Shadows Upon Time

The Sun Eater #7

by Christopher Ruocchio

The seventh and final novel of the galaxy-spanning series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe at last lights the greatest fire humanity has ever seen

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

The trumpet sounds.

The end has come at last. After his victory at Vorgossos, Hadrian Marlowe finds himself a fugitive, on the run not only from the Extrasolarians, but from his own people, the Sollan Empire he betrayed—and who betrayed him. Hidden safely beyond the borders of human space, Hadrian awaits the arrival of the one ally he has the Jaddian Prince Kaim-Olorin du Otranto.

What's more, the inhuman Cielcin have vanished, unseen for more than one hundred years. The armies of men have grown complacent, but Hadrian knows the the Cielcin are gathering their strength, preparing for their final assault against the heart of all mankind.

Only Hadrian possesses the power to stem the an ancient war machine, forged by the daimon machines at the dawn of time. The mighty Demiurge. With it, Hadrian must face not just the Cielcin horde, but their Prophet-King, and the dark gods it serves—the very gods who shaped the universe itself.

This must be.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space

1383 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2025

About the author

Christopher Ruocchio is the author of The Sun Eater, a space opera fantasy series, as well as the Assistant Editor at Baen Books, where he has co-edited four anthologies. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he studied English Rhetoric and the Classics. Christopher has been writing since he was eight and sold his first novel, Empire of Silence, at twenty-two. To date, his books have been published in five languages.

Christopher lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Jenna. He may be found on both Facebook and Twitter with the handle ‘TheRuocchio.’

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Shadows Upon Time is the brilliantly written concluding masterpiece that certified The Sun Eater as one of the best science fiction series in the history of the genre.

Full written review to come, but my spoiler-free video review can be viewed here !

You can pre-order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Abdul, Andrew. S, Arik, Arliss, Barbara, Ben, Benjamin, Biskit, Cade, Chris, Crystal, Cullen, Dan, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Erich, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Gary, Gregory, James, Jason, Jeff, Jenn, Johnny, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Leigh, Lourdes, Melinda, Michael. S, Mike, Mike S, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Radiah, Rando, RCT, Sally, Samiadji, Samuel, Sarah, Scott, Sean, Shawn, Shawna, Stephanie, Trish, Tyler, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zachary, Zammar.

[Smitty1423 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best ending of a series, especially a series where the author tells you how the story ends. This is my favorite book in the series. Gonna miss this story.

6/5

[King Crusoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

REGARDING SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW: There will be NO MAJOR SPOILERS featured in this review. Rest assured, I am sensitive to the fact that I am amongst the first to experience this story, and I aim not to ruin that for you.


THIS MUST BE.

I am utterly bereft, and I am exhausted. To everybody in my status updates expressing jealousy or jokingly wishing to bribe me to let you read this book early as I have been blessed by Christopher to experience this month - yet 5 months from release - I have one thing to say to you all:

Be careful what you wish for.

Many of us like to poke fun at Christopher for supposedly choosing violence upon his readers with books like “Kingdoms of Death” and “Ashes of Man” . . . but never has he chosen *fullscale violence* in the way that he has with this, the final entry of the primary Sun Eater saga. Not a single reader will come out of this journey unscathed, no matter what your favorite part of the series so far has been. Not a one. “Shadows Upon Time” is the most jaw-dropping, the most revelatory, the most insane, the most exciting, the most tense, the most depressing, the most unique, the most unbelievable, and the most unexpectedly expected entry of the series, bar none. If there is any other book in The Sun Eater that can be said to be firing on all cylinders, “Shadows Upon Time” can be said to have revealed more cylinders you didn’t even know were there and fired them too. If “Disquiet Gods” before it can be known for dialing so many things up to 11, “Shadows Upon Time” dialed them up to 12, and dialed everything else that wasn’t already up to 11 up there too.

In a completely expected twist (ha), Christopher has - in fact - written his best novel to date with “Shadows Upon Time”, due in no small part to nigh on every. single. aspect. of the series appearing in its best or most ambitious form yet somewhere in the book. There should be no wonder why “Shadows Upon Time” clocks in at 100 THOUSAND words longer than either “Demon in White” or “Disquiet Gods” which were previously the two (very similarly-lengthed) longest books. This finale justifies every bit of that length, and could have justified so much more than that. Hell, as is, Christopher managed to get something like 50k+ words cut from the first draft to the version I got to read. I almost wish those 50 thousand extra words were there, albeit perhaps more in the form of scenes that Hadrian the narrator opted to leave out.

I *almost* wish for that.

In either case, no matter how you think this book is going to go - no matter how you think Gododdin is going to play out - you are not ready for what “Shadows Upon Time” brings to the table.


From the places that I hang around, I seemed to be somewhat less blown away by “Disquiet Gods” than many other people were. That’s not to say I thought it was bad - because that would be untrue; I rated it 5 stars, after all - but rather to say that despite it having one of the all time greatest action setpieces in all of fiction with the Sabratha sequence, and despite it having arguably the most mind-blowing moment I’ve ever experienced with a book (Chapters 38-40; if you know, you know), “Disquiet Gods” wound up ranking 4th place out of 6 when I finished reading it, topping only “Kingdoms of Death” (much to my chagrin, because goddamn is that a fantastic book too) and “Empire of Silence” which I will never not consider notably the weakest book of the series. Put more simply, I really liked “Disquiet Gods” for a lot of reasons, but the final sequence left me slightly wanting. I found the spatial reasoning to be at times hard to work with in my imagination. Furthermore, the book entire ends a little more openly than I would have preferred given how tight all 5 previous books ended. It wasn’t unfinished or anything . . . but it was also obvious that it was merely the setup for this book. So when I finished reading "Disquiet Gods", I immediately began the wait, knowing that only once I knew how "Shadows Upon Time" started would I know one way or the other whether its predecessor would improve in my eyes or stay in the same place.

The jury's still out on that one. I definitely need to reread the both of them moderately closer together to know for sure.

Whatever the case, “Shadows Upon Time” most absolutely utilizes this to the fullest extent, making for easily the most engaging opening in The Sun Eater yet. Christopher concludes here what “Disquiet Gods” left open in perhaps the most creative way imaginable considering the context of the series. He plays with time and perspective in some really interesting ways, and yet does not sacrifice on the core narrative structure in doing so. You find yourself seeing certain events and happenings in ways that both compliment and usurp what we’ve gotten used to over the prior 1.5M+ words in the series (and closer to 2M when including the extra novellas and short stories). I absolutely loved this. Some readers may be wary about portions of the opening arc for one reason or another, but by the 20% mark it has entirely justified its existence as is; massive props to Ruocchio for taking some interesting swings here.

I should also note that the *opening* opening of the book is interestingly placed too. Because of the way the first fifth of the novel is told - and the portion of the story it tells - it makes for the intro to be reminiscent both of the classic time-jump the series is known for . . . while also feeling halfway like the lack of jump between books 4 and 5.

You’ll understand what I mean here more when you read the book.


So the intro is very good, but what about the rest of the first act?

Well, that too is pretty solid. It is primarily focused on getting Hadrian on a path to do what must be, and Christopher does that by having Hadrian interact with side-characters. A lot. Like, notably more than previous books in my view. Or maybe it just seems that way because these interactions are practically all the very best of Christopher's interpersonal character moments on page in the first place?

The side characters in this book are . . . they’re so good, you guys. SO good. Cassandra, Lorian, Olorin, Alexander, Selene (with 3 syllables, you damn heathens), William, Nicephorous, the non-human characters, and so many more primary side characters are just the start of this. Included alongside them are characters who you meet for the first time in this book who also get to shine in ways similar examples simply didn’t in previous entries. If anybody dares complain about Christopher’s side-characters in “Shadows Upon Time” like is sometimes the case in regard to (especially) the Red Company of early entries, I will have a conniption and personally find and slap whoever asserts such quackery. Christopher has done an absurd amount of his best character work broadscale in “Shadows Upon Time”, and I don’t know if I could even sort of take seriously anybody who comes to disagree with this point.

In fact, Christopher’s characters in “Shadows Upon Time” are indicative of the broader trends of the book as a rule: just about everything that this series has contained at one point or another by now is here in its greatest form yet. The characters are the example that I’ve already talked about, but the general impact of the plot, and the tension baked therein; the pacing of the major acts in relativity to the smaller moments intermixed; the politics and character moments baked into those; the antagonisms abound between all sorts of different parties; even a point like resolving very many loose ends - whether they seemed loose or not before I read this book - which all come together to create a composite *whole* that Sun Eater hasn’t seen before. None of the previous books were incomplete, but this book almost makes some of them quail.


But so, how do the middle and final acts go? How are these in relativity to the opening act which I think is so solid? (Minor structural “spoilers” contained from now until the conclusion; if you are very sensitive to spoilers, I would advise you consider skipping to the end.)

The second act is a tale of 2 parts. The first major portion of it is one of those stereotypical “we have a plan, and this is how we’re gonna make a final stand” type of sequences that you already know won’t work out on account of there being - does some quick mental math - still more than half of the book to go. Okay, so Christopher still does the unexpected here. You get more of that character and resolution stuff I was talking about earlier; you get some of Hadrian’s power in action in an engaging duel that doesn’t boil down to silly-putty nonsense or MCU CGI slop (so props to Christopher on managing that); and you get some of the mind-twisting material that only the Watchers are capable of (and oh boy, we’ll have a bit to say about that aspect later).

The failure that you know is inevitably coming comes, and it still hits like a sack of bricks and in yet unexpected ways on account of the sheer volume of things that are going on in this book.

So then the second major portion of the second act is making a recovery from the setback and preparing for the actual finale. *Not a single one of you is ready for what this section entails.* It is at once awesome - or at least should have the spirit of being the coolest thing in the series - but then it ends up being watching a train crash in slow motion - and I mean this in the most seriously kind way it could possibly be meant. The great politics of the series make a sharp and wonderful return to the forefront during this section, and the interpersonal tensions and character work remains top-notch. It’s just great. It's dreadful to read, but it's so damn good too.

