My Rating: 7/10
Synopsis
Tucked away in the blue sands of Kol 2, the Motes are on the brink of cultural collapse. Razor, a bold and daring pilot, leads a last-ditch gambit against their local oppressors, the Targitians. The plan – abduct visiting Ambassador Keen Draden and use him as a bargaining chip to restore her people’s independence in the Sagittarius Arm. But when the operation unravels, Razor is forced to renegotiate terms with the arrogant diplomat.
Light years away on Heroon a radical resistance blossoms. The alluring rainforest planet haunts Keen. All his problems started there during the Patent War, but it’s where Razor’s troubles may find a solution. The moral tide ebbs, exposing an impossible choice that links their futures together more tragically than they ever thought possible.
Goodbye to the Sun: a space opera inspired by the Greek tragedy, Antigone.
Review
First things, first: a big thank you to Jonathan Nevair for a copy of Goodbye to the Sun in exchange for an honest review. Despite being someone who loves fantasy, I am not a huge reader of the Sci-Fi genre. I thought this sounded really interesting and liked that it has ties to the Greek tragedy Antigone, so I decided to give it a whirl.
I really enjoyed the start to this book. Nevair pulls us in with a lot of intrigue regarding Keen and his story. Immediately, I had to know his journey. I enjoy the device that Nevair uses, where authors give you a hint of the ending for a character’s story right off the bat but make you work to get there. I think it’s so fun and automatically will make you want to know more. It was really well done in this case, too.
If you like character driven stories, this will satisfy your needs. It also has some really cool world building for those that need more visual descriptions to get sucked into a novel. Nevair definitely knows how to involve his readers in his book. I’m a huge fan of books that are character driven, so even though Sci-Fi isn’t my usual genre, I was very invested in Goodbye to the Sun.
Our two main characters, Razor and Keen, have these voices that play off each other very well. Razor’s role as a kidnapper was essential to the story and she provides much needed insight to the political climate. Keen is such a multi-faceted character and it was interesting to see his opinion of himself in contrast to the way other people view him. I found this to be very realistically written and it added a lot of nuance to the book. I really enjoy seeing different perspectives and the way they shape our own perception, especially when those characters represent conflicting motives.
In Goodbye to the Sun, Nevair writes an engaging, smart, fast-paced space opera with brilliant character development. I can confidently say that seasoned Sci-Fi readers will enjoy this even more than I did. This novel is sure to be a treasure within the indie SFF community.
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