Queen Amid Ashes

A Tale of the Sun Eater

By: Christopher Ruocchio

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

THOUGH THE BATTLE TO SAVE A PLANET IS OVER, THE WAR NEVER ENDS.

Hadrian Marlowe is newly a knight of the galaxy-spanning Sollan Empire: a hero who they say slew the alien Prince Aranata Otiolo in single combat; a man they say no man or xenobite can kill.

Acting on the Emperor’s orders, Hadrian has come to the desert planet Thagura and driven off the Cielcin invaders, rescuing in the process the Lady Gadar Malyan, Baroness of that entire world.

But not all the fighting is ended. Pockets of inhuman resistance remain on the desert world, and Hadrian the Halfmortal must soon do battle with not only the man-eating alien barbarians, but with something just as terrible: man’s own inhumanity to man.

©2022 Christopher Ruocchio (P)2022 Recorded Books

Decent story that drags at the end

Interesting story that finds a matured Hadrian losing more innocence in the galaxy. More information about the Cielsin and the Empire. The story itself is fairly straightforward and feels like an episode of a TV Show. The major twist is found about 50-60% through and the resolution drags a bit. Worth a shot though if you’re committed to reading the whole series and getting maximum enjoyment in sequence

Short but great

A very short read but I enjoyed it. Thought provoking and the writing only gets better

Incredible

This is another great story by Ruocchio. Can not recommend this series enough. Check it out!

Shor and right ti the point

A nice little story showing some background into Hadrian's adventures. The tough choices he makes etc.

Impactful interlude

This is a solid hundred-page Sun Eater story that's a worthy addition to the saga, but it really really really should be read in its chronological order after Howling Dark and not when I did it after Kingdoms of Death (due to waiting for the paperback and audiobook to come out). Hadrian and co go through a lot in Demon in White and KoD, so going backwards in time to this earlier Hadrian felt like backtracking for me as the reader when I really am just craving the next future installment to see how things progress.

As with all the Sun Eater books, it is written exquisitely with a never-ending stream of interesting first-person reflections (on humanity, on the unknowable Other, on the beastly Other, on morality, on the cosmos, and plenty more). Samuel Roukin's narration is superb!

Being a side story it necessarily lacks the suspense and tension of the main novels, but I don't think Ruocchio could write a poor story if he tried.