Then the climax. Gododdin. I can’t say anything about this at all, save for what I said at the start: no matter how you think things are gonna go down at Gododdin . . . you’re wrong. That's the short of it. This sequence is absolute insanity from start to finish. The degree to which the villains play a role here is so fun too. None of it is how you expect, but none of it is a hard left turn that you wish Christopher hadn't made, either. There are dynamics and revelations that you can scarce see coming, and so confrontations that you can little predict. I reflect as well upon how I opened this review: “I am utterly bereft.” Gododdin did this.

As for what occurs after Gododdin? I know many would like to know how much of the book takes place after this climactic sequence . . . but of that I will say nothing.

What I can say is that the ending is not what I thought it would be. In many ways, the middle of this book did so many things completely differently than I had thought they would they caused for me to want the ending that I knew was coming to be so much . . . I hated seeing it end the I knew it must. In that way, Christopher got the last laugh - again - by ripping my heart in twain.

I guess the end is what you expect in the sense that Hadrian tells it to you a million times . . . but it doesn’t make it any less impactful or harrowing.

Finally, I would argue that the end of “Shadows Upon Time” is both the most open and least of the series. In terms of finishing Hadrian’s personal tale . . . it is certainly AN ending, for there are no true *endings* as he says. You'll have to read the book to see what precisely I mean.


What I predict about “Shadows Upon Time” is that the vast majority of Sun Eater’s readers will not just be happy with it, but they will consider it the best book of the series, as I am wont to do now. In many ways, it IS the best book - and unquestionably so. It showcases Christopher’s talent and planning and preparation brilliantly without wasting any time to do so, and he gives more time and space to things that he otherwise could’ve left out to keep the book a bit shorter. I am glad he didn’t, and I think that most others will agree.

But outside of this primary readership, I think there will be a few factions of people otherwise:

Some of these people will have to ponder and think for awhile to determine how they truly feel about the book. There’s so much to it that coming to a conclusion so soon is difficult - as I am sure my mediocre review now demonstrates. I think most of this group will fall on the side of "super into it" as well, but it is *a lot* to take in, to put it lightly.

There will be a small minority of people who aren’t exactly expecting what this book offers and so perhaps end up a little mixed about it as a result. And there will be people who just straight up find it disappointing for reasons nobody could explain, as all books wind up finding within their audiences. These are nothing to despair over, for I think the vast majority will be entirely on board as it seemed to me the reception to "Disquiet Gods" was.

And on that note . . . if there’s one thing I know to be true here, it is this: the people who were lukewarm on or bothered by the direction that “Disquiet Gods” took the Quiet/Watcher stuff are unlikely to enjoy this book as much as I selfishly believe they should. Some people will - and have - close their minds so solidly against this aspect of the series that they will simply struggle with "Shadows Upon time". It frankly does not matter how obvious it was going to end up being by books 4/5 that this was where things were going, nor how much more obvious it is on a reread as early as Calagah in “Empire of Silence” (specifically the chapter entitled "I Dare Not Meet In Dreams", which is actually referenced a couple of times here - a lot of EoS is actually referenced in SUT come to think, a lot more than you might expect, but that all goes to solidify how good this final entry does at wrapping up the *series*). As I said, there will be a portion of the readers that will struggle with this, and there will too be a chunk of readers who absolutely hate it for this aspect. If you dislike “Disquiet Gods” for its, er, disquiet gods . . . I worry for your reception to this book. Just know that Christopher does not at all back off of the Watcher angle; if anything, he doubles down.

As for myself, I really respect that, but I get others might not end up as into it. I saw this whole thing coming way back on Eue in “Kingdoms of Death”, and if anybody got to that part of the series and didn’t predict this ramp-up, I think that’s on them.

But oh my GOD, how can I forget to talk the actual mind-bending moments and reveals of this book?

If you’ve read Sun Eater, you know about how Christopher really likes to mess with his readers sometimes. This remains the case. Things get CRAZY here. In fact, one particular chapter in the middle of the climax managed to make me - for no good reason - HATE a character I previously loved, and I am *still* recovering from it. I suddenly understand why wives get so bitter when their husbands do something shitty in their dreams, even if there is no sensible reason for it otherwise. Thanks, Christopher, I really needed that one. (I could’ve done without that torment, actually, but you know what I mean hahaha)

And speaking on the reveals, “Shadows Upon Time” changes the name of the game with just about everything that it could have. You seriously have no idea what kinds of reveals you are in for here. The size, shape, and scope of the entire galaxy is upended in this book, and it made for some insane and unexpected payoffs to previous foreshadowing in the series. Nothing is like what you think it is. That I can promise.

I will elaborate no further.


But let’s get around to concluding this (probably somewhat poor) review.

Sun Eater is my favorite book series, full stop. The reasons for this are many and not worth getting into here, but it is a series that I adore and have spent more time with in these past 3 years than any other. Well…maybe that time is comparable to one or two others, but I’m 99% certain I’ve read more words written by Christopher Ruocchio than by any other author. The fact that I went from first-timer in August 2022 to one of the first . . . I don’t know, dozen-ish(?) people to read “Shadows Upon Time” has been a crazy, exciting, and blessed sequence of events. I am grateful to Christopher for the opportunity to read this book early and provide some feedback and help catch a couple of glitches.

On that note, I have to disclose the fact: I am the furthest from impartial on the topic of this author or series as can be. I have met and been called friend by Christopher, for one, and I have also done some work for him - for this series, no less, including copy editing for “Tales of the Sun Eater”, Volumes 3 & 4 in particular. I have also done work to fix the errors and thus allow for second editions of the first 2 volumes of the same, as well as for “The Lesser Devil”, “Queen Amid Ashes”, and done proofreading for a couple of Anderida Books’s special editions of Sun Eater material. There’s also more which I need not get into; suffice it to say that I am incredibly biased towards Sun Eater on a personal level.

Furthermore, I also have a cameo character who appeared briefly in “Disquiet Gods” and has a bit heavier of a role in “Shadows Upon Time”, so in that way I technically also have a personal stake of sorts in the series. Said cameo I paid for as an add-on for the “Empire of Silence” Diamond Edition Kickstarter campaign back in the first half of 2023, by the way; this wasn’t mere random favoritism or similar nonsense, though perhaps the degree to which the legionnaire Holden Crusoe appears in these 2 books is greater than most or all of the other cameos . . . .

But that does not mean that I am inclined to blow smoke up Christopher’s ass, or to glaze something that I do not genuinely love. I won’t bother wasting time listing examples of my integrity right now (I do not have enough remaining characters in the review to do so anyway). But while Christopher is a friend and a client, for the purposes of this review he need only be flagged as my favorite author - which he is, even beyond any aspect of working relationship or friendship which may accompany that.

If he is similarly any of your guys’ favorite author, it is my estimation that you are unlikely to be disappointed by “Shadows Upon Time” in the slightest.

I think “Shadows Upon Time” is Christopher’s greatest novel to date. Is it my favorite one? I’m really not sure yet. I need to continue re-reading the series to figure that one out. But it is certainly his best outing as an author.

THIS. MUST. BE.

[Janny]

This is the ultimate story of the chosen one, taken on steroids to the max. The stupendous imagination, the scope of the world(s) building, and the blending projection of myth, ideologies, religion, philosophy and even, flash tags from movies and literature past and present is both provocative and breathtaking.

If you enjoyed this series so far, Ruoccio sticks his landing.

Given the intensity of the first person narrative, the singular view of the 'hero' whose life impact is tarnished by history and the limited mass mindset of oversimplification, readers who enjoy the complexity of viewpoint and the tendency to oversimplify what is right and what is wrong will find plenty of food for thought and plenty of imaginative concepts to ponder, long after the series is finished. Hard questions are presented, with no comfortable answers: on sovereignty, on eugenics, on the nature and blending of man and machine, the constant temptation of desire for immortality in a reality built for entropic change, and the intent of the powerful seeking to bend politics, and the universe, to their will to the very pinnacle of corruption: there is no lack of courage, here, to tackle complex themes headlong, unvarnished, gloves off.

There are some stunning and beautiful twists that remap earlier impressions; laid alongside strong parallels to recognizable faith and religion. While some readers may take issue with that 'traditional' take, I found the unwavering exploration of the story's impact on the collision of temporal power and a higher calling. The trappings were limited by a set of beliefs, but the confrontation of the character's turmoil was honest and as riveting in the delivery.

There is strength in the courage to undertake such a journey. I am personally delighted to see a series of this scope, its uncompromising complexity, and its honest contention with values colliding with human weakness and shortfalls a breath of fresh air in the modern SFF ecosystem that tends to reward quicker delivery and shallower conflict.

This series is bound to become the "Dune" of this generation - with all of the glorious panache and controversy a grand work flings open to public discourse. The Suneater series dares to plunge to depths and heights few authors are willing to try.

The field is enriched by the unabashed honesty Ruocchio brings to the pages of Hadrian's life story. He has been fearless in his ability to draw the hard lines through his characters' hardships. This will strike notes of controversy, but don't let the flaws in the gem detract from what is bound to be one of the great works of the century. This is the fabric of human imagination, woven with solitary brilliance. My applause for a conflicted challenge, well realized. I will be reading more Ruocchio in the future for certain.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Normally when I come to the end of a book, I have a pretty good idea of what I want to write in my review, but not with Shadows Upon Time. I mean, this is an undeniably bold and epic finale to an exceptionally strong and visionary series, but for some reason I just did not enjoy the actual reading experience all that much, and I can’t exactly put my finger on why that is.

Now, I should probably start this off by saying that I have never been on the same level of hype for this series that so many people in my bookish corners seem to be, and all throughout the prior six instalments I have had quite a few overarching issues with Ruocchio’s storytelling in terms of pacing, repetitiveness and lack of development/emotional connection to the wider cast of characters that kept it from rising to new favourite status. However, the highs obviously more than outweighed the lows for me, otherwise I would never have made it all the way to this epic finale.

