Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2

The Sun Eater #Volume 2

by Christopher Ruocchio

SIX STORIES FROM THE UNIVERSE OF THE SUN EATER WRITTEN BY INTERNATIONALLY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO AND COLLECTED HERE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

On a distant world, an assassin must kill a half-machine king. On another, a team of soldiers must save a princess from behind alien lines. Elsewhere in the galaxy, a young girl defies inhuman invaders to save her little brother... Here are more tales of our far future, of an age when man's empire is crumbling across the stars: a time of war, of great good, and greater evils.

Here are further tales of the Sollan Empire and of the barbarians who dwell between its stars. Here are tales of strange, far worlds. Tales of battle, of desperation, and holy law. And here, too, are tales of a man who will change the fate and future of the galaxy as a whole. Tales of the Sun Eater, of Hadrian Marlowe himself.

PRAISE FOR CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO:

"Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic. Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can't wait to see what he does next." —James S.A. Corey, New York Times-bestselling author of The Expanse

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Space Opera, Fiction, Ebooks, Short Story Collection

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2022

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 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 is a comparatively better collection of short stories that shows The Sun Eater can still function without Hadrian Marlowe’s POV.

As always, when it comes to reading and reviewing a collection of short stories, I will start my review by saying I am (generally speaking) not a fan of short stories. In my journey to read everything in The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio, outside of the absolutely outstanding main novels, I also had a splendid time reading The Lesser Devil and Queen Amid Ashes. Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 was the only mixed reading experience I had from The Sun Eater so far. I read that when I was so eager to read Demon in White, and I am glad I did because while they are not necessary, I did gain some quicker insight from reading The Demons of Arae. Thankfully, against all odds, I am very pleased to say Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2, while still a mixed reading experience, was mostly a positive reading for me. The last three titles in the collection, in particular, were great.

“What seemed good to one man was evil to another. Great men performed evils in the name of good. And worse, good tolerated evil and named that tolerance virtue. Those same men gratified themselves, saying this confusion of black and white was a mark of genius, touting their sophistication, their wisdom. But they had abandoned wisdom in the garden, reaching for what they could not grasp. Enlightenment. Godliness. Knowledge.”

Hadrian barely appears in this collection of short stories. In my review of Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1, I did mention the realization of how much my enjoyment of The Sun Eater has to do with reading Hadrian’s melodramatic and unforgettable narration. And, of course, I would prefer that way if I could. Even talking about Hadrian now instantly makes me want to go back to reading the main novels. But back to the point. Despite the lack of Hadrian in Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2, this collection somehow ends up turning into something superior to Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 which has more of Hadrian in comparison.

“Papa always said they were worse than the Extras. That the Extras were still men underneath. The Cielcin were all monsters.”

Action-oriented short stories almost never worked for me, and when you put that into consideration, the fact that I still enjoyed reading The Dragonslayers and Fire in the Sky should say enough about the quality of these titles. In The Dragonslayers, although it was only one short sentence, the nod to Hadrian makes me excited to read Kingdoms of Death already. And Fire in the Sky is a story that could turn more emotional and poignant if it receives more page count and development as it deals with a sister doing her best to save her brother in the midst of a Cielcin invasion. Personally, Kill the King was the only short story, and the second longest one in the collection, that did not work for me. It did discuss the danger and insanity of cloning, but beyond that, I never felt it was an engaging short story for me.

“If you lived on this side of the water, my friend, I should be an assassin. For it would be unjust to slay you… But since you live on the other side, I am a hero and it is just.”

To elaborate on what I said earlier, the last three titles in Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 were the best short stories in the series. As of now, anyway. Knowledge is the only title (the shortest one) in the collection to feature Hadrian as the main character. It was contemplative, philosophical, beautifully written, and tackled the nature of good versus evil. And then we have Good Intentions, the short story that features Valka Onderra as the POV character for the first time in the series. Valka is an irreplaceable character in the main series, and as expected, her POV was intriguing to read. The short story also addresses one of the main themes of the series. Which one is more monstrous, humanity or xenobites? Finally, if you have read The Lesser Devil, I cannot imagine you not liking The Four Devils, the continuation to Crispin Marlowe’s story from The Lesser Devil. Crispin's struggle and feeling of insecurity are easy to relate with. The same can be said for Hadrian; he encountered the same feeling around Crispin. But having read The Lesser Devil and The Four Devils, Crispin is such a misunderstood character from the perspective of Hadrian, and I think he and Hadrian could have formed a strong brotherhood connection if they could sit, talk, and listen to each other. Which, I know, is easier said than done due to their father's ambition and super strict upbringing. But this heartfelt short story, taking place during Empire of Silence, certainly made me like Crispin Marlowe further.

