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The Sun Eater #4
Kingdoms of Death
The fourth novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.
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.
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.
544 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2022
About the author
Christopher Ruocchio
43 books2,043 followersChristopher Ruocchio is the author of The Sun Eater, a space opera fantasy series, as well as the Assistant Editor at Baen Books, where he has co-edited four anthologies. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he studied English Rhetoric and the Classics. Christopher has been writing since he was eight and sold his first novel, Empire of Silence, at twenty-two. To date, his books have been published in five languages.
Christopher lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Jenna. He may be found on both Facebook and Twitter with the handle ‘TheRuocchio.’
Christopher lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Jenna. He may be found on both Facebook and Twitter with the handle ‘TheRuocchio.’
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
April 9, 2024
This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Kingdoms of Death.
ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Ruocchio gets what I love to read in science fantasy. Every book in The Sun Eater series has become one of my favorite books of all time, and Kingdoms of Death is not an exception to this claim.
Darkness
If you, like me, have an extraordinarily profound level of connection with Hadrian Marlowe and The Sun Eater series, the oppressive darkness in Kingdoms of Death will hurt you. You cannot avoid this. This is the painful and right direction for the series. This must be. Same with my experience of the previous three books, I didn’t know too much about Kingdoms of Death except that it is supposedly the darkest novel in the series. Other than that, I knew that Kingdoms of Death and the next book in the series, Ashes of Man, was supposed to be one massive 400,000 words long novel. But I, to this day, still don’t know where the Kingdoms of Death stands in the ranking of the fans of the series. I knew most fans of The Sun Eater chose Howling Dark or Demon in White as their number one or two favorite installments in the series. I rarely heard about Kingdoms of Death earning the top two spots. This is, frankly, understandable due to the incredible exposure to darkness and violent content. But for me, it is also shocking. Personally speaking, Kingdoms of Death is, at least, in the runner-up spot for the best installment in The Sun Eater series for me. I cannot believe my reading mood and luck to have picked such a powerfully unforgettable novel as the first book I started reading in 2024.
Starting with a faintly similar story structure to Demon in White, but rest assured Kingdoms of Death is a different kind of book, Kingdoms of Death begins with a battle against one of the vayadan. It did not take long after for Hadrian to receive his next deadly mission. To go to Padmurak, the Capital of the Lothrian Commonwealth. You see, there are two noticeable parts in Kingdoms of Death. One that takes place in Padmurak, and then everything after that. It is easy for the latter to overshadow the first half of Kingdoms of Death. I am trying to refrain from mentioning the names of the locations to avoid spoilers in this review, but the dread and chaos after Padmurak in Kingdoms of Death remains crystal clear in my mind as I compose these words. After I finished Kingdoms of Death, I had to take a break and recall that the Padmurak and Lothrian Commonwealth sections do transpire in Kingdoms of Death as well. And honestly, Ruocchio did a great job with the Padmurak section. The detailed totalitarianism culture of the Lothrian Commonwealth, especially the way the people of the Commonwealth speak, took me some time to get used to. But Ruocchio never fails at igniting the fear for the characters in me while Hadrian was there. It made me feel like things could go completely sideways for Hadrian and his friends at any moment. There's no doubt the part after Padmurak is the best part of Kingdoms of Death for me. And yet, it should be recognized that without the groundwork established in Padmurak, the remaining grim brilliance of Kingdoms of Death will not triumph.
Kingdoms of Death is the smallest book in the series at 200,000 words long, but it would be a mistake to assume it is not packed with pivotal crossroads for the series. Some readers have asked me whether this book ended on a cliffhanger due to the division status of the book and its sequel. And the short answer to that question is no. The most recent example of another favorite series of mine impacted by the same cut is The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu. The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones was supposed to be one 700,000-word novel, but it’s divided into two. It IS impossible to publish a 700,000 words long book in one volume. But in the case of The Dandelion Dynasty, the division caused The Veiled Throne to not have a concluding final chapter. The last chapter of The Veiled Throne felt like the end of a standard chapter rather than a conclusive ending. I am pleased to inform you that Kingdoms of Death does not have this issue. I took a peek at the first chapter of Ashes of Man. And yes, there's no time jump; the story continued seamlessly. But the ending in Kingdoms of Death was fitting, touching, emotional, and surprisingly hopeful. Shocking. I know. But yeah, there is no cliffhanger here. And to reap the ending rewards of Kingdoms of Death and for it to aid your broken heart with relative catharsis, a path of thorns must first be walked.
Suffering. Misery. Grief. Pain. Darkness. Any one of these words could work to encapsulate Kingdoms of Death. The content justly lives up to its book title. Kingdoms of Death has one mission. To ingrain total pain and thoroughly destroy Hadrian. And mark my words... The narrative is dedicated and loyal to the mission. Unlike the previous three books, Kingdoms of Death is not a book where Hadrian gets to fight back and broaden his legendary feats and titles frequently. We, readers, have the details of knowing since the beginning of Empire of Silence that Hadrian Marlowe will survive this, but that might not be kindness, depending on your perspective. Hadrian has led a life filled with mythical accomplishments. I am not caught up with the series yet, but the events in the four books I have read in the series so far, especially Kingdoms of Death, have raised the question of whether dying would be a better solution for Hadrian's ruthless journey. There's just so much suffering. So much. But at the right passage and placement, it felt like Ruocchio predicted the readers would think about this notion at several scenes in Kingdoms of Death. When that line of thought crossed my mind, Hadrian answered me by showing his astounding resolve to live. And to say I was totally amazed by this is an understatement. I have read a LOT of SFF books, and it is still irregular to read a main character tortured as cruelly as Hadrian in Kingdoms of Death. It reminded me of Guts from Berserk by Kentaro Miura, and that is not a light claim. I am actually convinced Kingdoms of Death is partly inspired by Berserk. But I will compare Kingdoms of Death to Berserk again later. For now, if you are about to visit Kingdoms of Death for the first time, you better armor yourself and your heart. Approximately half of the book is devoted to the Cielcin's mission to obliterate Hadrian and his companions: The Red Company.
Your level of connection with Hadrian and The Red Company will be crucial in deciding how much Kingdoms of Death will emotionally affect your experience. Here's the thing... Hadrian, Valka, and the Red Company have faced a myriad of missions together; not short of bloodshed and sacrifice, they continuously carve their legends in the cosmic museum of the Sollan Empire. However, in Kingdoms of Death, they are about to confront their most challenging and dangerous conflicts with The Cielcin. As for me, I have become incredibly attached to Hadrian and his relationship with Valka and the Red Company in Demon in White. Do not get me wrong. They were already superb in Empire of Silence and Howling Dark. But the thematic narrative of camaraderie was the most evident in Demon in White, where they turned into something special. No human can go through what Hadrian and The Red Company encountered in Kingdoms of Death with their sanity and personality unchanged. Simple as that. As I said earlier, the Cielcin’s unbendable imperium given by Miudanar to vanish every trace of humanity is absolute.
From the stunning cover art by Kieran Yanner depicted at the front of Kingdoms of Death, it should let you know already what the main focus of Kingdoms of Death will be: The Cielcin. Yes, the battle and conflict against the Cielcin has always been one of the strongest driving forces of the narrative in The Sun Eater series. But more than ever in the series, this is the book where we learn most about the Cielcin, their civilization, their mission, their faith, and their gods. The Cielcin, their hierarchy, The Quiet, Utannash, the Watcher, Eue, Dharan-tun, Syriani Dorayaica, and more. Since its first intimidating appearance and now Kingdoms of Death, Syriani, the Prince of Princes of the Cielcin, has become one of the most terrifying and intriguing villains I’ve read in science fiction. Its lethal vision and goal are starting to be realized. They want to shrink the horizon of hope in humanity to zero, and nothing can stop them from ascertaining that their malice deserves to exist in the universe. But are they evil according to them? Not really. Just like humanity, they, too, have their own culture, truth, and faith. Perhaps it is a cliché to say this, but at the end of the day, the path of peace between humans and the Cielcin is impossible simply because the root and nature of the two races are too different in every sense of the word. This is one of the reasons I am again impressed by Ruocchio’s writing and storytelling. Amidst all the bloodletting, mutilations, and bloodbath, Ruocchio indicated the possibility that in another world, another situation, another circumstance, or an alternate universe, as unlikely as these sounds, Hadrian and Syriani Dorayaica could be good rivals or even friends. Their intense interaction and dynamic, and the way they somehow understand each other, demonstrated that. But time flows only in one direction. Forward. And the fate of war between the two races is the one our Hadrian Marlowe must traverse.
