I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Ashes of Man review; heartbreaking, but hopeful

I had wanted to get the reviews for Ashes of Man's predecessors done before I got to this one, but my gratefulness for Netgalley's ARC supersedes this. Thank you Netgalley!

This review will be spoiler-free, but vague references to the nature of previous events in previous books will be made.

Ashes of Man is book 5 of the Sun Eater series, but it originally was to be book 4. Publishers were forced to split the book apart, as there was a paper shortage at the time. Do not let this worry you; both Kingdoms of Death (book 4) and Ashes of Man are made better by this split. Why? I'll answer this question as I go along this review.

The series so far has put Hadrian Marlowe through the COMPLETE ringer, which is made especially clear in Kingdoms of Death. Ruocchio does not hold back one bit when it comes to this. It would be no surprise then, to hear that the years are taking their toll on Hadrian Marlowe, both on his physical body and his mental state. Hadrian Marlowe is a broken man and you can see just how tired he really is. His exhaustion, burnout, and trauma are handled very well, being made prominent everywhere throughout the narrative. You can see it in the writing of the subtle, reluctant movement of limbs, and you also can see it in Hadrian's thoughts. But he has no choice. He has to keep going, he has to keep fulfilling his duties.

Hadrian is a great character. In this book, side characters are given their chances to shine on their own. Sun Eater is written in first person retrospective, a narrative style that can often be way too protagonist-centric. With that in mind, giving side characters the personality, agency, and heroism they possess here grounds the story, showing us that not everything and everyone in this world revolves around Hadrian Marlowe as its center. Side characters in Sun Eater have always been great, but in this book, I think they truly become characters.

Ashes of Man's pacing in the first half is deliberately made slow so that Hadrian has the time to recover from his aforementioned issues, and from the events of Kingdoms of Death. The pacing also allows the narrative to show you how the legend surrounding Hadrian Marlowe has changed and etched itself over the centuries, and to see the consequences of his actions. There's no attempt to rush him back into the action, which I greatly appreciate; oftentimes, authors simply rush their characters back into the plot after traumatic events and ignore any lingering damage in the process. Ashes of Man is not a victim of this. Things do speed up in the second half, and Sun Eater's epic space fantasy side bears its head again; the plot is shaken up with insane reveals and chaotic action. It all culminates in a sequence of events and consequences that forced such a visceral emotional response out of me; I am glad I did not get a physical copy of this book, as it would have been ruined by tears.

If I had to summarize the themes of this book, I would simply use this quote :

"The ugliness of the world does not fade, nor are fear and grief made less by time, nor is any suffering forgotten.

We are only made stronger by its blows."

You might think that this is reductive of everything the book explores. I personally find it empowering and encouraging. Ashes of Man explores grief, loss, trauma, and while it does not deny their existence, it nonetheless inspires you to keep going, because there is a light out there to be found, lights you still have not seen. I read this book in a dark place, and these themes just hit and resonated with me so much more because I really needed it during this time. Ruocchio's special prose writing just makes his themes and everything else stated here so much better, in how it lends beauty to his world, provokes your mind into riding trains of thought, and rushes you through the action.

If Ashes of Man and Kingdoms of Death had remained merged, they would not be given the space they need and deserve. Splitting them up was the best decision for the series, as the emotional toll of both books combined would have been heavy beyond appreciation and enjoyment. Do not worry about the narrative being halved here, I can assure you that it is not the case here. Kingdoms of Death is its own book, and Ashes of Man is its own book as well.

To conclude, Ashes of Man is a tale that embraces the reality of suffering while inspiring hope, and it is one that is written excellently. This is the first ARC that I have ever received, which makes this a reading experience I will forever cherish and hold close to my heart. Thank you again, Netgalley for this opportunity, and may my review give this book and the series it is part of the attention they deserve.

Score : 10/10

More Sun Eater reviews will be coming soon. Ruocchio is grossly underrated as a writer and I am going to do my best to shine a light on his work.

