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Black Sun's Daughter series

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Unclean Spirits (The Black Sun's Daughter #1) by by M.L.N. Hanover, art by Cliff Nielsen

The Black Sun's Daughter series by M.L.N. Hanover. 

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy

Series Description or Overview[]

As the series opens, an organization called the Invisible College controls the magical world. Led by the evil and powerful Randolph Coin, the College specializes in harnessing demonic spirits, called riders. Every seven years, the College holds a ceremony in which a new crop of humans is infected with riders—all of whom are loyal to Coin and the College. The demonic spirits are like parasites, with each one staying in its human host body until that body dies. Then, it searches out another body to inhabit. ~ Fang-tastic

Lead's Species[]

human / Wizard

Primary Supe[]

demonic spirits (loa)

What Sets it Apart[]

Demons as "Riders"—possessing humans; most are not benevolent

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

First perso told by 

Books in Series[]

Black Sun's Daughter series:

  1. Unclean Spirits (2008)
  2. Darker Angels (2009)
  3. Vicious Grace (2010)
  4. Killing Rites (2011)
  5. Graveyard Child (April, 2013)

Shorts, Anthologies and Guides[]

none

World Building[]

Settings[]

Denver

Places:

  • New Orleans
  • Montana
  • Chicago
  • New Mexico
  • Wichita-Kansas
  • Grace Memorial Hospital #3
Ifrit from final fantasy viii by p26-d2safh8

Ifrit

Supernatural Elements[]

Wizards, witches, Riders (demonic possessed human), ghouls, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, beasts, demons (spirits or loa), Seelie Court, Unseelies, Court Radha, Petro, Ghede, Ifrit (Islamic Mythology), supernatural parasites, Haitian vodou mythology, monsters, , , , , ,

Glossary:[]

  • Ifrit: a type of Djinn— an enormous winged creature of fire, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins. Ifrits have a tribals society.
  • Riders: harnessed demonic spirits—like parasites (Loa), with each one staying in its human host body until that body dies. Then, it searches out another body to inhabit.

Groups and Organizations:[]

  • Invisible College; cabal of wizards—controls the magical world, led by the evil Randolph Coin, they harnesses demon spirits called Riders for power and domination.

World[]

As the series opens, an organization called the Invisible College controls the magical world. Led by the evil and powerful Randolph Coin, the College specializes in harnessing demonic spirits, called riders. Every seven years, the College holds a ceremony in which a new crop of humans is infected with riders—all of whom are loyal to Coin and the College. The demonic spirits are like parasites, with each one staying in its human host body until that body dies. Then, it searches out another body to inhabit.

Here is one character's explanation of the process: "...all the ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties you've ever heard of really exist. Vampires, werewolves, zombies. People doing magic....Well...a lot of it is about demons. Or spirits or loa or whatever you want to call them. Seelie Court, Unseelies, Court Radha, Petro, Ghede. Ifrit. Hungry ghosts. All kinds of them. The generic term's riders. They get inside a person, and they change them. Make them do things, make them want to do things. Give them freaky powers. Normal people who've got a feel for it and the right training—call 'em wizards or witches...they can do some pretty weird shit, but nothing compared to what riders are capable of."(Unclean Spirits, p. 28). ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: M.L.N. Hanover: BLACK SUN'S DAUGHTER

Protagonist[]

Jayné's character is clearly drawn, with her unhappy family background affecting her life decisions and her emotional reactions even when she believes that she has put her right-wing, fundamentalist father behind her for good. Her character is stuck in a morass of adolescent pique and immature thinking.

During an attack by the riders, Jayné unexpectedly finds herself fighting like a ninja—a skill that she never had before—and she and Midian manage to kill all of the attackers.

Jayné's team: Ex, Midian, Chogyi Jake, Aubrey,

Sidekick[]

Name: — What: — Sidekick-to: — About: — Book First Seen In:

Recurring Characters[]

Characters What About
Jayné Heller human, some latent powers When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate
Aubrey Uncle Eric's assistant Jayné's team; was Eric's assistant; love triangle with Jayné and Kim;
Kim human love triangle with Jayné and Aubrey;
"Ex", Xavier former Jesuit Jayné's team; lethal agenda; former; history with the Catholic Church, left the priesthood;
Midian Clark two-hundred-year-old man Jayné's team; desiccated, zombie-esque man; claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin
Chogyi Jake mystical Buddhist, Jayné's team; smiles a lot; mystical abilities;
Eric Heller veteran demon fighter Jayné's uncle; on the verge of destroying Coin, he as killed by a gang of riders;
Randolph Coin Invisible College head controls the magical world; evil & powerful; infects humans with riders all loyal to him;
Karen Black former FBI agent hires Jayné and crew: help her track down a loa rider that once possessed a serial killer; experienced monster fighter;
Joseph Mfume serial killer was possessed by a Loa; Jayné hired to find him;
Legba and Carrafour loas the good and evil (day and night) keepers of the crossroads
Kim #3 Aubrey's ex-wife
Father Chapin #4 priest Ex’s mentor while he was in the priesthood and now the leader of the group of exorcists
Sonnenrad #4 demon Voice of the Desert;

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column.

M.L.N

M.L.N. Hanover

Author[]

M.L.N. Hanover

Bio: Daniel James Abraham (born November 1969) is a prolific American science fiction / fantasy author who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. His collaboration with Ty Franck under the name James S. A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes, was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. His novelette "Flat Diane" was nominated for the Nebula Award. His novelette "The Cambist and Lord Iron: a Fairytale of Economics" was nominated for the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award. Abraham is a graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop 1998, and sometimes collaborates with George R. R. Martin, another New Mexico resident. ~ Daniel Abraham

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Pocket Books, Orbit UK (British publisher),

Book Data: 

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—Unclean Spirits (2008): Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.

Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life. — Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely. ~ Goodreads | Unclean Spirits

✤ BOOK TWO—Darker Angels (2009): In the battle between good and evil, there's no such thing as a fair fight. When Jayné Heller's uncle Eric died, she inherited a fortune beyond all her expectations -- and a dangerous mission in a world she never knew existed. Reining in demons and supernatural foes is a formidable task, but thankfully Jayné has vast resources and loyal allies to rely on. She'll need both to tackle a bodyswitching serial killer who's taken up residence in New Orleans, a city rich in voodoo lore and dark magic.

Working alongside Karen Black, a highly confident and enigmatic ex-FBI agent, Jayné races to track down the demon's next intended host. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she becomes that nothing in this beautiful, wounded city is exactly as it seems. When shocking secrets come to light, and jealousy and betrayal turn trusted friends into adversaries, Jayné will soon come face-to-face with an enemy that knows her all too well, and won't rest until it has destroyed everything she loves most. ~ Goodreads | Darker Angels #2

✤ BOOK THREE—Vicious Grace (2010): When you're staring evil in the eye, don't forget to watch your back… For the first time in forever, Jayné Heller's life is making sense. Even if she routinely risks her life to destroy demonic parasites that prey on mortals, she now has friends, colleagues, a trusted lover, and newfound confidence in the mission she inherited from her wealthy, mysterious uncle. Her next job might just rob her of all of them. At Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago, something is stirring. Patients are going AWOL and research subjects share the same sinister dreams. Half a century ago, something was buried under Grace in a terrible ritual, and it's straining to be free. Jayné is primed to take on whatever's about to be let loose. Yet the greatest danger now may not be the huge, unseen force lurking below, but the evil that has been hiding in plain sight all along—taking her ever closer to losing her body, her mind, and her soul ~ Goodreads | Vicious Grace #3

✤ BOOK FOUR—Killing Rites (2011): It’s a homecoming, of sorts, for Jayné Heller—and she wants some long-awaited answers to her past, in this fifth book in the acclaimed Black Sun’s Daughter urban fantasy series. After years on her own, Jayné Heller is going home to find some answers. How did the powerful spirit calling itself the Black Sun get into her body? Who was her uncle Eric, and what was the grand plan to which he devoted his life? Who did her mother have an affair with, and why? And the tattoo—seriously—what was that about? Jayné arrives during the preparations for her older brother’s shotgun wedding, but she’s not the only unexpected guest. The Invisible College has also come to town, intent on stopping the ceremony. They claim an ancient evil is threatening the child that would be Jayné’s niece, and that the Heller family has been rotten at the core for generations. The deeper Jayné looks, the more she thinks they might not be wrong. And behind them all, in the shadows of Jayné’s childhood home, a greater threat waits that calls itself the Graveyard Child ~ Goodreads | Killing Rites #4

✤ BOOK FIVE—Graveyard Child (2013): Jayné Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers: something else is living inside her body. She's possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old teacher and the circle of friends he left behind, hoping to cleanse Jayné; before the parasite in her becomes too powerful. Ex's history and a new enemy combine to leave Jayne; alone and on the run. Her friends, thinking that the rider with her has taken the reins, try to hunt her down, unaware of the danger they’re putting her in. Jayné; must defeat the weight of the past and the murderous intent of another rider, and her only allies are a rogue vampire she once helped free and the nameless thing hiding inside her skin. ~ Goodreads | Graveyard Child #5

✾ After years on her own, Jayné Heller is going home to find some answers. How did the powerful spirit calling itself the Black Sun get into her body? Who was her uncle Eric, and what was the grand plan that he devoted his life to? Who did her mother have an affair with, and why? What happened to her on her sixteenth birthday? And the tattoo—seriously—what was that about? Jayné arrives amid preparations for her older brother’s shotgun wedding, but she’s not the only unexpected guest. The Invisible College has come to town to stop the ceremony. And the more she learns, the more she uncovers a darkness that runs deeper than generations and stronger than blood. A missing bride and wizards bent on vengeance may be the least of her problems. Because in the shadows of Jayné’s childhood home, a greater threat awaits that didn’t die with her uncle. It calls itself the Graveyard Child. ~ Danielabraham.com | Graveyard Child #5

First Sentences[]

  1. Unclean Spirits (2008) — It was raining in Denver the night Eric Heller died.
  2. Darker Angels (2009) — "Hey," my dead uncle said. "You've got a call." (chapter one)
  3. Vicious Grace (2010) — I lay flat as I could on the carpet of old pine needles, my rifle hugged close against my cheek. / Kim arrived at the fMRI suite twenty minutes later than she intended. (from prologue)
  4. Killing Rites (2011) — "So, Miss Jayné," Father Chaplin said, pronouncing my name correctly: Zha-nay. Either he knew a little French or he'd been coached. "You believe you are . . . possessed?" / Now that she was alone with him, Marisol wished she'd paid more attention the first time Carl scared her. (from prologue)
  5. Graveyard Child (April, 2013) — When my Uncle Eric Heller died, he left me a lot of money—like small-nation kind of money—and what I thought at theme was an ongoing fight against demons and unclean spirits. (chapter one)

Quotes[]

Read Alikes (suggestions)[]

Trivia[]

Notes[]

See Also[]

External References[]

Books:

Summaries: 

World, Characters, etc:

Content References: 

Reviews: 

Interviews:

Author:

Community and Fan Sites:

Gallery of Book Covers[]

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