For me, the first 15 or so chapters of Shadows Upon Time were probably some of the most engaging parts of the story for me, not necessarily because of the events that occurred, but more so because of the refreshing change-up in narrative style as we get to witness some past events through the eyes of a few pivotal side characters. See, much as I enjoy Hadrian as a protagonist/narrator, there's no denying that he can be a bit long-winded, melodramatic, and egocentric, so the fact that we actually got to switch perspectives for a bit was very fun and satisfying for me.

From there on out, the pacing rapidly increases and we are just thrown into one hell of a wild rollercoaster that doesn’t let up until the very final page. Which, admittedly, sounds very exciting and thrilling, except for the fact that I just simply did not care and found myself lost and confused more times than I can count. And it’s truly so frustrating to me, because I can confidently say that there wasn’t a single dull moment in this entire book and when I think back on all the wildly shocking twists and turns that we experienced with Hadrian, I am just in awe of what Ruocchio pulled off. Not to mention the fact that he spoiled the ending of this story for us on the very first page of the very first book, yet then still continued to spin a story that is utterly unpredictable and full of wild reveals about the history, lore, magic and grand (political) schemes that have always lain hidden in the core of this tale. That is a truly impressive feat of storytelling right there.

However, just nothing about it landed emotionally for me, and I constantly found myself checking how many pages were left until I was finally done, which is never a good sign. The thematic core of this series has never really resonated with me, and I feel like this final book prioritised themes over characters a bit too much for my personal enjoyment. Aside from the Emperor and Alexander, none of the side characters evoked any kind of emotion out of me, and especially the roles/fates of Selene and Cassandra were a bit frustrating and disappointing to me in Shadows Upon Time. Like, can we let Cassandra be her badass, strong-willed self instead of reducing her to an empty vessel whose dialogue is mostly made up of the word ‘Abba’...?!

Despite some of my quibbles with this book and series as a whole, the very final chapter of Shadows Upon Time is probably one of my favourite chapters of the entire series exactly because it is so bold (and possibly controversial?), and I truly could not have wished for a better or more fitting ending to this transcendental journey. Every single page of The Sun Eater series just exudes epicness, and even though I can’t honestly call it a personal favourite, I think it more than deserves its high praise and is totally worth your time.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever finish a book and stare at the wall?
Finish a series that you already want to reread?
Hi, yeah, it’s this.

No spoilers for entire series:

We get to see Hadrian come-of-age, go through a quarter life crisis, middle life, rebirth, and everything in between.

The series tackles existential questions in a way that doesn’t feel pushy or ultimate. Life, death, prejudice, religion, expectations….
I felt like I not only got a person speaking to me out of these books, I learnt things about myself.

“It isn’t right that he should leave us to them like this. If the Quiet really is so powerful, he should destroy them himself. Why these games?”
I had no straight answer. Only the insight I had gleaned beside the cradle of a god in that time still yet to be. I looked at her—my daughter—in whom dwelt all my hope and heart. “Because they’re his children, too,” I said, and looked at Ramanthanu. “The Cielcin . . . and the Watchers. I think—I have to think—that it’s better this way. Better that we fight . . . because if he ended it. Ended it now, they would be lost . . . and us along with them. But if the battle continues, if even one of them changes side. Is that not a victory? Isn’t ending everything now the ultimate defeat? Would you kill yourself from despair?”

What stands out to me is Ruocchio’s masterful writing. Hadrian’s internal voice is so poignant and reflective. It is deeply unique and philosophising.

Ruocchio switches deftly from first pov with Hadrian as the focus to incorporate other people’s recall in this book. He masterfully interweaves different character voices each demonstrating a separate writing style ranging from human to alien to machine. 
I don’t know many authors who can do this. You will immediately be in their head, feel their presence, know their sentiments, emotions, culture.

So, without spoilers, this finale is epic. You will see returning characters. There are full-circle moments that will have you weeping in joy and grief. The chapter titles are spectacular with tie-ins to previous book titles.

We get a very satisfying ending. More answers about the Chantry, more clues about the far-past and the Empire’s role and control.

How could I argue my innocence, when my guilt had been decided so long ago? When my guilt was the variable the algebra of empire had been constructed to resolve?

At 71%, I had a WTH moment which didn’t stop until I read the words THE END. I was freaking out the entire time.

P.S. I have never wanted to punch a character as much as Prince Alexander.
Yes, this is one of the weakest covers of the series.

P.P.S. Just a bit from the author’s note:
The world of The Sun Eater will return. I don’t know when, I don’t know how. But this is not the last we’ve seen of this far future. But for the moment, some new adventure begins.

Arc gifted by Head of Zeus.

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[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
Spoiler Free Review Video: https://youtu.be/f7cZcUR1u_w

This was a solid conclusion to this epic sci fantasy series. It was generally what I expected and I suspect most readers will be happy with this ending.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Dr Sayuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven books, hundreds of chapters, thousands of pages and millions of words— Likewise Seven books being entertained, hundreds of chapters being challenged in grammar and ideology, thousands of pages agreeing and disagreeing with CR and Had and millions of words cheering for and jeering at both CR and Had... all finally done.

I feel both gladdened and somewhat bereft at the end of this. So much of the seeds sown for Sun Eater from the very start that is Empire of silence, in terms of the narrative, the world, thematics, to the very writing style itself grew across the millions of words that's the 6 prior books and have now in this entry finally blossomed into various plants— Edible, poisonous, ornate and all in-between and oh boy how have they been delicious to eat, beautiful to experience and a cause for much irritation in this entry especially.

But enough of all the preamble, what does all these mean directly for the series? Well I think narratively this is the best sci-fi experience I’ve had despite the immersion breaking element here (will get to that as it pertains to a major theme and how the author chose to express it in this entry especially), genuinely the best space operatics and political intrigue you’ll come across, big sci-fi set pieces, sci-fi character archetypes cocktail— Large variety of entities conceptually with ample time spent exploring and integrating them in the narrative, some of the most moving character peaks and farewell, great bastards in this—really hate-able but excellently written characters, some of the most memorable set pieces involving duels, sci-fi arms extravaganza, military sci-fi engagement, science fantasy… you name it. Jaw dropping twists and reveals pertaining to the world’s history and an unorthodox sort of bleak ending.

Meanwhile thematically, lots of troublesome messages I knew I signed up for if not in EOS but at least by DG no matter, it was clear to anyone what sort of story this was. Regardless I still find myself peeved by a lot of them come the end and that’s down to the way the author chose to convey them in this final book. For a huge chunk of the book (at least 50 %) all subtlety and clever forms of expressing a certain theme were thrown out the window and instead the author defangs and turns the primary storytelling tool here—the protagonist into an impotent marionette hawking them every other paragraph no different from an evangelist proselytizing on the street but ours here ends up being a millennia old self proclaimed philosopher in space instead. But the hurtful part lays in the fact this actively works against much of the esoteric and arcane bits involving the metaphysical frame of Sun Eater that come into play in the second half to much of my chagrin— they lose some of the weirdness and degree of psychedelics they could—should have achieved going by what the previous entries could manage specifically likes of Howling Dark, Kingdoms of Death and Disquiet Gods.

Moreover, themes like "the freedom of choice within God's omniscience", no good government, only good men—a direct quote, flawed/terrible heroes with Hadrian being Darth Vader being right etc, are things that are consistently backed by what Ruocchio has made in the text. Does it suck that it's mostly all unchallenged? That CR by design made it unchallengeable: by making all governments in the Sun Eater world their extreme worst, all the losers lose and winners win within a consistent narrative thread—the Monumentals, Cielcin, Hakurani, Hadrian, Kharn—Extras—Minos, Chantry, Mericannii... all have choices to make within the omniscience of the Quiet with various outcomes depending on that choice, regardless of the meta argument from us readers of it being the illusion of freedom, and his most genius move(cheat) of all which is the narrative deceit of Hadrian being the sole POV within a framed narrative, affording we the readers the foresight with the choice of going along paralleling Had's arc in the story, and further cementing the "freedom of choice within the Quiet's Omniscience" as the end is known to us (be it you think it bittersweet or bleak, you know regardless). It sucks? yes (at least to me). But I'm not gonna sit here and act like these aren't also evidences of CR covering all his grounds well within his own text.

So it does somewhat break for me with the Catholicism by the very fact that it’s a real life belief that can’t help but pull me out of immersion with the presentation for most of the first half. Otherwise resolutions pertaining to lots of elements including the Extras, the Cielcin, the Watchers, the Empire, the Mericannii and the Chantry, especially in account of Hadrian’s nature were cleverly done. Hadrian’s resolution itself was masterful and retroactively informs why he was bothering on zealotry for much of it. All these are things I’ll be pondering much on for years to come — Especially on how if the Had here wasn't some clone specifically genetically engineered to reinforce the end.

As such I recognise the quality of the work but not even my years of following it will make me overlook the breaking of my cardinal sin for spec fics— Which is transportive immersion. Can’t even decide on a rating... until with maybe a reread—which I’m not looking forward to doing anytime soon as I thought would be the case going in.

All that said, Congrats to Christopher Ruocchio for concluding his life’s work (so far at least) and Thank you Head of Zeus for the eARC for early review.

I, like the framed narrative itself aim to provide foresight to readers going into this entry come next month to know what to expect, thank you for reading, I shall go on with my life now.

Re; after discussions with other eARC readers, and having lapses in my conclusions pertaining the themes of pre-determinism I termed "comfort in nihilism" pertaining the meaninglessness(illusion) of choice pointed out, I've accepted that part of my initial interpretation was wrong and retract it. As such I've got no inherent rejection of the message as that was never it. I've also went back and reread the last quarter of the book and my only major issue lays in the immersion breaks — they still persist. And that I can reconcile as a deduction of a 0.5 rating overall and come to a final rating of 4.5 ⭐️.

[Jake Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sun has been eaten.