I received an ARC through NetGalley, which I am so thankful for as I can’t get enough of this series. For those who may be concerned that book 4 was split into books 4 and 5, you may put your fears to rest. In fact, I think both books are better because of the split. Without spoiling anything, Book 4, Kingdom of Death, is an emotional reading experience. By taking game between reading Book 4 and Book 5, the experience of reading Ashes of Man is better. In this book, we see new worlds described in Ruocchio’s characteristic style, but what stands out is Hadrian’s grief. We have come a long way with this character, and at times it can be hard to sympathize with such a heroic figure. This book humanizes the Halfmortal in a way new to the series. I can’t wait to see how Ruocchio finishes the tale

I enjoyed this book! I have to admit, even though I don't think this is my style, the writing was good and the plot was consistent. Recommend to people who likes sci-fi.

This was another fantastic installation in the Sun Eater Series. Christopher Ruocchio continues to create an atmosphere and theme that feels all his own. His extremely fleshed out world and unforgettable main character has staked its place in my brain. This is a story I will carry with me into the future.

4.5 Stars
I was given an eARC of Ashes of Man through Netgalley. This review will be spoiler free, thank you to Netgalley and DAW/Astra for giving me early access to this title.

I will divulge that Ashes of Man is my most anticipated release of 2022 and like always Christopher Ruocchio did not disappoint. This book is both epic and heartbreaking and left me wanting more.
Ashes of Man is the fifth book in the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. This book was the 2nd part of what was the original Kingdoms of Death. This splitting does come through in how the book starts. It starts differently compared to all previous Sun Eater titles. It is chronologically a few hours after the ending of Kingdoms of Death and it does not open into a large action sequence as done in previous entries Demon in White, and Kingdoms of Death.

In this book we are experiencing Hadrian at a very different stage in his life from earlier books. This Hadrian is a darker scarred character who is learning to deal with the trauma experienced over his long life. As mentioned, this is a much older Hadrian, gone is the young optimistic hero that was looking for a galactic peace between the Cielcin and Humanity. Ruocchio further fleshes out and cements in my mind why Hadrian Marlowe is one of the best protagonists in not just sci-fi but any series I have ever read. I really enjoyed the exploration of what happens to a character once they have reached their breaking point. When the warrior can no longer pick up the sword because the fight has left them. Ruocchio’s writing is at its best in this book with his depth of character for Hadrian, his further development of loved supporting characters within the series.

In this book I really enjoyed the political intrigue that was taking place and Hadrian being pulled in the schemes he wants no part of. I loved watching the political games being played around Hadrian and how even though he wants no part, he is a powerful player in this game, his piece cannot and will not be left alone.
Lastly, this book is not without its flaws. I did find some of the action near the end of the book overstayed its welcome and a few of the scenes blended. I think on a reread this would improve. I also felt that some items of significance that were introduced in previous books and in this book were left hanging and I hope to see them explored in the final entry of the series. There were also parts that felt repetitive, again a lot of it is done to emphasize the mental state Hadrian is in. Hadrian is our narrator and I think Christopher using the epistolary style of older Hadrian recounting these events, that he still has issues recalling these painful memories.
I hope you enjoy this book and series as much as I did. I cannot wait to see how Christopher wraps up this stunning series.

I was thrilled when I received the ARC for Ashes of Man, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early, now on with the review.

Ashes of Man is the fifth instalment, in the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. The Sun Eater series is my current favourite ongoing Science Fiction series. Ashes of Man is just as good as I'd hoped.
Starting where we left off this book feels much more like the other Sun Eater books with the extra space travel and politicking. This book reminds me of Demon in White, probably my favourite entry in the series tied with Howling Dark.
With this book Hadrian Marlow solidifies himself as one of my favourite characters of all time, I suppose he always was, but now so much of the heavy long character development of three hundred years of life begins to show in truth, and you begin to see him unravel. Into the man, we know he must become. The dreaded Sun Eater, the man who destroyed a star and whipped out the entire Cielcin race.
The Cielcin are some of the most terrifying villains of all time, Ruocchio is really good at writing really horrific things and making you feel them, perhaps a little less so in this book than in previous but you really begin to see that this series is heading towards its end. It doesn't feel rushed, what I love about this series is that Hadrian is taking us through every step no matter how little to tell us how he ends up where he does at the inevitable conclusion to this series. Sun Eater is a tragedy and the last two books have really embraced that.
I would like to take a moment to talk about Christopher Ruocchio as a writer, I've said before what a phenomenal writer he is, and he continues this trend in this book. Hadrian has been becoming more and more disconnected from the universe around him after undergoing everything that he has been through. It reflects well in the way he tells the story, you can see now as we begin to approach the end, that he is becoming more and more our narrator and less the boy we met on Delos in Empire of Silence.
Is this the best book in the series, I don't think so, I think it might be better than Kingdoms of Death though I'm not exactly sure, it's hard to rank books in a series when they are all this good! If I had to rank them I think it would go (From favourite to least favourite): DiW, HD, AoM, KoD, EoS. While none of them are even remotely bad.
Ruocchio said this was originally going to be a five-book series, but I hope he ends up writing at least two more so that he can end this story properly. There are so many things I want to see, I want to see him go back to Delos one more time and either see his brother and father again at least once, I want to know whether or not Switch is really dead though he probably is. Time runs down. This series is nearing its tragic end but I'm not ready to leave this world. This whole series will merit a full reread once all the books are out. I can't wait.
Rating: 9,5/10