If you haven’t read Kingdoms of Death yet, let me give you some advice to enhance your immersion. Do not start reading chapter 36 and beyond unless you have some time ready for reading. I made the terrible mistake, or good decision, of assuming I can safely read one or two chapters. Only to find myself absolutely compelled to read non-stop until 4 A.M due to reaching the late 30’s chapter: the climax sequence. Don't worry. I will not tell you the actual number of the chapter. But if you have read this book, you know what I am talking about. The climax sequence in Kingdoms of Death is recorded in my list of the greatest, pulse-pounding, and bloody sequences of all time. The casualty is massive. The scarlet and obsidian scenery under the gaze of the giant skull of the Dreamer painted by Ruocchio was utterly vivid. I can visualize it in my mind as I speak these words. The extent of the destruction is incalculable, and I must admit, I did not expect the grim factor in Kingdoms of Death would crank up to this grade of insanity. And I am, believe it or not, thankful for it. From blood being churned, bone crunched, massive decimations, and electrifying aerial battles, the relentless wave of dread caused by the Cielcin was immensely palpable. It was definitely one of the most merciless, heart-wrenching, and brutal consecutive salvo of devastation. Trust me, as I plunged myself into the abyss of ruin, The Red Company Discord server was there to witness my live-text reactions. This sequence, or this book, made Dark Age by Pierce Brown seem tamer in comparison. And Dark Age was already one of the darkest books I have ever read. But it pales in the presence of the hideous moving dominion of Syriani Dorayaica. My heart raced to see whether the light of Hadrian Marlowe the Halfmortal could vanquish the tremendous darkness.
Sooner or later, The Sun Eater will become more popular. With more readers jumping into The Sun Eater series, the overwhelming violence and vicious nature of the narrative in Kingdoms of Death will turn more controversial and questioned. Does the book warrant such a heavy exploration of torture and crimson carnage? That's up to you to decide. There is no correct or wrong answer to this. Only subjective reading experience and preference. The way I see it, this is the author's vision, and he put it on the page for readers (who are willing) to understand what he is trying to achieve in his storytelling. Remember, Hadrian Marlowe will annihilate the entire Cielcin race. We know this. In my opinion, we need astonishingly deep context and understanding as to why Hadrian decides to go down this hellish road for the premise to work and affect us. This is the purpose of his chronicle, after all. And based on how much I love Berserk by Kentaro Miura, not always, but sometimes we do need to be put through genuine sorrow and horror over the events that occurred through the details. Maybe it is an unpopular opinion. But The Eclipse in Berserk by Kentaro Miura, even decades after it was released, is still one of the most iconic and disturbing scenes to ever be put on a manga series. It is a controversial one, that's for sure. Some readers think it's unnecessary to go that hardcore. But whether you like it or not, because Miura is willing to put every deprivation that happened to Guts and the Band of the Hawks on the pages, it is one of the many reasons why Guts's survival and willpower to live remains inspiring to readers around the world to this day.
Kingdoms of Death employed a similar technique. Just being told The Cielcin are evil is not sufficient to make us readers fear them. Hadrian wanted to understand the Cielcin in Empire of Silence. Since Howling Dark, we know the path of peace is unlikely to happen. But after the travesty in Kingdoms of Death? It has been ensured the path of peace between humanity and the Cielcin is fully impossible now. And my hatred toward the Cielcin is now stronger than ever. We know Hadrian will survive through his severe ordeals, but how? Journey before destination. How can Hadrian and his companions rekindle the spark of hope after this extreme torment, cosmic injustice, and war with evil? I strongly believe the preparation for the grand retribution has been set, and if it's done right in Ashes of Man or beyond, Hadrian Marlowe and The Sun Eater series is about to become even more iconic and legendary than it already is. It is easy to compare every traumatic event to The Red Wedding in A Song of Ice and Fire. I have been guilty of this, too, and I will most likely repeat it again, depending on the circumstances. But after the readers in The Sun Eater fanbase expands, people will start treating The Black Feast to be, at least, on the same level. Heck... in my opinion, it was more insane. And I look forward to that monumental day.
Light
Kingdoms of Death will most likely be remembered for its darkness and savagery, and it is not a mistake for that to happen, but light… I believe Kingdoms of Death should also be remembered for one of the main lessons it taught: do not give up searching for the light of hope. Kingdoms of Death is not a book of joy. It is a book of pain. It is harrowing. It might not make you happy. It will hurt. It will make you uncomfortable. It will break your heart. As it intended and should be. But remember, the deeper the darkness, the brighter the light and beauty of the world shine. And I truly appreciate this. Too many authors state they're willing to put their characters through suffering, but more often than not, the results are tamer than expected. Or there is always a limitation to them. Books that emotionally scarred me are the best kind of books and storytelling. It means I care. Make me care. Hurt them. Make them suffer. Break my heart. Display to me the depth of their fatal trials and tribulations. Make sure I'm emotionally damaged from reading them. And then, make me look forward to seeing the moments the characters detonate their burst of determination and spirit in the face of absolute depravity. And in these, Kingdoms of Death has marvelously succeeded. The last 5-star rating I gave to a book was for Demon in White, which I consider a masterpiece in science fiction, at the end of November 2023. And by going from impeccable strength to strength, Kingdoms of Death earned another 5 out of 5 stars rating from me. My heart was shattered and stomped. Repeatedly. And when you are reading Kingdoms of Death for the first time, find the fragments of our hearts. Join us. Find us.
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
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ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.
Ruocchio gets what I love to read in science fantasy. Every book in The Sun Eater series has become one of my favorite books of all time, and Kingdoms of Death is not an exception to this claim.
Darkness
If you, like me, have an extraordinarily profound level of connection with Hadrian Marlowe and The Sun Eater series, the oppressive darkness in Kingdoms of Death will hurt you. You cannot avoid this. This is the painful and right direction for the series. This must be. Same with my experience of the previous three books, I didn’t know too much about Kingdoms of Death except that it is supposedly the darkest novel in the series. Other than that, I knew that Kingdoms of Death and the next book in the series, Ashes of Man, was supposed to be one massive 400,000 words long novel. But I, to this day, still don’t know where the Kingdoms of Death stands in the ranking of the fans of the series. I knew most fans of The Sun Eater chose Howling Dark or Demon in White as their number one or two favorite installments in the series. I rarely heard about Kingdoms of Death earning the top two spots. This is, frankly, understandable due to the incredible exposure to darkness and violent content. But for me, it is also shocking. Personally speaking, Kingdoms of Death is, at least, in the runner-up spot for the best installment in The Sun Eater series for me. I cannot believe my reading mood and luck to have picked such a powerfully unforgettable novel as the first book I started reading in 2024.
Starting with a faintly similar story structure to Demon in White, but rest assured Kingdoms of Death is a different kind of book, Kingdoms of Death begins with a battle against one of the vayadan. It did not take long after for Hadrian to receive his next deadly mission. To go to Padmurak, the Capital of the Lothrian Commonwealth. You see, there are two noticeable parts in Kingdoms of Death. One that takes place in Padmurak, and then everything after that. It is easy for the latter to overshadow the first half of Kingdoms of Death. I am trying to refrain from mentioning the names of the locations to avoid spoilers in this review, but the dread and chaos after Padmurak in Kingdoms of Death remains crystal clear in my mind as I compose these words. After I finished Kingdoms of Death, I had to take a break and recall that the Padmurak and Lothrian Commonwealth sections do transpire in Kingdoms of Death as well. And honestly, Ruocchio did a great job with the Padmurak section. The detailed totalitarianism culture of the Lothrian Commonwealth, especially the way the people of the Commonwealth speak, took me some time to get used to. But Ruocchio never fails at igniting the fear for the characters in me while Hadrian was there. It made me feel like things could go completely sideways for Hadrian and his friends at any moment. There's no doubt the part after Padmurak is the best part of Kingdoms of Death for me. And yet, it should be recognized that without the groundwork established in Padmurak, the remaining grim brilliance of Kingdoms of Death will not triumph.
Kingdoms of Death is the smallest book in the series at 200,000 words long, but it would be a mistake to assume it is not packed with pivotal crossroads for the series. Some readers have asked me whether this book ended on a cliffhanger due to the division status of the book and its sequel. And the short answer to that question is no. The most recent example of another favorite series of mine impacted by the same cut is The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu. The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones was supposed to be one 700,000-word novel, but it’s divided into two. It IS impossible to publish a 700,000 words long book in one volume. But in the case of The Dandelion Dynasty, the division caused The Veiled Throne to not have a concluding final chapter. The last chapter of The Veiled Throne felt like the end of a standard chapter rather than a conclusive ending. I am pleased to inform you that Kingdoms of Death does not have this issue. I took a peek at the first chapter of Ashes of Man. And yes, there's no time jump; the story continued seamlessly. But the ending in Kingdoms of Death was fitting, touching, emotional, and surprisingly hopeful. Shocking. I know. But yeah, there is no cliffhanger here. And to reap the ending rewards of Kingdoms of Death and for it to aid your broken heart with relative catharsis, a path of thorns must first be walked.
“I had defied the Prince of Princes, and all would see the consequences of that defiance.”
