Thank you all for visiting for my review of the new Jonathan Nevair, wonderfully tense and polished space opera, Goodbye To The Sun. This is also an event sponsored by Storytellers On Tour, and you have landed on Day Three. Make sure to follow the other hosts as well as they are all awesome folks.
Tour Link: https://www.storytellersontour.online/2021/04/27/book-tour-goodbye-to-the-sun-by-jonathan-nevair/
Goodbye to the Sun by Jonathan Nevair
Series: Wind Tide (#1)
Published: May 18, 2021
Genre: Science Fiction, LGBTQ+
Pages: 307
Blurb:
Tucked away in the blue sands of Kol 2, the Motes are on the brink of cultural collapse. Razor, a bold and daring pilot, leads a last-ditch gambit against their local oppressors, the Targitians. The plan – abduct visiting Ambassador Keen Draden and use him as a bargaining chip to restore her people’s independence in the Sagittarius Arm. But when the operation unravels, Razor is forced to renegotiate terms with the arrogant diplomat. Battling furious Wind Tides and pursuit by an infamous bounty hunter, Razor and Keen find mutual assistance in a dubious freelancer with a knack for exposing
cracks in people’s pride.
Light years away on Heroon a radical resistance blossoms. The alluring rainforest planet haunts Keen.
All his problems started there during the Patent War, but it’s where Razor’s troubles may find a solution. The moral tide ebbs, exposing an impossible choice that links their futures together more tragically than they ever thought possible.
Book Links –
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57698402-goodbye-to-the-sun
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092TR7R13/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092TR7R13/
Shadow Spark Publishing: https://shadowsparkpub.com/jonathan-nevair
My Review and key takeaways:
Not only was this a very satisfying scifi/Space Opera novel, but there were some real highlights for me that really sealed my high opinion of Goodbye To The Sun. If you’ve read the blurb, then you probably have an idea, so you could feel free to skip the next paragraph, but don’t, I kinda like my intro to the story:
The story begins with an older ambassador about to land on a planet that has been eco-terraformed in order to capitalize on the extreme winds and atmospheric currents that develop and are literally like Jaws (big wave surf spot-photo included) times a hundred but made of hot air that smash down onto the surface of a planet. In the book, they are referred to as the “wind-tide”. The population has been split by this technology as its left a portion of people out in the sand and dunes, with a major grudge, and rightfully so. They hope to do what’s required to grab some power and help lift the injustice their people, and planet have suffered using the ambassador as part of a bigger plan.
When things don’t go as planned, an already tense atmosphere hits the ceiling and it stays there for the most part, along with some great action, incredibly realistic character growth, and a politically charged sun sized mess the main characters will have to paddle through.
The main character, Keen, is who I personally connected with, (the ambassador I mentioned earlier) is years out of touch with the struggle of daily life. That includes his old life in the Legion, and how difficult life is for those that are oppressed in his part of the spiral arm. As he experiences the secretive life of those on Kol – 2, the planet where everything gets rolling, he starts to remember who he is, and that person is painfully pulled back into focus and gives him the courage and strength to do what needs to be done.
For the Scifi lover, there is a ton to enjoy. The Wind Tide on Kol 2, and the hidden places the sand dwellers live were enough to blow me away, and fill me with surging imagination. There is FTL, a villian out of a nightmare and a name that came out of the nightmare with it.
Back to Keen though, Jonathan did an incredible job in describing and writing the experience he goes through in trying to stop drinking and to me, was a fine example of someone who was willing to write in a very personal way that really connected with me. As someone who has gone through that, and survived, it is harrowing and so hard to explain, but Jonathan really excelled. I got the impression that he is an incrediblly intelligent person who put more thought into this book than maybe an editor would’ve asked. So realistic and forward thinking was the inclusion of referring to a person’s gender that he should be congratulated for going the extra mile and bringing the future back into the now.
I loved the story and not only would re-read it when my life is a little less chaotic, but am excited for the series to continue and to see what ideas and story lines we see from Jonathan in the future.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e832e98885/?
Author Info
Jonathan Nevair is a science fiction writer and, as Dr. Jonathan Wallis, an art historian and Professor
of Art History at Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia. After two decades of academic teaching
and publishing, he finally got up the nerve to write fiction. Jonathan grew up on Long Island, NY but
now resides in southeast Pennsylvania with his wife and rambunctious mountain feist, Cricket. You
can find him online at www.jonathannevair.com and on twitter at @JNevair
The Stone Cloud 
Pingback: Jati’s Wager by Jonathan Nevair - Cover Reveal - Armed with A Book
Pingback: Book Tour: Goodbye to the Sun by Jonathan Nevair | Storytellers On Tour