“Crispin could scarce remember a time his mother had even touched him, but neither could he remember trying himself. She had been remote as the outer worlds of the Delos system, far off as the morning star. But he held her then, as perhaps he never had, and said, “I’m just glad he’s alive.”

The main novels in The Sun Eater have launched the series into becoming the series of the year for me. I’m glad Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2, which was superior to Volume 1, allows me to end this year of The Sun Eater on an upbeat note. I cannot gauge the essentiality of this collection of short stories until I read Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man early next year. But for now, I will say this collection of short stories was good, and you bet I will read Kingdoms of Death in a week or two from now.

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

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: Alfred, Aliysa, Ambrosius, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Biskit, Brad, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Ciprian, Cullen, Dan, David, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elaine, Elias, Ellen, Francesca, Frank, Garrick, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Joie, Jonathan, Jordan, Katrina, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, RCT, Redmischief, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Sirbu, Steph, Stephanie, Tiffany, Tori, Tracy, Trish, TS, Wendy, Wick, Woodman, Xero, Yosi, Yuri, Zoe.

[Andrew Rockwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars—-

This is recommended after Demon in White, but most of the stories seemed to take place before Demon in White, but after Howling Dark. Still enjoyable, even if some were better than others.
Good Intentions was from Valka’s point of view, and The Four Devils was from Crispin’s after the Marlowe family get information that Hadrian is alive after being missing for 35 years. Those were my two favorite of the six in the collection.

The Dragonslayers - 3.5 stars
Fire in the Sky - 3.0 stars
Kill the King - 4.0 stars
Knowledge - 3.0 stars
Good Intentions - 4.5 stars
The Four Devils - 4.5 stars

[Read By Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, mainly for the last two stories following Valka and Crispin. The rest of the stories didn't do much for me.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story collections, for me, are often hard to rate because they are often kind of a mixed bag. Usually there is one really good story that shines clearly above the rest then the other stories are kind of filler. Even though Sun Eater is my favorite science fiction series of all time I'd be lying if I said every story in this collection was an absolute gem. However, what impressed me with this collection is that the first 3 stories are absolutely fantastic and just themselves are more than worth the cost of the ebook. And any one of those 3 stories could be a standout in a different short story collection. They are that good. The Dragonslayers in particular is wonderful. I liked how each of these stories had compelling narratives and characters that engrossed me even without the series heavies (Hadrian and Valka) being in them. So even though the stories that followed never hit those highs in my opinion they are solid enough to make this overall a very very good collection and a welcome addition to the Sun Eater universe.

[Benghis Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed these Sun Eater morsels -- not sure if I would be too engaged by these if they weren't part of a beloved long-running series, but as it is they worked great for me. Love getting non-Hadrian POV stories set in this world, and reading the Dragonslayers in particular enriched my experience with rereading Ashes of Man with some crossover side characters.

The Crispin POV story The Four Devils had lots of impact for me too and serves as a solid little follow up to the Lesser Devil. The 4-page story Knowledge on the other hand could be jettisoned to another dimension and I'd be happier for it (something has to be the worst thing Ruocchio has ever written though, and I guess I'm glad it's also the shortest).

[Ashutosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point I'm just reading these Novellas to follow the reading order, I don't think Ruocchio's magic works in short stories. They're just okay. Super excited for Kingdoms of Death!!

[Cody Stringfellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Zach Reads Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read to add variety and depth to your Sun Eater experience between Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death.

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 is better than Ruocchio’s first volume of short stories. I enjoyed all 6 stories and would rate them all 3.5 to 4.5 stars. In contrast, volume 1 had a couple of 2-star misfires I disliked.

