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The Book of Isle #2
The Silver Sun
1st edition paperback, vg++
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
17 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Springer
187 books2,352 followersBIO -- NANCY SPRINGER
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 22, 2010
Was this a good book? No, not technically, but I enjoyed it very much. Considering that it might be a bit on the dime novel side, it is quite well written. My biggest, and actually only, complaint is that it is Tolkien derived. Very Tolkien derived. It could almost be Fourth Age Middle-Earth fan fiction, except that it is written much better than the fan fic I've read. But, that is not entirely bad in this case. Unlike many Tolkien inspired books, this one does not seem like a role play campaign. There is no Fellowship copy and no magic ring or sword of importance. It borrows from Tolkien's mythology which actually is a nice change from the usual elf, dwarf, and man with a magic ring and/or sword going on a journey somewhere-type plot. Still, a more original back story would probably have made me rate this higher.
Complaints aside, the characters were good and the story exciting and often emotional, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
Complaints aside, the characters were good and the story exciting and often emotional, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
March 17, 2018
The Silver Sun was my first Nancy Springer book and even on the reread thirty years later I still found so much to enjoy about it.
This one is a little different than The White Hart in style, the language is a little looser and I think a bit easier to read because of that. Though there are still the underlying themes that were present in the first- deep friendships, love, and being true to yourself. It’s a beautiful book and forever will be one of my favorites.
This one is a little different than The White Hart in style, the language is a little looser and I think a bit easier to read because of that. Though there are still the underlying themes that were present in the first- deep friendships, love, and being true to yourself. It’s a beautiful book and forever will be one of my favorites.
September 28, 2020
Vaguely remember, very sweet
July 4, 2024
I've been a fan of Nancy Springer's newer books for a long time. I inherited a set of paperbacks of this older series from my parents. It's readable, high fantasy, and has a classic feel to it.
I will be slowly going through these, one at a time, on the rare occasion when I have nothing else on hand to read. I don't know that I'd recommend the series, but it's something to read, and like I said, it's readable. I do like Nancy Springer's books.
On to my replenished stack!
I will be slowly going through these, one at a time, on the rare occasion when I have nothing else on hand to read. I don't know that I'd recommend the series, but it's something to read, and like I said, it's readable. I do like Nancy Springer's books.
On to my replenished stack!
January 14, 2009
Springer's second novel suffers from all the problems of the first in terms of genre development; what was pretty new & fresh in the late 70s/early 80s is very much cliched & dated now. There are nobles and elves, Tolkien-style songs & poetry, a lot of travelling across varied landscapes, battles, horses, the importance of heredity/bloodlines and so forth. This is not the place to go to find new fantasy tropes!
That being said, I really enjoyed this novel. Her story of two young men trying to avoid a tyrannical king while laying preparations for a better world to come is quite touching; unlike The White Hart she's loosened up her style, putting in more overt emotionality, especially between the male protagonists. There's nothing actually slashy there, but fanfic could certainly be written about their relationship to one another, especially given the amount of times one gets wounded or imprisoned and has to be rescued by the other! Definitely recommended for fantasy-loving teens; there's no overt sexuality or overly-graphic violence, and a younger reader might find more that's new in the setting.
That being said, I really enjoyed this novel. Her story of two young men trying to avoid a tyrannical king while laying preparations for a better world to come is quite touching; unlike The White Hart she's loosened up her style, putting in more overt emotionality, especially between the male protagonists. There's nothing actually slashy there, but fanfic could certainly be written about their relationship to one another, especially given the amount of times one gets wounded or imprisoned and has to be rescued by the other! Definitely recommended for fantasy-loving teens; there's no overt sexuality or overly-graphic violence, and a younger reader might find more that's new in the setting.
April 7, 2021
The Silver Sun worked on many levels. Not being a big fan of quest fantasy (which, face it, most fantasies are) I stopped reading them a long time ago--they were all derivative of Lord of the Rings. Somehow I thought this book felt different.
Yes, it was a quest. yes, the rightful heir was trying to take out the overlord guy to bring peace to the land -- yada, yada, yada.
This had all that, but for some reason--it didn't feel so much like the rest. The two protagonists were equal in character, so it never felt like the lead and a side kick, but that wasn't obvious from the start, so it built and you learned more and more about them as the story went on. It built so that you knew who these characters were, you learned to like them, and the cast of secondary people they run into all seem to like them as well.
Can't really put my finger on it, but Springer has done this to readers in the past. Somehow really draws you into the characters, not just their plight or flight or quest or goal. Springer makes you care, before anything else, then you are stuck trying to work out what, where, and how--knowing that in the end it will all turn out just fine.
Springer writes with more heart than most and it shows constantly through all of her books, this one was great.
Yes, it was a quest. yes, the rightful heir was trying to take out the overlord guy to bring peace to the land -- yada, yada, yada.