Suffering. Misery. Grief. Pain. Darkness. Any one of these words could work to encapsulate Kingdoms of Death. The content justly lives up to its book title. Kingdoms of Death has one mission. To ingrain total pain and thoroughly destroy Hadrian. And mark my words... The narrative is dedicated and loyal to the mission. Unlike the previous three books, Kingdoms of Death is not a book where Hadrian gets to fight back and broaden his legendary feats and titles frequently. We, readers, have the details of knowing since the beginning of Empire of Silence that Hadrian Marlowe will survive this, but that might not be kindness, depending on your perspective. Hadrian has led a life filled with mythical accomplishments. I am not caught up with the series yet, but the events in the four books I have read in the series so far, especially Kingdoms of Death, have raised the question of whether dying would be a better solution for Hadrian's ruthless journey. There's just so much suffering. So much. But at the right passage and placement, it felt like Ruocchio predicted the readers would think about this notion at several scenes in Kingdoms of Death. When that line of thought crossed my mind, Hadrian answered me by showing his astounding resolve to live. And to say I was totally amazed by this is an understatement. I have read a LOT of SFF books, and it is still irregular to read a main character tortured as cruelly as Hadrian in Kingdoms of Death. It reminded me of Guts from Berserk by Kentaro Miura, and that is not a light claim. I am actually convinced Kingdoms of Death is partly inspired by Berserk. But I will compare Kingdoms of Death to Berserk again later. For now, if you are about to visit Kingdoms of Death for the first time, you better armor yourself and your heart. Approximately half of the book is devoted to the Cielcin's mission to obliterate Hadrian and his companions: The Red Company.
“A man needs more. A man must have a people, must belong somewhere. To someone. A man must have a family, born, chosen, or made.”
Your level of connection with Hadrian and The Red Company will be crucial in deciding how much Kingdoms of Death will emotionally affect your experience. Here's the thing... Hadrian, Valka, and the Red Company have faced a myriad of missions together; not short of bloodshed and sacrifice, they continuously carve their legends in the cosmic museum of the Sollan Empire. However, in Kingdoms of Death, they are about to confront their most challenging and dangerous conflicts with The Cielcin. As for me, I have become incredibly attached to Hadrian and his relationship with Valka and the Red Company in Demon in White. Do not get me wrong. They were already superb in Empire of Silence and Howling Dark. But the thematic narrative of camaraderie was the most evident in Demon in White, where they turned into something special. No human can go through what Hadrian and The Red Company encountered in Kingdoms of Death with their sanity and personality unchanged. Simple as that. As I said earlier, the Cielcin’s unbendable imperium given by Miudanar to vanish every trace of humanity is absolute.
From the stunning cover art by Kieran Yanner depicted at the front of Kingdoms of Death, it should let you know already what the main focus of Kingdoms of Death will be: The Cielcin. Yes, the battle and conflict against the Cielcin has always been one of the strongest driving forces of the narrative in The Sun Eater series. But more than ever in the series, this is the book where we learn most about the Cielcin, their civilization, their mission, their faith, and their gods. The Cielcin, their hierarchy, The Quiet, Utannash, the Watcher, Eue, Dharan-tun, Syriani Dorayaica, and more. Since its first intimidating appearance and now Kingdoms of Death, Syriani, the Prince of Princes of the Cielcin, has become one of the most terrifying and intriguing villains I’ve read in science fiction. Its lethal vision and goal are starting to be realized. They want to shrink the horizon of hope in humanity to zero, and nothing can stop them from ascertaining that their malice deserves to exist in the universe. But are they evil according to them? Not really. Just like humanity, they, too, have their own culture, truth, and faith. Perhaps it is a cliché to say this, but at the end of the day, the path of peace between humans and the Cielcin is impossible simply because the root and nature of the two races are too different in every sense of the word. This is one of the reasons I am again impressed by Ruocchio’s writing and storytelling. Amidst all the bloodletting, mutilations, and bloodbath, Ruocchio indicated the possibility that in another world, another situation, another circumstance, or an alternate universe, as unlikely as these sounds, Hadrian and Syriani Dorayaica could be good rivals or even friends. Their intense interaction and dynamic, and the way they somehow understand each other, demonstrated that. But time flows only in one direction. Forward. And the fate of war between the two races is the one our Hadrian Marlowe must traverse.
If you haven’t read Kingdoms of Death yet, let me give you some advice to enhance your immersion. Do not start reading chapter 36 and beyond unless you have some time ready for reading. I made the terrible mistake, or good decision, of assuming I can safely read one or two chapters. Only to find myself absolutely compelled to read non-stop until 4 A.M due to reaching the late 30’s chapter: the climax sequence. Don't worry. I will not tell you the actual number of the chapter. But if you have read this book, you know what I am talking about. The climax sequence in Kingdoms of Death is recorded in my list of the greatest, pulse-pounding, and bloody sequences of all time. The casualty is massive. The scarlet and obsidian scenery under the gaze of the giant skull of the Dreamer painted by Ruocchio was utterly vivid. I can visualize it in my mind as I speak these words. The extent of the destruction is incalculable, and I must admit, I did not expect the grim factor in Kingdoms of Death would crank up to this grade of insanity. And I am, believe it or not, thankful for it. From blood being churned, bone crunched, massive decimations, and electrifying aerial battles, the relentless wave of dread caused by the Cielcin was immensely palpable. It was definitely one of the most merciless, heart-wrenching, and brutal consecutive salvo of devastation. Trust me, as I plunged myself into the abyss of ruin, The Red Company Discord server was there to witness my live-text reactions. This sequence, or this book, made Dark Age by Pierce Brown seem tamer in comparison. And Dark Age was already one of the darkest books I have ever read. But it pales in the presence of the hideous moving dominion of Syriani Dorayaica. My heart raced to see whether the light of Hadrian Marlowe the Halfmortal could vanquish the tremendous darkness.
Sooner or later, The Sun Eater will become more popular. With more readers jumping into The Sun Eater series, the overwhelming violence and vicious nature of the narrative in Kingdoms of Death will turn more controversial and questioned. Does the book warrant such a heavy exploration of torture and crimson carnage? That's up to you to decide. There is no correct or wrong answer to this. Only subjective reading experience and preference. The way I see it, this is the author's vision, and he put it on the page for readers (who are willing) to understand what he is trying to achieve in his storytelling. Remember, Hadrian Marlowe will annihilate the entire Cielcin race. We know this. In my opinion, we need astonishingly deep context and understanding as to why Hadrian decides to go down this hellish road for the premise to work and affect us. This is the purpose of his chronicle, after all. And based on how much I love Berserk by Kentaro Miura, not always, but sometimes we do need to be put through genuine sorrow and horror over the events that occurred through the details. Maybe it is an unpopular opinion. But The Eclipse in Berserk by Kentaro Miura, even decades after it was released, is still one of the most iconic and disturbing scenes to ever be put on a manga series. It is a controversial one, that's for sure. Some readers think it's unnecessary to go that hardcore. But whether you like it or not, because Miura is willing to put every deprivation that happened to Guts and the Band of the Hawks on the pages, it is one of the many reasons why Guts's survival and willpower to live remains inspiring to readers around the world to this day.
Kingdoms of Death employed a similar technique. Just being told The Cielcin are evil is not sufficient to make us readers fear them. Hadrian wanted to understand the Cielcin in Empire of Silence. Since Howling Dark, we know the path of peace is unlikely to happen. But after the travesty in Kingdoms of Death? It has been ensured the path of peace between humanity and the Cielcin is fully impossible now. And my hatred toward the Cielcin is now stronger than ever. We know Hadrian will survive through his severe ordeals, but how? Journey before destination. How can Hadrian and his companions rekindle the spark of hope after this extreme torment, cosmic injustice, and war with evil? I strongly believe the preparation for the grand retribution has been set, and if it's done right in Ashes of Man or beyond, Hadrian Marlowe and The Sun Eater series is about to become even more iconic and legendary than it already is. It is easy to compare every traumatic event to The Red Wedding in A Song of Ice and Fire. I have been guilty of this, too, and I will most likely repeat it again, depending on the circumstances. But after the readers in The Sun Eater fanbase expands, people will start treating The Black Feast to be, at least, on the same level. Heck... in my opinion, it was more insane. And I look forward to that monumental day.
Light
Kingdoms of Death will most likely be remembered for its darkness and savagery, and it is not a mistake for that to happen, but light… I believe Kingdoms of Death should also be remembered for one of the main lessons it taught: do not give up searching for the light of hope. Kingdoms of Death is not a book of joy. It is a book of pain. It is harrowing. It might not make you happy. It will hurt. It will make you uncomfortable. It will break your heart. As it intended and should be. But remember, the deeper the darkness, the brighter the light and beauty of the world shine. And I truly appreciate this. Too many authors state they're willing to put their characters through suffering, but more often than not, the results are tamer than expected. Or there is always a limitation to them. Books that emotionally scarred me are the best kind of books and storytelling. It means I care. Make me care. Hurt them. Make them suffer. Break my heart. Display to me the depth of their fatal trials and tribulations. Make sure I'm emotionally damaged from reading them. And then, make me look forward to seeing the moments the characters detonate their burst of determination and spirit in the face of absolute depravity. And in these, Kingdoms of Death has marvelously succeeded. The last 5-star rating I gave to a book was for Demon in White, which I consider a masterpiece in science fiction, at the end of November 2023. And by going from impeccable strength to strength, Kingdoms of Death earned another 5 out of 5 stars rating from me. My heart was shattered and stomped. Repeatedly. And when you are reading Kingdoms of Death for the first time, find the fragments of our hearts. Join us. Find us.