Of the series that I have started while they were ongoing, and are now complete, this is my favorite. That's actually a surprisingly short list, most series I started while they were on going, are still on going.

I am going to get a preface out of the way. I have more criticisms for this novel than I do the other 6 Sun Eater novels, and so the score at the bottom will be lower than all of them except Empire of Silence. If you read this review and know me, and the scores I have given the other books, you might be tempted to overreact. Please do not. Some final entries are disasters, where the story goes off the rails, ends in a way that is completely unsatisfying, and feels unbelievable that it could even have been written by the same writer as the previous ones. MockingJay, Blood of Olympus(sorry), Game of Thrones season 8, The Burning White. This is definitely not that. Shadows Upon Time is very very good in all the ways the first 6 books are very good. So let's start with pro's, which is most of it, and then I will move on to cons, of which I have more than the other books in the series.

The biggest pro, has to be Hadrian. Ruocchio takes full advantage of Hadrians life span and lets him have a truly stupendous character journey. Each step is small, and believable, and yet we end up in the final entry with a character who is in so many ways unrecognizable as the same man as the protagonist of Empire of Silence, while also feeling like he has come full circle, and is more true to who he was in Empire of Silence than he was in the past, despite being more different. Hadrian is not quite in contention for my favorite protagonist ever, but if Hadrian is your favorite protagonist ever, I completely can see that. Ridiculously well done protagonist, and character journey.

I would also like to shoutout that one specific secondary characters gets the title of definitely my second favorite character in the series after this novel. I have said many times that I think this series biggest relative weakness is the characterization of the supporting cast, and I still probably think that, but that is mostly because of the series as a whole. This novel definitely has most memorable scenes from a the non Hadrian characters, and in my opinion it is not particularly close.

One thing that is particularly impressive, for a series where we have known the ending since page 1, is the level of tension. Ruocchio consistently has me nervous, and maintained the feeling that catastrophe was right around the corner for an impressive amount of the book. One of the reasons I read these books really fast is because like...I am worried while reading them.

The ending itself is incredible. Could not be described as overly happy, nor overly depressing, nor overly drawn out, nor overly final. I have some quibbles with this novel as a book, but I do not have a single quibble with it as an ending.

We can speed through the rest, because it is standard Sun Eater stuff, world is crazy, epic scenes, trippy weird, cool stuff. All that stuff is normal. I wrote it was awesome in all the previous books. In Ashes of Man I wrote there was slightly less super epic stuff, and crazy stuff. This book had a lot of super epic and crazy stuff.

There is obviously a main antagonist of this series, it says on the title page it is about mankinds wars with the Cielcin. But it also brought together some of the other very important antagonists, it would have been very easy for them to have been forgotten about, and instead this is their strongest showing by a substantial margin, and makes them more interesting, and more scary.


Ok, now for cons. Doing this in a way which is not spoilery may require some convoluted phrasing. But I really feel like my review of an ARC, of a final entry in a series should be essentially completely spoiler free.

There is a McGuffin in this book, if you are caught up with Disquiet Gods you probably know what it is. This McGuffin is constantly described as insanely powerful, yet it feels like it sometimes underused.

You know in some stuff that is just bad, when there is a bad guy, and there are like 15 ways the main character can obviously defeat the bad guy, but it feels like the author is making them not do that to force a story to happen. This is much less extreme, but that kind of problem. I think what happened was that this McGuffin is supposed to be able to do a ton of crazy shit, so much that to sit back and describe all the crazy shit would be super info dumpy and bad. So Ruocchio tried to have a Chekovs gun on the mantle for all the individual aspects of the McGuffin were used. Like he was trying to avoid Deus ex Machina, but had already setup a huge amount of times that all this insanely powerful stuff is available, even if he couldn't do it specifically, and it felt like it was being nerfed relative to how hyped up it is to avoid being a Deus ex Machina. When actually it would not have been a Deus Ex Machina. So the result was it felt like surely multiple problems could have been solved with the McGuffin, and they only weren't because plot.

Have you seen the 2009 Star Trek J.J. Abrams remake? There is a scene in it where the bad guy with his McGuffin ship shouts "FIRE EVERYTHING." and there are definitely a few moments in this book where while reading I was shouting in my head WHY ARE WE NOT SHOUTING FIRE EVERYTHING. FIRING EVERYTHING SEEMS LIKE A COMPLETELY LOGICAL COURSE OF ACTION.

Ok, now a random hyperspecific con, which may not be real, because this was an uncorrected proof, but this would be a very strange mistake to fix in between a book being an ARC, and published. But you can rest assured when I get the physical copy, the first thing I will do is go the the final page of chapter 39 and check. And if it is fixed there I will come update this review.
I'm pretty sure there is a pretty substantial continuity error, where a very dramatic, and intense conversation happens, that should have consequences, and then everyone who had that conversation forgets they had that conversation for the rest of the novel. If someone is reading this, who has read the book, and an has an explanation, hit me with it. But I pretty sure the entire conversation at the end of chapter 39 is just....not supposed to be in the novel. Like this is some Game of Thrones season 7 level characters forgetting a conversation happened(except that season did it roughly 6 times per episode, instead of once per series).

Finally, There is what really looks like a pretty substantial retcon in this book. Now maybe you can defend it with some old ben Kenobi's ghost on Dagobah bullshit, where you say that from a certain point of view, what Hadrian told you us was true. But I think that's probably cope, and that line in Empire Strikes Back was itself caused by a retcon, but the Shadows Upon Time retcon is worse in my opinion, because of the retrospective frame narrative. Now at first when I read it, I really didn't like it, because I didn't like that it was a retcon, and I also didn't like the substance of the retcon. As in I thought it retconned something major, and cool, into something major, and way less cool. The rest of the novel convinced me it retconned it into something that is also very cool. So I like the resulting story, but I do think the resulting story needed a retcon, and I do not like that it was retconned.


So that is Shadows Upon Time. A very good book, and a better ending, of which I have a few non trivial criticisms that I do not have for the other 6 novels. None of which are directly connected with it being the final entry of the series.

8.7/10

[amashofbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial thoughts upon finishing:

Readers, if you've followed my journey this far, you will know that I have quite a few overarching problems with suneater and I still maintain these issues but I need you to know I LOVED this book and it also cemented itself into my favourites. I also need you to know that even having issues with this series, doesn't dampen my enjoyment of it. If anything, it is a major compliment to think that despite having these issues, this is such a beautiful series. I usually hold off on giving 5 stars as I save these for books that leave their legacy on me, but I already know this one will with how it making me feel.

Now this book is not without its flaws, particularly where I had issues was the first several chapters of this book. But after that, I was glued to this. Some of the best shit I've read. I actually didn't leave my bed, hardly ate and just breathed shadows upon time. Despite the little rocky beginning for me, I did not think that upon finishing this book it would leave me so NUMB and empty (in the best way possible). The way this story within a story came to an end might not quite be for everyone, but it's definitely for me. I even cried. That never happens.

Regarding my issues with Suneater, it mostly comes down to pacing, repetitiveness, and side characters taking too long to get development. These are issues that each had their moment in certain books over others. I don't emphasize these issues to criticize the books, I emphasize them because I think going into them whilst knowing them, you will have a better experience and higher enjoyment with the series.

My favourite things about this series? The writing!! CR has some of my favourite writing ever, it's so beautiful. The villains. Holy shit. Also some of my favourite ever. The philosophical musings are top tier and will leave you reeling. The grandness of suneater. There's so much to love.

Anyways ruocchio broke my brain and I need a drink bc this feels like an end of an era

[Corey McCleery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review will not have major spoilers.

This. Must. Be.

Endings are tricky things. On the one hand, they're inevitable. Inescapable. All things that begin must end in this life, and stories, though they can, at their best, be timeless, are no exception. Once the tale is told, once the spell has been cast, there is an outcome. "Once Upon a Time" is, in a sense, a signal, a promise, for "and they lived happily ever after." The curtain falls, the spell ends, and we leave the book or the theater or the couch a little older, hopefully a little wiser. The story is complete, it had fulfilled its purpose, it has blossomed into what it was meant to be. This is the reason we find delayed endings, suspense without end, so intolerable; to refuse to finish a tale is a kind of betrayal.

On the other hand, just because a story's ending is inevitable does not mean it is easy. We have names for bad endings, taxonomies, as if we as a culture have assembled a bestiary of Sins Against the Narrative Form when it comes to the finale. "It was all a dream!" causes its fair share of groans. The "Deus Ex Machina" has haunted our theaters since the ancient Greeks, and they didn't like it either. Bizarre plot twists, unresolved plot threads, the pseudo-profundity of "life is meaningless, everybody dies," that leaves you wondering if the author actually thought that that was a good idea, or was just bored by the end of the book. Not enough things resolved? The ending leaves too much open. Too much tied up too neatly? The spell does not hold; the story feels contrived. Or worse, the ending is one where nothing feels deserved or right. Imagine a symphony stopping twelve measures before it is written, notes still hovering in the air, waiting for their resolution. The happy ending is not earned; the characters did not sail the stormy seas and brave hellfire for their reward, but it was given out of "plot convenience." Or worse, the lecture. The story ends in a whimper, so the favored character of the author can stop the action, pull out a soapbox, and preach to the reader, revealing that the past four hundred pages were actually just an extended sermon illustration.

Fantasy itself is somewhat infamous for several flagship series left without an ending, hopes not ruined but perpetually starved out. Endings are tough. Yes. But they must be.

So.

What kind of ending is this?

Any attempt to describe it will fail; it is an ending that must be experienced. But it is a just ending. The right way to send off the series. Hadrian Marlowe, the troubled savior of the Empire who vacillates between lauding him as their hero and condemning him as their doom, concludes an epic story, and he concludes it with light and thunder and tears. It is earned, it is strange and weird and yet, despite its strangeness and weirdness, it felt as if there was no other way this could have ended.

