a ship. Mission failed.

Naranpa. Sun Priest. Written as incompetent and fails at her 1 job. Goal: none. 

Okoa. Some guy. Goal: unknown. Has a big bird. 

The pace of this story is extremely slow. It is almost entirely exposition (repeatedly repeated). The setting is a very thin veneer of Aztec/Mayan fantasy over a standard backdrop (Dice games, whore houses, slimy merchants, temple intrigue, plagues, peasants, pirates)
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And finally, I have no idea who I am rooting for in this story. Xiala, I suppose, but she doesn't have any goals of her own, so that makes it hard.