First all, a big Thank You! To Astra Publishing House and NetGalley for allowing me to read Ashes of Man, book 5 of the Sun Eater saga by Christopher Ruocchio.

What is it about: Ashes of Man is a wonderful work of Science Fantasy by Mr. Ruocchio. It continues Hadrian Marlowe’s epic journey across the galaxy in his struggle for what he believes to be right. He is fighting against old enemies and new, and even some people he once thought of as allies. He has faced hardship after seemingly insurmountable hardship. This book sees Hadrian face his most difficult trials yet.

What makes it good: Mr. Ruocchio has a writing style which is so beautiful. He is able to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind with his prose. And he calls back to so much of our own history through his choice of words and references. His character work and world building are top notch. Hadrian continually faces new and inventive adversaries who continue to challenge our reluctant hero. And this book takes things to a whole new level.

What you may not like: These books are not small. This epic tale is one which takes some time to develop. And the story can be difficult to read at times in an emotional way. The literary tragedy is a genre we don’t encounter enough these days, in my opinion. And this book, as the previous books in the Sun Eater saga have done, takes us to dark places.

Why you should read it: Hadrian’s journey has been one of the most epic tales I have read. The world that Mr. Ruocchio has created feels harsh and real. And this tale is shaping up to be one for the ages. For fans of science fiction and fantasy, it doesn’t get much better than this.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“The ugliness of the world does not fade, nor are fear and grief made less by time, nor is any suffering forgotten. We are only made stronger by its blows.”

Ashes of Man was the most cathartic instalment in the series so far. What do I mean by that? Well, it served as an exploration of grief and lost after the events of Kingdoms of Death. The beginning of the book gave the readers a much-needed breather after what transpired in the past 540 pages of the story. Hadrian dealing with loss and forcing himself always to move on in face of adversity.

“That´s just the thing.” I said. “It used to be the fugue I dreaded. Now, it´s the waking.”

Hadrian Marlowe is, at this point, a shell of what he used to be. He has been through almost as much pain as the likes of Guts from Berserk, FitzChivlary Farseer from the Realm of the Elderlings and many other characters that have suffered immense pain. He doesn’t want to keep going, he needs to. Hadrian lacks the enthusiasm he had, the hopefulness yet naivety he lost through the course of the series is painful to witness as he slowly has become a very stoic character. He doesn’t, however, lose his emotions deep inside and that is showed by how he interacts with the side characters.

One element I always loved about this saga is how other characters see Hadrian as a myth, a legend. And in this book, some find that legends, as often happens, might not be what they expected.

“We humans have lived so long in history, I think, we´ve forgotten that myth is the older, deeper tradition. Perhaps some part of us finds it uncomfortable when those two spheres overlap.”

Speaking of side characters, this was easily the best or second-best book for them, It´s either Ashes of Man or Demon in White. I can´t delved deeper into this this topic due to spoiler reasons though. You will read it for your own, when the book comes out, and form your own opinions.

After the first half being a much-needed slow burn, we have an explosive second half full of action, reveals, satisfying and painful moments. There was a stretch of 2-3 chapters near the end that had me teary eyed and crying at some points, you will know what I am talking about when you get there…

If I had to criticize this book in some way, I would say that the ending wasn’t as well written as the past 3 books and that I wished, even though I did cry, that the moment in question would have happened in a different way or had a bigger focus.