“Now hear this. The old words seemed to drift back to me on the wind, carried by the ocean airs from world to world. Here’s a lesson no tor or primate of the college will ever teach you, if it even can be taught. The world’s soft the way the ocean is. Ask any sailor what I mean. But even when it is at its most violent, Hadrian . . . focus on the beauty of it.”
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January 21, 2024
Update again: Victory! Goodreads actually removed the spam 1 star reviews, we won folks.
Editing this review to say this at the top for people looking at this series for the first time.
Currently this book has 15 1 star reviews. 14 of them are the same person(who likely didn't read the book, and is a troll), the 15th was from months before the book came out. The series is somewhat small, so that tanked the average rating. But do not worry, it does not lose its way, everyone I have seen who actually read this book has really liked it.
If you know who I am, you know I love The Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio. This is book 4, so i'm not going to bother talking about the plot, i'm not going to repeat that Ruocchio's prose is immersive and smooth, and paints a picture in my mind, without being redundant of overly dense. I will not repeat that Hadrian is one of my favorite characters in fiction, and that you feel his years. I will not bother repeating that the world is expansive, creative, and alive, or that it explores themes, and is thought provoking, while also getting me to turn the page. However, now you know those things in case you didn't before, so let's talk about what makes Kingdoms of Death different to other books in this series. the good ways, the bad ways, and just the ways that are different, but not good or bad.
The first thing to address is that this was originally a super thick book that got split. I have read a few books like that, and this is the one where I believe the transition from half a book to an entire book was most seamless. If I was not told, I would not ever begin to suspect this was originally half a book. Granted, Sun Eater is in a type of series to be split, as the events of a entry tend to take place over a huge amount of time, and instead of building to one big climax they tend to be eventful throughout, with different sections.
Anyway, all that aside, I just want to say that you do not have to worry at all about going into this thinking of it is half a book, or have to worry about judging it as half a book. it does not read as such, and damm , I can't imagine reading a book where this much stuff happens, and I am only halfway done.
Kingdoms of Death had an impossible task. Because I love Empire of Silence, and I love Howling Dark comfortably more, and Demon in White comfortably more that that. So, right of the bat, I will say that Demon In White is still my favorite Sun Eater book....barely. However while I like them a very very similar amount, for different reasons.
The biggest thing that is going to cause this to read differently to Demon in White, is that holy crap it is dark. Ruocchio had warned people of this, and he was not lying. Ruocchio woke up one day while writing this and he chose violence.
I have compared Demon In White to A Storm of Swords as a novel that feels uncriticizable. There was just very little in that book that was not incredible. I am now once again going to compare Kingdoms of Death to A Storm of Swords, because of the incredibly bold choices this book makes, that I think for lack of a better word, few authors would have the balls to commit to. This is not a book that is going to do what you expect. This is not a book of the status quo, this is a book of consequences. Where mistakes, failures, and tragedy is not brushed over, where the lives of the characters I have grown to love will be irrevocably changed forever.
I look forward to watching all your reactions to that.
There is an implication to what I just said though, that is that unlike Demon In White, I did not find this to be a perfect book throughout. There was no part that in my opinion strayed below very good, but this was not consistently brilliant literally from cover to cover like Demon In White. In fact I would say that the setting a good 10 chapters takes place in is probably the least vibrant setting in the Sun Eater. I guess it isn't supposed to be vibrant, it is supposed to be a depressing setting. But in my opinion the content for the first quarter is not on the same level as Demon In White. Granted Demon In White is one of my favorite first quarters to any novel, so a slightly unfair standard to hold a new book to. Anyway, about 2/3rds into this book, I liked it about as much as Howling Dark.(which is to say more than >90% of books I read) The last third though, wow. Despite originally being half a book, this is easily, and by far my favorite final act, and climax to a Sun Eater book, and ranks well against almost any final act I have read. It is then followed by one of my favorite falling actions, and this needed a falling action. My guess is that would not have been as long had this not been split, and in that way I am actually really glad it got split, because the consequences requires fallout, and I needed room to breath. Maybe this isn't true, and that was always there, and I should trust Ruocchio. The point is, I think this worked exceptionally well as one book, and if Ruocchio was not an author with amazing communication with his readers, and had just not told anyone about it, i'm not convinced anybody would even suspect that this was originally 1 book which got split.
So basically, I do not think this maintained the sky high floor of book 3, but it raised the ceiling, and was easily the most emotionally evocative Sun Eater book so far. Not all the same emotions either, so many different one. DAMM that was just a crazy final act.
Prepare yourself, although your preparations may be irrelevant, because you are not ready for Kingdoms of Death.
9.3/10
(Ruocchio's writing is so good, that I think it bleeds into the writing of my reviews, and causes me to make more metaphors, although that may be a bad thing, because unlike Ruocchio I am not an amazing writer. )
Also ya, it is only January, and I have only read 5 books so far this year, but as of now this leads the race for my book of the year.
Editing this review to say this at the top for people looking at this series for the first time.
Currently this book has 15 1 star reviews. 14 of them are the same person(who likely didn't read the book, and is a troll), the 15th was from months before the book came out. The series is somewhat small, so that tanked the average rating. But do not worry, it does not lose its way, everyone I have seen who actually read this book has really liked it.
If you know who I am, you know I love The Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio. This is book 4, so i'm not going to bother talking about the plot, i'm not going to repeat that Ruocchio's prose is immersive and smooth, and paints a picture in my mind, without being redundant of overly dense. I will not repeat that Hadrian is one of my favorite characters in fiction, and that you feel his years. I will not bother repeating that the world is expansive, creative, and alive, or that it explores themes, and is thought provoking, while also getting me to turn the page. However, now you know those things in case you didn't before, so let's talk about what makes Kingdoms of Death different to other books in this series. the good ways, the bad ways, and just the ways that are different, but not good or bad.
The first thing to address is that this was originally a super thick book that got split. I have read a few books like that, and this is the one where I believe the transition from half a book to an entire book was most seamless. If I was not told, I would not ever begin to suspect this was originally half a book. Granted, Sun Eater is in a type of series to be split, as the events of a entry tend to take place over a huge amount of time, and instead of building to one big climax they tend to be eventful throughout, with different sections.
Anyway, all that aside, I just want to say that you do not have to worry at all about going into this thinking of it is half a book, or have to worry about judging it as half a book. it does not read as such, and damm , I can't imagine reading a book where this much stuff happens, and I am only halfway done.
Kingdoms of Death had an impossible task. Because I love Empire of Silence, and I love Howling Dark comfortably more, and Demon in White comfortably more that that. So, right of the bat, I will say that Demon In White is still my favorite Sun Eater book....barely. However while I like them a very very similar amount, for different reasons.
The biggest thing that is going to cause this to read differently to Demon in White, is that holy crap it is dark. Ruocchio had warned people of this, and he was not lying. Ruocchio woke up one day while writing this and he chose violence.
I have compared Demon In White to A Storm of Swords as a novel that feels uncriticizable. There was just very little in that book that was not incredible. I am now once again going to compare Kingdoms of Death to A Storm of Swords, because of the incredibly bold choices this book makes, that I think for lack of a better word, few authors would have the balls to commit to. This is not a book that is going to do what you expect. This is not a book of the status quo, this is a book of consequences. Where mistakes, failures, and tragedy is not brushed over, where the lives of the characters I have grown to love will be irrevocably changed forever.
I look forward to watching all your reactions to that.
There is an implication to what I just said though, that is that unlike Demon In White, I did not find this to be a perfect book throughout. There was no part that in my opinion strayed below very good, but this was not consistently brilliant literally from cover to cover like Demon In White. In fact I would say that the setting a good 10 chapters takes place in is probably the least vibrant setting in the Sun Eater. I guess it isn't supposed to be vibrant, it is supposed to be a depressing setting. But in my opinion the content for the first quarter is not on the same level as Demon In White. Granted Demon In White is one of my favorite first quarters to any novel, so a slightly unfair standard to hold a new book to. Anyway, about 2/3rds into this book, I liked it about as much as Howling Dark.(which is to say more than >90% of books I read) The last third though, wow. Despite originally being half a book, this is easily, and by far my favorite final act, and climax to a Sun Eater book, and ranks well against almost any final act I have read. It is then followed by one of my favorite falling actions, and this needed a falling action. My guess is that would not have been as long had this not been split, and in that way I am actually really glad it got split, because the consequences requires fallout, and I needed room to breath. Maybe this isn't true, and that was always there, and I should trust Ruocchio. The point is, I think this worked exceptionally well as one book, and if Ruocchio was not an author with amazing communication with his readers, and had just not told anyone about it, i'm not convinced anybody would even suspect that this was originally 1 book which got split.
So basically, I do not think this maintained the sky high floor of book 3, but it raised the ceiling, and was easily the most emotionally evocative Sun Eater book so far. Not all the same emotions either, so many different one. DAMM that was just a crazy final act.
