Sun Eater: Howling Dark (spoiler free review) by Christopher Ruocchio

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥: (I get a commission when you use the links)

𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬:

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐞:

𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀:

𝐌𝐲 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

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[bradkrick]

Yes. Best ongoing fantasy/SF series right now. Criminally under recognized. Between format issues and limited availability of copies, change of publisher, limited marketing, there have been so many obstacles for the Sun Eater but Ruocchio keeps pumping out greatness. And even though not well known, everyone who reads them spreads the gospel. Demon in White is basically a perfect book as well so look forward to that. It’s a 6/5 star read.

[dinocollins]

Ruocchio is soooo cool too! He literally talked to me for like 15 min one day about my experience after finishing one of his books!!!

[birdy]

It genuinely makes me sad how this series has gone relatively unnoticed. Ruocchio deserves so much recognition for the amazing world and story this series tells.

[pappywinky]

"I demand you read this series" is the best tging I've heard all day 😂 captures the feeling you have while reading this. Everybody should be experiencing sun eater

[DBourque]

I have read all 5 since your review of Empire of Silence. This is definitely the best sci-fi series I've ever read. Easy! Thanks for the recommendation. Its all uphill from here!

[benja]

The HB edition of this book is impossible to find at any price online, and I found it at a used bookstore - one of my greatest finds!

[TreeBeardBookReviews]

Glad to hear you enjoyed this book Matt! I loved it as well, this is why Sun Eater is my favourite sci-fi series of all time! Also the cover art is amazing

[jerdabear]

I would say The Book of the New Sun is the best fantasy/ sci-fi series of all time, which the author of the sun eater is a big fan. At least from what i ve read.

[praetorxyn]

Glad you enjoyed Howling Dark so much. You've still got a lot to look forward to. Queen Amid Ashes has what is in my opinion the greatest final line to a work of literature ever, and Demon in White is even better than Howling Dark.

[mb]

After, IMO, a mediocre and somehow predictable first book, this one blossomed into top class space opera. One of the best series I've red. I'm also puzzled how Ruocchio is overlooked because he's a top writer. Big respect !!!

[claytonhomer]

I looked back at my comment on your EoS review and I did mention him with Hobb! I think they tell stories differently but the sentence structure and style of writing is very similar to me. I really enjoy all the books but this one has soft spot because of the jump in quality. As a writer he gets better but the jump from book 1 to 2 is the easily the biggest. Can't wait for you to continue!

[ChristopherCopeland]

I'm glad so many people have found so much joy in this series. I am, however, thus far, not one of them.

I finished Empire of Silence last week and honestly I felt quite robbed. The frame story mechanism made such high promises, and kept constantly breaking in and interrupting the tension with the same six or seven pithy epithets, simply tuned to a slightly different temperature; consistently rewarding me with scenes and scenarios which felt (prose aside) either patently bland or woefully overhyped by the narrator/protagonist himself. After arriving at the end of the story, I felt that when I emptied my bag of goodies *gathered over the course of our journey, I was disappointed to find there was actually not much there. And of the things which were present, there was not much that I cared for. Mostly brass trinkets and fools gold.

I'll be the first to heap praise where I find it due, and Ruocchio's stylistic bravado and prosaic agility have certainly come to collect, although neither helped me actually enjoy the protagonist or his story. I raced through the last third of the book not out of eagerness for what would come, but because I could already sense by the end of Act 1 that I wouldn't care when it finally did and just wanted to have it over with. Unfortunately, my suspicions were correct. Naturally, I haven't found much compelling me to continue the series. Other than the fact that I like Ruocchio as a person, and admire and appreciate his perspective on storytelling and character psychology. And frankly, I want to see him succeed. But it would be even better if I get to enjoy it and have as much fun as everyone else appears to be.

That said, this review has given me second thoughts (in the positive sense) about at least trying out Howling Dark to see if I just haven't climbed far enough up the rollercoaster to actually experience the freefall. I didn't write these comments to be a Negative Nancy or contrarian, but because the general feedback (goodreads/YT/etc) has been so unbalanced in its favor that I feel its important to have a differing perspective out there.

I'm still inclined to believe I must be the one missing something, not the other way around.

Time will tell.

Well done and thanks for the video!

[jenniferlummis]

I have picked it up. I actually have the first 5 books. They're on the TBR! Glad to gear you like the series so much. I look forward to getting to them.

[irodeker]

I finished Howling Dark yesterday. It blew me away how good this book is. I could not put it down. Everyone should read the series. I can’t wait to read Demon in White 😊👍

[Chewbaccafruit]

I was so excited to finish Empire of Silence at last so I could watch this review 😁

[idk_username_here]

The hype was real, this book was awesome

[lordramoth]

Just finished book one. Absolute classic novel

[geoffjohnston]

This strikes me as the kind of series that is slowly going to grow in momentum, popularity, and influence due to viral word of mouth. I'm about 50% through this book right now and agree with you that it's an astonishingly good read

[fuhrdawg]

Just finished up the series...and Christopher ruocchio is indeed a prodigy. His YouTube channel is awesome too, he's cool as hell

[jackiesivat]

Ahahhh 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 if this space opera, sci-fi sign me up, he need to be the new Star Wars. Love love love this series