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The Killing Moon N. The Shadowed Sun N. Review quote There's a truly epic plot, and incredibly well-rounded characters. It also has one of the best endings I've read for ages. She previously won the Locus Award for her first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and her short fiction and novels have been nominated multiple times for Hugo, World Fantasy and Nebula awards, and shortlisted for the Crawford and the James Tiptree, Jr. She is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for the New York Times, and you can find her online at nkjemisin.
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Book ratings by Goodreads. Goodreads is the world's largest site for readers with over 50 million reviews. Prince Wanahomen has been exiled after his mad father was removed from the throne by the Hetawa, and he longs to retake the city. In a show of faith, Hanani and her mentor are given as hostages to the Prince and his allies, the Banbarra, as they plot to retake the city. Threading through these plots is the realm of dreams, and the strange dream that seems to transfer from one sleeper to the next, leaving the sleeper in pain until they die, lost in the dream. Narrative shifts around between Hanani, the young female healer; the Prince; Sunandi, the Ambassador-become-governor; and a merchant woman, Tiaanet, whose father is attempting to play his own role in the city's politics.
Narrative shifts done well enough to convey the many-layered plots of politics, and is especially useful when it can demonstrate opposing plans, and how conflict is created from different working assumptions and perspectives. Jemisin does interesting parallels between chapters, having her characters experience challenges at the same time.
Jemisin is an impressive writer and takes a number of interesting character risks. The Prince is a ruthless and an ass more than once, but she gives enough perspective that he doesn't become the man you love to hate. And while the word "love" is uttered, it is not in devotion, or the middle of passion, but as part of a discussion about comfort.
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There is a rape and incest. Then she raises questions of what it means to be a woman, from the priest-sect, to the nomadic tribes, to the city women, and it all means something different. Its woven into the story in a very harmonious way, and avoids moralizing or preaching. I enjoy Jemisin's writing. Engrossing and detailed, I enjoy her wordsmithing and vision. It was exceedingly readable, with occasionally beautiful turns of phrase: There was something to the custom, she had decided some years ago, of letting a brief passage of time cleanse the air, after dangerous words and thoughts had tainted it.
Though it hadn't been long since I read the first book in the series, I would have benefited from a little more context in the beginning, especially during narrative shifts. The narrative streamlines towards the middle, and it becomes much easier to read. Likewise, the denouncement at the end is not as satisfying, because the view spoiler [representatives of the Protectorate hide spoiler ] are minimally characterized and contextualized.
While I absolutely loved the first book in the series, the Killing Moon review here: The plot of a challenge to personal faith is quite similar, so while the new angle was interesting, I felt Jemisin was capable of more. A second plot involves a rather standard opposites-attract romance; again, although she did it well, I wanted something more than her little twist at the end and her musings on womanhood.
The last major plot line was the retaking of the city, and while it was interesting It reminded me of the occupation of the Dwarven city in one of the Shannara books. I know--it wasn't that bad. I'm just saying it wasn't remarkable. Young woman forced to join band of desert nomads--check. Impresses nomads while learning to appreciate their culture--check. However, the twist of the contagious dream was wonderful. Overall, it's enjoyable, a cut above the average fantasy, and has enough sophistication that a reread was satisfying.
Sometimes tradition itself disrupted peace, and only newness could smooth the way. As the main premises were already established in the first book, it was a lot easier to get into the story. The action takes places 10 years after The Killing Moon , with some of the main characters in the first book acting here as support characters for others. Yet again we get complex and realistic characters, both main and secondary, each driven by their own desires As the main premises were already established in the first book, it was a lot easier to get into the story.
As for other sides of the plot, I found the magic better explained than in the first book, and I enjoyed better the Sharers' type of magic than that of the Gatherers'; I liked how the war was handled, much to the Gujaareen ways; the landscape was awesome, especially the Banbarra's home, which was inspired by the Anasazi ruins; romance is much more tackled with here than in The Killing Moon - not sure if that was good or bad, but what I can say is that I would have been more satisfied with the book ending at the penultimate chapter.