Prepare yourself, although your preparations may be irrelevant, because you are not ready for Kingdoms of Death.
9.3/10
(Ruocchio's writing is so good, that I think it bleeds into the writing of my reviews, and causes me to make more metaphors, although that may be a bad thing, because unlike Ruocchio I am not an amazing writer. )
Also ya, it is only January, and I have only read 5 books so far this year, but as of now this leads the race for my book of the year.
April 5, 2024
Watch my video review by clicking here.
One of the top 10 best books I have ever read. An emotional gut punch that rockets this series to one of the truly greats of fantasy/sci-fi series.
One of the top 10 best books I have ever read. An emotional gut punch that rockets this series to one of the truly greats of fantasy/sci-fi series.
July 22, 2023
This author sure knows how to write
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
April 9, 2022
I think this ultimately falls into the third slot of my favorites in the series so far and they're all incredible. It's going to be quite the task to top the peaks of Howling Dark and Demon in White but this is another showing of Ruocchios consistency with writing one kick-ass sci-fi/fantasy epic. Hadrian continues to grow as a character and be put through the absolute RINGER in these novels.
I have nothing but praise for this series. Fantastic characters, epic action, heartbreak, beautifully written, it's simply incredible.
I have nothing but praise for this series. Fantastic characters, epic action, heartbreak, beautifully written, it's simply incredible.
October 28, 2022
Kingdoms of Death continues Sun Eater's streak of being absolutely bananas. This whole book is pretty depressing and is not going to be a happy read. There is also a shorter section and a longer section in the middle I found pretty boring at the time but the things they lead to are very important, so I forgave that. The stuff that everyone talks about in this book is so emotional and well written; Sun Eater has not made me emotional before this, but I was fighting tears for the entire last chunk of this book. It's not so much what is happening, but how it is being written about. I was put through the ringer and exhausted after marathoning the second half of this book in a night.
I will say a legitimate criticism I have of this book is just the overwhelming amount of fake language stuff in it. The previous books all had some of this and it never bothered me. But large portions of dialogue in this book are written in a made up language and then immediately translated to the reader. Just...say Hadrian translated it, and leave me out of this.
9/10
I will say a legitimate criticism I have of this book is just the overwhelming amount of fake language stuff in it. The previous books all had some of this and it never bothered me. But large portions of dialogue in this book are written in a made up language and then immediately translated to the reader. Just...say Hadrian translated it, and leave me out of this.
9/10
September 12, 2021
It takes a lot of 5-star reviews to mend a 1-star review, and when an insensitive reader takes it upon himself to give an unpublished book 1 star (a book that no one else has read and which, as a series, has been a consistent 5-star review from me), then that book merits some 5-star bumps before publication.
Consider this a place holder if you want … but I’m certain Ruocchio’s fourth installment in the Sun Eater series won’t disappoint in the slightest. When it comes to epic sci-fi space opera, I believe he is unsurpassed (and yes, I’m placing him alongside or even ahead of the old timers like Herbert, Heinlein, and Asimov).
On the other end of the awesome modern sci-fi spectrum, if I’m craving a tight (claustrophobic?) military sci-fi with action, suspense, and a bit of crime noir, I’ll pick up Jeremy Szal’s Stormblood series (it’s equally terrific, but in a totally different way). But when I’m craving a slow-burn sci-fi with a sprawling landscape, a strange universe populated by alien cities, or an epic tale that reveals how an idealistic poet became a legend who gradually transformed into a science fiction dark lord … well, then I need Hadrian Marlowe and Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series.
Consider this a place holder if you want … but I’m certain Ruocchio’s fourth installment in the Sun Eater series won’t disappoint in the slightest. When it comes to epic sci-fi space opera, I believe he is unsurpassed (and yes, I’m placing him alongside or even ahead of the old timers like Herbert, Heinlein, and Asimov).
On the other end of the awesome modern sci-fi spectrum, if I’m craving a tight (claustrophobic?) military sci-fi with action, suspense, and a bit of crime noir, I’ll pick up Jeremy Szal’s Stormblood series (it’s equally terrific, but in a totally different way). But when I’m craving a slow-burn sci-fi with a sprawling landscape, a strange universe populated by alien cities, or an epic tale that reveals how an idealistic poet became a legend who gradually transformed into a science fiction dark lord … well, then I need Hadrian Marlowe and Ruocchio’s Sun Eater series.
March 29, 2022
I don’t usually do written reviews, but I just wanted to pop in and say that this book was so good! I’m a big fan of the Sun Eater series already, but I think this is my favorite one yet. It read so smoothly, and even though I consider his writing in book one to be excellent and superior to most of what I read these days, he notably grows and improves with each book in the series. Christopher Ruocchio is writing what will be a legendary sci-fi series, and we’re lucky enough to be along for the ride in real time!
March 31, 2022
Sun Eater is my favorite science fiction series of all time and the reason is because of entries like Kingdoms of Death. Demon in White was my favorite book of 2021, and even though it is only March I find it hard to believe I will read a book in 2022 that will eclipse Kingdoms of Death.
The book starts like an absolute thrill ride. We are thrown into the action similar to the way a James Bond film starts. From then on it pretty much never stops. No I don't mean this book is non stop action. What I mean is the book never stops in terms of holding your attention and gripping you emotionally. Yes the thrills and action are there, but really what makes Kingdoms stand out is Ruocchio's best character work to date.
Part of the way that he accomplishes that is by having this book go to some pretty dark places. Make no mistake while this is a great book I would not call it a "fun" book. I'm going to avoid spoilers as to why, but just know there isn't dark for dark's sake here. Ruocchio uses it as a tool that is appropriate for the job for both his story and characters.
Additionally I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the world building and lore we get in this volume. We visit new parts of the Galaxy we have only heard of in early books such as the Lothrian Commonwealth. I loved the way that portion of the book was executed and how Ruocchio used it to make a few salient points without being preachy. More importantly we get some really fantastic Cielcin lore in this book. You'll get some answers, but also a whole new set of questions and plenty of the trippy sci fi stuff that is the hallmark of Sun Eater.
My final thoughts are that this book is an absolute home run, and I am going to be thinking about it for a long long time. I'm going to have to mull over whether I think this book is superior to Demon in White. While I loved every page of DiW and it did so many separate things that were phenomenal, KoD feels like a more complete story rather than interconnected stories and the character work and emotional impact is off the charts. Either way this is one of my favorite sci fi books of all time and everyone should be reading this series.
The book starts like an absolute thrill ride. We are thrown into the action similar to the way a James Bond film starts. From then on it pretty much never stops. No I don't mean this book is non stop action. What I mean is the book never stops in terms of holding your attention and gripping you emotionally. Yes the thrills and action are there, but really what makes Kingdoms stand out is Ruocchio's best character work to date.
Part of the way that he accomplishes that is by having this book go to some pretty dark places. Make no mistake while this is a great book I would not call it a "fun" book. I'm going to avoid spoilers as to why, but just know there isn't dark for dark's sake here. Ruocchio uses it as a tool that is appropriate for the job for both his story and characters.
Additionally I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the world building and lore we get in this volume. We visit new parts of the Galaxy we have only heard of in early books such as the Lothrian Commonwealth. I loved the way that portion of the book was executed and how Ruocchio used it to make a few salient points without being preachy. More importantly we get some really fantastic Cielcin lore in this book. You'll get some answers, but also a whole new set of questions and plenty of the trippy sci fi stuff that is the hallmark of Sun Eater.
My final thoughts are that this book is an absolute home run, and I am going to be thinking about it for a long long time. I'm going to have to mull over whether I think this book is superior to Demon in White. While I loved every page of DiW and it did so many separate things that were phenomenal, KoD feels like a more complete story rather than interconnected stories and the character work and emotional impact is off the charts. Either way this is one of my favorite sci fi books of all time and everyone should be reading this series.
January 22, 2024
This was definitely the darkest Sun Eater book so far. There are a few scenes that would make the red wedding look like a tea party. But there are also moments of beauty that show that no matter how dark things get, there is always hope if you're willing to keep pushing forward.
I have no doubt that this series will go down as one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time
I have no doubt that this series will go down as one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time
January 12, 2024
Wow. So it looks like Goodreads removed my review of this book because it has simply disappeared. Apparently there were a lot of 1 star spam reviews, but mine wasn’t one of them. I actually read the book and didn’t like it. Is that not allowed anymore?
I don’t bother keeping extra copies of my reviews so I can’t do much except say what I recall my thoughts to be. So here goes.
I know this series has a lot of fans. I personally found it pretty uneven in quality (my reviews of the previous three books are still available where I say exactly this). The story in this one had some of the same flaws as before in that it goes on and on without making progress and then descends into what is basically torture porn.
It was at this point that I decided this series wasn’t for me and gave up on the rest of it. Not sure how that makes my opinion illegitimate, but whatever, it is what it is.
I don’t bother keeping extra copies of my reviews so I can’t do much except say what I recall my thoughts to be. So here goes.
I know this series has a lot of fans. I personally found it pretty uneven in quality (my reviews of the previous three books are still available where I say exactly this). The story in this one had some of the same flaws as before in that it goes on and on without making progress and then descends into what is basically torture porn.
