Synopsis:
Thirteen tales from the universe of the bestselling Sun Eater series, compiled for the first time. Plus, a never-before-seen novelette following Hadrian Marlowe after the series’ conclusion!
Ambitious universe-building combines with intimate character portraits for storytelling on a truly epic scale – for fans of Orson Scott Card, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Patrick Rothfuss, and Jack Campbell.
A green soldier faces an inhuman enemy. A machine attempts to kill her makers for daring to bring her into this world. On Delos, Crispin Marlowe must face his brother’s growing legend – and the small part he played in shaping it. In the far future, an ordinary soldier comes face-to-face with a god older than time. An enemy long thought dead attacks the future from the past, and on the Planet of Fire, an old hero must kill to save his unborn daughter and prevent a war that could shatter several worlds.
Here are songs of the noon of mankind, set in an age when humanity’s dominion stretches far across the stars: an age of struggle, of great evil, and of still greater good. Here, too, are songs of a man who changed the face and future of the galaxy entire: Songs of the Sun Eater, of Hadrian Marlowe himself.
Includes an introduction from the author!
Review:
If the Sun Eater is still taking up 80% of your thoughts, here are 13 tales from Hadrian’s world – some tied to the main story, others entirely stand-alone.
Firstly, most importantly, you must have read all main novels in the series before reading this. There are spoilers for Shadows Upon Time.
This collection is a great way to return to the richly realised Sun Eater series, but also see Ruocchio experiment with different styles, characters, and settings.
NOT MADE FOR US:
Set in the early days of the Cielcin Wars, it follows an ordinary Imperial soldier which provides a sharp contrast to Hadrian’s well-spoken and dramatic dialogue with a low-class military grunt.
[RE]INCARNATION:
This is more experimental stories, taking the perspective of an android who is questioning the horror and injustice of existence, to tragic effect.
The main theme is that no one asks to be born.
They’re machines, too, Albedo told herself. But not in the way she was. They were men—had been men—but they were part of a system, pieces of the mechanism that had made her, of the world that had made her. The world that should not exist.
THE DUELIST:
This was written for the Simultaneous Times podcast and is what I imagined I’d be reading when picking up tales from the Sun Eater.
It describes a duel between two Imperial noblemen and shows Ruocchio’s unique preference to focus on how a sci fi element affects the characters and the world around it, rather than how it actually works.
THE PITS OF EMESH:
This is written from the perspective of a historian who is very critical of Hadrian.
Another example of something I find so fascinating with this series: the first person narrative casts Hadrian as a hero, or at the very least the protagonist. This account contravenes that viewpoint.
Heroes are not born, but made, and are made mostly by us historians and by the panegyrists and the troubadours, not by themselves.
THE FOUR DEVILS:
A tale from Hadrian’s younger brother, Crispin. This provides some more background on Hadrian’s family outside of The Lesser Devil.
A PARABLE IN IRON:
Very cosy for the author of the Sun Eater: cooked a “mirror for princes,” a kind of instructive moral story designed for the rearing of nobility. Think Becky Chambers-esque.
THE ARCHAENAUT:
This was interesting as it relates to time dilation, something that has many pitfalls for scifi writers. How far is time travel from this?
Unfortunately, it had an unsatisfying ending and little answers.
MOTHER OF MONSTERS:
Occurring between Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man, it touches on the secret history of not only the Cielcin civilization, but of the very real, very dangerous gods that rule over it.
That exhibit would be hugely redacted, Valen guessed, fictionalized for the viewing public. History was just that. A story. The truth was too much.
THE PARLIAMENT OF OWLS:
The biggest departure in terms of style for Ruocchio: a frontier cowboy story, partly a piece of noir detective fiction, about a bounty hunter.
My least favourite.
The next three stories comprise something of a trilogy, each set during Hadrian’s exile on Jadd between the events of Ashes of Man and Disquiet Gods. I loved revisiting this period as it is the most slice of life in Hadrian’s dramatic and traumatic life.
THE ROYAL GAME:
An intrigue and conspiracy to prevent Cassandra’s conception.
THE FANGS OF OANNOS:
My FAVOURITE in this collection.
This story returns to Hadrian’s first-person narration. It is filled with court intrigue and backstabbing.
DAUGHTER OF SWORDS:
From Cassandra’s third person perspective, this shows their relationship from her side. I don’t think this got as deep and introspective as I wanted it to. Cassandra still felt pretty surface level.
THE END OF HISTORY:
A great way to conclude this collection: a story about Hadrian the Myth, not Hadrian the Man. This is set after Shadows Upon Time and it follows one of Hadrian’s followers.
It is very akin to The New Testament in the Bible regarding Jesus’ disciples.
We live in stories, the Sun Eater once said, and so are subject to things which transcend our space and time. Fear and love, hope and wrath and wisdom . . . these are as much a part of our universe as light and gravity. The ancients named these gods—for we are as slaves to them, their playthings and players. Sift the sands of every world and sort the dust of space between them, and you will find not one atom of fear, nor gram of love, nor dram of hatred . . . but they are there, unseen and uncertain as the minutest quanta.
Overall, a good collection of stories that makes me excited for what Ruocchio writes next (especially with the sneak peak at the very end).
My favourites were the ones that were more in line with the style and themes of the Sun Eater. Ruocchio’s style definitely lends itself better to slower moving, epic, longer works where his character work and philosophical reflections have time.
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