Overall, a very very good book. I wholeheartedly recommend this duology. View all 3 comments. Jul 08, Stuart rated it really liked it Shelves: However, rather than simply changing some names and using thinly-disguised history as her template, she introduces an entirely new religious and social system, one centered around worship of Hananja, the dream goddess represented by the moon. The story this time The Shadowed Sun: The story this time is set a decade after the events of the previous book, and features some of the same characters like Nijiri, now a full-fledged Gatherer, and Sunandi, member of the Kisuati Protectorate now ruling Gujaareh.
However, Jemisin introduces three new main characters: Hanani, a young Sharer priestess, the first female granted this position; Prince Wanahomen, son of the power-hungry King Eninket and now living in exile with barbarian tribes; and Tiaanet, daughter of a powerful Gujaareh family.
I am not generally a big fan of fantasy series, because they often tend to rehash the same events with minor variations for volume after volume, sometimes spawning multiple, superfluous trilogies of increasingly poor quality. But I know that Jemisin is not one of those authors content to churn out more of the same for a steady income stream and apparently that is all some fans want, sadly. As I mentioned, Jemisin has taken inspiration from ancient Egypt and Nubia, but has transformed it for her own literary purposes and to explore her favorite topics.
In The Shadowed Sun she again examines crises of faith among the Hetawa priesthood, due to their dual calling to heal the sick and injured and also punish the corrupt. In addition, Hanani the female Sharer takes center stage as a woman in a male-dominated religion that, ironically, considers women to be goddesses that should be worshipped but not allowed active roles in political or religious leadership. As a result of this, Hanani is sent as a hostage to the barbarian tribes of the Banbarra, who live high up in cliff faces apparently inspired by the Anasazi.
They have strict social conventions very different from both Gujaareh and Kisua, and the exiled Prince Wanahomen has spent much of his life living among them. Through various complex political maneuvers, Hanani and Wanahomen find themselves involved in a plot to return to Gujaareh and overthrow the occupying Kisua Protectorate. Initially they dislike each other, but … yes, there is a love-hate relationship which will test their beliefs about the roles of men and women in healing and the use of dream magic.
The Shadowed Sun | Epiphany
If this was just a standard opposites-attract romance I would have been skipping ahead, but the role of magic in their relationship makes it bearable, even intriguing. Meanwhile, back in Gujaareh, diplomat Sunandi is struggling to maintain the position of the Kisua Protectorate as the occupying rulers of the city. She tries very hard to minimize frictions with the local political leaders and Hetawa priests, but as inevitably happens, economic and social tensions make her position increasingly precarious.
Adding to this is a mysterious dreaming plague, which leaves its victims traumatized or dead. The Shadowed Sun really pushed the gender politics agenda to the forefront, as Hanani battles against the prejudiced attitudes of the Barbarra tribe, her own Gujaareh people, and Prince Wanahomen himself. At times it detracted from the momentum of the narrative, but Jemisin is skilled enough to not let it become sermonizing.
There are several instances involving rape used as a form of punishment in the barbarian tribes, and a very telling incident in which a foreign female spy is captured and the women of the tribe demand she be raped by the men, until Hanani points out that rape within the tribe is proscribed, so why should it be acceptable against a woman who happens to be an enemy? Overall, I found the world-building of The Shadowed Sun to be as good as The Killing Moon, but the occupation plot and return of the exiled prince were a bit too familiar, as was the love-hate romance of Hanani and Wanahomen.
For that reason, I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, but still emphasize that anything Jemisin writes is superior to the vast majority of derivative medieval European fantasies with dragons, elves, dwarves, and magic swords and quests that still clutter bookstore shelves to be fair, a lot of much higher quality fantasies have been coming out in the last decade, so I support this trend whole-heartedly.
View all 5 comments. Oct 03, Algernon rated it really liked it Shelves: I was caught in the story right from the first chapter. The setting is already established: Some of the actors are also returning, but in a move that proved successful in her Inheritance books, the second story is focused on a different trio of characters, and the plot is picked up ten years later, building on the events from The Killing Moon, but telling its own largely self contained story.
Sunandi and Nijiri are back, but they have at best supporting roles for the newcomers: Hanani, Wanahomen and Tiaanet. Hanani is a Sharer, the first woman to be accepted as a dream healer in the rigid structures of the Hetawa. She faces strong opposition for her confirmation in the goddess cult, and an unfortunate double death during her exams starts a criminal investigation plot thread not dissimilar to the one used in the first Dreamblood book.