This had all that, but for some reason--it didn't feel so much like the rest. The two protagonists were equal in character, so it never felt like the lead and a side kick, but that wasn't obvious from the start, so it built and you learned more and more about them as the story went on. It built so that you knew who these characters were, you learned to like them, and the cast of secondary people they run into all seem to like them as well.
Can't really put my finger on it, but Springer has done this to readers in the past. Somehow really draws you into the characters, not just their plight or flight or quest or goal. Springer makes you care, before anything else, then you are stuck trying to work out what, where, and how--knowing that in the end it will all turn out just fine.
Springer writes with more heart than most and it shows constantly through all of her books, this one was great.
May 21, 2013
Skip the inferior rewritten Silver Sun!(How could she have ever changed a word?!)
Book of Suns is possibly the most perfectly written fantasy book I have ever read. A pure treasure in every detail. :) The girls and I have even made up a yearly Hal and Alan Day to celebrate every year. I love this story!
Book of Suns is possibly the most perfectly written fantasy book I have ever read. A pure treasure in every detail. :) The girls and I have even made up a yearly Hal and Alan Day to celebrate every year. I love this story!
June 3, 2019
Some books read like chewing chalk, such as The Silver Sun (1977) by Nancy Springer. Try as I might, I could not choke this thing down, even by skimming, giving up halfway through.
I remember seeing this book on the shelf when I was a kid, so I thought that I had missed some treasure of a tale, but I was wrong. I'd actually been a savvy kid by passing this book up because it wasn't for me in any way, shape, or form.
If the book had been shorter, I may have waded through, but was it was, getting halfway through this thing felt like self abuse. Like eating chalk, I got to the point where I couldn't inflict this upon myself anymore. I tried finding interesting things to tide my attention over, some clever bit of world building, or something admirable, but no, there wasn't anything there to find.
In my opinion, the characters were thin, flat, and uninteresting. The story flowed too slow, too stuffed, and what there was wasn't interesting. The magic and the world weren't interesting. The religion and gods weren't interesting. The history wasn't interesting (but fantasy history is almost never interesting, so that's par).
Most of the time, I had no real clue why anyone was doing anything, other than that's what the outline said that they were supposed to do. I found nothing pushing me along the tale, nor anything pulling. My wife would call this a "he goes here and does this, and then goes there and does that" sort of story, a series of actions with no real thrust or core.
I'm glad that fantasy progressed beyond this.
I remember seeing this book on the shelf when I was a kid, so I thought that I had missed some treasure of a tale, but I was wrong. I'd actually been a savvy kid by passing this book up because it wasn't for me in any way, shape, or form.
If the book had been shorter, I may have waded through, but was it was, getting halfway through this thing felt like self abuse. Like eating chalk, I got to the point where I couldn't inflict this upon myself anymore. I tried finding interesting things to tide my attention over, some clever bit of world building, or something admirable, but no, there wasn't anything there to find.
In my opinion, the characters were thin, flat, and uninteresting. The story flowed too slow, too stuffed, and what there was wasn't interesting. The magic and the world weren't interesting. The religion and gods weren't interesting. The history wasn't interesting (but fantasy history is almost never interesting, so that's par).
Most of the time, I had no real clue why anyone was doing anything, other than that's what the outline said that they were supposed to do. I found nothing pushing me along the tale, nor anything pulling. My wife would call this a "he goes here and does this, and then goes there and does that" sort of story, a series of actions with no real thrust or core.
I'm glad that fantasy progressed beyond this.
February 24, 2023
This is quite the epic saga. Two young men experience a chance encounter when one comes to the aid of the other following a dramatic forest attack. The helper chooses to befriend the victim, and therein lies the tale: a destiny of fate that ties the two young warriors together through many years. They choose to become blood-brothers in a pact, each looking out for the other. What ensues is a richly told tale of friendship, kinship, loyalty, betrayal, love and loss, involving fey folk who are part of a long-told prophecy. This story has a Biblical allegorical feel at times, often taking a long path through the story to the eventual outcome. The two protagonists are beset by many challenges, and have to grow with each other and ultimately, those whom they love and defend. As is often the case with epic tales, there is great sadness and loss of life-but there is also a huge scope for the characters to learn about themselves, the others and what they are fighting for.
January 10, 2024
This was much better than The White Hart; it is almost hard to believe they were written so closely together and set in the same world. Although it's nominally the second book in the series, hundreds of years have passed since the events in The White Hart and you could easily start with this one instead and only be lacking a small bit of depth to the myths referenced (but probably worth it as the other is probably worth skipping).
The characters in this were much better and the world felt more fleshed out. I was unconvinced by Alan's arc and found him particularly tedious towards the end but the book touched on some interesting themes and some of the characters had certain developments that were unexpected and not just more high fantasy clichés. The conlang and translations [in square brackets] were still irritating and the pacing and travel sequences seemed slightly off and repetitive, but a marked improvement upon the 'first' book in the series.