A few of the stories in this collection grab the attention with some wonderful action but suffer slightly due to their detachment from the central story and main cast of characters we know and love by now. Action always carries more weight when we care more about the outcomes and the people involved.

In contrast, a couple of the stories connect back to our main cast as we get a quick check-in with Valka on a new planet, and then a glimpse of the lives of Crispin and the Marlowe family on Delos after the events of The Lesser Devil novella. I liked these entries, but I’m unclear if any of this matters in the grand scheme of things. We’ll see!

Ruocchio continues to write beautiful stories, but he’s at a disadvantage in the short story format. He’s much better with full length novels with more room to breathe and stretch his writing legs.

I do not usually like short story collections, but overall Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 offers an entertaining detour from the main novels and short break from Hadrian’s first-person perspective. I’d recommend it for OCD completionists like myself.

Sun Eater
Book 1: Empire of Silence 5/5
Novella: The Lesser Devil 4.5/5
Book 2: Howling Dark 5/5
Novella: Queen Amid Ashes 4.5/5
Short Story Collection: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 3/5
Book 3: Demon in White 5/5
Short Story Collection: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 4/5

[Omar Iquira · Rating 4 out of 5]

LE DOY 4 ESTRELLAS PORQUE ES MUCHO MEJOR QUE EL PRIMER VOLUMEN DE ESTA COLECCIÓN DE RELATOS. PERO NO VAS A ENTENDER ABSOLUTAMENTE NADA SI NO ESTAS AL DÍA CON LA HISTORIA.

Me encanta la saga de "Sun Eater", y mientras más leo más me gusta, esa es la simple verdad. Así que cuando comencé a leer esta colección de cuentos, que se desenvuelven en el mismo universo del protagonista "Hadrian Marlow", lo hice con mucha emoción. En especial porque ya he leído hasta el volumen 5, y no quiero empezar la "recta final" hasta haber leído todas las novellas y relatos intermedios que se sitúan entre los libros principales.

Ahora, el primer volumen de estos cuentos se ubicaban cronológicamente después del segundo volumen de la saga. Esta segunda colección de cuentos por el contrario, se ubican cronológicamente después del 5 volumen. Es decir, que se podría decir que ya están entrando en la mencionada "recta final", porque se mencionan hechos que suceden después del devastador final del 5 libro de la saga.

No quiero dar spoiler, pero solo diré que no son buenos tiempos para el Imperio Sollan. Los Cielcin (la raza extraterrestre enemiga que amenaza a la humanidad) están arrasando con todos los mundos que encuentran a su paso. El Imperio y sus aliados pueden hacer poco para detenerlos, y cada vez pierden más y más territorios ante los invasores. Como sabemos bien en este punto, los Cielcin son seres brutales, que no solo acaban con todo a su paso, sino que devastan y descrean a sus victimas en todo el sentido de la palabra. La retirada del Imperio y sus aliados representa la ruina de millones y millones de vidas, pero ninguno de ellos tienen otra opción más que retirarse y tratar de salvar cuanto puedan. En otras palabras, la humanidad ha dejado de ser el atacante y se ha convertido en el defensor... En otras palabras estamos perdiendo la guerra.

Los cuentos de este libro narran distintos episodios durante este periodo oscuro de la historia. Donde millones mueren diariamente en una guerra terrible y sin cuartel en contra de una enemigo que no conoce la compasión. El libro empieza con la crónica de un grupo de operaciones especiales tratando de salvar a una condesa en medio de una invasión de los Cielcien al planeta Cidamus. El protagonista es el líder del destacamento de centuriones Quentin Sharp, que narra como la guerra para él se ha vuelto casi una continua operación de salvamento, en donde él y sus hombres van de planeta en planeta tratando de rescatar a los pocos que quedan luego de las invasiones Cielcin. Para cuando llegan a Cidamus casi no queda nada que salvar, pero el destacamento pelea con todo lo que tiene para rescatar a la condesa Irina Volsenna, una noble de poco más de 15 años que ha sido testigo de como su mundo ha sido arrasado por el enemigo, y que ha visto a todo lo que conocía arder. Una historia de valor y entrega por parte de estos soldados, pero también una crónica devastadora de lo cruenta que es la guerra.

Otro relato, aún mas triste, narra la historia de una pequeña niña campesina en medio de un ataque Cielcin a su aldea. Sumamente conmovedor, este cuento muestra como la pobre criatura trata de salvar a su hermano pequeño en medio de la devastación, mientras ve a todos los que conocía morir a su alrededor... incluida su madre. Él final de este relato es sumamente especulativo y reflexivo.

El tercer relato es el más intrigante quizás. Es el cuento de un asesino en plena misión para acabar con uno de los peores enemigos del Imperio. Los "Extrasolarianos" ya habían aparecido en libros anteriores de la saga. Seres humanos que odian al Imperio y que utilizan la tecnología para disque mejorar sus cuerpos y trascender los limites de la humanidad. Existen varios grupos de "Extrasolarianos" (los Minos entre ellos), y aquí conocemos a otro más. Este grupo, liderado por el autodenominado Monarca "Calen Harendotes", ha aprovechado la guerra para hacerse con varios planetas anteriormente propiedad del Imperio, y subyugar a millones de personas bajo su mando. Poco se sabe de Calen Harendotes, el protagonista de la saga mencionó su nombre en dos o tres ocasiones durante los libros, y se sabe que es un ex noble imperial que parece tener un vendetta pendiente contra alguien aún no especificado. Pero en este relato vemos el alcance de su poder, y lo lejos que esta dispuesto a llegar para cumplir sus objetivos. Personalmente este cuento me dejo con la boca abierta, y espero saber más de Calen Harendotes en el futuro.

El último cuento digno de mención es mi favorito hasta la fecha. Este relato, llamado "Los Cuatro Demonios", nos cuenta un pasaje de la historia de la familia de nuestro protagonista, Hadrian Marlow. Todos los libros giran en torno a él, pero salvo el primer libro, la novella "Queen Amid Ashes", y una que otra mención aquí y allá, no sabemos nada de su familia y como fueron sus vidas después de que el protagonista los dejara atrás. El "Clan Marlow" es uno de los clanes más antiguos del imperio, pero esta lejos de ser una familia bonita y feliz. Gracias a su patriarca, Alistair Marlowe (padre del protagonista) la familia es respetada y afluente. Pero para este hombre nada es más importante que su legado, y sus hijos e hijas no son más que un medio para un fin. Frio y calculador, Alistair Marlowe es la principal razón de porqué Hadrian dejó su hogar. Y aquí volvemos a verlo nuevamente, tramando planes y buscando expandir su poder e influencia dentro del Imperio. Este cuento se desarrolla muy en el pasado, y nos muestra lo que sucede después de que la familia se enterara que Hadrian estaba vivo, como reaccionaron, y que hicieron al enterarse de la situación del hijo perdido del clan. Crispin, hermano de Hadrian, hace acto de presencia también en estos reglones, así como su hermana, Sabine (a la que el protagonista nunca conoció). Pero a mi parecer el personaje que más se luce es la matriarca del clan, Lady Liliana, que fue quien ayudo a su hijo a escapar del planeta en primer lugar. En este relato vemos lo mucho de Lady Liliana odia a su esposo, Alistair, y como se alegra de que Hadrian este con vida (aunque es probable que nunca vuelva a verlo). Esta historia te deja rogando por saber más de esta disfuncional familia, y solo espero que el autor Christopher Ruocchio nos regale más cuentos sobre ellos en el futuro (o mejor aun, un libro entero sobre ellos).

Hay otros cuentos, pero estos son los más resaltantes. Eso sí, aclaro que si no has leído todos los volúmenes anteriores no entenderás nada de nada. El universo de "Sun Eater" es vasto y complejo. Cada libro, relato o novella te dejan pidiendo más, pero también con muchas más preguntas por responder... así que hay que mantenerse al día o uno se va a perder sin remedio.

