I have finally finished the second in the Dreamblood series! If you’re just joining in, here‘s a link to my review of the first book, The Killing Moon.
The Shadowed Sun (2012)
Written By: N.K. Jemisin
Pages: 522 (Kindle)
Series: Book Two of Dreamblood
Publisher: Orbit
Why I Chose It: As stated before in previous Resolution Project posts, I am reading the works of N.K. Jemisin this year. The entire works, no exceptions.
The premise:
Gujaareh, the city of dreams, suffers under the imperial rule of the Kisuati Protectorate. A city where the only law was peace now knows violence and oppression. And nightmares: a mysterious and deadly plague haunts the citizens of Gujaareh, dooming the infected to die screaming in their sleep. Trapped between dark dreams and cruel overlords, the people yearn to rise up — but Gujaareh has known peace for too long.
Someone must show them the way.
Hope lies with two outcasts: the first woman ever allowed to join the dream goddess’ priesthood and an exiled prince who longs to reclaim his birthright. Together, they must resist the Kisuati occupation and uncover the source of the killing dreams… before Gujaareh is lost forever.
There are mild spoilers for the book in the discussion, proceed with caution.
Discussion: In the way that the first book was about loss, this book was about gain. In The Killing Moon, Nijiri lost his mentor, the Prince lost his father, and Gujaareh lost its kingdom to the Kisua.
Which isn’t to say that no one loses anything in this book, because they definitely do, and I remember thinking toward the end of the book that these incredibly mature adults were able to make incredibly mature and adult decisions on how to deal with that loss. It reminded me so much of watching Captain America: Civil War, where T’Challa is finally be able to confront Zemo, the man who killed his father, and instead of enacting his revenge, just sits beside him and acknowledges the loss that Zemo had suffered. Mercy is an incredibly powerful act, so much harder than giving in to feelings and revenge.
A large part of this story centers around Wanahomen, son of the king who became the big bad in the first book, and his spiritual journey from angry young man intent on enacting revenge on the Hetawa and the people responsible for killing his father, to what he becomes in the end of the book. Nothing about that journey unfolded quite as I expected.
He’s joined in his barbarian camp in the deserts surrounding Gujaareh by Hanani, the first female Sharer to join the Hetawa. Her journey is more fraught than Wanahomen’s, and her decisions are much harder, and her mercy is ultimately much sweeter than his, and the only moment that brought tears to my eyes.
This book was not without its really unsavory elements. A storyline follows a woman called Tiaanet, who is, by force, her father’s sexual partner and mother of her own sister, a truly pitiful and abused young girl named Tantufi. It’s discovered through the book that Tantufi is a wild dreamer who infects the dreams of those who sleep around her, causing them to slip into unwaking dreams that will eventually kill them. The dreams are contagious, sleeping around these dreamers will infect others, and any of the members of the Hetawa that try to assist are also killed.
I spoil this because it attempts to explain her treatment in the book. She’s barely verbal because no one speaks to her. She’s malformed because she’s never allowed to walk or run or be a normal child. She’s been kept chained to a wall in the basement and tortured by her father’s men so she only sleeps when he wants her to, so he uses her power as he chooses. That whole storyline was incredibly difficult and disturbing to read.
The book itself? I checked it out from the library twice. I began this back in September and I’ve only just finished it this second week of November. The book felt like a slog in ways that the Inheritance trilogy didn’t. I’ve heard from numerous people that this book wasn’t their favorite, and I understand why now. I liked it, but I didn’t like it as much as any of the first trilogy.
In conclusion: The resolution project trucks along to its conclusion.
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