Dark Sun, Bright Moon by Oliver Sparrow
(Excerpt from Goodreads) Human sacrifice, communities eaten from within, a vast mind blazing under the mud of Lake Titicaca; the rise and fall of empires cruel and kind.
In the Andes of a thousand years ago, the Huari empire is sick. Its communities are being eaten from within by a plague, a contagion that is not of the body but of something far deeper, a plague that has taken their collective spirit. Rooting out this parasite is a task that is laid upon Q’ilyasisa, a young woman from an obscure little village on the forgotten borders of the Huari empire. This impossible mission is imposed on her by a vast mind, a sentience that has ambitions to shape all human life. Her response to this entails confrontations on sacrificial pyramids, long journeys through the Amazonian jungle and the establishment of not just one but two new empires. Her legacy shapes future Andean civilisation until the arrival of the Spanish.
“Dark Sun, Bright Moon” explores the unique Andean metaphysic: not one of gods and heavens, but a cosmology developed over millennia of isolation, developed over generations by its practitioners but at constant war with the various state religions. It has been systematised from current beliefs, but is essentially authentic to them. As described in the book, therefore, this cosmology is a concrete thing, neither magic nor religion but a technology with a logic of its own that drives the story line. However, this is above all an adventure story in which credible people undertake rational if desperate acts in the face of extreme threat.
My Review
4 stars
This story is based in the Andes 1,000 years ago. The Huari Empire is suffering from a plague, but not necessarily a physical contagion. Q’ilyasisa is a young woman from a small little village that is given the task of finding out what is happening. We follow Q’ilyasisa as she tries to find a cure but ends up ending, starting, and ending different Empires before she finally finds one that will survive.
This is an epic story set in the Andes. As I read the story, I admit that I was a little lost but thanks to the appendix it was not for long. There is a lot happening in the story but it basically revolves around Q’ilyasisa. She starts out as a poor woman and this is her quest to become the founder of the Inca Empire.
I really liked all the information about the Huari and Incas and everyone in between. You can tell Oliver Sparrow has done lots of research and knows this information. This helped to draw me into this book. Once I started reading I had a hard time putting the book down. I wish history books were written like this, my knowledge of history would not be so lacking.
This is a great story that has peak my interest in the history of the Andes. It is a great story and I recommend everyone checking it out. I think it will surprise a lot of readers.
To purchase Dark Sun, Bright Moon, or for more information make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Oliver Sparrow’s website.
I received Dark Sun, Bright Moon for free in exchange for an honest review.
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