It was at this point that I decided this series wasn’t for me and gave up on the rest of it. Not sure how that makes my opinion illegitimate, but whatever, it is what it is.
March 28, 2022
Even though my expectations were already sky high this book exceeded them. Has amazing lore and world building, great dark moments, and lots of emotional impact. Eagerly awaiting the next book, this is easily one of the best sci-fi series I've read.
Ruocchio's writing has gotten even better, the prose is beautiful even when the subject matter is terrifying and bleak. Can't recommend this series enough, I have my full faith in Ruocchio to deliver a great read.
Ruocchio's writing has gotten even better, the prose is beautiful even when the subject matter is terrifying and bleak. Can't recommend this series enough, I have my full faith in Ruocchio to deliver a great read.
January 11, 2024
Wow that got dark.
I’m really loving this series, the first three books built on each other and the demon in white was such a high, one of the best space operas in recent memory both in quality and entertainment.
This book takes a sharp turn in tone and while I can understand why some people don’t enjoy it I really did. The author makes some brave choices to put the story in first place over falling into a formulaic continuation of popular series.
It’s a tough read but like its predecessors I couldn’t put it down.
I’m really loving this series, the first three books built on each other and the demon in white was such a high, one of the best space operas in recent memory both in quality and entertainment.
This book takes a sharp turn in tone and while I can understand why some people don’t enjoy it I really did. The author makes some brave choices to put the story in first place over falling into a formulaic continuation of popular series.
It’s a tough read but like its predecessors I couldn’t put it down.
August 10, 2022
Kingdoms of Death is the aptly titled fourth volume in Ruocchio’s Sun Eater Science Fiction series. It is probably the darkest and gloomiest of the books in the series, which is a story spanning galaxies in the future as the human race has spread to numerous planets. Hadrian Marlowe is a half-mortal warrior of the Imperium, which is now being attacked on its fringes by the Cielcin, a war-like species bent on laying waste to all creation in a religious fervor.
The thing about the Cielcin is that they are unlike the human species in all possible ways and resemble more giant cockroaches than humans, giant cockroaches that is who savor the taste of human flesh. Thus, they are much more like Burroughs’ Mahars from Pellucidar than the Romulans or even the Klingons. They exist only for battle and victory and serve their princes faithfully.
Hadrian has been asked by the Emperor to journey to the edge of the Imperium and seek an alliance with the Commonwealth, a hostile human empire that is more like the Communist Soviet Union than the Imperium, which itself pays homage to ancient Rome. The Commonwealth is like no place Hadrian has ever seen from the limits of vocabulary to the total control exercised by the tribunal. Here, he seeks alliance to stand for the salvation of the human race against the hungry clans of the Cielcin, whose thirst for conquering knows no limits. But, Hadrian will come up against others who have interests different than the Imperium.
Much of the novel though is an exploration of the Cielcin worlds and their history and their future. Hadrian will be tasked as he never has been before and he, who is almost the only hope of the human race, will face difficulties he cannot conceive and betrayals he wish he never experienced.
The novel, like the others in this terrific series, has everything you could want in a science fiction series from the great scope to the worlds we never imagined to things beyond science and a story arc that leaves the reader gasping for air.
The thing about the Cielcin is that they are unlike the human species in all possible ways and resemble more giant cockroaches than humans, giant cockroaches that is who savor the taste of human flesh. Thus, they are much more like Burroughs’ Mahars from Pellucidar than the Romulans or even the Klingons. They exist only for battle and victory and serve their princes faithfully.
Hadrian has been asked by the Emperor to journey to the edge of the Imperium and seek an alliance with the Commonwealth, a hostile human empire that is more like the Communist Soviet Union than the Imperium, which itself pays homage to ancient Rome. The Commonwealth is like no place Hadrian has ever seen from the limits of vocabulary to the total control exercised by the tribunal. Here, he seeks alliance to stand for the salvation of the human race against the hungry clans of the Cielcin, whose thirst for conquering knows no limits. But, Hadrian will come up against others who have interests different than the Imperium.
Much of the novel though is an exploration of the Cielcin worlds and their history and their future. Hadrian will be tasked as he never has been before and he, who is almost the only hope of the human race, will face difficulties he cannot conceive and betrayals he wish he never experienced.
The novel, like the others in this terrific series, has everything you could want in a science fiction series from the great scope to the worlds we never imagined to things beyond science and a story arc that leaves the reader gasping for air.
July 18, 2023
3/10
Following the absolutely fantastic Demon in White we have what is easily the weakest entry in the Suneater series thus far.
We’ll start with the good. Suneater seems poised on the cusp of being interesting in book five and there are several conflicts I’m looking forward to. The worldbuilding is still interesting but frankly, that’s a point primarily in the previous books’ favor because most of the new additions in Kingdoms of Death don't hold up. We’ll get to that. I still like Hadrian’s character and there are one or two side characters I care about but it really is just one or two and we’ll get to that in a moment as well.
So, right on to the bad. To start with, Ruocchio really gets into the over-explanation in this book. It’s not something he was entirely averse to in previous entries but here it’s just absurd. I don’t need to be told which character “the great one” refers to in context, I don’t need to be reminded that it’s surprising to see a scholiast showing emotion. It’s little things like this that denote the expectation of and incentivize minimal engagement on the audience’s part.
On to the more pressing issues, the series remains without a particularly interesting supporting cast. This is especially problematic whenever there’s a death that we’re expected to get all emotional about and the narrator is certainly doing a lot of work to convince the reader how important a moment it is but none of them feel that convincing, they don’t feel particularly well earned. They don’t feel any different from the deaths of the nameless characters who die randomly in the—too long—battle scenes.
There’s also the Lothrian commonwealth, Ruocchio’s utterly unoriginal take on the Soviet Union and Mao’s China. And look, I’m all for criticisms of Stalin and Mao but there’s just nothing particularly interesting in the description of the Lothrians. It’s a fairly straightforward and often overexplained description of a totalitarian state that runs on propaganda and, in a major shift for the series, Hadrian is clearly written to win every argument he has about their society. There’s simply no nuance in the way Ruocchio depicts this society or the people in it. You’ve got the evil elite cabal, the brainwashed masses who don’t realize they’re being played, and the brave, Catholic freedom fighters. No, that's not a joke.
The simplicity of the worldbuilding bleeds into dialogue and characterization as well. There’s one villain in particular (not the one you’d expect) whose every line of dialogue reads like something out of a children’s cartoon. “Oh reader, look at how evil he is. Look at how purely one-dimensionally evil. Watch as he spouts cliches about how hopeless and pathetic Hadrian is and is just comically evil because… because he is ok?” It’s not interesting. And that simplicity of dialogue begets a lot of really cliche protracted death monologues, like actually a lot. You can get away with one or two but I counted three, all of which were defined by their use of absurd cliche. The series has built up enough goodwill with me that I’ll read book five but I won’t be nearly as excited as I was for this one.
Following the absolutely fantastic Demon in White we have what is easily the weakest entry in the Suneater series thus far.
We’ll start with the good. Suneater seems poised on the cusp of being interesting in book five and there are several conflicts I’m looking forward to. The worldbuilding is still interesting but frankly, that’s a point primarily in the previous books’ favor because most of the new additions in Kingdoms of Death don't hold up. We’ll get to that. I still like Hadrian’s character and there are one or two side characters I care about but it really is just one or two and we’ll get to that in a moment as well.
So, right on to the bad. To start with, Ruocchio really gets into the over-explanation in this book. It’s not something he was entirely averse to in previous entries but here it’s just absurd. I don’t need to be told which character “the great one” refers to in context, I don’t need to be reminded that it’s surprising to see a scholiast showing emotion. It’s little things like this that denote the expectation of and incentivize minimal engagement on the audience’s part.
On to the more pressing issues, the series remains without a particularly interesting supporting cast. This is especially problematic whenever there’s a death that we’re expected to get all emotional about and the narrator is certainly doing a lot of work to convince the reader how important a moment it is but none of them feel that convincing, they don’t feel particularly well earned. They don’t feel any different from the deaths of the nameless characters who die randomly in the—too long—battle scenes.
There’s also the Lothrian commonwealth, Ruocchio’s utterly unoriginal take on the Soviet Union and Mao’s China. And look, I’m all for criticisms of Stalin and Mao but there’s just nothing particularly interesting in the description of the Lothrians. It’s a fairly straightforward and often overexplained description of a totalitarian state that runs on propaganda and, in a major shift for the series, Hadrian is clearly written to win every argument he has about their society. There’s simply no nuance in the way Ruocchio depicts this society or the people in it. You’ve got the evil elite cabal, the brainwashed masses who don’t realize they’re being played, and the brave, Catholic freedom fighters. No, that's not a joke.
