City of the Sun

by Sarah Bryant

Ravaged by nuclear war and the most terrifying dictator since Stalin, Russia's future lies in the hands of one gifted child. In the aftermath of nuclear war, Russia cowers in the shadow of Solntse, a dictator with a chilling idea of utopia and a plan to bring it to life. The lynchpin of his plan is Sifte Pierson, a child so gifted that he has gambled his entire future on her obedience. Confined at Institute 1, an isolated school which produces the most powerful minds and bodies to serve Solntse, Sifte has grown up without knowledge of her parents or the life she was stolen from. When a new teacher arrives with a dangerous agenda and clues to her past, Sifte and her closest friends uncover a secret history with the power to destroy Solntse's empire. When the secrets leak to the Socialist rebels in the slums of St. Petersburg, their dreams of revolution begin to take solid form. And as Sifte and her friends work to uncover Solntse's plans for Utopia, she comes to realize that her identity and future are vital not only to Russia's freedom, but to all humankind.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Sarah Bryant (born 1973 in Brunswick, Maine, USA, is a contemporary British based writer.

She attended Brown University in Rhode Island before moving to Scotland in 1996 to study creative writing at the University of St. Andrews. She settled in the UK after meeting her husband and now lives in the Scottish Borders region where along with writing she doubles as a teacher of Celtic harp, and occasionally triples as a printmaker.

Reviews

[Veraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting and new, but the ending sucked :/

[Vashti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a futuristic Russia, the book follows the many challenges and decisions that Sifte, daughter of "traitors", faced. She was trained by the merciless, with the potential to become dictator Solntse's greatest weapon against the resistance.

I found City of the Sun to be action packed, dabbling slightly into political ideologies that twisted society instead, yet retaining the page turning qualities that thrillers possess. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

In fact, number one best selling author Robert Finn said, "Its genius defies classifications- too deep to be a thriller, too real too be sci-fi, too exciting to be satire and altogether too much fun to be literature. The result is extraordinary- an intricate, intelligent, swift-paced and satisfying masterpiece."

I couldn't have put it more aptly, excepting the fact that I think literature can be fun too.

[Eleanor Merson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago, and have read it a few times since. I enjoyed the world that the author built, and the characters.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely well written.
Although this is set in Russia I felt it could almost be set anywhere and would still feel real

[Brian Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a post-apocolypse Russia, Sifte and her friends are trained at Institute 1 to hate the sub-races and the Soviets who work against Solntse, self appointed ruler and god of the new Russia.

The book covers quite a lot of time, with suspicions taking hold and trying to stay ahead of accusations of treason or thoughts against Solntse.

The characters work well, and all have their place. Moves at a good pace with plenty of tension.

[Peter]

A stomping adventure: I've never read anything by Sarah Bryant before but I definitely will be looking out for more by her. I was totally blown away by City of the Sun. It's quite reminiscent of 1984 and, in parts, Gorky Park. Whilst the adventure rips along you're sucked into the characters lives and really care what happens to them. A thrilling read, which I would recommend to anyone.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strange book. I really enjoyed the beginning and character development, specifically of Sifte and her classmates. However, once Sifte left the school, I thought the book was not as well developed. There is a weird epilogue at the end that summerizes Sifte's life post war which detracted from the book.