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Robin McKinley

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Sunshine Kindle Edition

by Robin McKinley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 4,453 ratings

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A small-town baker uses her magic to confront a post–vampire apocalypse world in this award-winning fantasy Neil Gaiman called “pretty much perfect.”

Although it had been mostly deserted since the Voodoo Wars, there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years. Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, head baker at her family’s busy and popular café in downtown New Arcadia, needed a place to get away from all the noise and confusion—of the clientele and her family. Just for a few hours. Just to be able to hear herself think.

She knew about the Others, of course. Everyone did. And several of her family’s best regular customers were from SOF—Special Other Forces—which had been created to deal with the threat and the danger of the Others.

She drove out to her family’s old lakeside cabin and sat on the porch, swinging her feet and enjoying the silence and the silver moonlight on the water.

She never heard them coming. Of course, you don’t when they’re vampires.

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sookie Stackhouse will cheer for this tough and quirky heroine. In Sunshine, which won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, McKinley has a vampire novel that is “a smart, funny tale of suspense and romance” (San Francisco Chronicle).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Buffyesque baker Rae "Sunshine" Seddon meets Count Dracula's hunky Byronic cousin in Newbery-Award-winner McKinley's first adult-and-then-some romp through the darkling streets of a spooky post-Voodoo Wars world. Now that human cities have been decimated, the vampiric elite holds one-fifth of the world's capital, threatening to control all the earth in less than 100 years, unless human SOFs (Special Other Forces) can hold them at bay by recruiting Sunshine, daughter of legendary sorcerer Onyx Blaise. As breathlessly narrated by Sunshine herself, the Cinnamon Roll Queen of Charlie's Coffeehouse, in the inchoate idiom of Britney, J. Lo and the Spice Girls, Sunshine's coming-of-magical-age launches when she is swarmed by noiseless vampires one night and chained in a decrepit ballroom as an entre for mysterious, magnetic, half-starved Constantine, a powerful vampire whose mortal enemy Bo (short for Beauregard) shackled him there to perish slowly from daylight and deprivation. Most of the charm of this long venture into magic maturation derives from McKinley's keen ear and sensitive atmospherics, deft characterizations and clever juxtapositions of reality and the supernatural that might, just might, be lurking out there in "bad spots" right around a creepy urban corner or next to a deserted lake cabin. McKinley knows very well-and makes her readers believe-that "the insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, lives a quiet life working at her stepfather's bakery. One night, she goes out to the lake for some peace and quiet. Big mistake. She is set upon by vampires, who take her to an old mansion. They chain her to the wall and leave her with another vampire, who is also chained. But the vampire, Constantine, doesn't try to eat her. Instead, he implores her to tell him stories to keep them both sane. Realizing she will have to save herself, Sunshine calls on the long-forgotten powers her grandmother began to cultivate in her when she was a child. She transforms her pocketknife into a key and unchains herself--and Constantine. Surprised, he agrees to flee with her when she offers to protect him from the sun with magic. They escape back to town, but Constantine knows his enemies won't be far behind, which means that he and Sunshine will have to face them together. A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature that exists more or less at the unlikely crossroads of Chocolat, Interview With the Vampire, Misery, and the tale of Beauty and the Beast.” —Neil Gaiman

“A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart.” —Booklist

“A smart, funny tale of suspense and romance.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Sunshine takes everything we have always known about the menacing eroticism of pale men with sharp teeth, and throws it up into the air.” —Time Out

Review

Step into Robin McKinley s thrilling, beautifully described world.
Jayne Ann Krentz

A smart, funny tale of suspense and romance.
San Francisco Chronicle

Sunshine takes everything we have always known about the menacing eroticism of pale men with sharp teeth, and throws it up into the air.
Time Out

McKinley [balances] the dark drama with light touches of humor. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will feel at home, but McKinley s novel has its own originality and depth.
Orlando Sentinel

A good book with some nice little twists on the magic theme.
Kansas City Star

Well-written and exciting.
Rocky Mountain News

From the Back Cover

In her first novel for adults, the Newbery Medalist and bestselling author pens an exciting, beautifully written, erotic addition to the popular vampire genre.

About the Author

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown, a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature for Sunshine. Her other books include the New York Times bestseller Spindle’s End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; Deerskin, another novel-length fairy-tale retelling, of Charles Perrault’s Donkeyskin; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson; three dogs (two hellhounds and one hell terror); an 1897 Steinway upright; and far too many rosebushes.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00OGWASCI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (November 18, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 18, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2434 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 482 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0553815830

Best Sellers Rank: #54,521 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #525 in Coming of Age Fantasy eBooks
- #639 in Dark Fantasy Horror
- #754 in Coming of Age Fantasy (Books)

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4.3 4,453 ratings

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Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.

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Trekkintheplains

Letting some "Light" in on a Great, unique Vampire novel!

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2007

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Take my advice and don't pay too much attention to this book review listed at the top of the page!
"Buffyesque baker Rae "Sunshine" Seddon meets Count Dracula's hunky Byronic cousin in Newbery-Award-winner McKinley's first adult-and-then-some romp through the darkling streets of a spooky post-Voodoo Wars world"

Robin McKinley is my FAVORITE author and since I have (like Sunshine) a certain "affinity" for vampires, I looked at this book with anticipation and trepidation. See, I only like a certain brand of vampires and I was worried to see a darker, sicker side of my favorite author. All my fears were banished by the end!

I never cared much for the Buffy series, Angel was more my speed. Ok, yes, in this novel there is a good vampire among a world teeming with bad ones. And yes, Sunshine was born with a unique gift. BUT her personality, lifestyle and vampire experiences are COMPLETELY different!

WARNING: Spoiler Alert!!! (at least for the beginning of the novel)

Synopsis: Rae (Sunshine) is a completely ordinary twenty-something baker in a city called New Arcadia. She comes from an ordinary family, has a tatooed, motorcycle-riding boyfriend who loves to cook just as much as she loves to bake. They have a "need" to feed people so Sunshine, along with all her friends and family, work at her stepdad's bakery, restaurant and coffeeshop called Charlie's. Then one night, at her family's old cabin by the lake, Sunshine is abducted by yep, you guessed it, vampires. The lake has been abandoned since after the Voodoo Wars, fought between humans, magical beings, Wizards and Vampires. The war greatly reduced the human population, the cities, and made what are called "bad spots" where no human can bear to go.

Sunshine, rather than being sucked dry, is chained to a wall in an abandoned house (wearing a stunning gown) with what she assumes is another prisoner - until she sees his liquid-quick movements. "Speak. Remind me you are a rational creature." he says. Turns out the vampire ("names have power") is imprisoned for a reason and he doesn't want his enemy to win (giving into hunger means he loses). They strike a wary alliance, Sunshine telling him stories through the day "Scheherezade had it easy!" to stave off his madness as he scoots around on the floor to avoid contact with the sun.

The next night, she has a dream in which she recalls visits to the lake and her grandmother who taught her magic - transmutation. Not having practiced her forgotten gift for 15 years, Sunshine is able to transform her pocketknife (hidden in her bra) into a key that unlocks her shackle. With a deeply-ingrained belief that vampires are evil, she unlocks his shackle also, telling the vampire "I don't like bullies". Knowing he would be unable to escape when all other vampires are awake, Sunshine takes his hand and pulls him out into the sun.

So, I'll omit the details here, but suffice it to say Sunshine winds up back at her apartment: tired, wounded and nearly delerious but alive. Sounds like the end right? Except, there's a cut on her chest that won't heal and the uncomfortable sense that something, or somethings, are still looking for her.

You'll have to read the book to learn the rest. Just believe me, you'll be surprised at what happens to Sunshine's life, her past, and her relationship with vampires! And, given the vampire stereotypes set out in this book, Sunshine's new acquaintance will take you to a whole new view of vampires as we know them!

