Son of the Sun

by Charles Dearmore

As barbarian hordes rampage across a divided land, one man chooses to stand against them. His struggle draws the notice of ancient gods, but what price will they demand in exchange for victory?In a beautiful and prosperous land, great cities are falling one by one to rapacious barbarians, jealous of their ancient wealth and glory. Without the emperor that once united them, these fractious city-states are proving easy prey to their fierce enemies. But in the midst of this turmoil, a citizen of one of the first cities receives a sign from heaven and chooses to make a stand against those who would destroy his world.Son of the Sun, a debut work of fiction, is inspired by ancient history and mythology, and the belief that men and women, and the struggles they face, change far less than their surroundings and achievements might otherwise suggest.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2021

Reviews

[Trevor Jefferies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page-turning fun

Downloaded this the other day and already finished it - I found it hard to put down. It is an enjoyable sword-and-sandal story that is well written and unfolds an intricate tale of gods, war, love, and treachery; I look forward to more from this author.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

4. 5 I found this book to be enjoyable- a fast paced historical fiction story involving mythology and battle. Well done!!

[Zulu Alitspa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Dearmore has been advertising his book on /lit/ for over two years now and has resisted the urge to make a complete ass of himself by trying to trick people into reading it with obnoxious gimmicks, which is probably why it took me so long to get a copy.

Son of the Sun is not a mindblowing piece of fiction but Dearmore's fictional pseudoroman world is interesting and well-realized. The actual story (a fictional civilization composed of ctiy-states is threatened by a combination of barbarian hordes and political stagnation) is competently conceived and paced. The protagonist borders on the edge of Mary Sueism but does suffer some real loss and makes some serious fumbles in his appraisals of human nature and his application of battle tactics.

However, much like Ogden Nesmer's I Pray to the Hungry God, I feel like it was a mistake to write the story in 1st person POV, and to try and emulate the voice of translated Roman epics. In a story where worldbuilding and immersion are critical, forcing the reader to experience said world through the eyes of someone who grew up there is a tragic misstep. On the other hand, this world is fascinating, and I'd gladly read another story set within it.

[Mark Sneed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Historical Fiction

If you have seen Gladiator or Troy then you will enjoy reading this book. It is historical fiction. It is good historical fiction. The story is interesting. At times the pace is slow. The characters names are ridiculously difficult. Would benefit from a good edit as there are a few questionable and glaring errors with led and lead to say the least. The villains are easy to dislike, but what was surprising was the amount of villains here. Androklades, the main character, is a high citizen whatever that is an officer in the First City standing army. He learns of the possibility of barbarians plotting to overrun the cities. He investigates and with the help of the sun god and a star god he successfully defeats the barbarians. Returning to the First City he is rewarded with another adventure South to another possible threatened city. All the while, the First City politics threatens the high citizens footing. Enjoyable read.

[Venus · Rating 4 out of 5]

unique

This was a pretty interesting read that took a lot of different twists, and turns I wasn’t expecting. The dialogue is extremely unusual, and the plotline is paste in a unique way. Sometimes I liked the pacing and other times I didn’t, but the dialogue in general was enjoyable throughout.

[Phil Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

surprising, great read

Started out slowly but drew me in until I couldn’t put it down, highly recommended. An interesting mix of ancient history, suspense and intrigue. Didn’t expect such a great read.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book advertised to me on Kindle Unlimited, and after being so enthralled in mythology and the Roman Empire lately, I decided to give it a try. Son of the Sun by Charles Dearmore is a quick and intriguing read following a nobleman in a fictional city who takes up arms to protect the sister-cities from barbarians. Heavily inspired by Greco-Roman literature, we follow our gods-blessed noble in his battles of love and loss. The premise of the book is interesting, but I struggled through the first half. Thankfully, the second half of the book picked up in both writing-style and plot development. We follow a narrator who sees through a narrow lens, so I feel like the world building could be improved upon. I was eager to learn more about our new fictional world and about the gods that inhabit it, but was left feeling unsatisfied in that regard. Ultimately, Dearmore’s debut novel shows promise for what he decides to write next.

Tori's Book Checklist
Genre: historical military fiction
CW: death and violence
Writing Style: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Characters: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Plot: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Fun to read: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

[Elliott Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Great Book!!!

Dearmore seriously impressed me with this story. It has all the elements I would look for in an irresistible page-turner: a captivating plot, dynamic character development, descriptive language, originality, and to top it off a poetic quality that likens it to some of my favorite classics. I’d recommend this book to all of my friends (in fact I already am) and I can’t wait to see what he publishes next.