This time, the danger is a sleeping sickness for which there is apparently no cure. Political powerplays in the city sends Hanani as a hostage to a warrior tribe in the desert, where she is expected to play a role in the liberation of the city I'll come back to this. Wanahomen is the disinherited son of the former Prince Regent of Gujaareh, burning with hate and living only for revenge against perceived wrongs done to his father by both Gatherers and Kisuati. He has the most growing up to do in the novel, and Jemisin delivers, although his story is the most conventional so far regarding fantasy tropes, especially his interaction with Hanani like in every other rom-com flick they take an instant dislike to each other, but we all know how this is likely to play out; well, it does and it doesn't: Jemisin still has a few tricks in her magic hat Tiaanet is the daughter of a noble Gujaareh family, the most beautiful woman in the city, but one for which beauty has brought more pain than benefits.
Her family mother, father, little sister is the very definition of disfunctional with a dominating male, a mother who takes refuge in madness. One of most interesting parts of the novel is the new setting of the Banbarra tribe, living a hard life perched precariously on the abrupt walls of a box canyon. According to the author, the inspiration came from a visit to the Anasazi ruins in the New Mexico desert. More than the landscape, I appreciated the complex rituals and interpersonal relations between the men and the women of the tribe, the different roles each play in the economic development, in the child rearing or in the choosing of a mate.
The Shadowed Sun proves to be a lot more militant about women's role in society than the first volume, but this aspect is very well integrated into the overall story and into the character evolution, so it never reaches a preaching or grating tone for me.
Beside Hanani being the first woman healer, there is Prince Wanahomen's mother who has her own status in the tribe, another Banbarra woman who shows a strong spirit of independence and self-reliance, Tiaamet with her cursed beauty and Sunandi who still has to prove herself as a capable administrator.
Coming back to the liberation of the city of Hananja: The Kisuati prove themselves to be unscrupulous masters of the conquered kingdom, despite Sunandi's efforts at reconciliation between the two nations, and Nijiri goes from initial support of the occupation in oder to eliminate the corruption in the city to covert opposition and negotiations with the Banbarra tribes for the planned invasion of Gujaareh.
The political aspect of the novel is complex, with several more factions in the field than I presented here, and plays out to a page turning rush towards the end, with additional complications from the sleeping sickness that someone is using as a weapon in the war. The author shows a remarcable talent for keeping alot of balls in the air, and for me, she didn't drop any of them in this epic.
The Shadowed Sun : Dreamblood: Book 2
Definitely one to watch out for in future releases. So why only a 9? Romance is back as a major plot element, and like I said, it doesn't scan very original, or really necessary to the development of the story. While Jemisin narrowly avoided the "happy ever after" ending, I felt a bit of a let down after the many "wow" moments in other parts of the book. Not a major shortcoming, due to the talent the author has for writing complex characters and making the reader care about their fate.
Mar 20, Megan Baxter rated it really liked it. Jemisin was nominated for a Hugo this year, despite the best efforts of certain slates. I've now read four of her books, and been impressed by every single one. And seriously, I think The Shadowed Sun might go to the head of the list as my favourite, which would be a very hard choice indeed. The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook Dec 31, YouKneeK rated it it was amazing Shelves: At the end of the first book, I had felt slightly unsatisfied because things were wrapped up so quickly. It tied up the main plot but left me with a lot of questions about what the repercussions would be. This second book gave me what I had been looking for by showing me what those repercussions were, and by then going on to deal with those repercussions.
I felt more satisfied with the ending of this book, particularly in terms of the larger political situation. The Shadowed Sun focused on a different set of main characters, although some characters from the first book did make an appearance. I liked most of the main characters in this book, but I think I was slightly more attached to the ones in the first book. Story-wise, this book felt more fleshed out to me, probably in part because it was the longer book, and maybe partly because it had the world-building from the first book to support it.
On the other hand, it became more romance-heavy than what I typically prefer toward the second half and I thought that dominated the plot a little too much. In the end I enjoyed both books about equally, but each had different strengths. Jun 20, TheBookSmugglers rated it it was amazing.