The simplicity of the worldbuilding bleeds into dialogue and characterization as well. There’s one villain in particular (not the one you’d expect) whose every line of dialogue reads like something out of a children’s cartoon. “Oh reader, look at how evil he is. Look at how purely one-dimensionally evil. Watch as he spouts cliches about how hopeless and pathetic Hadrian is and is just comically evil because… because he is ok?” It’s not interesting. And that simplicity of dialogue begets a lot of really cliche protracted death monologues, like actually a lot. You can get away with one or two but I counted three, all of which were defined by their use of absurd cliche. The series has built up enough goodwill with me that I’ll read book five but I won’t be nearly as excited as I was for this one.
November 12, 2022
I can't even.
February 3, 2024
It took me quite a while to get my hands on the forth book of what is one of my favourite series of all time: Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio. All this was mostly during the drama occurring with the publisher, shipping, etc. but I won't get into all of this here.
Everything that counts is, that I finally was able to continue the series - perfect timing to be caught up with the penultimate book, that will be coming out in March.
Going in, my expectations where sky-high. Due to how long I had to wait for this one and due to what I heard of it (there is quite the reputation with 'Kingdoms of Death'), I expected to love it - and Ruocchio did not disappoint.
I felt right at home when returning, with the Sun-Eater-typical adjustmend needed in the first few chapters.
For many, these beginnings can be a slight critizism of the series, but for me it's just a way for Christopher to show off what a brilliant author he is. Instead of relying on artificial and mainly useless plotpoints to create fake-tension from the beginning, he generates said hooks through delivering information to the reader.
The deliberate placement, revealing and hiding of information for the reader is generally a quality in writing, that I find to be highly underrepresented in the diecourse, and Sun-Eater is basically the exhibition-piece for introducing this element to people - but I'll try to get back to this later.
Firstly let me adress the elephant in the room: The split. Because yes, books 4 and 5 in the series where originally planned to be one single tome. Publisher and Covid-related troubles came in the way and, short things short, Ruocchio had to split the book. But does it affect the quality?
To give a full answer to this question, I will have to rely on my review for book 5 - 'Ashes of Man'. But to make it short, I don't think it shows in 'Kingdoms of Death'.
The split is only noticable after reading both parts in my opinion. This one alone features all the elements of a full Sun-Eater novel and also covers the full structure the story this one tells needs. BUT.
When also considering what happens in 'Ashes of Man', there is a lot of potential lost. This easily could have been the best book in the series at this point - even beating 'Demon in White', which I among many others consider to be one of the best books ever written.
So at this point, the split doesn't affect anything negatively, this book provides everything it could and you will probably not notice it too much. Only afterwards it is that you start to question what could have been...
But I won't judge 'Kingdoms of Death' for that. I will only judge it for what it already is able to be: A fucking banger once again. And a traumatic one that is.
I already mentioned the reputation of this book. As you might be able to guess from the title and the cover, this book serves as the "low-point" of Hadrians journey. The darkest point in his life.
Again, without getting into spoilers, combined with 'Ashes of Men', this aspect would have been increased even more, but it is enough this way to consider this to be too dark for many people.
It certainly is dark, terrifying and gruesome. But I'm gonna be honest once again: I didn't think it was too bad.
I might really not be the frame of reference for things like this, but I expected this to be on a Malazan/Prince of Nothing/later Red Rising level, but it wasn't that bad. But I'll admit, that the suffering is brought to a next level, even for Sun-Eater standards. But I loved it for that.
Hadrian is broken and the groundwork laid, that he needs to commit the acts he promised us from the beginning of book 1.
This is the Cielcin-book, all the way. How Ruocchio continues to build up his antagonists keeps suprising me and leaving me in awe. It's immaculate how rich their history, lore and culture continues to be; and we haven't reached the peak, yet.
But lore-wise, 'Kingdoms of Death' doesn't have to hide from it's predecessor, 'Demon in White' - only that this focuses on the villain side of things; the lovecraftian and existential horrors of the universe. It's delicious stuff.
The vibes, the atmosphere... At times this could almost be described as having a Gothic-feel to it.
And the revelations... Well let's say that this is probably the most horrifying and yet most realistic Sci-Fi universe I have read so far. And let's also get back to the point made in the beginning: The deliberate placement of information.
This will continue through my reviews of books 5 and 6, but every scene feels like watching a painting being drawn. Every stroke of the brush gets you further towards the final picture and adds depth, colour and tone to what you knew before.
Additionally, every stroke is placed in such a way, to get the maximum effect out of every single scene and interaction. How Christopher reminds his readers of the little details, how he get's us in the mind-space for feeling and thinking everything he wants us to feel and think is sooooooo stunning!
Framing a scene is pretty hard to nail as an author, but Ruocchio just had it from the beginning. And he got better with every book.
On a technical level, there are only few authors that can rival Ruocchio - and the man isn't 40 yet.
This is his first series.
For now, I guess this is it for my review of the fourth book in Hadrian Marlowe's epic tale, but I'll judge my review of the next one partly as giving my thoughts on the big narrative these two books where supposed to be.
I can only recommend everyone to jump on the Ruocchio-train, since it is gonna reach lightspeed in a couple of years. I can't begin to imagine what this man is capable of, if he is able to put his all into it.
Everything that counts is, that I finally was able to continue the series - perfect timing to be caught up with the penultimate book, that will be coming out in March.
Going in, my expectations where sky-high. Due to how long I had to wait for this one and due to what I heard of it (there is quite the reputation with 'Kingdoms of Death'), I expected to love it - and Ruocchio did not disappoint.
I felt right at home when returning, with the Sun-Eater-typical adjustmend needed in the first few chapters.
For many, these beginnings can be a slight critizism of the series, but for me it's just a way for Christopher to show off what a brilliant author he is. Instead of relying on artificial and mainly useless plotpoints to create fake-tension from the beginning, he generates said hooks through delivering information to the reader.
The deliberate placement, revealing and hiding of information for the reader is generally a quality in writing, that I find to be highly underrepresented in the diecourse, and Sun-Eater is basically the exhibition-piece for introducing this element to people - but I'll try to get back to this later.
Firstly let me adress the elephant in the room: The split. Because yes, books 4 and 5 in the series where originally planned to be one single tome. Publisher and Covid-related troubles came in the way and, short things short, Ruocchio had to split the book. But does it affect the quality?
To give a full answer to this question, I will have to rely on my review for book 5 - 'Ashes of Man'. But to make it short, I don't think it shows in 'Kingdoms of Death'.
The split is only noticable after reading both parts in my opinion. This one alone features all the elements of a full Sun-Eater novel and also covers the full structure the story this one tells needs. BUT.
When also considering what happens in 'Ashes of Man', there is a lot of potential lost. This easily could have been the best book in the series at this point - even beating 'Demon in White', which I among many others consider to be one of the best books ever written.
So at this point, the split doesn't affect anything negatively, this book provides everything it could and you will probably not notice it too much. Only afterwards it is that you start to question what could have been...
But I won't judge 'Kingdoms of Death' for that. I will only judge it for what it already is able to be: A fucking banger once again. And a traumatic one that is.
I already mentioned the reputation of this book. As you might be able to guess from the title and the cover, this book serves as the "low-point" of Hadrians journey. The darkest point in his life.
Again, without getting into spoilers, combined with 'Ashes of Men', this aspect would have been increased even more, but it is enough this way to consider this to be too dark for many people.
It certainly is dark, terrifying and gruesome. But I'm gonna be honest once again: I didn't think it was too bad.
I might really not be the frame of reference for things like this, but I expected this to be on a Malazan/Prince of Nothing/later Red Rising level, but it wasn't that bad. But I'll admit, that the suffering is brought to a next level, even for Sun-Eater standards. But I loved it for that.
Hadrian is broken and the groundwork laid, that he needs to commit the acts he promised us from the beginning of book 1.
This is the Cielcin-book, all the way. How Ruocchio continues to build up his antagonists keeps suprising me and leaving me in awe. It's immaculate how rich their history, lore and culture continues to be; and we haven't reached the peak, yet.
But lore-wise, 'Kingdoms of Death' doesn't have to hide from it's predecessor, 'Demon in White' - only that this focuses on the villain side of things; the lovecraftian and existential horrors of the universe. It's delicious stuff.
The vibes, the atmosphere... At times this could almost be described as having a Gothic-feel to it.
And the revelations... Well let's say that this is probably the most horrifying and yet most realistic Sci-Fi universe I have read so far. And let's also get back to the point made in the beginning: The deliberate placement of information.
This will continue through my reviews of books 5 and 6, but every scene feels like watching a painting being drawn. Every stroke of the brush gets you further towards the final picture and adds depth, colour and tone to what you knew before.
Additionally, every stroke is placed in such a way, to get the maximum effect out of every single scene and interaction. How Christopher reminds his readers of the little details, how he get's us in the mind-space for feeling and thinking everything he wants us to feel and think is sooooooo stunning!
Framing a scene is pretty hard to nail as an author, but Ruocchio just had it from the beginning. And he got better with every book.
On a technical level, there are only few authors that can rival Ruocchio - and the man isn't 40 yet.
This is his first series.
For now, I guess this is it for my review of the fourth book in Hadrian Marlowe's epic tale, but I'll judge my review of the next one partly as giving my thoughts on the big narrative these two books where supposed to be.
