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Sonnentrinker
Sie sind halb Pflanze, halb Mensch
- künstlich geschaffene genetische Zwitter, und können sich von normaler Nahrung ebenso ernähren wie von Sonnenlicht. Niemand kennt mehr das Geheimnis ihres Ursprungs, aber sie leben in kleinen Gruppen und werden von den >>normalen<< Menschenabkömmlingen gejagt und versklavt. Da tritt Duwan auf den Plan, ein junger Sonnentrinker, der für die Rechte seines Volkes kämpft und die Menschen bald das Fürchten lehrt.
Heyne 06/5246
- künstlich geschaffene genetische Zwitter, und können sich von normaler Nahrung ebenso ernähren wie von Sonnenlicht. Niemand kennt mehr das Geheimnis ihres Ursprungs, aber sie leben in kleinen Gruppen und werden von den >>normalen<< Menschenabkömmlingen gejagt und versklavt. Da tritt Duwan auf den Plan, ein junger Sonnentrinker, der für die Rechte seines Volkes kämpft und die Menschen bald das Fürchten lehrt.
Heyne 06/5246
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
318 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 1987
About the author
Zach Hughes
26 books5 followersZach Hughes is a pseudonym of American writer Hugh Zachary.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 17, 2021
Despite the amazingly cheesy cover art (and incorrect art at that-- female plants do not have breasts!), Sundrinker is a good read, and SFF along the lines of Brian Adiss in imagination. Duwan, our main protagonist, is a plant-- like really a plant. On this world, the 'sundrinkers' are plants that during one stage of their life are mobile and sentient; they start off as 'sprouts', become mobile, and after some time start to 'harden' and eventually root themselves once again in the earth and their sentience gradually fades. So, we have some rather novel aliens populating this story!
Duwan is a young warrior, who suffers and accident and loses his left arm. Duwan's village is located in the far northern latitudes in a volcanic valley (which keeps it warm during the long night of winter). Lore has it that the sundrinkers in the valley are in exile from the great forests of the south, the last of the free after a long and terrible war with the 'devourers'-- a plant similar to sundrinkers, but with a very different lifestyle to say the least. Sundrinkers get energy from the sun (hence the name), but also live off their 'fixed brothers'-- e.g., other trees and bushes-- but are careful to do them as little harm as possible: their very religion tells them that 'all are one'. For the Devourers, however, things are very different: they eat the flesh of animals and indeed, of the sundrinkers themselves; they cut down 'tall brothers' to make their homes; they enslaved the remaining sundrinkers (now called pongs); they also eat grain crops, etc.
Duwan, his life as a warrior at an end with the loss of his arm, is consoled by his grandmother, who tells him that in the south, his arm will grow back if he simply roots himself in a good spot. The way to the south is perilous, however, as you must first cross a frozen tundra and then a volcanic area of fire. Duwan is determined, however, and makes the journey. He is shocked when he first encounters the devourers and pongs and after killing a few devourers, learns from the pongs that they have been conditioned to forsake the sun (they must cover themselves on pain of death) and the green edibles all around them. After meeting some of the pong runaways (a lackluster bunch to be sure), Duwan plants himself, his arm regrows, and he heads back home to tell folks what he learned about the south, with dreams of setting the pongs free...
Sundrinker may not have the most original plot, but the plant people are great, making this pure grade A pulp science fiction! We even have lots of plant sex ('grafting') that is described in detail. Hughes must of had a lot of fun writing this (especially the sex scenes!) and the story moves along nicely. Beware, however, of some overly cheesy romance along the way. If you are up for some fornicating plant people looking out to avenge generations of slavery, this book is for you! 4 flowering stars!!
Duwan is a young warrior, who suffers and accident and loses his left arm. Duwan's village is located in the far northern latitudes in a volcanic valley (which keeps it warm during the long night of winter). Lore has it that the sundrinkers in the valley are in exile from the great forests of the south, the last of the free after a long and terrible war with the 'devourers'-- a plant similar to sundrinkers, but with a very different lifestyle to say the least. Sundrinkers get energy from the sun (hence the name), but also live off their 'fixed brothers'-- e.g., other trees and bushes-- but are careful to do them as little harm as possible: their very religion tells them that 'all are one'. For the Devourers, however, things are very different: they eat the flesh of animals and indeed, of the sundrinkers themselves; they cut down 'tall brothers' to make their homes; they enslaved the remaining sundrinkers (now called pongs); they also eat grain crops, etc.
