Howling Dark
Hadrian Marlowe is lost.
For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.
Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.
If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.
-Goodreads
Title: Howling Dark
Series: Sun Eater Saga #2
Author: Christopher Ruocchio
Page Count: 688
Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Date Read: December 29th, 2024
Opening
I began this journey through the Sun Eater series with Empire of Silence back in October of 2024 and now that I'm on my third read here with book two Howling Dark, I really wish would have gotten started on this series much sooner. I'm really enjoying these stories up to this point. I also read The Lesser Devil recently before Howling Dark.
Pacing
The pacing continues to work well. The best way I can describe this is it has that slow burn format without finding myself feeling like I'm slogging through a lot of unnecessary information to get to the next exciting moment. There is a lot of characters and locations to keep up with but the flow is smooth and it continues to hold my interest very well so far.
World Building
The world building continues to amaze me. I don't know if I missed this previously mentioned before I started reading the series but this is one of those rare birds of a series that appears to be finding a way to combine those more traditional fantasy element themes into a science fiction story. This is really working for me. The different castes and what comes with a world built in this way continues to add a great backdrop for an action packed story being shared with us. I now see where this is being described as a combination of fantasy and space opera and that's a very good description.
With some races and characters having an extended lifespan this has allowed for a very deep history slowly unfolding within our minds as we progress through Howling Dark and the series in general.
Character Development
The character development following Hadrian through the ages of this world so far has been a treat! He's such a unique character who continues to personally grow throughout this story. There are also some incredible supporting characters on both sides of the fence in Howling Dark. As has become quite the theme in so many of my reads, I still don't know which characters to trust, if any. Betrayal seems to be a common theme in my reading.
I'm not sure what I can say about Kharn Sagara without giving things away. Let me just saying dealing with immortal or mortals with great longevity of life has to be difficult to write but Ruocchio nailed it in this one. There was quite an interesting twist that leaves some very interesting possibilities in future books in the series. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Closing
From the rumblings I have heard from friends in the bookish community even those that have some critics for this book and series (which aren't many) still rate these high. That should be telling if nothing else.
After reading book one I thought this was going to be a very similar telling of the Red Rising series and though there were some overlapping vibes there are very different indeed. I've really enjoying both series. If you are looking for a read that smoothly combines the fantasy and science fiction together this is a series to check out for sure. If you've already started the series but haven't gotten past Empire of Silence of The Lesser Devil, keep moving forward as there is still plenty of adventure to be had!
Scoring
Pacing 4.5 / 5.0
Worldbuilding 5.0 / 5.0
Character Development 4.5 / 5.0