Each of the previous books had its own thing to contribute. With Empire of Silence, we see promises made, as a coming of age story expands into something cosmic, and hints and visions of the future tantalize us with what must come next. We're reading the diary of a star-killer, after all. With Howling Dark, we see horrors and wonders as we descend into a far-future Hell worthy of Dante himself, with lions and leopards and cybernetic wolves. Demon in White granted the clarity of vision that Hadrian needed, and a larger view of the Sollan Empire. Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man provided both the suffering and the cosmic perspective. And with Disquiet Gods, and its infamous chapter, we have revelation. Answers that lead to greater questions, that lead to new horizons. There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, indeed.

Does Shadows Upon Time do it better than those? It is the wrong question, I think. Shadows is the culmination, the fulfillment of the promises made by what came before. The battles are fiercer. The court intrigues are more deadly, and more vast in scope. The cosmic revelations are more staggering. The wonders and horrors of the world and us are vastier than I had expected. Every aspect of the series is magnified, in full, burning intensity here, and the glare, like the sun of Goddodin evoked in the first chapter of the first book, has yet to fade from my sight.

The series has a single chapter that acts as the fulcrum for the entire story; it is in Disquiet Gods, and those who have read it know which one it is (if you have not, and you hang around Sun Eater fans, then you probably still know what it is). The entire series is like a carefully balanced lever, with narrative weightiness equal on both sides. And yet, the fulcrum, the balance, is in the middle of the sixth book, out of seven! On one side, we have five and a half tomes, whose plots and revelations are of a most epic scale. What can balance it out?

Goddodin.

The battle looms in every reader's head. Every book I finished, I had a different idea of what would happen at that fateful planet. And yet... what Christopher Ruocchio pulled off was something I never expected, something mind-blowing and confusing and tragic and yet awe-inspiring as well. The tragedies, both cosmic and political, are the inevitable results of what must happen, given the well-crafted characters.

Goddodin was... my mind bent, my heart broke, but I could not tear myself away from the page. The only thing I could compare this to, and it may exceed it in the final weighing, was Tarmon Gai'don, from The Wheel of Time in sheer scope and excellence. The Last Battle that a fourteen book epic built up to... and this may be its equal. I do not use this comparison lightly; The Wheel of Time is the book I cite as what got me into writing fantasy. To say it is my favorite series is accurate (only because The Lord of the Rings was meant to be a single novel, so I count it as that).

There was a critique of Disquiet Gods, one I thought fair though my own experience disagreed with it. Certain characters, these critics said, felt underutilized. They merited more time in the limelight. This novel is an improvement; no, it is one of the highlights of the book, the side characters. Major figures throughout the series are viewed in new lights, and the first impressions I had of them were changed. With where major characters end up, I want to reread the series to see if those echoes are there in the past; I suspect, given Ruocchio's skill, they will be.

The ending here is one that demanded my attention, and left me satisfied. It has enriched my life, this story, and this is the fitting capstone to crown it. The world would be a far poorer place without the Sun Eater books, and I am glad to say that this may be the best volume of a phenomenal series.

Always forward, always down, and never left nor right. This is what Sun Eater has built up to for six books now. And this is more than I ever could have hoped for.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are very few book series that I consider that have perfect endings, and Sun Eater's ending certainly isn't perfect. But I feel very satisfied by the series' conclusion, and felt it strong enough to reread the series somewhere down the line. It's a big challenge for an author to make an ending suspenseful when he tells you in the first chapter of the first book what is going to happen, yet Ruocchio was somehow able to pull it off, and make me care about what would ultimately happen with Hadrian and some of the other characters.

There were times the narrative frustrated me, and I felt the final book (and series as a whole) was bloated. And in particular this last book needed a stronger editorial voice as there were entire passages repeated in different chapters, and some repetitive literary devices that grated on me. But the overall picture of this book left me feeling positive about the series as a whole, and like where Ruocchio left it. 4.5/5

[Benghis Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an ending…what an achievement this series is. Bravo, Christopher Ruocchio, bravo. And right alongside the entire way has been Samuel Roukin, giving a performance for the ages to bring it all to life.

I’m going to need some time to sit with this one and decompress…what a journey.

[Miguel Peck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This. Must. Be… a mistake.

First, thank you for the ARC. Now…

I’ll preface my review by first asserting how much I loved this series when I first read it. The first 5 books, all of the novellas and the short stories. I even own several sets, special editions, etc, and I raved about the series to anyone in my periphery who claimed to read Sci-fi. The result has been most of my friends now counting Sun Eater as one of their all time fave reads. I’ll also say that if you love it, love it. Don’t waste time reading this review. Just enjoy what you read.

So… what happened? Well, first I read Disquiet Gods. It was… weird. So much so, that in preparation for the release of Shadows Upon Time I decided to reread the entire series. That was my fatal mistake. When I first read it, all I saw was scope and potential, but upon reread, all I was left with were the flaws, the bloat and the pandering. I also saw so many of the problematic unapologetic socio-political takes. The series had been on a decline for me since book 3, but we’ve now entered new space, a terribly overwritten space.

Disquiet Gods was the point in the Sun Eater series where I realised I wasn’t reading an epic, instead, I was surviving it. Shadows Upon Time (and the series as a whole) feels less like a novel and more like an extremely long loading screen between the moments Ruocchio actually wants to write, padded out with Hadrian’s endless monologues, which have now reached such self-parodic levels that I could predict entire paragraphs before they happened, which at least meant I could also skip a lot of this book.

It’s actually a perfect example of what happens when one becomes too convinced that sheer length equals depth. It’s bloated, repetitive, and emotionally hollow - and perhaps the latter is the real surprise, given the manufactured emotional beats that it tries so hard to pull off.

Tries, but in trying, it mistakes Hadrian’s ENDLESS self-justifying internal monologues for character development. At the point the resolutions actually materialise, after what I assume were attempts at very self-satisfying “twists and reveals”, I had already spent 6 books learning to not care about any of the characters (or the universe), mostly because no reason was ever given for me to do so, much less time. So many of them were disposable props. Their function was mostly to briefly orbit Hadrian’s gravitational self-importance before being sucked into the darkness, unremembered and unmissed, and then quickly replaced with someone else that fit their exact archetype. All of that very much limited any emotional impact the story attempted to make.

The repetition is astonishing. Scenes, phrases, themes, monologues… all back again like a cosmic Groundhog Day. I genuinely began wondering if Ruocchio was testing whether I’d notice or if Hadrian was recycling his thoughts because he too was bored. In reality, this more than anything is what works against the entire series - it is so unnecessarily bloated. Each book could easily be 30% shorter. I’d even go so far as to say, there is only actual plot here for a tightly written trilogy. A fact one may overlook when first reading it, swept away by the adventure. But unmissable upon reread. I will, however, say that, the prose quality was mostly still there, and a lot of the set pieces were well written in a way that, if not completely satisfying, at least were enjoyable.

But this, as a culmination of what begun with such promise, what was set up to be a subversive take on the usual space opera, has become one of my most disappointing reads of the year. As a reader, and really - a fan, I felt cheated. I fell for intrigue, grey morality and a complex universe. What I got was space Jesus (or whatever one true god denomination you observe). It’s not what I signed up for.

It’s been so hard to write a review without going into much of the detail, but so much of what I’d like to emphasise of the myriad of issues I now have with this series would delve too deep into heavy spoiler territory. Instead I’ll just say that if you, like me, found yourself disillusioned and disinterested by the end of Disquiet Gods (or perhaps halfway through), then you too may feel similarly by the end of Shadows Upon Time.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/5 if GR would allow it. A cut above. Incredible. My book of the year.

I started this series back in 2020 when Mike from Mike's Book Reviews on Youtube was reading it. He discovered it and mentioned he was reading it in one of his videos and despite the series being incredibly under the radar at the time my library had a copy of Empire of Silence. I was in the mood for sci fi so I thought what the hell I'll read along with Mike. That is how an epic journey starts with a small step. Each book escalated my interest and my advocacy for this series and on November 18, 2025 I began the end (an ending iykyk). What followed was an S tier reading experience that consumed every bit of my entertainment time for the last 2 weeks. I savored it like a fine dining meal I didn't want to end.

This book starts, as you might expect, a bit of time after the end of Disquiet Gods and starts hurtling toward "what must be". Even knowing where it was going from the beginning, the amount of anxiety I felt at points in this book shows you that Ruocchio was in his bag here. I'm not going to summarize the book because there would be spoilers and simply too much to cover, but what I can say is what made this my book of the year.

First, I think Ruocchio's character work here is some of the best in the series. Some of the best scenes in this entire series are in this book and they aren't action sequences or trippy mind bending stuff but the scenes where it may just be two characters in a room talking. You not only get amazing lore drops but you also get some fantastic dialogue and characterization. These scenes have incredible weight. There were even some characters that didn't get introduced until Disquiet Gods that get some great development here. It was a pleasure to read. I think there is one fairly glaring exception, but I'll cover that later.

Second, in my opinion this is the best paced book in the series. I don't say that because it has non-stop action sequences. I say that because of the first point I made in this review. Some of the "slower" quieter moments are some of my favorites. In addition to that I think Ruocchio leveled up his action writing as well. There's plenty of it here and it is utilized in the best way possible. It holds your attention and gets your blood up, but none of these sequences felt overly long or draggy. They are also spaced out well throughout the text.

Third, some of the lore, worldbuilding, and I don't know what to call it but "cosmic trippy shit" is dialed to 11 here. There are several chapters that while I was reading it I had to just pause and say "This is something special here." There are a few chapters that are a conversation with a new character that shows up in this book that were utterly captivating from a lore perspective. There is another "trippy" chapter that almost had me throwing my kindle across the room. There were some chapters that would be right at home in a top tier horror novel. I was captivated 100 percent of the time.

Fourth, the ending I found incredibly satisfying and cathartic. Is Ruocchio going to spoonfeed you all the answers? No but I think by now we probably should realize that. What he does do is giving you what you know is coming but in ways you may not expect at all. It's handled in way that concludes the story of the Sun Eater and justifies not telling you any more than you need to know. It absolutely leaves you wanting more in the way that all the best performances or pieces of art do. It's also a full conclusion while leaving questions and openings to continue to write more in this world. Also, going back to the characters for a moment, there are just some fantastic moments near the conclusion that are just fantastic concluding arcs for side characters where they really get their time to shine. Just wonderful.