The Sun Eater Saga by Cristopher Ruocchio has been one of the best Sci Fi sagas I’ve had the privilege to read and talk about to my friends and Ashes of Man was no exception to the rule. Can´t wait to see the conclusion to the saga in book 6.

“Though the stars be dark and the way be lost,
though out toil be long: don’t count the cost.
Though the foe´s ahead and no friend´s behind,
my brothers! My brothers! Now hold the line!
There are those at home who need us now…
Who need us now…
Who need us now…
There are those at home who need us now,
so up. My lads, and Fight!”

Once again proving he is the current living master of science fiction, this book is precisely what readers want and need. Characters are well developed and grow, world building and atmosphere transport the reader, story is captivating and immersive, and the dialogue is brilliant. The plotting and pace are masterful.

Incredible. I really enjoy Christopher Ruocchio’s writing style. It is sophisticated but easy to read. I did find myself having to look up definitions of words to be able to follow along but even that didn’t take away from my reading experience - that’s how strong this book was.

I’m very excited to read more books from this Author.

If you enjoyed Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Series then I think would enjoy this as a series.

Thank you Astra/DAW for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, Christopher Ruocchio continues to impress me. This book has further cemented the Sun Eater series as my favorite series ever. It just hits all of the right notes. It tackles everything I gravitate towards in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy series. Safe to say that whatever Ruocchio writes in the future will be an automatic buy from me, and in multiple formats (please put Samuel Roukin on retainer!).

After the events of Kingdoms of Death, I wasn't sure how Hadrian Marlowe would be able to rebound and fulfill his duties. Ruocchio perfectly captures the fallout from such a traumatic experience, while forcing our protagonist into another seemingly impossible mission.

It's hard to dive really deep into this without spoilers, but some of the high level highlights:

The setting - So many unique set pieces, some show the scope of the empire, the threats it faces, and some create such a sense of claustrophobia and allow for great character moments.

The side cast - The best it's ever been, which is saying a lot.

The action - Ruocchio has proven the ability to write great action set pieces without meandering, and there were some moments in the climax that hyped me up big time.

The emotional beats, the shocking moments.. it's all there. I found myself shocked, sad, hyped, concerned, touched. I literally couldn't sleep after finishing the book.

This was definitely my book of August, and I'm sad that it'll be a bit before book 6. Just leaves more time for a reread of the entire series and novellas!

Wow! I can't recommend it enough. Great characters, great story and uncontrollable ride. A must read,!!! This was a great entry in an epic series! Can't wait for the next one!!!

Heartbreakingly epic and amazing, I'm so sad it's over. This one isn't even out yet and I'm hungering for the next!

9/10

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is my belief Christopher Ruocchio has created one of the most in-depth and entertaining Sci-Fi series. If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favour.

Book four was split into two parts, this book being part two. Both feel like completed stories, and I believe I slightly preferred this one.

Hadrian Marlowe is one of the most layered protagonists and his inner voice is incredible to read.

Read this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Astra Publishing House and Christopher Ruocchio for this eARC.

I was sooooo happy to receive this ARC! The Sun Eater series is one of the very few sci fi series I am excited to read. The Ashes of Man (and the other books in the series) read very well, considering it is quite a long book. In saying that, for me, the pacing was a little slow a times, which made my attention wonder. I really enjoy Ruocchio's writing style and characterisation, he has a way of making political intrigue readable and interesting. This series well deserves it accolades.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to be as vague as possible and not have any spoilers.

This might be my least favorite Sun Eater book by a comfortable margin. However, since the bar is so high it's still an excellent entry and sets up the next (final?) book to be my favorite in the whole series.

There were a lot of things hinted at in this book that weren't involved in the plot but the ending definitely has a lot of interesting things set up for it.

Since this was originally supposed to be the second half of Kingdoms of Death, I did prefer what happened in Kingdoms of Death by a fairly large margin because of the aspects of the series it dealt with and this book mainly deals with the fallout of Kingdoms of Death and set up for the last book.

Although it definitely has some major events occur, I found myself hoping that the things this book hinted at would be tackled instead of what we got. That's not to say that the plot here isn't interesting but I'm highly anticipating the next entry because it's easy to imagine it being even better.