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers Warning: To me, one of the greatest pleasures in life is to read a great book and then proceed to write a gushy review of said book. This is going to be one of those. The great city of Gujaareh has fallen under the rule of the Kisuati protectorate and now knows oppression and misery.
But revolt is fomenting not only amongst the people but also from above and the priests of the Hetawa temple are ready to overthrown the new government as long as it done in the name of ultimate peace. So when word comes that Wanahomen, the son of the fallen Prince is not only alive but rallying allies to retake his City, the Hetawa is more than ready to parley. But the Prince has hated the Hetawa ever since Gatherers have killed his father and so Gatherer Nijiri sends Hanani, the first and only female Sharer to become his hostage until the city is taken.
But in the meantime, the unthinkable is happening: So now that I described what happens in terms of plot within the pages of this book, I ask you to forget all about it. Now, in The Shadowed Sun, there is an attempt to set things right and return things to their rightful place. But a lot has changed since then. And what I find abso-fucking-lutely brilliant is how N. Jemisin has created and developed this beautiful, vast world down to very small detail only to include within its own narrative thoughtful questioning and attempts to subvert it.
Not to destroy it but to make it better. It is in the treatment of servants or slaves depending where you stem from or the treatment of women: I felt this deep emotional connection with these two characters to the point where I felt they were real. Never once did I do this here, Wana and Hanani felt like real people to me and I understood them and how they acted.
I actually hated Wana to start with but he evolved into this awesomely complex character with the bad and good from someone in his position, that I ended up loving him. Her arc taps into themes of female identity, of power, of belonging, of family, of ways of worshiping and ways of surviving and dealing with trauma. The relationship between the two characters also develops beautifully.
This is a really troubled character and one whose arc was difficult to read and nearly broke my heart. It is a woman who has been consistently abused by her own father and this abuse is portrayed thoughtfully and carefully. And it shows the effects it has on this character as well someone close to her and in their psyche which is so important for this world, because it impacts in the way they dream.
Every character has a role to play and every small detail is taken into consideration. The historical aspect of the order, the way the Gujaareh worship women, how peace is ensured no matter what, all ties in beautifully in the end. Because dreams are so important, you also have all sort of archetypical stuff reforming, reshaping people and the world around them in many ways. This to me, is N. It is one of the best I read this year, it will be on my top 10 along with The Killing Moon and I think it deserves a 10 from me. At the heart of this unrest are three characters: Wanahomen, son of the mad king Eninket, is the Prince that vows to retake his city and prise it free from the grips of the Hetawa and Kisuati, both groups he hates passionately.
Hanani, the first and only female member of the Hetawa as a Sharer-Apprentice, gifted with the ability to heal and to kill. Tiaanet, a Shunha noblewoman whose beauty is beyond compare, but guards a terrible secret and endures the horrific, repeated abuse of her father. Hanani is an amazing protagonist and easily my favorite character of the book — strong, earnest, and dedicated to her life as a Sharer, Hanani grows so much over the course of The Shadowed Sun as she realizes, fully, what she wants. On that note, I loved the closer look at the different tensions and societies within the world of The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun — while the first book laid out the delicate tensions between Gujaareh and the Kisuati, this second novel also examines the desert tribes of the Banbarra, enemies of the Gujaareen but banded together to achieve a common goal.
Like Hanani, Wana grows and changes over the course of the book no small part due to his interactions with Hanani and their burgeoning relationship , and I admire that it all happens organically, believably. Which brings me to Tiaanet. The horror that she has had to endure, the manner in which she withdraws from emotion, the truth of Tantufi…it is poignant stuff. Tiaanet plays an integral part of this novel, and as hard as some parts of her story are to read, hers is a story that should be read.
This is a truly wonderful book, and closes the duology on a sweet, pitch-perfect note. While I still think that The Killing Moon is my favorite of the two books, The Shadowed Sun is without a doubt one of the finest fantasy novels I have or likely will read this year Feb 13, Nathan rated it really liked it Shelves: Fantasy Review Barn The author has done something pretty cool here.
It requires all the set up that amazing first book provided to work. But it reads like something completely different, going in its own unique direction. While two main characters from the first book, Nijiri and Sunandi, do have prominent roles, most of the story revolves around two new characters, Hanani and Wanahomen. Hanani is the first women to be admitted to the Sharers, a sort of magical healer.
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