What didn't I like? Not much honestly. This was everything I wanted and could have asked for. I do have a couple of minor complaints. First, even though I think this book has Ruocchio's best character work it sadly has one character that didn't get that treatment, Cassandra. She was the weak link in Disquiet Gods for me, and despite some early promise in this book and some memorable scenes early she really disappointed me overall. In the back half of the book she just doesn't do much besides say "Abba!" a lot and not want to get left behind. It's wild to me to hear Ruocchio say he considers her such an important character when there are several other characters who have far less page time that get way more development. My second complaint, if you want to call it that, is there are times when I was reading, particularly toward the end, where it felt like there were allusions and references being made that were important but I simply wasn't able to pick up on my own. I realize this is a me problem and asking for clarification leads to good book conversation but it did feel slightly over my head at times.

All that being said, I was telling others that were also reading the book that as I was reading I could tell that this book (and series honestly) is something special. Not just another work of sci fi or fantasy. Some books are like that for me. I can't explain it fully, but as I'm reading it I know that this isn't like other stuff I've read. I had that feeling with all my all time favorites like A Song of Ice and Fire, King Killer Chronicle, Second Apocalypse, and now Sun Eater. These series and books are a cut above even other books I love even inclusive of flaws. I'm sad I won't be able to experience it again for the first time but what a ride.

[Liam J.S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thus ends the Gospel According to Hadrian.

2.5 ⭐️

I feel very strongly after reading this final installment—after sinking months of my time into this series and not enjoying its ending. What was otherwise an intriguing series has fallen flat for me in its final chapter.

I know I am going against the grain on this one—so here is what I found to be the most disappointing:

I didn’t want to believe Hadrian was an analog for Christ, but that final chapter removed any doubts. I didn’t fully realize it before because the parallels are blunt and the substance to the comparison is absent. I don’t mind some spiritual exploration in fantasy and sci fi. Existential questions are inherent in stories that explore the mysteries of the universe and the human spirit. Asking the questions and leaving readers to ponder their answers is part of what makes these genres great. This book, however, was less of an exploration and more of a sermon. It talks itself to death without making any meaningful philosophical headway. There are many instances in SUT where CR stopped asking questions and started insisting on their answers. Especially in the first half. Instead of exploring themes, he declares them without subtlety.

This book, more than the others, is incredibly over-written. I don’t think saying that more than half of it could be cut is an overstatement—especially towards the beginning.

The whole saga is burgeoning with squandered moments of greatness and wasted opportunities to develop characters. CR built an unbelievably grand and immersive world with rich prose and compelling speculative science. Yet, Hadrian’s morals are hard to pin down. The message of this tale, muddy. Female characters in this book are intolerably one-dimensional—either helpless or stubborn. Even many of the compelling action scenes were lacking necessary tension because the ending was a forgone conclusion since Empire of Silence.

I leave this series with a heavy heart. This is not a condemnation of CR himself. But I just wish this book had undergone a bit more scrutiny and editing before being released.

[Alex W · Rating 3 out of 5]

With some distance between now and finishing this book, I’m dropping the rating to 3/5. It was an enjoyable read for many parts, but a lot of it felt bogged down by repetition, unnecessary recap with slight retcon, undeveloped side characters, and a major crucial aspect of the story (why Hadrian is doing what he’s doing, symbolically and literally) felt too on the nose for my liking. Enjoyable conclusion in many parts, but disappointing as a whole and my overall favorites of the series still remain with books 2-4.

All of that said, I love this series as a whole and will be reading everything Ruocchio puts out. Looking forward to seeing what’s next!

[Ferb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Must. Be.

Before my review begins, I want to thank Head of Zeus for giving me an ARC, I am forever grateful. Before you read further, this review will have no spoilers aside from names of characters and some vague plot structure, but it will have spoilers for books 1-6 of Sun Eater.

This book is a masterpiece and one of the best books I have ever read. I have one minor nitpick that I want to say before I get into everything that this book does well (there is a lot). Some of the action scenes early in the book felt like they went on a bit too long and I felt a little bored.

That being said, there are so many incredibly things in this book. The characters, as always, are amazing. Hadrian Marlowe will go down as one of, if not the best science fiction protagonist. The side characters, Albe, Nicephorus, Selene, Cassandra, William, Olorin, Bassander, and so many more were incredible. Every character is fully realized, with complex motivations and dialogue that feels historical in the best way possible. The villains are some of the most hate-able I've ever read. The biggest standouts outside of Hadrian were Selene, Nicephorus, and William. Multiple times throughout reading Shadows Upon Time, I had to stop reading because I couldn't keep reading what was happening to these characters I love.

Now to the plot. In my opinion, from around the 35% until the ending was perfection. The early sequences felt a little dragged out but there were several scenes (two in particular) that just blew me away. The opening arc was the weakest of the book, but by no means is it bad. Every scene with the political machinations of the Empire blew me away. The scale of this world is really hit home in this book. The entire second act, which lasts between around the 40% to the 70% mark is my favorite part of the entire series. I will say little about the third act except this: Gododdin will blow you away.

Finally, I will address whether this is not only a great book, but also a great conclusion. Short answer is that it is. Every plot point, even ones that haven't been active in three books, were finished in masterful style. Every arc, every villain, every plot point, tied together in this final volume. When I finished Disquiet Gods, I worried that Shadows Upon Time wouldn't be able to conclude everything well. Somehow, Ruocchio did it. This is maybe the best ending I've ever read to my favorite series.

After reading the conclusion, my opinion has been confirmed: Sun Eater will be a classic of the Speculative Fiction genre. You would be doing yourself a disservice for not reading it.

[LongSunMalrubius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full spoilers ahead, and I mean FULL SPOILERS.

I received this eARC from Head of Zeus and I thank them greatly for giving me early access.

It is time.

The last Sun Eater book is a masterpiece. It completes the series, unifying previously disconnected elements, delivering on both what we want as well as giving us shocking surprises. Ruocchio gives us a final page that I think will go down in history as one of the greatest endings of all time. In fact, I think roughly the last ten chapters are near-perfect.

I do have to mention that there are one or two of the small editing mistakes that currently plague the industry in this book. These will be fixed in the future.

But as for the story itself…oh boy. So many great moments. The opening, which shifts PoVs to some of the minor characters in the series during the space battle portion of Vorgossos, may be controversial, but I loved getting all the different perspectives. And we see just how hypocritical the Chantry actually is, with them fully embracing the use of AI.

But that is just the start.

After that, we get a chapter called “Demon in White” that is the most satisfying, cathartic chapter in the whole series up to this point. Hadrian decides to no longer let the Empire control him, and finally has the fire power to back that up.

From there, we go crazy, and very dark. The Danu offensive arc is nuts in the best way possible. Ruocchio has gotten so good at writing these large scale metaphysical action sequences, and this book has the best in the series. Plus, who doesn’t wanna see a biblically accurate angel toss around some spaceships?

From there, as others have said, the politics the series is known for makes a return. The Gododdin arc is amazing, and while Hadrian becoming auctor is amazing, seeing his relationship with Selene mature and end in marriage was exactly what I wanted. And knowing that relationship ends in tragedy made the sweet moments between them all the better.

The battle of Gododdin opens up with the destruction of Gododdin by the Cielcin. Learning that Hadrian did not destroy the planet was one of those moments I was not sure about at first. As time has gone on, I have come around it. Hadrian was always going to destroy Gododdin, had the Cielcin not destroyed it, he would have. I don’t think this changes anything about the way I view Hadrian’s character.

In the climatic battle, we meet one of the Hakurani- the other space faring race in the series we had only heard mentions of. Ruocchio introduces one, has her essentially defeat the main villain, then sends her right off the page. In order to pull something like this off and have it work and not seem cheesy or deus ex machina takes a lot of skill as a writer and I really wanna praise Ruocchio for it.

The last arc, with Hadrian as emperor, married to Selene, hailed as the One Reborn by survivors of the battle, is my favorite in the entire series. To see it all ripped away- and Selene and Hadrian’s final moments- crushed me. I will be writing a full analysis on this book and I cannot wait to go through the final conversations between Hadrian and Cassandra, Bassander, and Alexander.

As for the end…we learn there are many powerful empires out there, less powerful than the watchers but dangerous to humanity. The chantry seeks to protect humanity from these by keeping humanity “small”. Hadrian is essentially a massive spotlight for these things, and has cracked the Sollans just as he did the Cielcin.

With Hadrian hanged in the final moments (though he once again returns), the world of Sun Eater remains open for more in the future. Maybe not soon, as Ruocchio has announced a new fantasy series called The Doom Song saga, but eventually. I love this series, and I am sure I am going to be very excited once Ruocchio returns to this universe.

[Xyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful conclusion to the sci-fi epic of our time.

Shadows Upon Time is, in a word, a masterpiece. I write these words as I've freshly finished it, and it's difficult to process all I think and feel.

Pacing wise, this book is a thrill ride from start to finish. It is hyperbolic, but only slightly, to call it a 900+ page climax.

The crafting it took to bring this saga full circle, with callbacks to earlier foreshadowing, reckoning with the philosophy and theology that has under penned the series, concluding character arcs, handling emotional beats, must have taken a skill I cannot describe.

Have no fear, the landing has been stuck. I won't discuss the plot or anything spoilery, as I never do.

For those of you who appreciate my meager musings on the things I read, this time if no other, take my word for it:
An absolute must read.

[Thxlbx · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are stories, dear reader, and then there are myths.....

There are myths, dear reader, and there are Legends...Legends that transcend time and space and leave a forever impact.

This is one of those Legends.

