The Sun Is God

Great prose, but not a great story.

This is a work of historical fiction about a relatively minor episode in the history of New Guinea, although it does provide a glimpse of what German colonialism was like in 1906. I've read all McKinty's mysteries, and this novel is quite different. Although I thought his prose was often as fine as usual, the story itself isn't all that exciting. Some of the characters were interesting, although I couldn't tell how much of their personalities were figments of McKinty's imagination. I love listening to Gerard Doyle, so between his narration and McKinty's writing, I found the book enjoyable. Thankfully, it wasn't too long.

17 people found this helpful

Who Really Wrote This?

A departure from McKinty's usual fine works, this novel seems an unlikely tale of drug-addled societal escapees who go from being brain dead to a mob of killers. Even the good guys are unlikable. The finale seems contrived to quickly end a miserable effort. The historical portrait of time and place is superficial. If this were the only work I'd read by this author, it would be my last.

35 people found this helpful

Fascinating! McKinty always blows my socks off.

Would you listen to The Sun Is God again? Why?

I have listened to his two trilogies more than once already. I always find something new in a second listen if the book is well written.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sun Is God?

Loved the twist in heroics near the end. No spoilers from me, just read it.

Any additional comments?

Of course this book sent me on a research binge to try to get a hint at what was or wasn't true, and what might have really happened. I can see how the sketchy clues in the true story must have fired McKinty's estimable imagination, and I'm so glad it did. Still one of my very favorite authors.

22 people found this helpful

It Fell Apart

I choose this novel because Gerard Doyle narrated the text. He's the Irish George Guidall, right?

It is a tale of European's "gone bush," an idiom meaning an expatriate whom has lived too long in the jungle. The set up for this story was decent, with our main character (British) exiting the Boer War in South Africa under a cloud, only to arrive in Papua New Guinea to find himself a de facto magistrate of sorts.

He then investigates a murder in nudist colony on a small malaria plagued island inhabited by Germans and Brits. The weirdness of the plot couldn't carry the day. Eventually, I got bored with the messianic cliches of the nudist cult leader, finding myself skipping chapters to see "who-donnit." But, who cares was my final conclusion.

Skip this download. However, listen to Gerard Doyle where you can…he is a master story teller (I promise!).

10 people found this helpful

Loads of potential, then things went to hell

I love Adrian McKinty. I liked the premise of the book. I enjoyed parts of it. But the ending? Are you kidding me? So lame and unbelievable you will wish you never started the book. Don't say I didn't warn you.

41 people found this helpful

Tedious

After listening to "Falling Glass", the first book by this author that I'd read (hold onto your hat, its so exciting) - I found "The Sun is God" extremely tedious and boring. Not much more to say beyond that.

30 people found this helpful

Pretty Uneventful Story

While the summary of the story sounded interesting, the story itself was a little less than that. I am a big Adrian McKinty fan and certainly had higher hopes for this book.

Of course, if you like me, are a big McKinty fan, this becomes a must read. It's certainly better than the random average to poor book out there, but simply wasn't up to the standard McKinty type book I have become accustomed to.

I would highly recommend the "Dead" / Michael Forsythe trilogy, and the Troubles trilogy by McKinty, the Dead trilogy being my favorite.

Gerard Doyle does a great job narrating as he always does with McKinty books.

15 people found this helpful

Fascinating story!

Would you listen to The Sun Is God again? Why?

Yes I definitely would.
It was a very interesting story, I had never heard anything about this before listening to this book.
Plus the fact that it is Adrian McKinty and Gerard Doyle that in itself is enough for me to read it again.

What other book might you compare The Sun Is God to and why?

None that I can think of.
It is unlike any of the authors other books.

Have you listened to any of Gerard Doyle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes! He is one of my favorite narrators.
Great performance as always.
I think Gerard Doyles narration is always great even if sometimes the books themselves aren't. But with McKinty and Joyal you know it's going to be a great listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I did do that.
Stayed up all night last night to listen to it.

Any additional comments?

McKinty really can write about anything.
I hope to see some more historical accounts written by him in the future.

17 people found this helpful

Beyond ponderous.

Would you try another book from Adrian McKinty and/or Gerard Doyle?

I would definitely try another Adrian McKinty book. He's one of my favorite authors, which makes it hard to believe he wrote this shite.
As far as Gerard Doyle is concerned ... I'd listen to him read the Belfast Telephone directory, however, he couldn't save this clunker.

What could Adrian McKinty have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not written it to begin with.

Any additional comments?

Up until the epilogue, I had no idea this was loosely based on an actual event.That being said, it didn't make it any less ponderous.

3 people found this helpful

Take a wild ride with a master of the mystery!

Where does The Sun Is God rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I must admit to a bias here: I love this writer and his narrative voice. This is a historical novel based on fact, so it is really a radical departure for Adrian, but you won't be disappointed if you put on your headphones and let the story and atmosphere carry you back in time to a very exotic locale.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sun Is God?

The most memorable moments would all be spoilers, I'm afraid, but the moment when the prim and proper English woman goes "native" would have to be toward the top,

Which scene was your favorite?

I'm afraid the revealing the most powerful scenes would spoil the story, but the bizarre dinner party with the "Queen" toward the beginning of the book will stick in your memory for quite some time.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I came close, For someone who is deliberately trying to practice delaying gratification McKinty's books definitely test my self control.

Any additional comments?

Be prepared for a very strange story indeed.

10 people found this helpful