Publisher's Weekly Review
Based on a short story by Gay (Hunger), this graphic adaptation, co-scripted with Oliver and illustrated with Kirby's gorgeously hued art, spins an Afrofuturistic fable and a flexible allegory that echoes multiple oppression narratives. Joshua Hightower is the son of Hiram Hightower, a third-generation Flareon miner, whose double shifts underground left him so desperate for light that he flew an airship into the sun, extinguishing it for years. As a result, Joshua and his mother are shunned by society, except for the open-minded young Claire. Joshua and Claire's schoolyard friendship and eventual love story unfolds alongside flashbacks to Hiram's courting of Mara, a girl from a wealthy, disapproving family. The town's governing body tries in vain to restore sunlight, growing increasingly thirsty for Hightower sacrifice. Joshua and Claire, meanwhile, hope for a dual miracle: a baby and a return to light. With help from a few discoveries of their own using "precious" Flareon dust, they begin to build a more equitable world. Kirby's sublime drawings of clapboard buildings and wide streets give the town a Wild West feel. And though the narrative achieves a mythical vibe, the parable quality occasionally slips into vagueness. Even so, the glowing hope within this tale will be welcome to readers in dark times. (Oct.)
Booklist Review
Adapted from a short story by Gay, this multigenerational, fable-like tale unfolds over interwoven stories, beginning with devoted miner Hiram Hightower's audacious one-way journey into the sky, which destroys the sun, leaving the world in darkness. In the future, the mining town where Hiram grew up now shuns his wife and young son, Joshua, blaming them for Hiram's actions and demanding a blood sacrifice if science can't bring back the sun. As the years pass and darkness remains, Joshua and his mother fend off the council's threats of violence, while the narrative loops back to reveal the reasons behind Hiram's actions. It would tempting to try to find an allegory here, as the plot touches on themes of ancestry, climate crisis, exploitative labor practices, and prejudice, but Gay and Oliver's story compellingly defies such easy categorization. Kirby and Fenner's impressionistic artwork makes excellent use of color, setting sunset tones against inky black silhouettes, cultivating a nighttime look perfectly in keeping with the plot. Thought-provoking speculative fiction that movingly explores the human condition.
Library Journal Review
Hiram Hightower craves the sun so much that he flies an aircraft into it, plunging the earth into 24-hour darkness. Later, son Joshua overcomes prejudice and blame to begin repairing his father's tragedy. Alongside the men stand courageous women Mara and Claire, whose partnerships carve a future for the now-brightening world. Adapted from Gay's short story, "We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness" in art contrasting rosy brights with darks. (LJ 10/20)
