And what I adore about Shadowrun is its diversity. For those who are unfamiliar, Shadowrun is a cyberpunk RPG that's unfortunately shadowed (no pun intended) by the popularity of D&D. The Last Sun, though? It makes me giddy in a way that the Shadowrun world does.

You get the gist after reading half a dozen UF series. There's either the fae-the Seelie and the Unseelie-or the paranormal-wereanimals, vampires, spirits, and such. Worldbuilding in urban fantasy don't normally excite me because many of them feel the same. New Atlantis is like if Shadowrun had a baby with Neverwhere. Their access to immense power and their considerable influence within and outside of New Atlantis make them the de facto Atlantean rulers. Among these beings are those called the 'Arcana.' Named after tarot cards-like The Tower, The Fool, Justice, and The Sun-they're the closest things to gods of this world. These magical beings used to exist unbeknownst to humans, but then came the Atlantean World War and the boundaries between Atlanteans and humans became frayed. This Earth is very much like our own-same countries, same pop culture, same technology-except for the presence of various magical beings. The story takes place in New Atlantis, an island formerly known in the human world as Nantucket.

It's everything I want in quality fantasy and more: a lovingly-crafted, rich setting that's a blend of contemporary and high fantasy prose that moves from laugh-out-loud humour to quiet poignancy caffeine-fueled pacing and breakneck action sequences complex, unabashedly queer characters, and heartfelt exploration of the many kinds of male relationships. It brims with life and love and wonder and serves as a testament to some of the best this genre has to offer. Because The Last Sun shines with the light of a supernova. A hundred gifs of muppet flails would be a better representation of my feelings, but I figure I still have some shred of respectability and professionalism to maintain.īut that was more or less my experience reading this book-every cell of my body flailing their tiny cytoplasmic limbs in abject worship. I've been sitting on this review for over a month, all the while rewriting and tweaking and coming to the realization that a written review can't properly encompass the adoration I have for this story and its characters.

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards