The novel “Sunlight” by Kristian Joseph was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the first book in the Titans, Cranes & Monsters’ Games series.
The city of Sovereign is at the center of open clashes and behind-the-scenes intrigues that ultimately lead to chaos with riots and killings. Betrayals, deceptions, and secrets are the norm, especially if the mysterious Ministry of Man is involved. It’s a situation where trusting someone is a risk. Few seem to have any way of resisting without succumbing.
Sam Royle thinks his parents were traitors but what is the truth about the secret tech development program they were running that seems stuck without them? Some think that Sam is the key to bringing the program called Titan to its conclusion with important consequences for the future.
“Sunlight” is a dystopia set towards the end of the 21st century. The description of that future world is in some ways very general, with entities simply called the Kingdom and the Union, and at the center of many events, there’s a city simply called Sovereign. Kristian Joseph appears to have used a distorted version of the present as a setting by including some allegories and letting the reader recognize the various references.
Honestly, I would have preferred a little less allegories and a little more information on the situation of that dystopian future. Perhaps the author will do that in the sequels, and in some cases, it would help in understanding the story. For example, when it comes to the technology featured in the novel, it sometimes seems underdeveloped for the end of the 21st century. Maybe that’s why “Sunlight” was also labeled cyberpunk, but it seems like a case where a label is given because of some limited elements that can be related to this subgenre. It seems to me a case in which a label can give an imprecise impression of a work.
Certain elements of the setting are vague because the plot is focused on what happens around a number of characters in some subplots. This choice makes it possible to obtain a novel that in less than 200 pages offers a considerable amount of events with surprises and twists. The pace is very fast because it focuses a lot on the events and the reactions of the characters to what happens to them and around them. The author also offers details that help to understand their emotions and motivations, so at least the protagonists are given well-defined personalities.
The large amount of action present in the various subplots of “Sunlight” makes the novel a bit chaotic but also makes it difficult to stop reading it. It’s a bit like riding a roller coaster: sometimes you can catch your breath but in general, you’re taken by the intensity of the ride. In this novel, the intensity is also given by difficult situations in which the protagonists find themselves.
The action and surprises lead to the final twist, a typical cliffhanger of a great story split into multiple books. This is an ending where some answers are given but many questions remain. It’s hard to assess the potential of a series from an initial book like “Sunlight,” which suggests many more surprises. Certainly, there are many margins for the development of the various elements introduced in this beginning. If you like dystopian series, this one is for you.
