Trial of the Sun Queen

Trial of the Sun Queen argues that the realization of true freedom relies on individual agency and justice. In contrasting literal and figurative cages, the novel posits that liberation relies on wider freedoms than the lack of physical constraint. Lor’s journey from the literal Nostraza prison to the Sun Palace shows that a change in location does not guarantee freedom, if one remains a pawn in a larger game. This treatment of self-determinism and justice underpins the novel’s narrative arc, presenting a dispossessed protagonist whose destiny is to rule over a fair and free society.

The novel begins with a graphic depiction of the lack of justice and freedom. Lor’s initial state is one of absolute powerlessness within the physical prison of Nostraza. She has spent 12 years inside its walls for “the crime of simply being born” (5), a punishment that underscores the systemic injustice governing her world. In Nostraza, survival depends on submitting to the whims of sadistic figures like Warden Kelava, who wields his authority to exploit and torment inmates. Punishments like solitary confinement in the Hollow are designed not just to confine the body but to break the spirit, reinforcing the idea that this form of imprisonment is total.