Kingdoms of Death by Christopher Ruocchio

Title: Kingdoms of Death

Author: Christopher Ruocchio

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy

Series: The Sun Eater #4

Hardcover, 544 pages

Publication: March 8, 2022 by DAW

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for honest review.
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Hadrian Marlowe is trapped.

For nearly a century, he has been a guest of the Emperor, forced into the role of advisor, a prisoner of his own legend. But the war is changing. Mankind is losing.

The Cielcin are spilling into human space from the fringes, picking their targets with cunning precision. The Great Prince Syriani Dorayaica is uniting their clans, forging them into an army and threat the likes of which mankind has never seen.

And the Empire stands alone.

Now the Emperor has no choice but to give Hadrian Marlowe--once his favorite knight--one more impossible task: journey across the galaxy to the Lothrian Commonwealth and convince them to join the war. But not all is as it seems, and Hadrian's journey will take him far beyond the Empire, beyond the Commonwealth, impossibly deep behind enemy lines.

 MY THOUGHTS

Kingdoms of Death is perfectly named in the fourth installment of the Sun Eater series. The book starts exactly where Demon in White ended, with Hadrian captured by the Cielcin. The title foreshadows what readers can expect, and its as morbid and dark as the title implies. The Sun Eater series is one of my all-time favorite Science Fiction Fantasy ever and each book gets outdoing its predecessor. And while I enjoyed Kingdoms of Death I found the pacing a lot slower than all the previous books, with little to no action till three-quarters of the way through.

For majority of the book, Hadrian is held prisoner as the Cielcins try to extract information about the Empire and the Emperor’s whereabouts. At this time readers are giving an in depth look behind enemy lines and learn about the Cielcin Hierarchy. And to no one’s surprise like all empire or military structure, there are always cracks and unrest amongst the people.

I normally never have an issue with length. Kingdoms of Death clocks out with over 500 pages, but of those 500+ pages, 350 pages felt very stagnant and too long of a build-up. It wasn’t until we were closer towards the end did the story pick up. As I mentioned before, the title of the book was quite fitting as we saw MASS casualty. I was in complete shock at the turn of events and the destruction of the Red Company and many other soldiers. With how it all ended, I’m not sure what to expect next. The Sun Eater Series writing, and storytelling is the crème de la crème when it comes to this genre but what made this series extra special to me are the characters. With most of the characters gone, I’m not sure I want to continue. Although, I know I shouldn’t be surprised since from the very first book, from the very beginning Hadrian did say this wasn’t a story with a happy-ending.

Kingdoms of Death was a solid installment to the series. I will probably take a break to see if I’ll continue. In my opinion this wasn’t the strongest book, but the series as a whole is without a doubt a five+ star series. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend the first book in the series, Empire of Silence.

 

Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio

Title: Howling Dark
Author: Christopher Ruocchio
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Series: The Sun Eater # 2

Hardcover, 688 pages
Publication: July 16, 2019 by Daw Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Hadrian Marlowe is lost.

For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.

Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.

If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.

Empire of Silence burst onto the Sci-Fi scene with its intimidating, wallop of a book that was big enough to be classified as a deadly weapon. But thankfully, I didn’t fall victim or let it deter me from tackling the mammoth book which took me on a crazy and poignant galactic adventure beyond the cosmos, telling the story of the would-be infamous hero, destroyer, murderer; Hadrian Marlowe. In the sequel, Howling Dark, Ruocchio continues Marlowe’s story as we see bit by bit of the man he’s to become. Howling Dark picks up exactly where we left off (technically give or take a few years with people in and out of fugue) with Hadrian, Legion officials, for-hire mercenaries and his mrymidon friends as they search for the legendary planet Vorgossos and a way to broker a peace treaty with the Cielcin.

Hadrian has come a long way since the first book. We’ve seen him as a student, son, beggar, slave, and a fighter. In Howling Dark, he continues his ascent (or as Hadrian would tell you his descent) as a leader and savior to his people but an immortal killer to his foes. Without giving away too much of the novel, I will say that the team succeeded in finding the lost planet of Vorgossos. Vorgossos is the stuff of legends, the scary stories told to terrify you…but what was even more unbelievable was finding the person in charge, who is also made of legends. It was all quite fitting actually.

I thought this book was a lot darker than its predecessor, which wasn’t a problem or a surprise considering all the events that led them on this quest. Ruocchio expands on the universe as we explore new territories and meet other beings, even A.Is. The majority of the key characters we’ve met from the previous novel are all back and we definitely got a more in-depth look to them, and the different facets of their being. However, I must warn you now dear readers, that with all war, there are casualties and Ruocchio spares no one this time around. A favorite character of mine met their demise early on in the book. It’s all very sad and bloody.

On a happier note, I am absolutely loving everything that Ruocchio is creating. The characters are multifaceted, complex, realistic and utterly flawed. The best example of this is our main protagonist Hadrian. He has experienced, seen, and lived so many lives beyond those of his regular peerage all while trying to balance that fine line between good and evil; doing what he believes is right and at the same time do what is needed. Although, I wonder if Hadrian isn’t confusing the two…right-needed. There was a pivotal scene towards the end that determined how everything was going to play out and the choice that Hadrian made was pretty drastic and I wondered if it was truly necessary? He later expressed his regrets but I’m not sure if it was genuine. That kind of threw me off, but overall I can’t help but like him.

I also appreciate and enjoy the well-developed and detailed world building. Normally, with the scope of this novel and length of book, things can get a little muddled but you won’t find that issue here. Ruocchio painstakingly writes every minute detail down to the five senses and describes an array of emotions. I can vividly picture everything like a movie in my head from House Marlowe’s insignia dancing devil in black and red, the homunculus receptionist on March station down to the wondrous gardens of Vorgossos.

Howling Dark is pretty damn perfect. There’s honestly nothing bad that I can say about this novel. It is a worthy sequel to last’s year successful debut, Empire of Silence and the series deserves all the accolades and more. You won’t find a sophomore slump here. If you’re wondering; Is the buzz real? Yes. Is Howling Dark better than the first book? Yes. Should I wait till the author publishes more books before I make a commitment? Hell no. Get on the Sun Eater bus A.S.A.P. Like I said, I loved it and hope more readers will discover this series...y’all don’t know what you’re missing!

In the meantime, the tortuous wait begins for the third book’s release, Demon in White’s.