I can only recommend everyone to jump on the Ruocchio-train, since it is gonna reach lightspeed in a couple of years. I can't begin to imagine what this man is capable of, if he is able to put his all into it.
March 18, 2024
This one definitely has a darker tone than earlier books and I shed more than a few tears. Another amazing entry in the Sun Eater series.
October 14, 2022
4.5⭐️ - Everything hurts
December 4, 2023
”Your Empire has kept you simple. There are no heroes. There is no good or evil. Stories are for children ... and children have to be made to grow up."
Hadrian has spent the last 70 years under house arrest because the Emperor couldn't trust the Chantry or his own wife. The Chantry tried him for treason and for heresy, failed, and then attempted to kill him. Again.
Now he’s finally been given a mission from the Emperor himself - travel to the Commonwelath as a diplomat to secure an alliance against the Cielen.
Warning: This is so much darker than its predecessors!!
The Lothrian Commonwealth is an extreme fascist totalitarian and collectivist where only one book is allowed to exist: a dictionary presenting the only sentences and words allowed to be spoken in society.
This was extremely fascinating and unique as Marlowe uses these sentences to configure understandable conversations. Yes, it’s frustrating for Hadrian and Co who are trying to negotiate, yet the manipulation of words, their origins, and the lack of pronouns in an effort to fundamentally alter the nature of human society was stunning to behold.
It reminded me of A Memory Called Empire.
In a society where language and movement is policed, identity and names cease to exist, and control is seen as the ultimate form of freedom; it is a terrifying dystopia to our own reality.
”And while our movement may be limited—we are always limited. By our bodies, as you correctly noted. By our minds, by nature itself. Freedom is accepting those limitations and responding to them with humility. We cannot change nature."
Hadrian’s explanation for his seeming invincibility is his ability to interpose one reality on the other. To look and choose a path in time where he would not fail.
Like I hinted at in my review for the last book, this feels like a slight cop out to me which I find frustrating.
The best explanation I found for this in the book is as follows:
The ancient mystes teach us that-unobserved-light acts like a wave, that it is the eye of the beholder that collapses light into coherent beams of energy. So it is with all things. So it is that all conscious observers collapse the potential universe, condense reality, make history with their eyes. It is only that my eyes-my mind—sees more than other men.
This was most reminiscent of Dark Age by Pierce Brown (Red Rising series).
Man, at times, this felt like torture porn. Dark, gritty, dank, gruesome, despairing, grievous.
I don’t know how to feel coming away from this. I know I felt frustrated a lot of the time. I know I was in awe of how Marlowe created such a long and stunning book centred around such a singular story - basically staying in Hadrian’s head for the majority of the book.
Go into this expecting bleakness.
I am conflicted on my rating - the first half? 4 stars, after that? Maybe 3.5-75?⭐️
Bookstagram
Hadrian has spent the last 70 years under house arrest because the Emperor couldn't trust the Chantry or his own wife. The Chantry tried him for treason and for heresy, failed, and then attempted to kill him. Again.
Now he’s finally been given a mission from the Emperor himself - travel to the Commonwelath as a diplomat to secure an alliance against the Cielen.
Warning: This is so much darker than its predecessors!!
The Lothrian Commonwealth is an extreme fascist totalitarian and collectivist where only one book is allowed to exist: a dictionary presenting the only sentences and words allowed to be spoken in society.
This was extremely fascinating and unique as Marlowe uses these sentences to configure understandable conversations. Yes, it’s frustrating for Hadrian and Co who are trying to negotiate, yet the manipulation of words, their origins, and the lack of pronouns in an effort to fundamentally alter the nature of human society was stunning to behold.
It reminded me of A Memory Called Empire.
In a society where language and movement is policed, identity and names cease to exist, and control is seen as the ultimate form of freedom; it is a terrifying dystopia to our own reality.
”And while our movement may be limited—we are always limited. By our bodies, as you correctly noted. By our minds, by nature itself. Freedom is accepting those limitations and responding to them with humility. We cannot change nature."
Hadrian’s explanation for his seeming invincibility is his ability to interpose one reality on the other. To look and choose a path in time where he would not fail.
Like I hinted at in my review for the last book, this feels like a slight cop out to me which I find frustrating.
The best explanation I found for this in the book is as follows:
The ancient mystes teach us that-unobserved-light acts like a wave, that it is the eye of the beholder that collapses light into coherent beams of energy. So it is with all things. So it is that all conscious observers collapse the potential universe, condense reality, make history with their eyes. It is only that my eyes-my mind—sees more than other men.
This was most reminiscent of Dark Age by Pierce Brown (Red Rising series).
Man, at times, this felt like torture porn. Dark, gritty, dank, gruesome, despairing, grievous.
I don’t know how to feel coming away from this. I know I felt frustrated a lot of the time. I know I was in awe of how Marlowe created such a long and stunning book centred around such a singular story - basically staying in Hadrian’s head for the majority of the book.
Go into this expecting bleakness.
I am conflicted on my rating - the first half? 4 stars, after that? Maybe 3.5-75?⭐️
Bookstagram
March 16, 2024
Ruocchio continues to impress with yet another fantastic installment in The Sun Eater series. This book has certainly had the biggest emotional impact so far. I knew darker times were coming, but what a painful & harrowing ride this was. I'm definitely more than ready for a big retribution arc!!
February 11, 2023
This may be the most ruined by a book I've ever personally been...
Jesus fucking Christ (forgive my French). I don't quite know how to articulate my feelings on the book as a whole here in a written review for now, even though I will be - in less than an hour at the time of writing - recording my video review of it.
We'll see how that goes. I shall potentially edit this review in the future if I ever come up with a way to better articulate myself.
Jesus fucking Christ (forgive my French). I don't quite know how to articulate my feelings on the book as a whole here in a written review for now, even though I will be - in less than an hour at the time of writing - recording my video review of it.
We'll see how that goes. I shall potentially edit this review in the future if I ever come up with a way to better articulate myself.
January 28, 2024
In Book 4 of the Sun Eater series, Hadrian Marlowe experiences his most difficult task yet, and comes face to face with the heart of the Cieclin and their dark origins......
Okay, so I was pretty anxious when I started Kingdoms of Death, for three reasons:
1) I was not sure how any book could follow up the brilliant previous entry in the series, Demon in White. Could Ruocchio do it again?
Well, yes, he could! Kingdoms of Death, while certainly different than any other book in the series, is equally well-written and contains the series' best character work to date.
2) I knew that KoD was technically just Part 1 of a bigger novel that had to be split in half in order to be published. Would the pacing be affected?
Not at all. Outside from a slow beginning (which literally every book in Sun Eater has had so far), it was impossible to put down.
3) I had heard and read from many non-spoiler reviews of KoD that it was.....depressing and dark, to say the least. Would it be too much for me?
It is certainly dark and depressing - as much or more than any book I have ever read. I'm not going to spoil anything, but just know: Trigger Warnings. Unlike many other Grimdark books, however, it does not....revel in it. There is a purpose here.
And, unlike many other Grimdark books, KoD has an incredibly poignant and satisfying ending that still left me wanting to read Book 5 ASAP.
“There is pain always, and ugliness, but the light and beauty of the world shine always above and beyond the powers of darkness to destroy.”
What a book. What a series. What a writer.
Okay, so I was pretty anxious when I started Kingdoms of Death, for three reasons:
1) I was not sure how any book could follow up the brilliant previous entry in the series, Demon in White. Could Ruocchio do it again?
Well, yes, he could! Kingdoms of Death, while certainly different than any other book in the series, is equally well-written and contains the series' best character work to date.
2) I knew that KoD was technically just Part 1 of a bigger novel that had to be split in half in order to be published. Would the pacing be affected?
Not at all. Outside from a slow beginning (which literally every book in Sun Eater has had so far), it was impossible to put down.
3) I had heard and read from many non-spoiler reviews of KoD that it was.....depressing and dark, to say the least. Would it be too much for me?
It is certainly dark and depressing - as much or more than any book I have ever read. I'm not going to spoil anything, but just know: Trigger Warnings. Unlike many other Grimdark books, however, it does not....revel in it. There is a purpose here.
And, unlike many other Grimdark books, KoD has an incredibly poignant and satisfying ending that still left me wanting to read Book 5 ASAP.
“There is pain always, and ugliness, but the light and beauty of the world shine always above and beyond the powers of darkness to destroy.”
What a book. What a series. What a writer.
January 25, 2024
In this the fourth entry in the Sun Eater series, the story gets darker and more focused than maybe ever before. In some ways it is a smaller narrative than the books preceding, and in other ways the scope continues to expand. But it still remains an extremely detailed and well-written series with top notch worldbuilding.
I am not yet caught up on the series but already am looking forward to an eventual reread.
I am not yet caught up on the series but already am looking forward to an eventual reread.
July 5, 2021
If other people can give this a 1 star without reading it, I’ll give it a 5 star. The author is an amazing man, I’ll give an updated review when I actually read it. But for now, it’s 5 stars.
September 7, 2022
Everything hurts and I am out of tears.
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