Me queda un volumen más de estas historias, y también una novella spin-of antes de empezar la travesía hacia el desenlace final de la saga. Sinceramente, en este punto me siento orgulloso de haber empezado a leer esta saga en primer lugar, pero también triste de que este llegando a su final (quizás por eso me estoy tomando inconscientemente mi tiempo en leer estos últimos volúmenes). Solo me queda esperar a ver como termina todo, pero estoy seguro que no me decepcionará... Christopher Ruocchio nunca lo ha hecho.

100% recomendada.

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avis Lecture 🧐 📖 "Tales of The Sun Eater Vol 2" + "Queen Amid Ashes", novellas du Dévoreur de Soleil, Christopher Ruocchio ☀

Recueil qui se lit après les terribles événements du tome 4... (pour la plupart des Novellas 🤔 voir en fin de chronique) 👍

Un capitaine, une paysanne sur une planète ravagée, une famille, des destins incroyables de gens du commun.
Certaines vies se recroquevillent et espèrent l'arrivée d'un sauveur qui ne viendra plus, d'autres profitent de la débâcle pour s'ériger en monarque monstrueux.

Ruocchio nous présente des morceaux de vie et bien que l'on retrouve Hadrian, ou même Valka dans "Good Intentions" (que j'ai bien aimé) ce ne sont pas forcément les plus intéressantes.

Ma préférée reste "The Four Devils" où l'on retrouve Crispin, Sabine, Alistair et la mystérieuse Liliana. Les "4 diables", nous permet de plonger dans une zone d'ombre du tome 1, auprès des Marlowe, la famille de Hadrian.
Là encore, retrouver Crispin et plonger dans la psychologie de ce personnage, qui se révèle vraiment dans les novellas qui lui sont consacrées, est un pur bonheur. C'est un de mes perso préféré depuis le tome 1, les novella le rendant plus attachant encore. Ses peurs, ses angoisses, son empreinte familiale mêlée d'amour et de peur ; celle de ne pas suffire, de ne pas être assez bien, cette peur d'être remplacé, évincé loin de son droit de naissance et de l'amour de ce terrible paternel aussi froid que la glace.
Mais chercher désespérément l'amour de son père, ne l'aurait-il pas éloigner de la seule personne capable d'un tant soit peu d'amour... À sa manière... Sa propre mère...
Un cercle vicieux de jalousie et de recherche d'affection.
Je trouve que cette novella est une jolie pépite 💕

Toutes les novellas ne sont pas importantes pour l'histoire principale, mais nous offrent des tranches de vie extrêmement intéressantes et nous permettent de vivre la guerre aux côtés de tous les humains de la galaxie.

NB : J'aurai bien aimé avoir une indication chronologique au début des Novellas, comme le fait McClellan par exemple 👍 car au final "The Four Devils" se passe pendant le tome 1 et j'ai eu l'impression de revenir très très loin en arrière.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another pretty good collection of short stories for the Sun Eater universe. I ended up liking this one a bit more than the first but they are about equal in my eyes. It should probably be read after Kingdoms of Death but only for a couple of vague spoilers, nothing explicit.

I'm not going to bother with star ratings like I did for Volume 1 because they are pretty meaningless, especially for how short some of the stories are, but here's a list of what's in here and some brief thoughts.
The Dragonslayers - Probably one of Ruocchio's better pure-action stories even though they aren't my favorite. The writing feels improved from the previous ones which were bogged down with exposition. But at this point I feel like I've read the same Cielcin/Machine hybrid fight a million times and wish Ruocchio would try something different.
Fire in the Sky - I don't have much to say about this one because it's a little too short. It was good but I felt like it could have been extended. As it stands the emotional punch the story was going for falls a bit flat because we had so little time with the character.
Kill the King - This one is definitely a highlight of the collection and is the more unique action that I wanted from Dragonslayers. I was constantly trying to guess the ending throughout and Ruocchio upends some of the stuff he usually does.
Knowledge - Five pages of Hadrian Marlowe. Not much to say here but it's a nice snippet of worldbuilding.
Good Intentions - For a first time reading a Valka POV this was fairly disappointing. While the character did feel much the same as in the novels (albeit quite a bit younger) as with Fire in the Sky I don't think it hit the emotional beat it was going for.
The Four Devils - This one is the other highlight of the collection. It's a follow up to the Lesser Devil. It's not really a complete story like the other tales here, just a small snippet of time on Delos, and I think it's better for that. It was just trying to be another look at Crispin, the other Marlowes and their internal conflicts and it worked incredibly well.

[Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruocchio si conferma, ancora una volta, la miglior scoperta degli ultimi anni.
Continuo a pensare che la forma breve gli sia meno congeniale rispetto al romanzo di ampio respiro, e alcuni racconti, per quanto piacevoli, non lasciano più di un bel ricordo.
In altri casi, soprattutto quando entrano in gioco i personaggi principali della Sun Eater series, il livello si alza notevolmente e abbiamo sprazzi di quella maestria che trovo irresistibile.
L'ultimo racconto vale da solo la lettura dell'opera.

THE DRAGONSLAYERS ⭐️⭐️⭐️
FIRE IN THE SKY ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
KILL THE KING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KNOWLEDGE ⭐️⭐️⭐️
GOOD INTENTIONS ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
THE FOUR DEVILS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Another enjoyable selection of short stories.
Some better than others with Dragonslayers, Kill the King and The Four Devils being the standouts for me.

I enjoyed Crispin getting some more page time as I do enjoy him as a character and hope we see more of him.

A quick and easy read that again just fleshes out the world.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a stronger collection than the first one. I especially enjoyed The Four Devils, which followed the Marlowes when they learned of Hadrian being alive, and Kill the King, which followed an assassin and had quite the memorable conclusion!

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story about Valka and Crispin were good, the others so so.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, some great lore-building stories. I enjoyed the Four Devils the most, especially with all of its implications.

[EricLozada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Tales 2! Enjoyed each of these stories. Altho I do hope the author continues a few of these in future installments. The Four Devils is tied with The Night Captain (in Tales vol 1) as my favorite Sun Eater short story. By the end, I was NOT crying. I just......had sweaty eyes! Yes, that's the ticket. Really hoping for more Marlowe Clan stories post Howling Dark. This was the perfect ending of the collection! *chef's kiss*

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Dr Sayuti · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with my review of volume 1, this one too will be unusual. I'll be posting my live thoughts on each short story as I did on twitter then give my final thoughts here at the end.

Short Story 1: DragonSlayers

This was peak Sun Eater action. Really loved the centurion Captain sharp. Spoilers :I'm ashamed it took me till the end to click this was the same DragonSlayers legion Hadrian joined up with to Make the Urbaine mission with in Ashes of man. Great Backstory.


Short Story 2: Fire In The Skies

Great to see from the perspective of the ultimate victims of the Cielcin carnage: The women and children. It was a nice change of pace as this was a thriller.. almost straigt up horror matter of fact, but it needed a second half to be a full tale.


Short Story 3: Kill The King

The best short story in both volumes so far. Such a fun and mysterious tale made such as Calen Harendotes is always an exciting character to see. This will only age better whenever I reread Disquiet Gods.

Short Story 4: Knowledge

A 4 page short philosophical musings by the Khandasattva himself. In short, it was a nice short read.


Short Story 5: Good Intentions

Finally a short story from valka’s pov tho it’s set in a time before she met Had. Good intentions doesn’t always means good repercussions. A theme that’s very common with both Valka and Had. Can’t wait to read the novella CR got in works for her.

Short Story 6: The Four Devils

Wow this was really something. The family drama of house Marlowe is something I’d like be more present in the main narrative cuz these characters are so compelling & my emotional attachment to them I’ve underestimated. Tied with Kill the king as the best Short Stories in both volumes for me.

As most have said and as such I too predicted from my volume 1 review, this was a massive step up from it. Not a single story I'll call bad even tho Fire in the skies feels incomplete (intentional or not) and I had little gripes with Good intentions: Valka's pov story, overall it was a fun and engaging read.

Right now this stands as the second best side project from sun eater for me only behind Dregs of empire. This is a solid 4 stars from me.

