History Literature / TheLastLightOfTheSun

For centuries now, the [[HornyVikings Erlings]] of Vinmark have ravaged the coasts of the Cyngael and Angelcyn, bringing death, destruction, and the fury of the north in their wake. But change is coming to these cold northern lands, as King Aeldred of the Angelcyn brings his people together to resist the Erling depredations. [[CrystalDragonJesus Jadism]] is spreading, and raids grow fewer and harder, as the last of the dragon ships turn away from Angelcyn shores. It's the end of an era, and most people can only watch.

Some people though, will get caught up in the changes around them. The story opens as young Erling, Bern Thorkellson, whose father's rages have destroyed his family, steals a deceased governor's horse, and flees his homeland. In Cyngael, Alun ap Owyn and his brother, Dai, plot to steal cattle from RetiredBadass Brynn ap Hywyll. And in the Angelcyn court, Aeldred's son, Aethelbert struggles to escape the shadow of the father he loves, but cannot be. These three, along with numerous others will be tied together by fate, as the Erlings of [[HiredGuns Jormsvik]] plan one, last, great raid.

The book as a whole has been quite well received, with critics praising its darker tone, evocative settings, well-developed characters, and general sense of grandeur and nostalgia. It's worth noting that the book contains far less sex and politics than is usual for Kay, and a lot more violence. Depending on the reader this may be a good thing or a bad one. Kay was nominated for the 2005 Canadian Sunburst Award after writing it.

* CrystalDragonJesus: Jadism is Christianity. The Erling's repeatedly reference their own religion, and its blatant paralells for Odin and Thor.

* EndOfAnAge: Present throughout, and beautifully done, as unity and Angelcyn power replace disunity and the chaos of the Erling raids. Yet despite this, its almost impossible not to feel a certain sense of nostalgia as the last dragon ships head over the horizon.

* TheFairFolk: A Fae queen keeps the soul of Alun's brother Dai captive. Getting her to let go is a major part of Alun's character arc. Aeldred has also had encounters with the Fae in the past, which has somewhat shaken his faith in Jadism, as his faith claims the supernatural does not exist.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Angelcyn are the English, the Cyngael are the Welsh, and the Erlings are the Vikings.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: So very much. The Cyngael, Angelcyn and yes, the Erlings, are all portrayed in a thoroughly sympathetic light.
** ALighterShadeOfGrey: The Angelcyn and Cyngael are supposed to be this, but it doesn't really stick. Kay captures [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Erling]] culture well enough that they come off as equally sympathetic, despite their fondness for raiding and murder. Only [[TheSociopath Ivarr]]'s presence really blackens their reputation.

* LastMinuteHookUp: [[spoiler:Anrid and Bern]]. And yet, due to the way its written, it seems to work.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: How the Erlings tend to come across when contrasted with the Angelcyn or Cyngael.

* YourCheatingHeart: Brynn's wife cheats on him with Cenion, the bishop, every time he comes to visit. But Brynn routinely sleeps with serving girls, so they appear to have an understanding.

* EvilCripple: Ivarr again. He's much smaller, and much more slender than is usual for an Erling, with hunched shoulders that aren't quite level with one another. It’s also hinted he is an EvilAlbino as he’s described as quite pale with eyes that don’t work well in bright sunlight.
* EyepatchOfPower: Brand wears one.

* EvilCripple: Ivarr again. He's much smaller, and much more slender than is usual for an Erling, with hunched shoulders that aren't quite level with one another.

* EvilAlbino: Ivarr Ragnarson has white hair, and white skin. He also suffers from poor vision in the daylight, although he seems to see better in the twilight.

----

* TheCaptain: Brand to Bern and his crew.
* CombatPragmatist: Bern, Aethelred, Ivarr.

* EyepatchOfPower: Brand.

* PoisonedWeapons: Ivarr.

* TheSmartGuy: Bern to the Jormsvik Erlings.

* TheSociopath: Guess who? [[spoiler: Ivarr]].

* TookALevelInJerkass: Alun after Dai's death.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Aethelbert; Bern to a lesser degree.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Anrid.

* DumbMuscle: Mikkel Ragnarson, and to a lesser degree, Brand. The latter [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure gets]] [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy enough]] [[TheCaptain characterisation]] that it isn't [[TropesAreNotBad too bad]].

