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

Best Book in the Series So Far

The maturity of Christopher Ruocchio’s world continues unabated as his mastery of his prose only increases. This book, coming on the tail of Kingdom’s of Darkness is the perfect completion of this stage in the life of Hadrian Marlowe. The audio, once again, read by Samuel Roukin brings each character to life in the vivid baritone of his performance. Come along dear listener, come along into the next act in the Sun Eater series.

Great as all the others.

Great story. Can’t wait for the next in the series and to see how it all ends

Another Masterpiece

Christopher Roucchio hit it out of the park again with another harrowing continuation in tale of the sun eater. I’m waiting with baited breath for the next installment!

It just keeps getting better!

Another stellar book and performance in the series! This book is quite emotional and full of ups and downs but well worth the pay off in the end for setting up the next book. Can’t wait till the next one!

Awesome again.

Waiting for the next book. Great storytelling in this series. And the narration is perfect.

amazing

cant wait for book 6. So much left to do and close on great series

I Cannot Decide

I cannot decide if this book is better than the others. This has been one of the most consistently excellent series I’ve ever read.

Wonderful story arc

I did not like book 4. It was repetitive and terribly dark; almost start to finish. Hadrian had no character growth and was left broken. My review of book 4 even advised to skip it. And for a moment, in this book, I thought, here we go again. However, this was an excellent story with excellent writing and narration. We see Hadrian grow as a character. He wasn't a slave to his circumstances in the end. He's a man who means everything to the Empire, and yet means so little to it's rulers, he stands up for himself and the consequences be dammed. It seems the Empire and the Emperor, for all his goodness & greatness, doesn't really understand Hadrian. This book reminds me of the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. I really like the ending of this book. A character can "fail" without having a failing character.

Best Book in Series to Date

This has been my favorite books to date, the story was always progressing without unnecessary lag. Great voice acting as always and compelling narrative, can’t wait for #6 & #7

Heartbreakingly Amazing

I have rarely ever read a space opera that has been so moving. From the very beginning of this series the reader has known where this story goes, but you do not know how the journey unfolds. this entry was simply put, fantastic. do yourself a favor and read this book series. it is a masterclass of science fiction.