Shadows Upon Time is the end of an epic journey, and it has the burden all final books carry in a series of this length.... can it stick the landing? Can it resolve its conflict and leave the reader satisfied with the resolution? While the journey itself is something that can be savored and enjoyed, a fantastic ending only enhances and brings out that in the journey we love the most.

Shadows Upon Time sticks the landing in the most iconic, epic, legendary way possible. From the characters (and their continued development over this journey), to the plot, to the pacing, to the prose, to the feeling of awe and wonder you get at the end....Shadows Upon Time delivers.

This is most complete, consistently great, science fiction series I have ever read....and as an old man...i can tell you I have read a lot. Ruocchio takes his place among the greats, standing shoulder to shoulder with Herbert, Heinlein, and Asimov, among others.

The narrative pulses with action, while taking time to breath, and to contemplate the whys of the universe. This series makes you think....think and ponder things greater than yourself and your place in the universe. And this, the ending, will stick with you for a long time.

Being the last of seven epic tomes, it is impossible to discuss details and events in the book without spoiling anything. If you are reading this, and have not started the series....do so. You will not regret it, and you will not be the same at the end. If you are reading this, and are at some point in the series itself, and are wondering if it is worth it to continue...to pick up the next book, or to finish, then I say to you....YES. The destination is worth the journey...the rewards are there. There is some sadness, yes, and some pain as well, but it is worth the time and investment.

I took my time reading this book. I savored every little bit, knowing you can only experience a book for the first time once. This is a book, and a series, that will stand up to multiple re-reads...and every re-read will provide more and different insights, engaging your thoughts differently, and yet the same, each time.

I cannot recommend this series, and this book, highly enough. Hadrian, despite his penchant for melodrama, despite his flaws, despite his doubt...or maybe because of those things, is one of the most fascinating characters in all of science fiction, and has taken his place among my favorites.

Ruocchio has been a must read day one author for me for awhile now, and this book continues to cement that status. He could write a novel about grass growing and a paint drying, and I would be in line on day one...his prose is that good.

Read this series...read this book...and be forever changed.

Special thanks to Head of Zeus for providing an eArc of this book.

10 STARS out of 5

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review contains no major spoilers. Thank you to Head of Zeus for providing an arc.

Endings are the hardest trick in all of fiction. Starting a story is easy, sustaining one across multiple volumes is difficult, but bringing it to a close—truly closing it—is nearly impossible. My favorite story of all time, A Song of Ice and Fire, still sits unfinished, its absence casting a shadow upon everything else I read. It’s a reminder that sometimes endings never come at all.

That’s what makes Shadows Upon Time so staggering: it doesn’t just deliver an ending, it delivers the ending (in a way). Ruocchio pulls together every thread, every promise, every glimpse of foreshadowing across six enormous novels, three novellas, and countless side stories, and he does it with precision and fire. This isn’t an ending that limps to the finish line or ties itself into a neat little bow; it’s one that thunders forward with revelations, heartbreak, triumph, and devastation.

The Sun Eater has always been about scale—galactic wars, cosmic horrors, higher beings, and monsters—and yet here, the most powerful moments often come in the quiet spaces between Hadrian and those closest to him. Ruocchio finally gives his side characters the room they deserve, and in doing so, he makes the inevitable fall of Gododdin hit with a force that rivals anything I’ve read in epic sci-fantasy.

Was I ready for the ending? No. I don’t think anyone will be. But it is earned. It feels inevitable in the way the best endings do, where you realize every step had been leading here all along, even when you didn’t see it.

Shadows Upon Time is a triumph not just of scale but of heart. It’s once again proof that Ruocchio is a master at balancing the cosmic with the human, the mythic with the painfully real. The Sun Eater was already one of my favorite series in modern fantasy and science fiction—but with this book, it’s something greater still: a saga I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

this must be

[Aaron Bookinhaler · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘There are endings, Reader, and this is one.’

There are no major spoilers in this review. Shadows Upon Time is the culmination of my favourite Sci-fi series to date, and what a journey it has been, all the way from The Pits of Emesh to Goddodin’s Sun. We all knew how the series would end, to a certain extent, but Ruocchio still managed to write it in a way that was racked with suspense and anxiety.

Everything I liked (and disliked) about The Sun Eater was ramped up tenfold in this final instalment. The character work saw major improvements compared to previous novels, with me feeling much more intensely towards each character. One has become an all time favourite for me, with another becoming one of my most hated in fiction. The worldbuilding was ABSOLUTELY (get it?) incredible in scope, and there were points in this book in which I had almost no clue what was going on. Ruocchio repeatedly tore my heart out and put it back in place like nothing even happened. The writing was truly some of the best I’ve ever read. Books that exceed 1k pages are often convoluted, and while I’m not one to shirk at a few unnecessary scenes, I felt that not a single word was wasted in Shadows Upon Time. Every chapter felt meaningful, with each of them leaving me with a feeling of dread at the end. Ruocchio’s lyrical prose and philosophical ramblings reached their ABSOLUTE (get it again?) peak with this book, I’m in total awe at this man’s way with words. From the first page to the last, the plot was mind-boggling: filled with twists and turns. Despite having a general idea how the series would end from the very beginning of it, the ending still left me in a state of shock. The conclusion was perfect to me, and the closest I’ve been to crying to a book in a very long while.

Now, let’s talk about what I didn’t like. There are some troublesome themes involved in this novel that I did not appreciate. I don’t think authors should insert their religious beliefs into their works, at least not without a degree of subtlety. I knew it would be coming, based on the latter half of Disquiet Gods, and I was forewarned about its prevalence in Shadows Upon Time. But even though I was expecting it, I still found it eye-roll worthy at the best of times, and totally immersion breaking at the worst. I had to tell myself it was just worldbuilding, which helped somewhat, but even so I found myself peeved by it. In retrospect, Ruocchio’s beliefs have been very much present throughout the entire series. I just wish that they were treated with the same subtlety in the final two instalments as they were prior. I will say however that my enjoyment has not been greatly affected by this. The Sun Eater is still PEAK, and I believe it will remain the greatest Sci-fi epic I’ve ever read until my last day.

All in all, this was an amazing novel and I feel beyond privileged to be among the first to read it. The sun has been eaten, and I for one, am happy with the taste. Thankyou so much to DAW Books and NetGalley for the eARC :)

‘There are no endings, Reader, not in truth’

[Lancelot Schaubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best science fiction series I have ever read. I say that advisedly and I mean EVER. It may also be the best fantasy since Tolkien. Well he stuck the landing. dear God, this series... full review of book and series here:

https://lanceschaubert.substack.com/p...

[Chidiebere Ama · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much I initially wanted to say about this book, particularly when I was reading it and was chagrined by the heavy handedness and proselytizing approach employed in the communication of the themes in it. However, I have decided to make my words more sparse than I initially intended. I have mixed feelings about this book. It disappointed me for the most of it, and also served me with the one of the best falling action I've ever read, elevating the core of Hadrian's character to newer levels of insight.

But that alone did not fix the fall from my expectations of this series and this book in particular. Those that know me understand that my enjoyment of any story lies in the exploration of the themes that refracts all the events within the story. However the earlier parts of this book, the first 50% in particular, sought not to explore but to 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡, to give no room for questioning, to wash away any other lenses of perception with "it is the will of the quiet". Most of it was cringe while I read it.

Mostly because The Quiet is a reflection of the Christian God. And it felt like the author was trying so hard to proselytize with Hadrian his character, even going ahead to use actual bible verses in both dialogues and monologues. All of these broke my immersion several times. Thematically speaking, I did not agree with a lot of ideas shared with this book. And it made it very hard for me to continue reading. I wanted to rant so much of my distaste for a lot of these ideas, to pick them apart one after the other, and hang them on a public gallow so that people will see how ugly they are. But the strength to do that seems to have deflated from me, perhaps because I was consumed with the rage of my disappointment in the earlier bits which the last section of the story ebbed away. But nonetheless, I must talk about one thing in this series which is the pervading view of government. This is not my first time reading a story with an autocratic or monarchial government. Most of my fantasy reads are exactly this. However, this is my first time reading a story where the author painstakingly takes his time, not to offer thoughtful ideas into the nature of various governments, but to draft a cartoonish extreme of other forms of government that are perhaps not to his liking, in order to 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡 that an autocratic one is the better one despite its faults.

There were parallels into how it fit in with the relationship between the Quiet and its creation. In simple terms, this work subtly preaches hierarchy and monarchy. A benevolent hierarchy. It 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 — not explores — that there must be a good man hierarchally placed to order the affairs of men. But that thought is retrogressive. No matter how logically appealing it sounds, it exchanges the characteristic growth of a society, of its people, into something more stagnant — the limited ideas of one man. It lends credence to the idea that there is something characteristically different in the substance of our souls, that some souls are inherently more important, more placed, more sculpted and destined to direct. How do we believe we can direct others when we haven't even mastered ourselves? I don't know the specific details of our history, but I know the general outline enough to chart the train of thought evolution of our species. We have moved from being propelled by base animalistic instincts to figuring out that perhaps one amongst us who has mastered thought can lead the pack better.

And then through suffering, oppression, and the stripping of our dignity throughout the shores of history, we have realised that each of us possesses a will, a choice, a conscious mind, dreams of our own, that we cannot allow to be crippled away by one man that thinks he's better placed than us when we are both mortal flesh sculpted from the same source and imprinted upon with the same 𝑘𝑎 (permit me to use this to mean conscious spirit). And through this awakening, we have pushed for societal change that recognizes this truth in us.

But we see that it isn't enough, because ignorance still lurks in the background. An ignorance that is daily exploited by those we think are elected to represent us, but are yet still hierarchally placed than us, representing only themselves and believing themselves the first of us. I see that I have digressed but this is important. To make you understand why I could not stomach a lot of what I read in the book, and were it not because it was a part of the sun eater series, I would've long hissed and dnfed the book. If you're not a fan of my meandering and the things I say, you can stop at this point since I have already pointed my main distaste in the series which is the heavy handedness in its Christian themes. But if you're in to really see the crux of why I don't like these ideas, why I think they limit us, then read on because I trust this isn't just for me but you too.

