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The Dimming Sun
Ash has blotted the sun for months.Despair and violence have taken root across the continent of Linnea. People are searching for answers- some have turned to ancient superstitions, others to the seductive teachings of strange new cults. However, 20-year-old Arithel isn’t too concerned - she carves out a comfortable but lonely existence as a tax collector’s scribe, trying to forget the reckless decisions that led to a self-imposed exile from her village. One bleak afternoon, she accepts both a gift and a bribe, and is swept into a whirlwind of misadventure, beginning with an unspeakable tragedy befalling her pious younger sister.Arithel blames herself for her sister’s fate, and her childhood friend Fallon proposes a deal- he will help with her quest for vengeance, provided she helps him with an errand orchestrated by a mysterious, charismatic healer who dwells thousands of miles away, in the frozen Northlands. Arithel accepts Fallon’s conditions, but as they travel she becomes increasingly troubled by the extent of his devotion to his employer. The journey she and Fallon undertake tests the depth of their friendship; they encounter otherworldly perils, new companions, and shadows from their own past. The choices they make could destroy- or restore- an empire.Published through Solstice Publishing.
490 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 23, 2019
Why do people like Dystopian Sci-Fi-Fantasy? This is why. “The Dimming Sun,” as the name suggests, is about what happens when nature demands extreme survival upon its inhabitants, and new struggles that occur, but it’s also a great metaphor for the overall plot. The setting immediately takes you to the brutal continent of Linnea. The protagonist, Arithel, is a tax scribe that mostly keeps to herself because of ghosts from her past. She struggles with faith after her sister’s horrible ending. Unfortunately, religion is not to be ignored, and as the plot continues, she meet an old friend, Fallon. This healed cripple insists that faith can be restored, and in return for her help, he agrees to assist her in avenging her sister.
I’m a big fan of the tension between the two main characters and the morality that religion attempts to instill in an otherwise dying land. While this book isn’t small, it reads seamlessly. I was able to finish it in 1.5 weeks going back and forth on a train. So, if you’re looking for an entertaining read that puts very real parallels between government, religion and a dying planet on the pages, check out Lana Nielsen’s “The Dimming Sun.”
I’m a big fan of the tension between the two main characters and the morality that religion attempts to instill in an otherwise dying land. While this book isn’t small, it reads seamlessly. I was able to finish it in 1.5 weeks going back and forth on a train. So, if you’re looking for an entertaining read that puts very real parallels between government, religion and a dying planet on the pages, check out Lana Nielsen’s “The Dimming Sun.”
May 14, 2019
When 20-year-old Arithel accepts both a bribe and a gift while working as a tax collector’s scribe, she unknowingly sets a tragedy in motion with appalling consequences for her younger sister. Fallon, Arithel’s estranged childhood friend, offers a solution: accompany him on his quest to fulfill an errand orchestrated by the latter’s employer in exchange for his help. Arithel agrees, leaving for a dangerous journey that will not only test their friendship but also throws them in the path of outwardly perils.
Arithel, as a young woman, is a true embodiment of feminism; she is defiant and a rebel; she tramples traditions with her impious ways; she enjoys her loneliness and independence while working on a job away from her hometown. In the same context, Mira, one of the secondary characters, is highly independent and utterly resourceful. She is a likable character while Arithel, with her utter selfishness and her cool disregard for others’ life fails to make a place in the reader’s heart. Fallon is a stereotypical male with his snubbed attitude toward the opposite sex. Neilsen draws him as an enigma: it’s difficult to figure him out; to know him more, readers have to wait for the next installment in the series.
The prose is intriguing without being elaborate, the plotting tight, and the book’s length (almost 500 pages) doesn’t hamper the flow of the story. There is no dull moment, and the liveliness of the narrative make it an electrifying read.
Arithel, as a young woman, is a true embodiment of feminism; she is defiant and a rebel; she tramples traditions with her impious ways; she enjoys her loneliness and independence while working on a job away from her hometown. In the same context, Mira, one of the secondary characters, is highly independent and utterly resourceful. She is a likable character while Arithel, with her utter selfishness and her cool disregard for others’ life fails to make a place in the reader’s heart. Fallon is a stereotypical male with his snubbed attitude toward the opposite sex. Neilsen draws him as an enigma: it’s difficult to figure him out; to know him more, readers have to wait for the next installment in the series.
The prose is intriguing without being elaborate, the plotting tight, and the book’s length (almost 500 pages) doesn’t hamper the flow of the story. There is no dull moment, and the liveliness of the narrative make it an electrifying read.
June 10, 2021
I enjoyed the heck out of this book!
I don't read a lot of fantasy because they too frequently get bogged down with an overreliance on magic and dragons and other gimmicks, so I was pleasantly surprised that this one does not do that. Sure, there is a sprinkling of magic but Lana Nielsen lets the story and characters carry this book.
I won't post too many spoilers, but it is an adventure journey with some reluctant friendships and frenemies. Her characters are certainly not cardboard cutouts of good and evil, but are varying shades of gray. In fact, sometimes this harms the likeability of some of the characters, which is my only criticism, but it is slight and may only be my taste, and does not detract too much from my overall enjoyment or my recommendation! Overall, this is a fun adventure through a strange, new land!
I don't read a lot of fantasy because they too frequently get bogged down with an overreliance on magic and dragons and other gimmicks, so I was pleasantly surprised that this one does not do that. Sure, there is a sprinkling of magic but Lana Nielsen lets the story and characters carry this book.
I won't post too many spoilers, but it is an adventure journey with some reluctant friendships and frenemies. Her characters are certainly not cardboard cutouts of good and evil, but are varying shades of gray. In fact, sometimes this harms the likeability of some of the characters, which is my only criticism, but it is slight and may only be my taste, and does not detract too much from my overall enjoyment or my recommendation! Overall, this is a fun adventure through a strange, new land!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews