The Dying Sun

The Dying Sun starts slow, introducing you to the world of Shai’Khal. If you’re not familiar with the Middle East and the lore from the cultures there, it’s a lot to dive into, but I found myself quickly catching on from context clues and didn’t need to refer to the glossary. As you start to get a grasp on the setting and characters, the story quickly picks up pace.

Merikh is an interesting character. At times I found myself rooting for him, seeing myself in his decisions and behaviors, and other times literally beating my hand on the table with frustration at how stupid he was being. He’s a fallible human, lovable with a dark past. It takes some time to feel he’s a reliable narrator; the reader is often led to question his emotional stability - a point that’s extremely important to the story. He’s not broken by it - but sometimes you question if he’s headed that way.

Merikh also gives us an important grounding point within the book’s magic system. He is not as strong as Ruya the priestess, but far stronger than Adrian his steward. This is probably my favorite part of the world Stanton has created - the magic is comprehensible. Where Adrian avoids using magic for everyday tasks because it tires him out, Merikh uses it liberally, unceremoniously ushering people out of his presence by opening doors and chilling the room around him or touching them with small bits of ice. The magic is so integral to his being that a change in his mood changes the microclimate of the room he’s in. In comparison to Adrian he seems incredibly strong, yet greater works of magic visibly tire him out like manual labor would tire out you or me. Some of my most beloved fantasy series use magic systems that are so strong they’re just incomprehensible, even the weakest seeming as strong as the most master of other crafts. I am SO GLAD this magic system did not fall into that trap.

Each character you meet is unique, and every single one of them genuinely believes they are doing the right thing. There is no “evil” character, even those hungry for power think they are doing what benefits the greater good. They are flawed, they are real, and you’re going to struggle with your feelings for each of them, some less so than others and some painfully so. It’s a breath of fresh air to have such delightfully complex characters. They are diverse, from different races and backgrounds, a whole spectrum of sexualities, dealing with personal trauma, ptsd, religion, and politics. You can relate to the character’s struggles without feeling unnecessarily dragged through them. And the story has extremely strong female characters. Ruya, Sarka, Loralee all have their niche in the story, their personalities distinct and important to the shaping of the plot. Both Ruya and Loralee have a heavy hand in shaping the character development of Merikh. Sarka evolves from an angry, brash spitfire into a character you can /almost/ like, a strong counterpoint to Ruya’s bubbly and energetic persona (who would have thought the god of death’s priestess would be so /sickeningly/ positive and friendly?!).

The main conflict is over religion. The citizens of Shai’Kal worship one god who saved them from their chaotic livelihood and “banished” the evil forces that disrupted their lives. Then along come Ruya and Sarka, who claim to be priestesses/champions of gods who were banished, and not really evil at all. The country is thrown into conflict as factions arise within the faith and different regions react to this news, some embracing a new faith and others desperately fighting to cling to the deity their world has revolved around as long as their oldest ancestor can tell stories of their oldest ancestors. This revelation is earth shattering, and it shows. Poor Merikh is trying to deal with his personal demons and keep his country together at the same time. You genuinely feel for both sides, and you often don’t know which one to sympathize with. Why did the sun god banish the other gods? Are they really gods? Is there an evil force at play here that we haven’t met yet? You’ll have to pick up the book and find out.

It's my book, I feel I'm doing it wrong to review less than that. The Dying Sun is a fantasy novel with a diverse cast of characters dealing with sensitive topics of abuse, religion, sexual orientation, war, and reevaluating your own beliefs. I hope you'll give it a try and that you'll enjoy it.