The characters in this were much better and the world felt more fleshed out. I was unconvinced by Alan's arc and found him particularly tedious towards the end but the book touched on some interesting themes and some of the characters had certain developments that were unexpected and not just more high fantasy clichés. The conlang and translations [in square brackets] were still irritating and the pacing and travel sequences seemed slightly off and repetitive, but a marked improvement upon the 'first' book in the series.
December 3, 2022
Il meglio che si può dire è che probabilmente voleva essere una fan-fiction ante-litteram. Perché se, ad esempio, ne La Spada di Shannara Brooks plagia ISdA nella storia, ma ambientandola in un mondo che - per quanto stereotipato - è di propria concezione, qui abbiamo invece un mondo che è il plagio di quello Tolkeniano (ci sono millemila indizi palesi in questo senso), e una storia diversa, per quanto assolutamente meno affascinante e appassionante - una mera cagatina, per così dire.
Per questo, diciamo che questo scadentissimo romanzo breve, per fortuna pagato poco più d'un euro, è tuttalpiù considerabile una fan-fiction su un'ipotetica Settima Era della Terra-di-Mezzo.
Per questo, diciamo che questo scadentissimo romanzo breve, per fortuna pagato poco più d'un euro, è tuttalpiù considerabile una fan-fiction su un'ipotetica Settima Era della Terra-di-Mezzo.
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October 23, 2025In the Kingdom of Isle, where the Sun Kings reign with the power of the Book of the Suns, Hal and Alan are given a mission. They must use the ancient strength of wisdom to destroy the evil that plagues the kingdom. The two blood brothers venture throughou
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June 2, 2023This is the best book I’ll ever read. So captivating,thrilling and adventurous. How will get the hard copy, though? I needs it badly.
October 31, 2023
Much to love in this epic.
January 5, 2024
Quality old school fantasy, really good friend as close as a brother story. Change of the age with fate/destiny and the deeper battles of the self get more attention than the battles between men.
April 4, 2011
Goodreads says this is #2, but it was published first. Fantastic Fiction says aka The Book of Suns, btw.
I thought I'd read this because it was on a glbt list, or a gender list.. but darned if I know why even after having read it. Brotherly love is a big part of it, but.. it doesn't even have a big slashy vibe to it for me.
So at first I was rolling my eyes at it. It seemed like a bad fantasy. But then I started getting into it. And it is a typical sort of.. muster the troops and the support of various lords and peoples and take back the kingdom thing.
The only.. and not even really a twist.. thing is the guy has the help of another lord's son along the way. And they're really close.
Except I believe the narrator was third person omniscient, so while they might be close, we're not very close to them. And it takes place over a good deal of time, which also seems to have a distancing effect.
Still, it was good.. somehow. I wouldn't mind reading the others in the series. I'd rather get my hands on Larque on the Wing though! It has been elusive.
I thought I'd read this because it was on a glbt list, or a gender list.. but darned if I know why even after having read it. Brotherly love is a big part of it, but.. it doesn't even have a big slashy vibe to it for me.
So at first I was rolling my eyes at it. It seemed like a bad fantasy. But then I started getting into it. And it is a typical sort of.. muster the troops and the support of various lords and peoples and take back the kingdom thing.
The only.. and not even really a twist.. thing is the guy has the help of another lord's son along the way. And they're really close.
Except I believe the narrator was third person omniscient, so while they might be close, we're not very close to them. And it takes place over a good deal of time, which also seems to have a distancing effect.
Still, it was good.. somehow. I wouldn't mind reading the others in the series. I'd rather get my hands on Larque on the Wing though! It has been elusive.
November 4, 2014
This is the second volume of a series written some decades ago, when all the familiar tropes of fantasy were young ... and it reads as such, with poetic, formal language and a deep authenticity in subject that makes it obvious why these elements became cliche in the years that followed. It is still difficult, as a modern reader, to separate one's self from that familiarity, but it is still possible to recognize that freshness.
The tone of the language, combined with the casual use of floating omniscience - what modern writers would condemn as head-hopping - makes it difficult to connect with the characters. Whereas in the first book, it comes off as mythic and appropriate, this sequel doesn't convey the same feeling. Maybe it's because this is a longer book; maybe it is because many of the adventures are more personal; maybe it is because gods and destiny are less clearly written on Hal from the start.
Whatever the case, this is still an enjoyable book, but one that more clearly shows its age.
The tone of the language, combined with the casual use of floating omniscience - what modern writers would condemn as head-hopping - makes it difficult to connect with the characters. Whereas in the first book, it comes off as mythic and appropriate, this sequel doesn't convey the same feeling. Maybe it's because this is a longer book; maybe it is because many of the adventures are more personal; maybe it is because gods and destiny are less clearly written on Hal from the start.
Whatever the case, this is still an enjoyable book, but one that more clearly shows its age.
January 5, 2014
This is a good fantasy book set in its own world. Obviously a lot of thought and work has gone into the world-building (it includes a map). There's good mix of magic, male-bonding, questing, love interest, history, religion, legend... The setting generally reminded me of the late medieval period we most often associate with Robin Hood. I think it's intended for a YA/teen audience, but is a good read for adults as well. The prose style maintained by Ms Springer in this book is slightly archaizing so it gives us that "old time" feeling, but she maintains high readability for the modern audience, unlike a lot of medieval-period books written in the 19th century. So if you're looking for that kind of fantasy book, this is a good one to go for. It's the middle book of a trilogy, but stands on its own just fine. (I haven't yet read the others, but I didn't feel like I was dropped into the deep end of the pool.) I read the new e-book edition.
October 23, 2013
I read this book in the 80s and loved it. it is my favorite of the series. I think that it's very well written. Hal has a mysterious past that Allen eventually is told. The two become best friends shortly after meeting. As they travel around, they are faced with an enemy that threatens the lives of everyone. Many battles are fought along their journey. When they meet the elves, Allen falls in love with one them. Once the enemy is defeated, both Hal and Allen become King. In the end, Hal travels by boat across the sea to a place that has been calling him.
For those who love fantasy books, I would definitely say you need to read this one. I actually read it several times as well as the others in the series. I plan on reading the series again.
For those who love fantasy books, I would definitely say you need to read this one. I actually read it several times as well as the others in the series. I plan on reading the series again.
December 31, 2024
2024 reread: lots of cheese with a large serving of ham. It’s also highly derivative of Tolkien with a lot of moments cut wholesale from The Lord Of The Rings.
But I love it: Springer manages to build up a world that has become one of my most cherished of all secondary worlds, peopling it with characters who live and die on their word and their honour, facing magical perils that we in a more cynical age consider to be beneath us to read about now. I lapped this up at aged 15 and now, almost forty years later, it fills me with remembered hope and love for this more ethically aspirational storytelling.
But I love it: Springer manages to build up a world that has become one of my most cherished of all secondary worlds, peopling it with characters who live and die on their word and their honour, facing magical perils that we in a more cynical age consider to be beneath us to read about now. I lapped this up at aged 15 and now, almost forty years later, it fills me with remembered hope and love for this more ethically aspirational storytelling.
April 9, 2009
This is not great literature, but it satisfies the dreamy teenage horse-loving girl in my soul. Really, for her, the only change I could wish would be that at least one main character was female (or that the females in the story were in less traditionally feminine roles). A simple tale of good vs. evil, our heroes Hal and Alan and their mighty steeds and their gold and silver shields defeat the evil bad guys and live happily with their beautiful young brides! Silly, yes, but god I still reread it once in a while and get real pleasure from it.
September 5, 2008
I have a copy of this book with the title the book of suns. I planned on writing about this single obscure book that probably no one had heard of and as usual turns out I am the one who is uninformed. Turns out there is a whole series.
I liked this book and read it several times. It was a fun simple read. Maybe it was something about when I read it. I first read it in my early teens which was one of those pivotal times. It has adventure, romance and magic which was fun.
I liked this book and read it several times. It was a fun simple read. Maybe it was something about when I read it. I first read it in my early teens which was one of those pivotal times. It has adventure, romance and magic which was fun.
October 16, 2013
Una de las peores novelas de fantasía que he leído. Una redacción deplorable, una historia carente de creatividad pues se roba imágenes completas de otros libros. Los personajes son empalagosos, falsos y llegan a fastidiar al lector. Las alusiones a los elfos son descaradas copias del mundo de Tolkien. La mala traducción y pésima edición no ayudan en nada.
October 18, 2011
I first read this book as a teenager (so 30 yrs ago or more) and it was a favorite. the story is still solid, even if the storytelling is juvenile and geared so much more to a YA audience. Still it remains a nice read and one that i will happily pass along to my kids.
September 8, 2013
I read this a very long time ago when I was a starry eyed girl. It was actually my first fantasy novel and started my long standing love of this genre. I love the story and the characters. It's a good book.. It's not 'epic' but its a really good story.
June 17, 2010
Nancy Springer is one of those authors who only gets better.
November 29, 2010
Generations later from the first, a prophesy fulfilled, yadda, yadda. Again, same feeling, simple plotline, odd book.
March 7, 2011
I enjoyed it very much. It had some interesting characters and a Dark Ages England re-told setting. Very nice work. Looking forward to the others in the Isle series.
October 6, 2012
Maybe I'm biased because I first read it in my early teens. I still live this book.
April 14, 2015
One of the first fantasy books I ever read, still love it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews