Black Sun

“Black Sun” is set in a fantasy world inspired by pre- Columbian Mesoamerica. What did you think of the setting? Did you recognize anything that the author was referencing in the world that she built?

There are four point-of-view characters in this book - Xiala, Serapio, Nara, and Okoa. Were there any of the characters who stood out to you as your favorite? Did anything that one of these characters did surprise you? Did your opinion on them change throughout the book?

One of the interesting things about the structure of “Black Sun” is that characters who would necessarily be antagonists - like Serapio and Nara - are never quite set up as being “good” or “bad”? Why do you think that Rebecca Roanhorse decided to structure the book this way? What does it say about the world of the book? Do you think she was trying to comment on our world?

Serapio is blinded as a child so that he can become a vessel for a god. What do you think that he had to be mutilated in that particular way? Were you surprised that Serapio went through with his mission at the end of the book? Why do you think he ultimately decided to become a vessel?

Race, class, politics, and religion are all tackled in various ways in “Black Sun.” Did the book make you start to think differently about your worldview about these issues?

“Black Sun” is the first in a planned trilogy of books. Will you be reading the second book when it comes out? What do you think might happen? What do you hope will happen?

If you were making “Black Sun” into a movie or TV show, who would you cast?