[King Crusoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts on each story:

The Dragonslayers: Fun tale, with a different tone than I'm used to in Sun Eater, and the setting/characters helped to make it feel distinct.
- 4/5

Fire in the Sky: A brief story with a relationship that I wish had had more time to breath. Fun, but too short imo
- 3.5/5

Kill the King: Ooo, this one was fun. Got to see some sides to some peoples that we haven't yet. Was cool!
- 4.5/5

Knowledge: Philosophy!
- 4.5/5

Good Intentions: Story from Valka? FUCK yeah. Also, being IN her head for the first time was great. A lot of emotional gut punch for 20 pages.
- 5/5

The Four Devils: After really loving The Lesser Devil, getting another story from Crispin is great, although it being in Vol. 2 and taking place so short after TLD feels SLIGHTLY strange. Just a nitpick tho.
- 5/5"

Full collection a four stars, since I didn't love the first 4 stories the way I loved nearly all the stories in Vol. 1; the last two were great tho, and great choices to have at the end.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 by Christopher Ruocchio is a collection of six short stories that further explore the vast universe of the Sun Eater series. Each story delves into different aspects of Ruocchio’s richly imagined world, offering a mix of intense battles, personal struggles, and philosophical themes.

Ruocchio excels at character development, even within the constraints of his shorter fiction. Good Intentions spotlights Valka Onderra, providing fresh insight into her character, while The Four Devils, a direct sequel to The Lesser Devil, delivers a compelling look at the Marlowe family dynamics. For me, The Four Devils was the highlight of the collection.

However, engagement may vary from story to story. If you’re looking for Hadrian Marlowe you should note that he appears only in Knowledge.

Overall, Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 is a worthy addition to the series, expanding its lore with diverse and thought-provoking narratives. While the limited focus on the central protagonist and uneven engagement across stories may not appeal to all, fans of the Sun Eater universe will find much to enjoy.

[Lex Miraglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot better than the first one thanks to the stories at the end. But overall the rating still drags because there’s still a couple duds too.

Dragonslayers introduces us to Quentin Sharp, but it was a 30 minute action sequence I didn’t care about.

Kill the King introduces Calen Harendotes, which is really interesting despite it still being a lot of action.

Good Intentions is a nice Valka POV story.

The Four Devils is a great, short continuation of The Lesser Devil to give us a little more time with those characters.

Tales 3 and 4 are far superior to me, but I’m still glad to have gotten through the boring ones to get the good ones here.

[Kimbot the Destroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories and sci fi make me happy and nostalgic.
I read this later than the official reading order and am not sure if reading them now made it more or less impactful. I do know that these shorts have gotten me more invested in the Suneater universe.
I'm super curious now about the rest of the Marlowe family's fate.

[Denille Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fairly interesting. I enjoyed the stories with the assassin of Calen Harendotes (which reminded me a lot of Kharn Sagara who is badass too) and the last story with Crispin Marlowe and his visit to his mother in the aftermath of learning that Hadrian was alive.

I also enjoyed Valka's short story here and her compassion for the wild creatures she studies. Bits and pieces here and there which do not really move the main plot forward, but it is nice to have these little tidbits here and there in the Sun Eater saga.

I still enjoy stories that are most related to Marlowe and the main characters, so there are a few short stories that stand out more than the others, well, in my opinion at least.

[Thxlbx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories are typically not my cup of tea, but these were very good. While not necessary to read for the Sun Eater Saga, they do provide nice backgrounds for the politics of the Empire, the devastation of the war, and they flesh out some of the minor characters.

4.25 Stars

[Steve Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like Volume 1, this one doesn't add anything super interesting to the Sun Eater universe.

Out of 6 short stories, only 2 were interesting. Especially The Four Devils, since I'm always keen to see what Crispin is up to.

Definitely not essential, but it was fine for a very quick read. 5/10

[SaDarius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite of the short stories collection. Ruocchio crafts and creates such intriguing characters with very little pages, leaving one yearning for more. The Four Devils was by far my favorite.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dragonslayers - 3.5/5

Fire in the Sky - 3.5/5

Kill the King - 4/5

Knowledge - 4.5/5

Good Intentions - 4.5/5

The Four Devils - 4.5/5

[Senne ┃ Bridge Burner Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Four Devils is definitely the highlight of this collection!

[Vi-Anh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 ☆