Invisible Sun (Black Hole Sun #2)
4 Stars: Recommended
Publication: March 27, 2012 (Hardback)
Pages: 352
Author: Website
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (Imprint of Harper Collins)
Buy it: Amazon (Hardcopy) | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository
Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery. There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme. Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the datacenters housing the rest of MUSE.
Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme’s complex. During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead. Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars–and kill Durango in the process.
This is going to be a short review for a book that deserves way more than this. However, it’s a good book, and I do not want to give away too much.
The world building and culture development are excellent. The Martian laws and the people’s ways of life both incorporate Chinese elements from Chinese philosophy to swearing in Chinese. It is amazing to read about, and I can only imagine what it would be like to live there. The characters are strong as well. I’d be pressing hard to ask for a better character to follow than Durango. He is a fun character with great humor, and I enjoyed reading his conversations with Mimi. Vienne is mysterious and interesting, the latter of which applies to many secondary characters. Not to mention the terrific villains.
The writing is as witty and interesting as the characters. There was never a dull moment. Overall, Invisible Sun is an epic read that I highly recommend. Silly me didn’t realize that this is the second book in a series. While it works as a stand alone, I definitely missed out on something here and will be revisiting this book as soon as I’ve read book one.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Christina Kit. says
It's great when the lore in a fantasy and sci-fi isn't only interesting but also incorporates another philosophy!
Thanks for the review!