Overall this is one of my favorite sci-fi series ever and I can't wait to see how it ends. Ruocchio continues to be a massive talent and is full of surprises.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Ashes of Man is the fifth book in the Sun Eater series and the original second half of book four, Kingdoms of Death. The previous entry, while still a good book, was probably the weakest entry in the series for me so far. It lacked a lot of the exciting moments that the previous entries had had and instead was a slow trudge for Hadrian Marlowe to get where he needed to be. (That’s probably about as much as I can say without going into spoilers.) All that is to say that AoM had a lot of work to do and I’m glad to say that it did all that it needed to and more!

The start of this book is incredibly different from previous entries to the series. It’s a quiet, melancholy sequence in which you slowly realize all the repercussions that the end of KoD had. It’s no spoiler to say that by the end of this series Hadrian needs to be a very different character from the young, optimistic hero that he starts out as and here is where you finally start to realize how much he’s changed since the start of Empire of Silence. Hadrian’s trauma and reluctance following the events of previous books is very much the focus of this entry and Ruocchio portrays it expertly, leaving you both frustrated and incredibly understanding at the same time.

Ashes of Man also has some of the best action set pieces of the series to date. I seriously cannot stress how much fun the later half of this book is. The final acts of Sun Eater books are always explosive and, I feel like I say this every time, but the end of AoM is my favorite one yet. It’s even a spoiler to say where the end of this book takes place but it’s a fun twist on all the normal battles with the Cielcin that have happened so far. Unlike Berenike or Elue, which, for my action tastes, dragged slightly, this one was never not compelling.

As with any book I do have some criticisms. As this series goes on, the writing style has shifted more and more into relying on Hadrian recollecting past events to bring emotional weight to a scene and while many times it can be compelling, it also often just feels repetitive or like the author is trying to repeat exposition that you definitely already know at this point. Other series written in first-person retrospective have also had this issue with me, namely the Realm of the Elderlings. It’s almost certainly just a personal preference, and the quality of the writing is not diminished because of it, but at this point I know I prefer the earlier narration that felt more original.

My other criticism is similar to one that I had for the Lothrians in book four. Many aspects of Ruocchio’s world-building are incredibly compelling but in the area of the futuristic cultures that inhabit his galaxy I still think he has a ways to grow. You get to know the Jaddians a lot more in this book and while they were still fun to read about, aspects of their culture stray into being stereotyped. There were however, unlike the Lothrains, more efforts to try and adapt the classical civilization that the Jaddians are based on to a modern story; even if those efforts often felt shoehorned in.

That’s about as much as I can say that’s spoiler-free. Most of my praise (and a few other really small criticisms) for this book are completely full of spoilers! Spoilers that I won’t entrust to Goodread’s weird spoiler tags when the book is still four months away from release.

But, all in all, even though this book doesn't quite touch Demon in White (only because that book is insane), Howling Dark might just have a challenger for my second favorite in the series now. If you are already a fan of the Sun Eater series, this entry does nothing but deliver, both on the tone that the beginning of the series hints at and all the explosive action that previous entries are known for. I’m so happy that I got an ARC for it, even if it means a longer wait for book six. And if you aren’t already a fan, what are you doing, go pick up Empire of Silence immediately so you can read this in December when it comes out. The Sun Eater continues to be one of the most compelling stories being told in SFF fiction at the moment.

I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting and I couldn't put it down. Great world building. Going into it based on the book summary, this was a bit of a different story than I expected- and better for it. Interesting characters and dynamic.

The usual stuff that makes the series great - prose, atmosphere, layered characters (especially Hadrian), continues to shine big in this one.

After the harrowing events of book 4, I'm glad we got the time to soak in the aftermath with the characters and take a breather before things escalated again. After that, we were treated to some amazing battle sequences as well as quieter emotional ones. While some moments (similar to book 4) were pretty heavy (and well executed), the author overlays a theme of hope, which I appreciated. Another theme that stands strong, is the tenacity of humanity in the face of really scary overwhelming odds.

Overall, this book definitely hits the standard of the preceding volumes, maybe even surpassing them in certain areas. Will eagerly look forward to book 6 and future novellas in this world 👍