Book Review for Still the Sun by Charlie N. Holmberg

This is a fantasy-based story filled with elements of science fiction and adventure. It is a story of good versus evil and takes place on a fictional planet called Tampere where the sun is always up, and people are fighting the gods. In order to survive they decide that they must take power away from Ruin and hold him as a prisoner.

The main character Pell works as a digger and is enthusiastic about discovering and repairing ancient artifacts with the hope that they will benefit her people in the village of Emgarden which is surrounded by a barrier. Pell is recruited by Heartwood and Moseus, who turn out to be gods, to repair some ancient machines hidden in an inaccessible tower. Pell is unhappy with Heartwood when she discovers that he broke the machine in the first place. She didn’t understand why he would break it if he needed it to work. She was told that it was because it took her away from him. She didn’t understand what that meant. A good portion of this book is spent following Pell as she attempts to fix the machines. However, at the end of this story you will find Pell purposefully destroying the machines that she worked tirelessly to repair.

Heartwood claims that he came to Emgarden in an attempt to find his sister. However, he failed to share her real name, Cas’raneah, until the end of the story. She had been a significant character in the story—He just didn’t recognize her! She was an adult with a childlike mind who liked to draw pictures. Pell introduces him to her and attempts to sacrifice herself in order to imprison Ruin and save the planet.

I was disappointed in this book as I have come to expect so much more from this author. She created a fascinating world with gods, glowing flowers, magic, and a serpent—I felt like it had so much potential. However, I struggled to connect with the characters in this book. The characters appeared to be lacking in their ability to express much emotion (other than anger) or to build healthy trusting relationships. Perhaps this is because characters in this story fail to retain their memories. I also felt like this storyline was difficult to follow.

I would suggest that you consider a pass on this book. Holmberg has published many other stories that I expect would be a better use of your time. I give this book an average rating of three stars. I thought it was okay—I didn’t think it was anything special.