Member-only story
Nebula Finalist Review — Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rebecca Roanhorse came onto the scene a couple of years ago with Trail of Lightning, a book which was mostly well-received but which was criticized by some Navajo for getting stuff wrong (proof that a Native American can be wrong about NA cultures other than their own).
With Black Sun, she has taken a safer route. This article contains spoilers, so if you haven’t read it and intend to, please bookmark this and come back when you have.
A Mesoamerican Secondary World
Black Sun is Mesoamerican (and a bit south American and even a bit north American) in the same way Game of Thrones is European. Roanhorse has taken the entire concept of the “history-based secondary world” and applied it to the great civilizations of the Americas. The title appears to refer to the “Black sun” of Mesoamerican mythology, which is connected to Quetzalcoatl.
It’s also more literal; the “Black sun” in the book is a solar eclipse, which the priests predict. The book centers around theological and political conflict between the Watchers, a caste of astronomer-priests who guide the people and a cult in the Carrion Crow clan who believes their god is coming back.
Which might actually be true.