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A review by aoc
Dark is the Sun by Philip José Farmer
4.0
Entries in the Dying Earth genre are sadly nowhere near as numerous as I'd like them to be, but that just makes Dark is the Sun all the more worthwhile. Less of a fantastic melting pot approach where anything goes author instead opted for how such a dying world would look through the eyes of a tribal human. Is it worth checking out, though?
Aforementioned protagonist is Deyv of the Turtle Tribe, and his accompanying troubles of seeking out a mate from another tribe to capture and marry. This would be easier said than done if the entire thing didn't hinge on his Soul Egg, a kind of gem his people always wear around their neck, needing to be perfectly attuned to that of the potential mate. He sets out from his tribe and their ancestral House. Except, disaster strikes - his Soul Egg gets stolen and marks Deyv as a non-human who would effectively be exiled even if he returned home. So begins a quest to track down the thief across deadly jungles and wastelands. Getting over his desperation Deyv is not only joined by his trusty cat and dog companions, but also comes across a likewise Egg-less woman called Vana and even stranger individuals who join them. All having something stolen by seemingly the same thief who wronged our hunter protagonist.
At this point it's well established that I'm a sucker for world building. Which is good news for Dark is the Sun since narrative present is largely split in half between the party's objectives and Sloosh's, half-protein and half-plant centaur-like being, lectures on the state of the world. After all, both Deyv and Vana are tribal people who, as we find out much later on, never even re-invented basic technology like the wheel. Keep in mind this doesn't mean they're stupid, but rather simply not versed in the history of this Earth billions of years into the future and quickly approaching its end. Sloosh and his race's innate plant memory/communication ability has the benefit of peering back in time as long as vegetation was present. This leads to many info dumps and humorous situations as emotional humans grow frustrated with cabbagehead's claims of intellectual superiority. Until he comes across his match and even more information is conveyed, this time with an alien POV.
Let's just say there's a LOT to take in, but Dark is the Sun eschews mystical elements in favor of ancient technology being misunderstood and misappropriated by ignorant people. Almost as a result of this, and despite events taking place after multiple advanced civilizations had collapsed with this latest simply coming too late to ever rise properly, there are numerous instances of reader playing the guessing game with what Deyv is describing as he associates meaning to it. More often than not with a dose of comedy. For example, when Vana hears the explanation of what "totems with three colored eyes blinking in red, yellow and green when you approach" actually are and feels profound embarrassment having prostrated herself before them. Novel does not air on the obtuse side with meanings buried within meanings. It's quite clear cut and readable with only some of its characters being confused by unknown elements. Oddly enough, it was their names for creatures with no real-life analogs that threw me for a loop.
Characters are largely what it says on the tin, but journey they undertake also changes them. Hoozzist and Sloosh serve as non-human fixtures of the group for the longest time which lets Deyv and Vana grow in their own ways past the original prison of the mind their people live in. Saying any more would probably be spoilers, but I like how they all have that edge befitting humans who survive in a deadly world. I had a raised eyebrows moment when Deyv considered it a bit strange that revered elders would be killed in times of famine which would never happen within his Turtle Tribe. On the other hand, killing infants under the same circumstances made perfect sense to him. Seeing him grow and broaden his horizons to eventually becoming a proper man made this a journey worth following.
Aforementioned protagonist is Deyv of the Turtle Tribe, and his accompanying troubles of seeking out a mate from another tribe to capture and marry. This would be easier said than done if the entire thing didn't hinge on his Soul Egg, a kind of gem his people always wear around their neck, needing to be perfectly attuned to that of the potential mate. He sets out from his tribe and their ancestral House. Except, disaster strikes - his Soul Egg gets stolen and marks Deyv as a non-human who would effectively be exiled even if he returned home. So begins a quest to track down the thief across deadly jungles and wastelands. Getting over his desperation Deyv is not only joined by his trusty cat and dog companions, but also comes across a likewise Egg-less woman called Vana and even stranger individuals who join them. All having something stolen by seemingly the same thief who wronged our hunter protagonist.
At this point it's well established that I'm a sucker for world building. Which is good news for Dark is the Sun since narrative present is largely split in half between the party's objectives and Sloosh's, half-protein and half-plant centaur-like being, lectures on the state of the world. After all, both Deyv and Vana are tribal people who, as we find out much later on, never even re-invented basic technology like the wheel. Keep in mind this doesn't mean they're stupid, but rather simply not versed in the history of this Earth billions of years into the future and quickly approaching its end. Sloosh and his race's innate plant memory/communication ability has the benefit of peering back in time as long as vegetation was present. This leads to many info dumps and humorous situations as emotional humans grow frustrated with cabbagehead's claims of intellectual superiority. Until he comes across his match and even more information is conveyed, this time with an alien POV.
Let's just say there's a LOT to take in, but Dark is the Sun eschews mystical elements in favor of ancient technology being misunderstood and misappropriated by ignorant people. Almost as a result of this, and despite events taking place after multiple advanced civilizations had collapsed with this latest simply coming too late to ever rise properly, there are numerous instances of reader playing the guessing game with what Deyv is describing as he associates meaning to it. More often than not with a dose of comedy. For example, when Vana hears the explanation of what "totems with three colored eyes blinking in red, yellow and green when you approach" actually are and feels profound embarrassment having prostrated herself before them. Novel does not air on the obtuse side with meanings buried within meanings. It's quite clear cut and readable with only some of its characters being confused by unknown elements. Oddly enough, it was their names for creatures with no real-life analogs that threw me for a loop.
Characters are largely what it says on the tin, but journey they undertake also changes them. Hoozzist and Sloosh serve as non-human fixtures of the group for the longest time which lets Deyv and Vana grow in their own ways past the original prison of the mind their people live in. Saying any more would probably be spoilers, but I like how they all have that edge befitting humans who survive in a deadly world. I had a raised eyebrows moment when Deyv considered it a bit strange that revered elders would be killed in times of famine which would never happen within his Turtle Tribe. On the other hand, killing infants under the same circumstances made perfect sense to him. Seeing him grow and broaden his horizons to eventually becoming a proper man made this a journey worth following.