Duwan, his life as a warrior at an end with the loss of his arm, is consoled by his grandmother, who tells him that in the south, his arm will grow back if he simply roots himself in a good spot. The way to the south is perilous, however, as you must first cross a frozen tundra and then a volcanic area of fire. Duwan is determined, however, and makes the journey. He is shocked when he first encounters the devourers and pongs and after killing a few devourers, learns from the pongs that they have been conditioned to forsake the sun (they must cover themselves on pain of death) and the green edibles all around them. After meeting some of the pong runaways (a lackluster bunch to be sure), Duwan plants himself, his arm regrows, and he heads back home to tell folks what he learned about the south, with dreams of setting the pongs free...
Sundrinker may not have the most original plot, but the plant people are great, making this pure grade A pulp science fiction! We even have lots of plant sex ('grafting') that is described in detail. Hughes must of had a lot of fun writing this (especially the sex scenes!) and the story moves along nicely. Beware, however, of some overly cheesy romance along the way. If you are up for some fornicating plant people looking out to avenge generations of slavery, this book is for you! 4 flowering stars!!
October 1, 2007
Weird twist on the standard sci-fi/fantasy storyline, in that the protagonist is a plant.
Something about this book has stuck with me during the long years since I last read it, so I'm giving it 3 stars.
Something about this book has stuck with me during the long years since I last read it, so I'm giving it 3 stars.
May 18, 2019
Zach Hughes (pseudonimo di Hugh Zacharias) è uno dei tanti autori che contribuirono a fare della fantascienza un fenomeno quasi di massa nei nostri anni ’70: quando Urania arrivò a macinare cinquanta volumi l’anno, Galassia e SFBC una quarantina e i Cosmo Argento e Oro riempivano le librerie, anche Carneadi come Hughes potevano pubblicare romanzi a ripetizione (un altro esempio è Michael Elder della Ragione dei granchi, Megalopolis..).
Perché recensire oggi un suo romanzo, oltre tutto mai tradotto da noi, e che non è certo un capolavoro sconosciuto? Per di più con un titolo bislacco e una copertina da B-Movie degli anni ’50? Perché leggere questo romanzo dell’87 mi ha ridato il piacere ingenuo della fantascienza ben scritta ma non troppo elaborata, con buone idee originali anche se non rivoluzionarie: insomma quell’intrattenimento che crea un mercato dove poi c’è posto anche per i veri capolavori.
In una valle innevata di un mondo senza nome vive una tribù di guerrieri, i “bevitori di sole” del titolo, colà esiliati da generazioni, ma con ancora ben vivo il ricordo delle fertili terre meridionali da cui il feroce popolo dei Divoratori li scacciò, costringendo pochi superstiti a salvarsi attraversando le Terre del Fuoco. Il giovane guerriero Duwan, vicino alla sua iniziazione e all’unione con una fanciulla del giusto lignaggio, mentre raccoglie erbe su una parete rocciosa viene mutilato a tradimento da un predatore. Rendendosi conto di non avere altro talento che quello del guerriero, e che questa strada gli ormai è preclusa, e rifiutando l’amore di lei, che ormai gli sembra compassione, decide di avventurarsi nel misterioso Sud. Potrà esplorare i territori delle leggende, capire se il nemico storico è ancora così forte, per preparare forse un glorioso ritorno sl suo popolo.. e chissà, dice sua madre: forse in quelle terre fertili potrà ricrescergli il braccio!
Sì, perchè l’originalità del romanzo è quell di presentarci un popolo di vegetali umanoidi: tali sono appunto i “bevitori di sole” del titolo, che vivono in comunione quasi mistica con i vegetali veri e propri.