* BadassFamily: Thorkell and Bern. Subverted by the Volgans. The Volgan himself was a tremendous badass but his son Ragnar never really did any raiding and his grandsons, [[DumbMuscle Mikkel]] and [[TheSociopath Ivar]]? The tropes attached to them speak for themselves. Dangerous, but hardly badass.
* BittersweetEnding: The Erlings are gone, and Alun, Aethelbert, and Bern all survive, while [[TheSociopath Ivar]] dies. Aeldred and his wife stay together, and he fully intends to turn his kingdom into a civilization that will match those in the south. Yet [[spoiler: Thorkell]] is dead and never really reconciled with his son, and both the raids, and the feelings of mystery and magic in the world, are fading away. See EndOfAnAge for more on that.

* CombatPragmatist: Bern, Aethelred, Ivar.

* DirtyCoward: Mikkel is one. Ivar is often regarded as such, but the truth is [[CombatPragmatist much]], [[TheSociopath much]] [[ManipulativeBastard worse]].

* EvilAlbino: Ivar Ragnarson has white hair, and white skin. He also suffers from poor vision in the daylight, although he seems to see better in the twilight.
* EvilCripple: Ivar again. He's much smaller, and much more slender than is usual for an Erling, with hunched shoulders that aren't quite level with one another.

* ForTheEvulz: [[DumbMuscle Mikkel]] wants to avenge the Volgan. It's why he goes raiding at Brynn's. [[TheSociopath Ivar]]? He's just bored and looking to hurt some people. He's especially interested in finding a way to keep [[FateWorseThanDeath someone alive while blood-eagling them]], the little creep.

** ALighterShadeOfGrey: The Angelcyn and Cyngael are supposed to be this, but it doesn't really stick. Kay captures [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Erling]] culture well enough that they come off as equally sympathetic, despite their fondness for raiding and murder. Only [[TheSociopath Ivar]]'s presence really blackens their reputation.

* ManipulativeBastard: Ivar, although he's not as good as he thinks.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Anrid's control of the serpent, and Ivar's deformities and manipulative abilities are alluded to being supernatural in origin, but deliberately kept vague.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Aeldred is Alfred the Great, who unified the English to resist the first waves of Viking attacks. Ivar Ragnarson is likely a reference to the semi-historical [[Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons Ivarr "The Boneless" Ragnarson]], who invaded England alongside his brothers to take revenge for their father, in much the same way that Ivar and Mikkel seek to avenge their grandfather. Thorkell and Bern might be a reference to Erik the Red and Lief Erikson.
* PoisonedWeapons: Ivar.

* RedRightHand: Ivar. Is there a single ''good'' trope associated with him?

* {{Sadist}}: Ivar again. He always tortures his victims, and his goal in life is to blood-eagle somebody while keeping them alive the whole time.

* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler: Bern stabs Ivar in the back mid-spiel]].

* SmugSnake: Ivar. He's contemptuous of everyone around him, and considers every breathing person to be his inferior.

* TheSociopath: Guess who? [[spoiler: Ivar]].

[[quoteright:310:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_light_of_the_sun.jpg]]

''The Last Light of the Sun'' is a 2004 fantasy novel by Creator/GuyGavrielKay. Like ''Literature/TheLionsOfAlRassan'' and ''Literature/TheSarantineMosaic'', it is set in a world closely modeled on medieval Europe, but with elements of myth and magic incorporated. The tone is darker than that of the previous two novels, with themes of revenge, violence, the passing of an era, clash of cultures, and love — especially between father and son--being particularly prominent.

'''Tropes found in ''The Last Light of the Sun'' include:'''

* {{Badass}}: Thorkell Einarson, Bern Thorkellson, Brand Leofson, and Aeldred.
** BadassFamily: Thorkell and Bern. Subverted by the Volgans. The Volgan himself was a tremendous BadAss, but his son Ragnar never really did any raiding and his grandsons, [[DumbMuscle Mikkel]] and [[TheSociopath Ivar]]? The tropes attached to them speak for themselves. Dangerous, but hardly BadAss.
** RetiredBadass: Brynn ap Hywyll. His rival, the Volgan, is a [[PosthumousCharacter Posthumous]] {{Badass}}.

* DumbMuscle: Mikkel Ragnarson, and to a lesser degree, Brand. The [[BadAss latter]] [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure gets]] [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy enough]] [[TheCaptain characterisation]] that it isn't [[TropesAreNotBad too bad]].

''The Last Light of the Sun'' is a 2004 fantasy novel by Creator/GuyGavrielKay. Like ''Literature/TheLionsOfAlRassan'' and ''Literature/TheSarantineMosaic'', it is set in a world closely modeled on medieval Europe, but with elements of myth and magic incorporated. The tone is darker than that of the previous two novels, with themes of revenge, violence, the passing of an era, clash of cultures, and love — especially between father and son, being particularly prominent.

* RapeIsOkayWhenItsFemaleOnMale: Averted. The original ''volur'' forcing Bern to sleep with her is portrayed as very creepy.

* DoubleStandard: Kay's usual double standard about cheating wives being okay, but cheating husbands being bad is present, albeit in far smaller doses (there's only one example).

* HappilyMarried: Aeldred and his wife, though don't tell [[SexIsEvil her]] that. Brynn and his wife are supposed to be, but given her constantly cheating on him with his best friend Cenion, it is very easy to conclude the exact opposite.
** ...was I the only one who got the impression that they were a threesome?

* TheMessiah: Aeldred tries, although he does have his [[DarkMessiah darker]] moments. One case that's frequently mentioned is his sparing of the Erling who blood-eageled his father.

''The Last Light of the Sun'' is a 2004 fantasy novel by Creator/GuyGavrielKay. Like ''Literature/TheLionsOfAlRassan'' and ''Literature/TheSarantineMosaic'', it is set in a world closely modelled on medieval Europe, but with elements of myth and magic incorporated. The tone is darker than that of the previous two novels, with themes of revenge, violence, the passing of an era, clash of cultures, and love — especially between father and son, being particularly promient.

The book as a whole has been quite well recieved, with critics praising its darker tone, evocative settings, well-developed characters, and general sense of grandeur and nostalgia. It's worth noting that the book contains far less sex and politics than is usual for Kay, and a lot more violence. Depending on the reader this may be a good thing or a bad one. Kay was nominated for the 2005 Canadian Sunburst Award after writing it.

* AnticlimaxBoss: [[spoiler: Ivar Ragnarson is the bastard who got the whole plot started with his raid on Brynn's farm. He's the one who gets a bunch of surrenderring Erlings massacred when he shoots a captured Earl instead of letting them ransom him. He has, at various points in-story, plotted against every named character. And he dies when Bern stabs him in the back [[ShutUpHannibal midconversation]]]].

* BittersweetEnding: The Erlings are gone, and Alun, Aethelbert, and Bern all survive, while [[TheSociopath Ivar]] dies. Aeldred and his wife stay together, and he fully intends to turn his kingdom into a civilisation that will match those in the south. Yet [[spoiler: Thorkell]] is dead and never really reconciled with his son, and both the raids, and the feelings of mystery and magic in the world, are fading away. See EndOfAnAge for more on that.

** ALighterShadeOfGrey: The Angelcyn and Cyngael are supposed to be this, but it doesn't really stick. Kay captutres [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Erling]] culture well enough that they come off as equally sympathetic, despite their fondness for raiding and murder. Only [[TheSociopath Ivar]]'s presence really blackens their reputation.

The book as a whole has been quite well recieved, with critics praising its darker tone, evocative settings, well-developed characters, and general sense of grandeur and nostalgia. It's worth noting that the book contains far less sex and politics than is usual for Kay, and a lot more violence. Depending on the reader this may be a good thing or a bad one. Kay was nominated for the 2005 Canadian Sunburst Award after writing it. An excellent read.

Some people though, will get caught up in the changes around them. The story opens as young Erling, Bern Thorkellson, whose father's rages have destroyed his family, steals a deceased governor's horse, and flees his homeland. In Cyngael, Alun ap Owyn and his brother, [[DeadLittleSister Dai]], plot to steal cattle from RetiredBadass Brynn ap Hywyll. And in the Angelcyn court, Aeldred's son, Aethelbert struggles to escape the shadow of the father he loves, but cannot be. These three, along with numerous others will be tied together by fate, as the Erlings of [[HiredGuns Jormsvik]] plan one, last, great raid.

* DeadLittleSister: Alun's brother, Dai.

* TheArcher: Many among the Angelcyn ranks. Ivar too.

* DirtyCoward: Mikkel is one. [[TheArcher Ivar]] is often regarded as such, but the truth is [[CombatPragmatist much]], [[TheSociopath much]] [[ManipulativeBastard worse]].

* YourCheatingHeart: Brynn's wife cheats on him with Cenion, the bishop, every time he comes to visit. We're supposed to believe that it's an open marriage, and therefore okay, but since Brynn is never shown doing the same, it really fails to come off that way.

* ContinuityNod: Both the lead characters of ''TheSarantineMosaic'' get shoutouts: there are mentions of Crispin's two mosaics in Varena (Aeldred thinks they were by two different artists), and a scroll of medical knowledge written by Rustem in Esperana.