I received a free copy of this book, and I read it as part of the judging effort for the SFINCS3 novella competition. I’m part of Team TBR, but these thoughts are my own and do not reflect the final rating of the team.
Sunchaser
by Emily Barlow
Sunchaser is the kind of novella that I would have preferred to see as a novel. The book is full of interesting ideas, characters, and events, but there are so many parts to the story that they end up crowding each other. Even the main character herself, Gloria Sunchaser, doesn’t have much room to grow throughout the story, which is a shame, because she has a ton of potential.
Rather than a character driven story, what we get is a kind of travelogue mixed with the tales of Gloria’s adventures. We first meet her as she leaves her school and sets out into the world to make a name for herself as a Sunchaser – someone who can break up storms to see ships safely to their destinations – and we follow her on numerous adventures. Gloria travels across land and sea, encounters different cultures, learns new languages, and overcomes challenges.
Through it all, she maintains a cheerful disposition, an avid curiosity, and a deeply rooted desire to learn. It is, in a way, rather pleasant, and it’s a nice way to explore a new world and its magic, but it’s not quite what I look for in a novella.
I listened to the audiobook version of the book, and the narration is clear and easy to follow. The narrator does not try to enhance the excitement by sounding dramatic in tense situations, which I’m quite grateful for.
What I’ll whine about
I would have loved to get to know Gloria better. As it is, we explore the world with her, and that’s interesting, but Gloria is more interesting. So much happens to her, but we don’t see how it changes her, and I’d like to know.
What I’ll gush about
The prose. The writing is rich and full of details, invoking sounds and sights, but still flows easily and without being longwinded or repetitive. Yes, I did listen to it, but I got the feeling that reading the text myself would have been a delight.
Final Words
Sunchaser is the story about the adventures, encounters, and journeys of Gloria Sunchaser in a world of weatherworkers.