Il romanzo segue le vicissitudini del giovane guerriero, con una trama da heroic fantasy e più di un tocco di soprannaturale, anche se una costruzione logca e coerente da vera fantascienza: ogni aspetto della vita umana primitiva ha un suo parallelo tra questi vegetali, dalla biologia ingegnosa. La storia non risparmia archetipi truculenti tipici della fantasia eroica, ma il protagonista è senza macchia e senza paura.. non manca infatti nessuno dei tòpoi un po’ adolescenziali tipici del genere: la schiava lungamente abusata, finalmente liberata dall’eroe, gli si offre riconoscente in tutte le sue facoltà di schiava: nobimente rifiutata dal medesimo, fisso nel pensiero alla fidanzata rimasta (lui spera) ad aspettarlo al paesello natìo. La lussuriosa e crudele aristocratica che si spupazza il nerboruto eroe fino ad esaurimento (di lui); gli schiavi sottoposti ad atroci torture per ogni capriccio dei padroni.. Ma il tutto, espresso in termini vegetali, prende un che di fiabesco e anche di farmeriano nella descrizione della biologia (e anche un che di comico, quando i personaggi si “strusciano i germogli” e lei “emana un odore floreale”).
La contrapposizione tra i Bevitori rifugiati nella valle nordica e i Divoratori che dominano le pianure temperate o tropicali non è solo storica: i secondi sono così chiamati perché divorano animali, si alimentano di piante distruggendole anziché limitandosi a prelevare il necessario, e non disdegnano il cannibalismo verso i propri simili schiavi (o anche liberi) nel corso di cerimonie religiose “utili a tenere bassa la pressione demografica degli schiavi”; vivono in innaturali città in pietra anziché in case viventi formate dall’ “edera del pensiero”; e fanno credere agli schiavi che i raggi del sole sarebbero nocivi, così come l’alimentazione a base di frutta. I Bevitori di Sole rappresentano invece uno stile di vita più “naturale”, nutrendosi come fanno di sole e frutta..
Il protagonista, Duwan il Figlio, saprà diventare leader militare ma anche religioso degli schiavi ribelli, rifiutando la venerazione personale ma imponendo il culto del solo Du, dio-sole.
Risulta un romanzo gradevolissimo, nel classico filone fantasy dell’eroe che per farsi accettare davvero dalla tribù deve affrontare un’impresa solitaria: un po’ come nella “Guerra del fuoco” di Rosny o negli “Uomini nei muri” di Tenn, scritto con la scorrevolezza della “Spada di Shannara”.
Perché recensire oggi un suo romanzo, oltre tutto mai tradotto da noi, e che non è certo un capolavoro sconosciuto? Per di più con un titolo bislacco e una copertina da B-Movie degli anni ’50? Perché leggere questo romanzo dell’87 mi ha ridato il piacere ingenuo della fantascienza ben scritta ma non troppo elaborata, con buone idee originali anche se non rivoluzionarie: insomma quell’intrattenimento che crea un mercato dove poi c’è posto anche per i veri capolavori.
In una valle innevata di un mondo senza nome vive una tribù di guerrieri, i “bevitori di sole” del titolo, colà esiliati da generazioni, ma con ancora ben vivo il ricordo delle fertili terre meridionali da cui il feroce popolo dei Divoratori li scacciò, costringendo pochi superstiti a salvarsi attraversando le Terre del Fuoco. Il giovane guerriero Duwan, vicino alla sua iniziazione e all’unione con una fanciulla del giusto lignaggio, mentre raccoglie erbe su una parete rocciosa viene mutilato a tradimento da un predatore. Rendendosi conto di non avere altro talento che quello del guerriero, e che questa strada gli ormai è preclusa, e rifiutando l’amore di lei, che ormai gli sembra compassione, decide di avventurarsi nel misterioso Sud. Potrà esplorare i territori delle leggende, capire se il nemico storico è ancora così forte, per preparare forse un glorioso ritorno sl suo popolo.. e chissà, dice sua madre: forse in quelle terre fertili potrà ricrescergli il braccio!
Sì, perchè l’originalità del romanzo è quell di presentarci un popolo di vegetali umanoidi: tali sono appunto i “bevitori di sole” del titolo, che vivono in comunione quasi mistica con i vegetali veri e propri.
