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{{
'''''The Last Light of the Sun''''' is a 2004 fantasy novel by [[Guy Gavriel Kay]]. Like ''[[The Lions of Al
For centuries now, the [[Horny Vikings|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. [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|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.
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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.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Anticlimax Boss]]:
* [[Anti-Hero]]: [[Jerkass|Alun]] and [[Zen Survivor|Thorkell]].
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Bern, Brand, and the rest of their crew.
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* [[The Captain]]: Brand to Bern and his crew.
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Bern, Aethelred, Ivar.
* [[Continuity Nod]]: Both the lead characters of ''[[The Sarantine Mosaic]]'' get
* [[Cool Ship]]: The dragon ships.
* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]: Jadism is Christianity. The Erling's repeatedly reference their own religion, and its blatant paralells for Odin and Thor.
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* [[Dirty Coward]]: Mikkel is one. [[The Archer|Ivar]] is often regarded as such, but the truth is [[Combat Pragmatist|much]], [[The Sociopath|much]] [[Manipulative Bastard|worse]].
* [[Double Standard]]: 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).
* [[Duel to
* [[Dumb Muscle]]: Mikkel Ragnarson, and to a lesser degree, Brand. The [[Badass|latter]] [[Reasonable Authority Figure|gets]] [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|enough]] [[The Captain|characterisation]] that it isn't [[Tropes Are Not Bad|too bad]].
* [[End of an Age]]: 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.
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* [[Hired Guns]]: The Erlings at Jormsvik are raiders and killers for hire.
* [[I Let You Win]]: {{spoiler|Thorkell lets Brand kill him as part of his plot to let Bern and the other Jormsvik Erlings get away}}.
* [[Last
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: Ivar, although he's not as good as he thinks.
* [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane]]: Anrid's control of the serpent, and Ivar's deformities and manipulative abilities are alluded to being supernatural in origin, but deliberately kept vague.
* [[The Messiah]]: Aeldred tries, although he does have his [[Dark Messiah|darker]] moments. One case that's frequently mentioned is his sparing of the Erling who blood-eageled his father.
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: 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 [[Ragnar Lodbrok and His Sons
* [[Poisoned Weapons]]: Ivar.
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]: How the Erlings tend to come across when contrasted with the Angelcyn or Cyngael.
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* [[Snakes Are Evil]]: Even Anrid isn't comfortable with her pet snake, but she needs it to keep the other witch-women under control.
* [[The Sociopath]]: Guess who? {{spoiler|Ivar}}.
* [[Took a Level
* [[Took a Level
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: Aethelbert; Bern to a lesser degree.
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Bishop Cenion calls out Aeldred on {{spoiler|his murder of surrendering Erlings}}.
* [[Wicked Witch]]: The first ''volur'' embodies this, despite not having any real powers to speak of. Anrid, despite having actual powers, is not this, being an altogether pleasant (if slightly creepy) young lady.
* [[Wise Beyond Their Years]]: Anrid.
* [[You Kill It, You Bought It]]: The only way to become a Jormsvik Erling is to kill a current member in single combat.
* [[Your Cheating Heart]]: 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.
* [[Zen Survivor]]: Thorkell. By the end, Bern has also picked up many of these traits.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Light of the Sun, The}}
[[Category:Literature]]
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