Captain Soonchanged's interaction with Hadrian tried to establish the idea of man's need to be ruled, to be told what to do. Because the general masses are incapable of ordering themselves. And like I said before, if the narrative wasn't being preachy about it, I wouldn't have been bothered.

But like I established in previous paragraphs, we need to understand the movement of our society. Where it has started, and where it is headed towards. We have moved from impulse to thoughts, filled with systematic reasoning, creativity, critical awareness and a whole lot of things, all of which have enabled us to direct our affairs much better than generations before us. This change, this progress, has long been on the altar of education and knowledge — an experience not offered to the masses in an autocratic government. Because you see, an autocratic government recognizes bloodlines, privileges, royal conclaves, high birth etc. They are the ones that receive this knowledge — if they care to learn them. Not you, not I. And by doing just that, it reinforces itself. That is why our awakening over centuries was keyed in from knowledge birthed by our experience of pain and suffering, for we had not the privilege to learn of better systems through creativity and educational knowledge. Where am I going with all these? Ruocchio made a cartoonish expression of a socialist government in Kingdoms of Death with the Lothrians, which I chose to ignore then, but the reinforcement of ideas that allude that a monarchial government is somehow better made me rethink through most of the connecting threads of this series. You see, even after the evil of the Chantry was brought to light, it was only exposed to political players, not the populace across the galaxy.

And that's because the narrative paints them as peasants incapable of understanding or accepting truth. But it actually does make sense in the framework of the story. However whose fault is it, when royalty privilege gives access to more learning, and the lower class is treated no different from animals that survive on the "benevolence" of the emperor (no shade to Caesar though, he's my GOAT in this book), where then does the proponent of increased learning come from? How then does the narrative voice insist that it is a better system when it is what we have historically escaped from? When the dregs of it are still what we are trying to march away from?

There's a line from Attack on Titans that echoes everyday in my soul. It was spoken by Eren Jaeger. He said "We are born free, all of us". Man has never been destined to be ruled by another, particularly by its species. Harmonious growth has always been the designed pattern, and we are seeing sparks of it by our learning institutions. Which over the years has offered the spaciousness for dreaming, for mutual learning, and at its end point, communal ascendancy. We are driving towards a society where by knowledge, and not just academic knowledge btw, we can learn to be masters of our own selves, and can discern and judge situations of our own accord. But I acknowledge we are still far from this even though we voyage towards that mark, but the process can be faster and sped up, by making learning and education free and available for all. And not only that, but by also reaching out to those we have normally regarded as dregs of our society and making them feel more accepted.

As you can see, most of my grievances with this book are from an ideological standpoint, and there's much more than I have said that irked me but I will not offer them in this review. Some of them are more personal to my path, which is why they stuck out sorely to me.

Technically speaking, this is Ruocchio's best work. His prose remains a delight, even though they got stagnated with his straight forward communication in the earlier bits. Also the character work done in this book bests all the other books combined together. Caesar, Cassandra, Orphan, Ramanthanu, and Selene were my favorites besides Hadrian. Some may not agree with me, but Cassandra had quite a lot of nuance, in the things she did, and the things she didn't do.

Her decision not to fix her hand because she really wanted to understand and personally experience what her dad experiences made me almost cry. It made me recall chapter one when Hadrian was trying to help her commune with the Quiet and she kept failing and thus felt unworthy. She believed that in time The Quiet will heal her hand, and Ruocchio describes that moment so beautifully, in a way that haunts my soul because I relate to it. I come from a Christian background even though I left those shores in 2020, but sometimes there are things that don't leave us no matter how we try, and they play their own role in shaping what we choose to be in the now. Cassandra is a shadow of my old self and I love her with everything in me. I wish she wasn't so bigoted against Ramanthanu but I could understand where she came from.

I love how Ruocchio resolved a lot of the plot lines and characters, excluding Orphan and Selene. But Selene's ending made more sense with where the story was going thematically even though it was very painful and sad to read. The last 8 chapters of this book made me change what I felt about it. It is emotionally haunting seeing how Hadrian moves with the understanding of his death at the hand of the Chantry, and how it thematically illustrates provision under the care & will of the Quiet — a soothing type of teaching in Christian circles.

He understood his mission was over, and the quiet had prepared a way for him out of the scene, by his death in the hands of his enemies, so that what is left of them will crumble on their own. The subtlety in this part is what I missed and wanted to see in the earlier parts of the book, because it wasn't hammered to you like some sermon, but it was woven into his psyche, feelings of loneliness and desolation, and his monologues. It was superbly beautiful, and these last 8 chapters are why I won't rate this book the initial 2 stars I wanted to rate it, but something much higher. I haven't decided yet, but it will range from 3.75 stars to 4.25 stars.

Despite the initial horrible reading experience, when I sit down to consider the flow of this story, beyond the borders of its conflict with my own perception and worldview, I realize the reason for the discrepancy in narration. Perhaps this my realization is just me overreaching, and that Ruocchio actually missed his mark in the earlier bits of the book, or that he actually intended it as I'm now weighing. But consider this...

The narrator of this entire story is Hadrian post SUT events. It is a Hadrian that has experienced The Quiet. But in the first 5 books, up to chapter 40 of book 6, He was never preachy with his tale. His themes were shrouded in philosophical musings that offered insights into the arcane and mystical flow of the universe. In retrospect, I can see the nature of the Quiet in those musings which were never religious or preachy? But why then, why the change?

I have considered this, and to no little degree, realized that this story is less about a man who blows up the sun, and more about a man who moves from an agnostic view of the world, to one baptized into the belief of a single supreme being.

But his admission into this new perspective does not grant him all the knowledge he is supposed to wield concerning the being he now serves. And thus, the little he does know, he expresses the best way he can, which were seen in how he spoke with Prince Kaim, his crew, Selene and Cassandra. His debates on who served the true god were to aver truth not just to others but himself as well, given that he occasionally doubted the nature of his newfound god. Despite how grating it was to read, I recognize that it was a man who discovered a new sight and was trying his best to get others to see it, with little knowledge as to how to go about it.

But a more mature Hadrian who has come back to Colchis after the events of the Ascent of Alexander, and has witnessed the things that lay beyond, spoke with more clarity.

Like I said before, this is just me trying to make sense of it all. Perhaps it's not as I say. And even if it is, it doesnt erase the horrible reading experience I initially had in the first 50%of the book.

Whatever it is, it has been beautiful seeing this story finally come to an end.

There are endings reader and this is one. I have traveled through the tale of a man who has slain the dragon. And while the destination may not be as I expected it to be, it has been worth following this man and witnessing how he came to be what he is. This may or may not be a story for you depending on how you react to the things I've said. But I do encourage you to enter into the sailing ship yourself, and witness the nature of the oceans with your own eyes. There is an adventure in it, even though it might be tumultuous. But you will carve out your own tale of your experience as I have. Because I believe this particular tale is going to spark lots of conversation as a result of its approach. Is this still a favorite of mine? I have no idea. There's still a lot to think about. But it has served its purpose as the first series that set me on the path of questing after heavily thematic works. And for that I am grateful. Now I shall go on alone and trudge my feet past where this left me.

I'm grateful to Head of Zeus for providing me with an eARC of the book via @NetGalley

[ReneeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't know if I have the words to adequately explain how amazing this book (and the series as a whole) is. In terms of scope, originality, emotion, action and everything in between, Ruocchio has completely blown me away. I am not one taken to emotion easily and this book made me weep, made me sob, made me hug my pillow, made me stare at the wall. That is not to say it is all sad, it is not. It is a culmination of so many emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, rage, elation, disbelief, wonder, excitement and more. This series, but this book in particular, has easily surpassed so many of my favorite books and it stands alone, in a whole new category...a category in which I am not sure I can name except that it is higher than the rest.

This book was a perfect end to the series and though many times I wish things had gone a different way, This. Must. Be.

I may come back to elaborate on my review once the book has been officially released only to give myself time to marinate in my thoughts and feelings, but for now I only really have one thing to say and that series is a masterpiece. I am not sure how to fill the gaping hole in my chest that this book has put in me now that the series is complete. 10/10 would recommend. Infinity stars. ❤️❤️

This series has become my Roman Empire and I think about it daily.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: November 18, 2025

[LambchoP]

Cannot wait! I have all the confidence in the world that Christopher Ruocchio will end this amazing series in a very satisfying and special way. Definitely one of the best science fiction series out there! I'm very interested to see what he writes next :)

[Alex Nieves · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments throughout this book that I was onboard. There were moments where I was genuinely enjoying what was written on these pages. I was nervous during parts of Disquiet Gods and the direction that Hadrian was headed as a character, but holy shit. There was a point in time in this book where I got a very sour taste in my mouth and it just kept getting worse the closer I got to finishing it. I understand that since the very opening page of Empire of Silence, we KNEW ultimately "how the series will end" but my god, the way it got there and crossed the finish line has me leaving this series in utter disappointment. What started as such a brilliant adventure, turned into a jaw-dropping space opera, to devolve at its conclusion into what it became is truly astonishing to me. I guess I should have seen this coming but this isn't even allegory anymore.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Head of Zeus for the ARC.

This must be.

I started reading this series shortly after Demon in White was released. I can't believe it's finished, I feel bereft, I literally do not have words for this book except this.

This book is a masterpiece. This series is a masterpiece, I cannot wait to read whatever Ruocchio does next. If you are not reading this series you are doing yourself a disservice.

[Amine · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5*
A disappointing end to what was overall a disappointing saga. Not devoid of fun and good moments though.
I think Hadrian Marlow was exhausted as a character by this point of the story. I couldn't care for his thoughts and struggles, he has been through it all before, and I can't feel his age and experience.
The other characters are even worse, way worse, shadows of what we had before.
And, lastly as far as this review goes, the new major antagonistic force did not receive the development it deserves. Which is ironic considering how much space there was to do that.
I should've dropped this series a couple of books ago.