Il romanzo segue le vicissitudini del giovane guerriero, con una trama da heroic fantasy e più di un tocco di soprannaturale, anche se una costruzione logca e coerente da vera fantascienza: ogni aspetto della vita umana primitiva ha un suo parallelo tra questi vegetali, dalla biologia ingegnosa. La storia non risparmia archetipi truculenti tipici della fantasia eroica, ma il protagonista è senza macchia e senza paura.. non manca infatti nessuno dei tòpoi un po’ adolescenziali tipici del genere: la schiava lungamente abusata, finalmente liberata dall’eroe, gli si offre riconoscente in tutte le sue facoltà di schiava: nobimente rifiutata dal medesimo, fisso nel pensiero alla fidanzata rimasta (lui spera) ad aspettarlo al paesello natìo. La lussuriosa e crudele aristocratica che si spupazza il nerboruto eroe fino ad esaurimento (di lui); gli schiavi sottoposti ad atroci torture per ogni capriccio dei padroni.. Ma il tutto, espresso in termini vegetali, prende un che di fiabesco e anche di farmeriano nella descrizione della biologia (e anche un che di comico, quando i personaggi si “strusciano i germogli” e lei “emana un odore floreale”).
La contrapposizione tra i Bevitori rifugiati nella valle nordica e i Divoratori che dominano le pianure temperate o tropicali non è solo storica: i secondi sono così chiamati perché divorano animali, si alimentano di piante distruggendole anziché limitandosi a prelevare il necessario, e non disdegnano il cannibalismo verso i propri simili schiavi (o anche liberi) nel corso di cerimonie religiose “utili a tenere bassa la pressione demografica degli schiavi”; vivono in innaturali città in pietra anziché in case viventi formate dall’ “edera del pensiero”; e fanno credere agli schiavi che i raggi del sole sarebbero nocivi, così come l’alimentazione a base di frutta. I Bevitori di Sole rappresentano invece uno stile di vita più “naturale”, nutrendosi come fanno di sole e frutta..
Il protagonista, Duwan il Figlio, saprà diventare leader militare ma anche religioso degli schiavi ribelli, rifiutando la venerazione personale ma imponendo il culto del solo Du, dio-sole.
Risulta un romanzo gradevolissimo, nel classico filone fantasy dell’eroe che per farsi accettare davvero dalla tribù deve affrontare un’impresa solitaria: un po’ come nella “Guerra del fuoco” di Rosny o negli “Uomini nei muri” di Tenn, scritto con la scorrevolezza della “Spada di Shannara”.
September 23, 2026
I'm always on the lookout for sci-fi fantasy that pairs the classic hero's journey with bizarre worldbuilding. Of particular interest are novels from the 1970's and 80's: not only is that era loaded with awesome cover art, but it occupies a sweet spot between classic pulp and modern fantasy. A perfect environment within which to test genre boundaries without making yourself unpublishable. Zach Hughes' Sundrinker is my most recent foray into early-modern fantasy with unique worldbuilding, and I'm happy to report it was an entertaining read. The book probably isn't for everyone, especially given its outwardly-ridiculous premise of race war among plant-people, but Hughes somehow transforms that basic idea into an engaging story. Equal parts epic and heartfelt.
I nabbed Sundrinker from a used bookstore on the strength of its hand-painted cover and the DAW imprint. I didn't even read the blurb on the back. In any case, it wasn't until I was perusing recent purchases that I recognized the book's inventive premise. I immediately started reading and was quickly entranced. The only thing that wasn't initially clear was whether my enchantment was the result of a quality story: especially over the first couple chapters, the earnestness with which Hughes commits to the premise has the makings of a beautiful disaster. Fortunately, Hughes' seriousness plays dividends as his world is expanded and the race/caste elements are introduced. I also warmed to Hughes' prose as I went along (he has a liking for strangely phrased, run-on sentences that initially feel clunky...). Overall, Sundrinker is definitely a novel that you improves as you go along, and I suggest that readers give Hughes at least fifty pages to find his footing.
So how does Zach Hughes craft an engaging story out of photosynthesizing plant-people? By offering a variation upon the classic chosen one archetype. In Sundrinker our hero is Duwan- a young warrior among the Drinker people of the polar north. As with all of his kin, Duwan worships the sun god Du and supplements his herbivorous diet via energy from sunlight. The only problem is that very little light reaches the canyons of his arctic home: apparently, Duwan's ancestors only fled north after their homelands were subjugated by the war-like Devourers, and legends tell of a hero who will lead the Drinkers to victory over their conquerors. Obviously that hero is destined to be Duwan. When Duwan loses his arm, he embarks upon a trek southward is hopes that Du's rays will be strong enough to restore his limb. There he encounters the brutality of the Devourers, who have enslaved the region's remaining Drinkers, and he soon resolves to engineer a slave uprising. What follows is part-Dune and part-Exodus, with the novel taking on an increasingly religious tone over its second half.