This book is a constant treat for me, saved for special occasions and relished with much satisfaction when read. When I finish it, I'm reluctant to face the end and have to pick up another book in it's place. Sunshine fills a vampire space in my persona I didn't know I possessed. And if the whole dead-sexy (no pun intended), vampire romance books don't quite do it for you, read this book! Ok, there's the usual touch of romance and some kinda hot scenes (won't say whether they're human or vampire) that Ms. McKinley normally inserts into her books but this does NOT fit into ANY vampire-novel stereotype hanging around out there. Deeper, more intellectual, lots of confusion, coping and coming to terms with a new reality. Robin McKinley truly does the BEST job of writing about women coming into their own as newly-discovered special people. The struggle, confusion, denial and thought-processes are definitely worth the read!

Sunshine has become one of my top most favorite books of all time. Along with The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Spindle's End, Beauty, the Harry Potter series, the Chronicles of Narnia, L.M. Montgomery books (Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series and The Blue Castle), Jane Eyre, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy, Patricia McKillip's Alphabet of Thorn, Caroline B. Cooney's Time Quartet, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Dark Tower series and a few others!

Trust my book sense on this one, don't pass up Sunshine! It's great vampire material and another absolute masterpiece from Robin McKinley!

22 people found this helpful

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Tabby1249

Not perfect, but pretty darn good.

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017

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Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery series is the only book series that I have reread multiple times. I think the books appealed to me so much because Ms. Harris was able to take a very relatable young woman, living an unremarkable life in a backwater little town in northern Louisiana, and make her remarkable. Ms. Harris ' straight forward writing style and contemporary settings and language made it easy for me to believe in Sookie and her world.

On their face, the SVM books are simple but entertaining. However, looking much deeper, the themes of marginalization and acceptance become apparent. Critics and some readers may have panned the series, but I loved it. So, perhaps you'll understand why I was so glad to read Ms. Harris' recommendation of Sunshine which she described on her Facebook page as a "pretty much perfect vampire story." I wouldn't say that I'm in 100% agreement with Ms. Harris' assessment of Sunshine, but I did find it enjoyable.

While reading, I thought the events in Sunshine might be what happened if the Witch War in Harris' Dead to the World had escalated and ALL of the Supernaturals had come out of the closet, so to speak. New Arcadia, the setting for Sunshine, is home to every type and stripe of Supernatural that came to be known after the devastating Voodoo Wars. They are referred to as the Other and of course, the Other needs to be monitored and controlled, so we have the Special Other Forces known as SOF. Several of Rae's friends are part of SOF. Humans prevailed in the Voodoo Wars, but they are wary survivors. Charms, wards and other magic are a common part of day-to-day life to protect the human population from the Others.

Rae (Sunshine) Seddons is our Sookie in the post Voodoo Wars world of New Arcadia. She works as a baker in her stepfather's coffee shop and is known for her killer cinnamon rolls and other baked goods. Merlotte's was the watering hole of Bon Temps, Charlie's Coffeehouse holds that honor located in the Old Town of New Arcadia. Rae is a good deal more cynical than Sookie was in the beginning of her supernatural journey but, like Sookie, she has friends, family and an occupation that she likes and wants to keep. Also like Sookie, she is a lover of the sunshine and draws both strength and peace from it which is what gives rise to her nickname, Sunshine. As in Ms. Harris' novels, there is frequent, startling, laugh-out-loud gallows humor that crops up at the most unexpected and often dire times. Both Rae and Sunshine have u unique "abilities," but more importantly, both have the ability to face near paralyzingly fear and uncertainty with fatalistic resolve.

The blood suckers in Rae's world are not the suave, devastatingly handsome Vampires of Bon Temps and Shreveport like the 180 year old Bill Compton or the 1,000 year old Viking vampire, Eric Northman. Sunshine's vampires are menacing, really dead looking, feared and not particularly well dressed. To quote the SOF, 'the only good vampire is a staked, beheaded, and burned vampire.' The exception is Constantine, Con for short, who Rae manages to save from a rival Vampire gang. He would still be described physically the same way, but has chosen "to exist differently" than Bo (Beauregard) who is the primary antagonist in this novel. Friendship and a little more develop between Sunshine and Con as the story goes on.

As I said, this vampire novel was a little less than perfect for me. The stream-of-consciousness style of writing, the sparse use of dialog and the large number of characters made reading Sunshine a challenge. I've never been a big fan of s-o-c style writing and found it particularly difficult in the early part of the novel. I'm a pretty adept reader, but a page and a half between a question posed by one character and the answer by another really challenged my patience from time to time. I occasionally had to backtrack to maintain the flow of the story. I also had issues with the language used to describe commonplace items: dollars are called blinks, computers are called comboxes, and so on. This author's never really explained choice for the change in language really didn't do much to enhance the story and made it less relatable for me. That said, Rae and her coterie of friends and family grew on me. Even though the main storyline wrapped up satisfactorily, there's plenty left between Rae and Con to produce a terrific series.

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Christine J Layne

I want more

Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

I took this book out from the library more than once, and loved it every time I read it. I was overjoyed to see it come up on sale, and immediately snapped it up. My only wish is that there were more with these characters and in this world.

oland69

Molto bello

Reviewed in Italy on October 9, 2021

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Regalo per mia figlia che ha gradito molto.

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Natalia

Sunshine. E a capa do livro brilha. Haha

Reviewed in Brazil on February 7, 2017

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O livro brilha! Haha . Não é versão pocket, foi do jeito que eu esperava. Acho essa edição melhor que aquela com a moça algemada.

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Not up to the Mark

Reviewed in India on August 21, 2013

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The author tends to deviate away from the storylline frequently and lot of gibberish is also used.
Rather than keeping you glued to the storyline it may add a booster to your sleeping pills(Ofcourse if u atall need some).

Recommended only for people who have trouble sleeping and require a sleeping pill called "SUNSHINE".

Guinea Pig

Un roman atypique et passionnant

Reviewed in France on August 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

-
"Sunshine" est l'archétype du livre qu'on adore ou que l'on déteste. Sa forme est si audacieuse, si personnelle qu'elle ne pourra manquer d'irriter les lecteurs qui ne tomberont pas sous son charme...

Le récit est écrit comme un journal intime, avec un abandon et un manque de complexe flagrants. L'auteur (et donc le personnage principal, Sunshine - le roman est écrit à la première personne du singulier) parle de ce qu'elle veut, de ce qu'elle aime, de qui elle aime et de tout ce qui lui passe par la tête à tout moment. Le récit est ainsi nourri d'invraisemblables, sempiternelles, très longues ET (à mes yeux) passionnantes digressions.

Le lecteur est ainsi longuement entretenu de la passion de la jeune fille pour son métier de pâtissière dans un petit restaurant familial, et apprend les choses nécessaires à la compréhension du monde à la louche, sans ordre particulier - mais sans aucune frustration non plus.

Curieusement "Sunshine", qui est une histoire intime, douce, personnelle, malicieuse, lente, fascinante et quotidienne, est aussi une histoire de vampires. Ou plutôt l'histoire d'un vampire et d'une humaine, ou plutôt d'un vampire et d'une jeune femme pas tout à fait humaine - quoiqu'elle en ait décidé, dans un monde décalé très travaillé et cohérent.

Par bonheur l'auteur ne sombre jamais dans aucun des clichés de la bitlit ou de la romance, conservant une authenticité parfaite.
Les pages se suivent avec leur rythme étonnant en "vagues", toujours passionnantes et émouvantes. Je crois que j'aurais pu continuer à lire encore des pages, des pages et des pages...

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