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The Dark Side of the Sun

The Dark Side of the Sun

Science FictionFantasy
Pages
158
Published
1976
Language
English

Synopsis

Dom Sabalos, heir to a powerful interstellar dynasty, lives in a universe governed by probability mathematics. When the numbers predict both his imminent assassination and his discovery of the legendary Jokers — a vanished alien species known only through impossible artifacts — he sets out across the galaxy to unravel the mystery. A genre-blending early novel that mixes interstellar adventure with sardonic wit, and notable as the first appearance of the Hogswatch holiday in Pratchett's fiction.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

AdventurousSatiricalThought-Provoking
QuestMystery BoxSurvival

Genres

Science Fiction Fantasy

About the author

T
Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English author best known for the Discworld series, a sequence of forty-one comic fantasy novels set on a flat world carried through space on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle. Across four decades, the Discworld grew from a parody of sword-and-sorcery fantasy into one of the most sustained works of social satire in English literature, examining politics, religion, science, gender, race, capitalism, and the nature of stories themselves. Pra...

Characters

Dom SabalosProtagonist

Heir to a wealthy interstellar family, guided toward a destiny involving the mythical Jokers.

All characters in The Dark Side of the Sun

Frequently asked questions

  • Is this a Discworld novel?

    No. The Dark Side of the Sun (1976) predates the Discworld series by seven years and is set in a far-future interstellar civilization.

  • Why is this novel significant for Pratchett fans?

    It contains the first-ever appearance of 'Hogswatch' — the holiday that would later become central to the Discworld novel Hogfather (1996).

  • Is this Pratchett's first novel?

    No. Pratchett's debut was The Carpet People (1971). The Dark Side of the Sun is his second novel, published in 1976 by Colin Smythe.

  • What does the title reference?

    The title echoes Pink Floyd's 1973 album 'The Dark Side of the Moon,' a common cultural touchstone at the time of writing.

  • How does it connect to Strata?

    Both are early SF novels in which Pratchett experiments with flat-world cosmology and parodies classic SF conventions. Strata (1981) is the more direct conceptual precursor to Discworld.