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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
It’s really hard to review any book in this series. The sheer scope of events covered in this book is staggering. Hadrian is steadily becoming one of my favourite characters I’ve ever read!
This ranks just below Howling Dark which was my favorite in the series. I love all the lore we got about Ceasar and the previous God King. The ending had my mouth to the floor. I hope we get a Hadrian training arc with the Knights of Jadd in the next book. My only real complaint was how telegraphed Volkas death was. It got to the point where I would have been surprised if she didn't die.
Another excellent addition to the series. Heart broken a little- and now I have to wait for the next book.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Light implied Spoilers below
This series is my new Roman Empire for sure. 5 books in and I’m so excited to get to book 6 and 7 when it comes out. Demon in white was the highest of highs and I saw people saying Kingdoms of Death was the lowest of lows for Hadrian. With that said Ashes of Man was kind of shaping up to be just another mission the Emperor sends them on with hopes he dies, but this time Cesar gets caught up in the mess. The escape goes very wrong and Hadrian will never be the same man again. He just wants to go live in peace and I’m frankly depressed for him.
This series is my new Roman Empire for sure. 5 books in and I’m so excited to get to book 6 and 7 when it comes out. Demon in white was the highest of highs and I saw people saying Kingdoms of Death was the lowest of lows for Hadrian. With that said Ashes of Man was kind of shaping up to be just another mission the Emperor sends them on with hopes he dies, but this time Cesar gets caught up in the mess. The escape goes very wrong and Hadrian will never be the same man again. He just wants to go live in peace and I’m frankly depressed for him.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ashes of Man is the immediate follow up to Kingdoms of Death and book 5 of the Sun eater series. Hadrian is returned to the empire after his harrowing imprisonment at the hands of the evil Cielcin. Now, the alien menace threatens the heart of the empire itself.
“Silent is my fury. A silence beyond words.
Nothing endures, nor lasts forever. Not stone, not empires, not life itself. Even the stars will one day burn down- as I have seen and know perhaps better than any other man. Even the darkness that comes after all will one day pass into new light. This record, too, and this warm scribe- my hand- perhaps, will fade. The stones here on colchis shall fall into the sea, and the sea dissolve to foam. The stars shall burn the worlds to ash, and cool themselves to cinders.
All things fade. Fall. Shatter.”
This is a book about dealing with trauma, loss and recovery. After the events of the previous few installment, Hadrian’s character evolves to his latest form. While this book doesn’t quite reach the epic heights of books 2 and 3, it is still epic and enthralling in its own right, while also moving the story along nicely to set up the final act. The prose, as usual, is lush and fantastic. The plotting is tight and the scope and world building massive. This series is easily planting itself in my top series of all time. Roucchio is a fantastic author and I’ll continue to read his works going forward.
This one is easy to recommend to anyone who loves deep, long, epic space operas. 4.25/5.
“Silent is my fury. A silence beyond words.
Nothing endures, nor lasts forever. Not stone, not empires, not life itself. Even the stars will one day burn down- as I have seen and know perhaps better than any other man. Even the darkness that comes after all will one day pass into new light. This record, too, and this warm scribe- my hand- perhaps, will fade. The stones here on colchis shall fall into the sea, and the sea dissolve to foam. The stars shall burn the worlds to ash, and cool themselves to cinders.
All things fade. Fall. Shatter.”
This is a book about dealing with trauma, loss and recovery. After the events of the previous few installment, Hadrian’s character evolves to his latest form. While this book doesn’t quite reach the epic heights of books 2 and 3, it is still epic and enthralling in its own right, while also moving the story along nicely to set up the final act. The prose, as usual, is lush and fantastic. The plotting is tight and the scope and world building massive. This series is easily planting itself in my top series of all time. Roucchio is a fantastic author and I’ll continue to read his works going forward.
This one is easy to recommend to anyone who loves deep, long, epic space operas. 4.25/5.
Amazing. I could not put this book down. The second half is intense and action-packed with a breathtaking ending. Lots of people think Ashes of Man is one of the weaker Sun Eater books, and I vehemently disagree.
First of all, when EVERY book is outstanding saying this is a weak entry (which it isn’t) is not saying much, because it’s frickin’ incredible. Second, this book’s themes of trauma, grief and loss following the events of Kingdoms of Death are profound and meaningful. Real life is full of heartache. I love reading an author and their characters wrestling with these themes. Third, the ending. Oh man. The ending. No spoilers. I’ll leave that there.
I can’t write a Sun Eater review without once again shouting from the rooftops that Christopher Ruocchio is a prodigy. I love his prose and writing style. I love his philosophical musings. I love his descriptions. I love his character work. I love when Hadrian, writing his tale in the future, writes to us the Reader. Ruocchio writes great action too and is superb at building tension and suspense. Just wonderful all around and a perfect fit for me. I just cannot stop praising Ruocchio; he’s such a gifted author.
This series just continues to get better for me, which is incredible, and frankly not what I expected. I sometimes burn out on sci-fi series. This one is definitely leaning more on the fantasy side of the spectrum, and it just keeps coming with amazing book after amazing book.
I am immediately diving into the next novella, short story collection and finally catching up with the penultimate book, Disquiet Gods. I can already tell the final Sun Eater book will be one of the most anticipated book releases I’ve ever waited for, right up there with Wheel of Time and now Stormlight Archive. Pretty good company, I’d say.
Sun Eater
First of all, when EVERY book is outstanding saying this is a weak entry (which it isn’t) is not saying much, because it’s frickin’ incredible. Second, this book’s themes of trauma, grief and loss following the events of Kingdoms of Death are profound and meaningful. Real life is full of heartache. I love reading an author and their characters wrestling with these themes. Third, the ending. Oh man. The ending. No spoilers. I’ll leave that there.
I can’t write a Sun Eater review without once again shouting from the rooftops that Christopher Ruocchio is a prodigy. I love his prose and writing style. I love his philosophical musings. I love his descriptions. I love his character work. I love when Hadrian, writing his tale in the future, writes to us the Reader. Ruocchio writes great action too and is superb at building tension and suspense. Just wonderful all around and a perfect fit for me. I just cannot stop praising Ruocchio; he’s such a gifted author.
This series just continues to get better for me, which is incredible, and frankly not what I expected. I sometimes burn out on sci-fi series. This one is definitely leaning more on the fantasy side of the spectrum, and it just keeps coming with amazing book after amazing book.
I am immediately diving into the next novella, short story collection and finally catching up with the penultimate book, Disquiet Gods. I can already tell the final Sun Eater book will be one of the most anticipated book releases I’ve ever waited for, right up there with Wheel of Time and now Stormlight Archive. Pretty good company, I’d say.
Sun Eater
Book 1: Empire of Silence – 5/5
Novella: The Lesser Devil – 4.5/5
Book 2: Howling Dark – 5/5
Novella: Queen Amid Ashes – 4.5/5
Short Story Collection: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 – 3/5
Book 3: Demon in White – 5/5
Short Story Collection: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 – 4/5
Book 4: Kingdoms of Death – 5/5
Book 5: Ashes of Man – 5/5
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes