Ashes of Man

Sun Eater, Book 5

By: Christopher Ruocchio

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

The fifth 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.

The galaxy is burning.

With the Cielcin united under one banner, the Sollan Empire stands alone after the betrayal of the Commonwealth. The Prophet-King of the Cielcin has sent its armies to burn the worlds of men, and worse, there are rumors … whispers that Hadrian Marlowe is dead, killed in the fighting.

But it is not so. Hadrian survived with the help of the witch, Valka, and together they escaped the net of the enemy having learned a terrible truth: the gods that the Cielcin worship are real and will not rest until the universe is dark and cold.

What is more, the Emperor himself is in danger. The Prophet-King has learned to track his movements as he travels along the borders of Imperial space. Now the Cielcin legions are closing in, their swords poised to strike off the head of all mankind.

©2022 Christopher Ruocchio (P)2022 Recorded Books

Enjoyable if not great.

3.75 ✨

Very-good series but not great. As with most books in the rest of the series, 3.75 stars rounded up. This book continues to follow Hadrian Marlowe through his long life and adventures.

The series is told in a first-person narrative with Hadrian looking back from his old age. The passage of many years in a few paragraphs is sometimes difficult to accept The character Hadrian is both admirable and annoying. If there is one thing that detracted from my enjoyment of the series it is the many self-righteous and annoying characteristics in Hadrian's personality.

Hadrian is at once a heroic figure but also annoyingly moralistic, at times immature and preachy. Yes, immature, even though in this book Hadrian is over 350 years old. I listened to the audiobook and felt that the narration by Samuel Roukin was okay. I found the story interesting, with good writing, and good world-building. It remains a series that I enjoy and want to continue.

Incredible sequel in a spectacular series

If you’ve made it this far, you already know how masterful a storyteller and writer is Christopher Ruocchio. He does not disappoint in the least with this one. The slow sections are just as gripping as the heartstopping action scenes, and there continue to be bold narrative choices in this ultimate high stakes game.

Roukin matches Ruocchio’s quality with his incredible narration, with his accrue understanding of Hadrian’s character and voice. It is the perfect match of material and voice actor—bravo!!

C.R. Has outdone himself!

He’s getting better and better at The Sun Eater series. This compares to the third novel in its breadth and scope. I can’t wait for another!

Fear is a poison

The story continues and since this is an ongoing series, giving a spoiler review would be an easy error, so I can only say, some of my questions of reoccurring characters were answered. The last couple of hours made the previous 20 worth it.

Great continuation of a fantastic story.

Tragedy and humanity come together. Some of it was hard to listen to. “Damnit Marlow.” The voice narration kicks it over the top.