The first two books in the Skywatchers series followed the paths of a community of moonfollowers during and after the purges initiated by sun-worshipping aggressors from the Tarkan Empire.  In Sombre Glows the Sun, the third book in the series, we meet some of the native sunservers, who are desperately trying to maintain control of their own path in the face of the foreign threat.

For the last year, the head sunserver, desperate to avoid more deaths, has followed a policy of appeasement.  However, this has been seen as weakness, and he knows that he must now seize the initiative or see his position usurped by the foreigners.  As he tries to steer a resolute and yet non-violent course, he realises that he will need allies, either amongst the other religions of the land, or within the council of lawgivers.

Meanwhile, the moonfollowers are still trying to adjust to the destabilising changes that have taken place, and many are uncertain where their future lies.  A retired bard and a young merchant’s apprentice know that sun and moon will need to work together if religious intolerance and empirical repression are to be overcome.  But how can such different elements find common ground?  And why does a dancing slave girl seem so central to the spirits’ design?

Sombre Glows the Sun makes it clear that there is more than one way of looking at any situation, and suggests that honouring different perspectives can be the first step towards a more tolerant society.

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