As noted above, Sundrinker becomes progressively more interesting as it progresses. In particular, whereas Duwan's beginnings and initial trek allow for interesting worldbuilding, the story doesn't pick up until he encounters the Devourers. This roughly corresponds to the introduction of Jai- the escaped slave who serves as Duwan's primary companion and eventual love interest. Also worth noting here is that most of the action sequences are backloaded into the book's second half: Sundrinker literally transforms from an odyssey into a full-on military campaign about halfway through. I suppose that some will bemoan this widening of scale, but most will be forced to agree that book's second half is better paced and features more interesting character development. Thematically, I suspect that a greater number of readers will take issue with the book's Biblical analogues, which become incredibly obvious over the novel's final act. Just know that Hughes' intent doesn't appear to be religious or even allegorical- he merely seems to be drawing from Christian tradition for impactful archetypes.
All of this makes for a novel with more than its fair share of unusual decisions, but that's part of the charm. Sundrinker is exactly the sort of story that I expected it to be. I'd even say that it exceeds most of its "off-the-wall hero's journey" competition in terms of character development. If nothing else, it includes a handful of unexpectedly impactful scenes involving aging, passing on, and establishing a continuity with upcoming generations. I eagerly look forward to reading another Zach Hughes novel.
I nabbed Sundrinker from a used bookstore on the strength of its hand-painted cover and the DAW imprint. I didn't even read the blurb on the back. In any case, it wasn't until I was perusing recent purchases that I recognized the book's inventive premise. I immediately started reading and was quickly entranced. The only thing that wasn't initially clear was whether my enchantment was the result of a quality story: especially over the first couple chapters, the earnestness with which Hughes commits to the premise has the makings of a beautiful disaster. Fortunately, Hughes' seriousness plays dividends as his world is expanded and the race/caste elements are introduced. I also warmed to Hughes' prose as I went along (he has a liking for strangely phrased, run-on sentences that initially feel clunky...). Overall, Sundrinker is definitely a novel that you improves as you go along, and I suggest that readers give Hughes at least fifty pages to find his footing.
So how does Zach Hughes craft an engaging story out of photosynthesizing plant-people? By offering a variation upon the classic chosen one archetype. In Sundrinker our hero is Duwan- a young warrior among the Drinker people of the polar north. As with all of his kin, Duwan worships the sun god Du and supplements his herbivorous diet via energy from sunlight. The only problem is that very little light reaches the canyons of his arctic home: apparently, Duwan's ancestors only fled north after their homelands were subjugated by the war-like Devourers, and legends tell of a hero who will lead the Drinkers to victory over their conquerors. Obviously that hero is destined to be Duwan. When Duwan loses his arm, he embarks upon a trek southward is hopes that Du's rays will be strong enough to restore his limb. There he encounters the brutality of the Devourers, who have enslaved the region's remaining Drinkers, and he soon resolves to engineer a slave uprising. What follows is part-Dune and part-Exodus, with the novel taking on an increasingly religious tone over its second half.
As noted above, Sundrinker becomes progressively more interesting as it progresses. In particular, whereas Duwan's beginnings and initial trek allow for interesting worldbuilding, the story doesn't pick up until he encounters the Devourers. This roughly corresponds to the introduction of Jai- the escaped slave who serves as Duwan's primary companion and eventual love interest. Also worth noting here is that most of the action sequences are backloaded into the book's second half: Sundrinker literally transforms from an odyssey into a full-on military campaign about halfway through. I suppose that some will bemoan this widening of scale, but most will be forced to agree that book's second half is better paced and features more interesting character development. Thematically, I suspect that a greater number of readers will take issue with the book's Biblical analogues, which become incredibly obvious over the novel's final act. Just know that Hughes' intent doesn't appear to be religious or even allegorical- he merely seems to be drawing from Christian tradition for impactful archetypes.
All of this makes for a novel with more than its fair share of unusual decisions, but that's part of the charm. Sundrinker is exactly the sort of story that I expected it to be. I'd even say that it exceeds most of its "off-the-wall hero's journey" competition in terms of character development. If nothing else, it includes a handful of unexpectedly impactful scenes involving aging, passing on, and establishing a continuity with upcoming generations. I eagerly look forward to reading another Zach Hughes novel.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews