The Sacrifice of Darkness

by Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver, Rebecca Kirby

A tragic event forever bathes the world in darkness. Follow a woman and a man's powerful journey through this new landscape as they discover love, family and the true light in a world seemingly robbed of any. As they challenge the world's notions of identity, guilt and survival, they find that no matter the darkness, there remain sources of hope that can pierce the veil.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comics, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

128 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 21, 2020

About the author

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects. Her newsletter, The Audacity, where she also hosts The Audacious Book Club, can be found at audacity.substack.com.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A romance set in a nonsensical science fiction world. A miner flies a spacecraft into the sun extinguishing its light (for absolutely no reason). But all the town needs to do is build some gas lamps and everything is fine. It's a strange dichotomy of world building. The setting seems to be a depression era coal mining town except they have the occasional spaceship that is available to snuff out the sun. Then there is talk in the town of sacrificing the miner's family as the darkness lasts for years. Oh yeah, there's still a moon even though there's not a sun for its light to reflect off of said moon. Gardens also grow in the darkness.

As a sci-fi story, this is crap. As a romance, it's serviceable. Much of the story flips back and forth between the miner falling in love and then his son doing the same years later. The art is decent. I really enjoyed the coloring though.

Received a review copy from Archaia and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful art but a pointless story, IMO.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

An upset man flies to the sun and plunges his planet into a darkness that is somehow not catastrophic, but just kind of nerve grating? "Blood sacrifice!" gets shouted all over the place as his family must deal with the ramifications of the irritation. But love happens.

Get allegorical if you want, but the story still needs to make some kind of sense, eh?

[Chris Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this. A man flies into the sun and it disappears. Instead of being an end of the world sci-fi story, this is about people punishing the family whose member, Hiram Hightower, was responsible. Life goes on almost as usual (they just need to light lamps during daytime hours). So it’s not sci-fi, and it’s not all that believable.

One problem is that Roxane Gay romanticizes working class people. The working class people here are miners, and they appear to love their job and even want their sons to work in the miners. They describe their work as digging for the “fruits of the earth,” even though what they are digging is resources that their employers will exploit for profit. I don’t know of many working class people who view their professions so romantically, and it just rings false.

On top of that, the characters just aren’t compelling. They are either heroic - the Hightower family - or they are one dimensional villains - the council and other spiteful people. The story shifts back and forth between Hiram before the sun disappears and his son Joshua after the fact. In both cases a romance brews, but the romance never really builds any sort of chemistry. Overall this was just dull.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was really interesting and eerily similar in some ways to the COVID-19 experience. It makes me wonder when the original short story was written and what was added for this graphic novel expansion! The art is also beautiful and hinted at some world building that made me want to know more.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book focused more on a relationship and I kept thinking about photosynthesis...

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly lovely SF dystopia type story elevated by very beautiful illustrations that capture the darkness so well without being overly literal

[Thistle & Verse · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, but I wasn't feeling this story. It's set in a future where a miner's trip to the sun has sent Earth into years of darkness. The speculative elements aren't the focus of the story, so Gay doesn't discuss how humanity would be able to survive for years without sunlight. The human side of the story didn't particularly interest me. Joshua Hightower, son of the man who doused the sun, is having a romance that parallels his father's. The characters felt flat, and it felt like we were told a lot of things instead of getting to experience them (I didn't feel much tension from the other townspeople dislike because it seemed to be more bluster than action. We don't get to see the insides of the mines or spend much time with the miners.). It felt like very little happened because the parts of the story felt disconnected and threadbare.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

An "it's the end of the world as we know it" story in graphic novel format from Roxane Gay (author of Bad Feminist and Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body). This is a graphic novel adaptation of Gay's NYT bestselling short story “We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness” (which I have not read).

After a miner flies an airship the the sun, the Earth is plunged into near darkness. The book moves back and forth in time to show the Before and After of this event. I was a little confused at first but I think that is kind of the point (I hope!).

The story is set in a mining town and sets up a dichotomy of the miners vs the owner/manager or the Haves vs. the Have-nots. There was a lot of social commentary woven throughout the story without it being blatantly in your face. I also liked the touch of two romance stories within the apocalyptic!

What to listen to while reading...
Sunburst by Eddie Henderson
Dance Apocalyptic by Janelle Monae
Super Sad Generation by Arlo Parks
Darkness and Light by John Legend & Brittany Howard
Fair Chance by Thundercat

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sacrifice of Darkness is more than a Graphic Novel. It is a thought provoking piece of work covering a multitude of societal constructs that many in this day and age would prefer to gloss over. Roxanne Gay delves into class relations, expectations and consequences, bullying, single parent (mother) households, mental illness, death, grief, and the ultimate resurrection of life and hope.

The artwork is beautiful and the storyline written to perfection. There was nothing I did not like. I would highly recommend reading this Graphic Novel. The writing combined with the artwork make The Sacrifice of Darkness a powerhouse.

Thanks to NetGalley, Archaia, and Roxanne Gay for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is definitely a thought-provoking graphic novel with some social commentary that is early relevant today..I'm not much of a graphic reader so I don't feel equipped enough to critique it but overall it is quick and I enjoy it..love the art!! and of course, I loved the romance part..

[disco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am continuously impressed by the genius of Roxane Gay.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I feel like reviewing this particular graphic novel is tantamount to revealing the most personal psychoanalytical details of someone's Rorschach test results, but here we go!

This was depressing. The social commentary on class and greed is bleak enough -- it's barely even scifi; it's just our terribly flawed world described differently -- but to me this is a story about how the best among us are often among the most persecuted; how pain and intolerance is piled upon them to unbearable degrees while they remain stronger and more sure of their principles than ever before; and then they're often the ones to pull us out of our own worst mistakes while the masses curse and condemn them and the power hungry in charge take credit for their achievements. 

But, you know, love was found and life went on, so yay? 

😂😂😂 

I don't know, this was probably not the smartest thing to read on that particular Monday in November...

I'm definitely feeling a little better about it with some distance -- and with more hope coming from the real world -- but it still leaves me with a stronger sense of darkness than light.

It details a really depressing aspect of human nature and a really depressing aspect of capitalist societies, and how they're doubly depressing when combined.

The art was beautiful, but a really crucial part of the story was told in a confusing way -- and in retrospect I have to wonder if it was done that way to cover up the fact that it's kind of unbelievable?? Because I don't buy that the character would have behaved that way, and some of the details feel inconsistent with the rest of the world-building. 

I think it would have been more powerful to spend a little more time showing how the original situation (corporate greed, essentially) could lead to such a place of pure desperation, but ultimately I think my middle-of-the-road rating is probably just a case of preaching to the choir: "We're fucked up." "Agreed. Where's the chocolate?"

[xTx xTx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, moving, dark yet hopeful and super timely. Gorgeous to look at. I'm not a big 'love story' person but wow, two for one special in this book! Great job.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was based on a short story, and it showed. It was a one note story, and it just kept hitting that one note.

And although it is science fiction, there is something that bothered me, how a world could live without the sun. How there could be a full moon, without the sun, and how anything could grow. How could anyone survive?

But, lets say that somehow all that is possible, somehow. Then why did it take a generation to figure out the solution?

Other than that, the art work was good.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[McKenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Boom! Studios for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review, unfortunately I was bored out of my mind reading this. I found myself not reading it after awhile, but just looking at the pictures to get a feel for what was going on more than having any interest in actually reading it. It started out promising and interesting, but for me it didn't really escalate from there. I enjoyed the art and the color scheme, but ultimately it fell short for me.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the art, one or maybe two for the story. It's an allegory, perhaps, but didn't make sense. Am usually a big fan of Gay's but this one missed the mark. Even the beautiful watercolor art can't quite redeem it.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really pretty! I’d read the short story and vaguely remembered the plot, but I really enjoyed this gorgeous, fleshed out, version.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really couldn't get over the premise: a miner, oppressed by the greedy government and driven mad by the mine's darkness, flies a spaceship into the sun, dousing its light. So like...that would be the end of the world right? No light, no heat, no solar winds, etc.

But no, the world keeps on turning in The Sacrifice of Darkness. Other miners even herald the miner for his sacrifice! Absurd! "Thank God that miner blew up the sun, what a sacrifice, we're all in awe, except we can't see each other or stay warm or eat anything because our world is dead."

Anyway, there are two intertwined romance narratives in The Sacrifice of Darkness. They're well-written and would probably be much more compelling without the distracting context. The art is decent enough, though it's pretty tough to draw a world wreathed in darkness. Looked pretty well lit to me.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When will they begin to embrace this new world as we have? Only an angry few are unwilling to live in this new world, as if their anger might make this world what it once was".

Whew. If that doesn't sum up the world we're living in now...perhaps the word "few" is generous but overall there are so many parallels between this story and our current covid/pandemic environment. Everyone wants someone or something to blame, which is constantly shifting.

I didn't realize this graphic novel was based on a short story, which I actually own but haven't read. Even without this context the graphic novel was great and beautifully rendered. Clear articulation of generational trauma and the perils of capitalism. Would recommend.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read Gay's short story that this graphic novel is based on, but it was a unique concept and had beautiful graphics. There was just something holding me back from fully falling into the characters and story. I think if it would have been longer and spent more time in each scene, I would have been more drawn into it.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How could one man, a miner no less, be so full of darkness that he needed to swallow all of the light of the sun?"

This graphic novel really took me by surprise! At first it wasn't really grabbing me, but I got invested in the story and thought the concept was original! Imagine if during years you would live without the sun?

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sacrifice of Darkness is a beautiful, haunting, and atmospheric graphic novel. It’s a wonderful example of visual storytelling and the adaptation of ideas to image and text.

Highly recommended as an example of the literary work and possibilities of this medium.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this.

[Roger Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely disappointing. It's some of the most nonsensical science fiction I have ever read. The plot--if you can call it that--is incredibly undeveloped and unexplained. The resolution is equally devoid of anything comprehensible. Interwoven is a tidy little love story that does give the book a touch of real romance. That and the art are the only reasons I can give this book two stars.

[zilver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!

I think there’s a collection of love stories at the core of this one. Love of parents for children, of people for purpose, of human for light. I liked the way Hiram and Mara’s “before”s were interwoven with Joshua and Claire’s “After”, how they both had a distinctive colour scheme and feeling to them - also in line with the event that separates their before and after, that is? the disappearance of the sun.

I did feel like I missed some depth to the characters, particularly to Claire. Besides her loyalty and sense of justice, I feel like we know very little about her, and I wanted to know more. In addition I found the focus on women bearing children, and how prevalent and automatic that felt as a logical course of action a bit much, especially since it felt like that notion really just existed without the women in question having much of a different purpose besides supporting the men they love. I think that in combination with a world that felt at times pleasantly ungraspable and at times confusingly distant left me feeling a little unsatisfied with the story in the end.

And of course I have to point out the artwork, which is absolutely gorgeous. I love the style, the fluidity of it, the colours, the sense it gave you of the space this story exists within, which is both similar and very different from our world. It really enhanced how connected I felt to the story.

A very pretty, contained work of art.

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[DeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

On the surface this is a touching story about families and rising above through adversity, but really it is so much more. There is a lot of discussion about class, specifically the disparity between the working class and the wealthy, and how the working class can often be dehumanized. I loved the story as it progressed and how it told two timelines involving some of the same members of one family. The art style and colors used perfectly portrayed the world and it was easy to see the difference between the timelines because of the differing color schemes.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite astonishingly bad. It feels almost impossible to pinpoint what the story is supposed to convey, it has hallmarks of a fairytale, but then it is also furnished with too many naturalistic story trappings for that to work. There is lots of completely unrealistic stuff that we have to swallow, which could work if the story was actually structured and stylised as a fairytale or parable, but this isn't.

After reading some of Gay's fiction work, I have started to get the impression she has a weak grasp of how fiction actually works.

The art is quite good, but nowhere good enough to save this car crash.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story crosscuts between two generations of a family, dealing with the aftermath of a father's actions while also explaining how he got to the point of taking that action. It is an effective method of explaining the story, and the primary characters are all very relatable, but the world the story takes place in never connected with me - the hows and whys of its working didn't make sense, and the story wasn't allegorical enough to be able to ignore those pieces. As well, while the interactions between the protagonists are all strong and rich, their interactions with the larger world feel pretty shallow. And the resolution of the story didn't do much for me. Still, I enjoyed the moment-to-moment reading, and the art is well suited for the story. It's nice to read a book where mining is celebrated, at least by those actually doing the job - it's a perspective we rarely get and a refreshing change of pace. All told, this was an interesting read that may stick with me for a while, but that's in spite of the relative shallowness of the world it takes place in.

[Tani]

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley.