Nightside of the Sun

Rise of the Alliance #4

by Sherwood Smith

The climax to the Rise of the Alliance saga begins with Detlev’s boys taking two prisoners as they retreat to their lair on Five, the sister world that has been lifeless for nearly five thousand years. Reviled by both sides, the one thing they can trust is their strength, their training, and each other. Or so it seems.

Meanwhile, unknown to both Norsunder and the Sartoran mages, there are secrets living within that world that will change everything.

The high-stakes hunt continues on two worlds as the surviving allies step into adult roles one by one, just to find themselves with greater challenges as the world hurtles inexorably toward war . . .

Genres: Fantasy

734 pages, Paperback

Published February 5, 2022

About the author

I am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

This is the last of the Rise of the Alliance arc. The first draft I finished in 1968, when I was in high school. It, unlike most of the other 300+ page tomes that are interconnected, was barely fifty pages, because I understood so little of what was going on.

What happened in the decades after is that my perspective shifted from the kids on the verge of adulthood to the adults. It was like the sun coming up over a vague landscape lighting up everything I'd missed. I do not recommend this kind of process--we just don't get to live long enough for books to take thirty, forty, fifty years to write and revise. It's a stupid process.

But I'm stuck with what I've got.

Anyway, this goes about as dark as I ever get. Pret-ty dark. But it also begins, obliquely, (or so it seems to me--the reader will have to decide) a redemptive jubilation that--eh, best to stop blathering.

[Brandon Stenger]

The way this series encompasses everything Sherwood has ever written in this world and ties it all together is like a high wire act over a volcano during a rain of sharks. At times it is astounding that it happens at all, much less that it is so incredibly well done.

[Connie]

A series review of the Rise of the Alliance below the spoilers tag.

Wow, is Nightside of the Sun one really good ending.

I feel in love with the Marloveans at some point and I was really excited when A Sword Named Truth came out. I was going to shove it into the hands of everyone I knew to take them onto the world of Sator-Deles with me. I was tired of screaming into the void with my fan theories and was going to undergo a mass conversion. This series means so much to me I remember the names of everything.

There were some obvious issues with the Daw editor who felt we needed a lot of world building to make A Sword Named Truth an adequate jumping off point, and in that bogged down the novel. A lot of key events happen in Senrid and Fleeing Peace, which are Bookview Cafe novellas I hastily read and really need to go back to. I'm on the newsletter and was aware of the release of the rest of the books, but I have to read these on my ereader, which means in the winter only.

The Blood Mage texts was disappointing, as it tried to move pieces into place which I suspected should have been in A Sword Named Truth. I'd really love to see one day a re-written A Sword Named Truth, without traditional publication standards "interfering". It took me a bit to get to the Hunters & the Hunted, which picked up again with the usual steam. Meeting Detlev's boys was weird, and honestly, I'd love their backstory before everything became political and complicated.

We finally hit our stride again in Nightside of the Sun. All of the pieces were in place to just tell the story. We focused on characters as needed, we explored the necessary parts of Sator-Deles (and beyond) and I got the smallest glimpse of the larger picture. Clair's head was such a wonderful place to be and to learn about Five and even though there wasn't much of my favourites (Senrid and Jilo) I still appreciated everyone who we spent time with and what they added to the larger picture.

This book made me scream into the void of my group chat with feelings and made me cry. I can't wait to see where the Young Alliance goes as they become adults.

[Ay]

THE SERIES

There are layers of enjoyment with this series. Smith started writing these stories at around the age of 8 (the 1960s?), and as a teenager. She is still writing stories set in this universe about these people as of 2024.

The entire series, read in chronological order, comprises books written by Smith as an adult, adult Smith working off brief stuff written as a kid, and stories written by 8 year old and then teenager smith, and then back by adult smith.

I started with the book Inda, which she published in 2006, as a very accomplished writer. I was sucked right in, and gobbled that series up within days.

As a middle aged person, it is fine to skip the books written by the kid/teenager. It was an interesting visit by me into the kid/teenager worldview - books written by a kid, for readers just like her. Later books advert to things that happen in the earlier books, but the reader is ably filled in. The books written by kid and teenager Smith have little character development.

I suspect that the kid/teenager books might be spectacular reads for kid/teenager girls though.

Having said all that, it is fascinating to enjoy a universe initially created by an 8 year old, and continuously filled in by the teenager and then adult author. There are a bunch of people who do a magic spell to keep them young as they don't want to grow up (grown ups are bad!) and don't want to be messed around by Love Stuff. You can see a girl/teen in the 60s looking at the social expectations/options for women of that time and thinking "ugh, no". There is also all the magic to take care of housework. See previous sentence.

With respect to the rest of this series, I will be reading a little more cautiously, checking out the publication dates, how much is the kid/teen written story and character arcs to see whether I am going to read them or not. If other readers really enjoyed being a kid, they may really enjoy these stories? Because it might recall them to their happy little kid brain?

THIS ACTUAL BOOK

So in this "Rise of the alliance" books, the sensibility is that of the adult author. The events take place all over the world, with a large cast. Events progress! Characters grow and learn from lived experience!

The rise of the alliance is one long and enjoyable narrative, carved into thick book sized chunks. I'm unable to think of or discuss these books as separate items.

This 700 page instalment is excellent.

My reactions to this chunk were as follows:
"....what? ...wait. ... what? ...WHAT? WTAF? ...what?"

All in all a very enjoyable pause in this ongoing saga.

[Tiffany]

Contains: a smattering of language (one use of f-word), some violence/fighting, veiled references to sexual assault, one scene of aggravated sexual assault (not explicit and very tastefully written).

This marks the end of the young allies (as many are putting off the child spell) and in a way serves a a bridge between what was and what will be. It foreshadows the coming Norsunder war and gets all the chess pieces in place for that. There is a lot of discussion of good vs evil and whether retaliation is justified or if it makes us just like them. This takes place over several years and in a couple worlds so there is a lot going on; however, Smith is such a masterful writer that each story line is a treasure to read.

[Becca]

Worth it to see some plotlines resolved, but the same issues as prior books in this series. I hope the next books are more focused on moving the plot forward and connecting to characters.

[Colleen]

The final book of the Rise of the Alliance arc, Nightside of the Sun brings the end of childhood to the young allies. The stark realization that war is not a game comes with the harsh reality that the Child Spell may hold the body in stasis but it has no control over the mind and emotional impact of the years. Hiding in plain sight sounds like a good idea but there are more complications and layers than ever expected, laid down over the years in a deadly struggle to survive.

So much happens in this book it's almost impossible to summarize. The introduction of the Fifth world and its Norsunder base through Clair's time there is a fascinating look at the more mundane day to day of Norsunder and how it compares to what we've seen of the other magic schools on Sartorias-deles. The introduction of the natives of the world and how they've adapted to life inside the mountain is interesting, but I never felt we spent enough time with them to really feel engaged with their story.

The really important thread here is Detlev's boys and the fractures in their group, even before they break away from Norsunder. Detlev is easily the most fascinating character in the entire series. Rereading the older books after knowing his whole story is a masterclass in laying out hints and red herrings about where his loyalties have always been. The long line of his plans run through all the books, as the one with all the pieces of the puzzle and the burning need to bring an end to Norsunder.

My favorite thing about this series is how Smith recognizes the need to let her stories breathe. To lay out such a long-term story that involves every corner of the world requires patience - the impact doesn't hit with the grounding of the past and the weight of consequences. Even what seem like digressions or random moments end up weaving back in to the main tapestry; the stage is set and almost all the main players are in place.