Between Earth and Sky

Between Earth and Sky is Rebecca Roanhorse's epic fantasy series set in a secondary world inspired by pre-Columbian Indigenous cultures of the Americas, featuring gods who walk among mortals, celestial magic tied to the sun and stars, warring city-states with distinct cultures and powers, and characters navigating prophecy, revenge, political machinations, and the question of whether destiny can be changed or only fulfilled. Breaking from the Euro-centric medieval settings dominating epic fantasy, Roanhorse draws on Mesoamerican and Southwestern Indigenous cultures to create a world that feels both familiar to fantasy readers and refreshingly distinct, with magic systems, political structures, and cultural practices rooted in Indigenous knowledge and worldviews rather than European medieval analogs.

The series is set in a world where the Meridian city-state of Tova dominates through celestial magic tied to the sun, where clans derive power from totemic animals and celestial bodies, and where a centuries-old massacre has shaped political and religious tensions between different groups. The convergence of a solar eclipse, prophesied events, and individuals driven by vengeance or duty creates the conditions for the series' conflicts to unfold across city-states, oceans, and the complex relationships between mortals and gods.

Books in the Between Earth and Sky series

Black Sun (2020) introduces the world during the days leading to a significant solar eclipse, following multiple POV characters whose paths converge on Tova: Serapio, raised from childhood to become a weapon of vengeance against those who massacred his people; Xiala, a Teek sea captain with magical abilities who accepts a commission to transport a mysterious passenger; Naranpa, the Sun Priest navigating political intrigue within Tova's religious hierarchy; and others whose choices and destinies intertwine as prophecy, revenge, and celestial events collide.

Roanhorse structures the epic through multiple perspectives, allowing readers to understand different cultures, motivations, and worldviews while building toward convergence. The pre-Columbian inspiration manifests in the architecture, social structures, religious practices, and magic systems that draw from Indigenous cultures whilst creating a secondary fantasy world rather than historical fiction.

Fevered Star (2022) continues the series following the events set in motion during Black Sun, exploring consequences, shifting alliances, and the reality that prophecy fulfilled doesn't end conflicts but transforms them. The sequel expands the world beyond Tova whilst deepening exploration of characters introduced in the first book and their evolving relationships, motivations, and the choices they face as gods, mortals, and those caught between navigate the changed landscape.

The series is characterized by pre-Columbian Indigenous-inspired cultures, multiple POV structure, gods and celestial magic, warring city-states with distinct identities, prophecy and destiny themes, political intrigue, morally complex characters, vengeance and justice explored, LGBTQ+ representation, and epic fantasy scope with cultural specificity.

Common themes include prophecy and choice, vengeance versus justice, cultural genocide and its aftermath, gods' relationships with mortals, power and its costs, identity and belonging, colonization and resistance (explored through fantasy lens), and whether destiny can be altered or only fulfilled.

Roanhorse's prose balances epic scope with intimate character moments, creating world that feels vast whilst ensuring readers remain emotionally invested in individual journeys. The Indigenous-inspired setting provides fresh perspective on epic fantasy conventions whilst delivering the political complexity, magic, and character-driven narratives genre readers expect.

What distinguishes Between Earth and Sky is Roanhorse's commitment to centering Indigenous-inspired cultures, creating epic fantasy that proves the genre's conventions work beautifully with non-European cultural foundations.