Sun Eater: Howling Dark (spoiler free review) by Christopher Ruocchio 

Yes. Best ongoing fantasy/SF series right now. Criminally under recognized. Between format issues and limited availability of copies, change of publisher, limited marketing, there have been so many obstacles for the Sun Eater but Ruocchio keeps pumping out greatness. And even though not well known, everyone who reads them spreads the gospel. Demon in White is basically a perfect book as well so look forward to that. It’s a 6/5 star read.

Ruocchio is soooo cool too! He literally talked to me for like 15 min one day about my experience after finishing one of his books!!!

It genuinely makes me sad how this series has gone relatively unnoticed. Ruocchio deserves so much recognition for the amazing world and story this series tells.

I have read all 5 since your review of Empire of Silence. This is definitely the best sci-fi series I've ever read. Easy! Thanks for the recommendation. Its all uphill from here!

The HB edition of this book is impossible to find at any price online, and I found it at a used bookstore - one of my greatest finds!

Excited to dive into this series!

Glad to hear you enjoyed this book Matt! I loved it as well, this is why Sun Eater is my favourite sci-fi series of all time! Also the cover art is amazing

I'm glad so many people have found so much joy in this series. I am, however, thus far, not one of them. I finished Empire of Silence last week and honestly I felt quite robbed. The frame story mechanism made such high promises, and kept constantly breaking in and interrupting the tension with the same six or seven pithy epithets, simply tuned to a slightly different temperature; consistently rewarding me with scenes and scenarios which felt (prose aside) either patently bland or woefully overhyped by the narrator/protagonist himself. After arriving at the end of the story, I felt that when I emptied my bag of goodies *gathered over the course of our journey, I was disappointed to find there was actually not much there. And of the things which were present, there was not much that I cared for. Mostly brass trinkets and fools gold. I'll be the first to heap praise where I find it due, and Ruocchio's stylistic bravado and prosaic agility have certainly come to collect, although neither helped me actually enjoy the protagonist or his story. I raced through the last third of the book not out of eagerness for what would come, but because I could already sense by the end of Act 1 that I wouldn't care when it finally did and just wanted to have it over with. Unfortunately, my suspicions were correct. Naturally, I haven't found much compelling me to continue the series. Other than the fact that I like Ruocchio as a person, and admire and appreciate his perspective on storytelling and character psychology. And frankly, I want to see him succeed. But it would be even better if I get to enjoy it and have as much fun as everyone else appears to be. That said, this review has given me second thoughts (in the positive sense) about at least trying out Howling Dark to see if I just haven't climbed far enough up the rollercoaster to actually experience the freefall. I didn't write these comments to be a Negative Nancy or contrarian, but because the general feedback (goodreads/YT/etc) has been so unbalanced in its favor that I feel its important to have a differing perspective out there. I'm still inclined to believe I must be the one missing something, not the other way around. Time will tell. Well done and thanks for the video!

I finished Howling Dark yesterday. It blew me away how good this book is. I could not put it down. Everyone should read the series. I can’t wait to read Demon in White 😊👍

After , IMO, a mediocre and somehow predictable first book, this one blossomed into top class space opera. One of the best series I've red. I'm also puzzled how Ruocchio is overlooked because he's a top writer. Big respect !!!

"I demand you read this series" is the best tging I've heard all day 😂 captures the feeling you have while reading this. Everybody should be experiencing sun eater

If song of ice and fire had made a big time jump like this after book 3 it would have made things so much better. And GRRM wouldn’t have been painted into a corner.

Glad you enjoyed Howling Dark so much. You've still got a lot to look forward to. Queen Amid Ashes has what is in my opinion the greatest final line to a work of literature ever, and Demon in White is even better than Howling Dark.

I looked back at my comment on your EoS review and I did mention him with Hobb! I think they tell stories differently but the sentence structure and style of writing is very similar to me. I really enjoy all the books but this one has soft spot because of the jump in quality. As a writer he gets better but the jump from book 1 to 2 is the easily the biggest. Can't wait for you to continue!

This strikes me as the kind of series that is slowly going to grow in momentum, popularity, and influence due to viral word of mouth. I'm about 50% through this book right now and agree with you that it's an astonishingly good read

I have picked it up. I actually have the first 5 books. They're on the TBR! Glad to gear you like the series so much. I look forward to getting to them.

Just finished book one. Absolute classic novel

Just finished up the series...and Christopher ruocchio is indeed a prodigy. His RU-vid channel is awesome too, he's cool as hell

Yes! It definitely have that epic scope. You can feel the vastness of the world. I really like how he write his characters. They all are very humane and can be godlike when needed

I think I must have been in a good mood when I filled out my TBR competition answers lol, I put a lot of 5 stars haha, but I knew this one was a guaranteed 5/5!!!

This is probably my favorite book in the series. As I was listening to them, they got better and better in the moment. But in hindsight, this is the one that I find myself remembering the most fondly.

I would say The Book of the New Sun is the best fantasy/ sci-fi series of all time, which the author of the sun eater is a big fan. At least from what i ve read.

I’m currently reading through the Red Rising series and while I’m enjoying I’m definitely finding it to be overrated. Hoping that the Sun Eater books scratch that sci fi epic itch.

I fell down on the book-novella, book-novella game. There's one between 1 and 2, and one between 2 and 3, and I just finished one between 5 and 6, but the 3-4 one does not exist yet. Hoping to go back, but at this point, it'll be after Book 7 is done.

Yesssssssssssssss I knew this series would be a giant hit with you, and you’re so right that Ruocchio deserves to blow up and hit the mainstream. The crossover fantasy/sci-fi audience that might love it is huuuuge!! Can’t wait to follow your whole Sun Eater journey to catch up with me! P.S. definitely read Queen Amid Ashes next before Demon in White, since that’s where it fits in chronologically and will have the most impact

Dune is my favorite series of all time, and I feel like it borders on the line of Sci-Fantasy, so I’ll definitely be picking this up. Thanks for the review Matt!

Best sci fi story ever? No. A very good story, oh yes!

i started reading this series after your review of the first one, im now up to book 5 and cant get enough. so glad i watched your review of the first book but now the waiting game for book 6.....

You like this series much more than me. Had real issues with the first book, saw improvement in the 2nd, really hit his stride by the 3rd. It's on hold for me until it's finished, then I'll reread and finish starting at book 2.

So excited to continue with the series. Been too long since book 1 though. Will have to restart.

I was so excited to finish Empire of Silence at last so I could watch this review 😁

How funny, I love science based books. I'm reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea right now and feel like I should be taking notes 😆

Ahahhh 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 if this space opera, sci-fi sign me up, he need to be the new Star Wars. Love love love this series

Woahhh would you rate this series up there with Dandelion Dynasty or do you feel its too different to compare?

I'm at 3/4 of the first book, it's pretty good. Won't say it's one of the best book I've ever read but it's really interesting and totally mt style.

"When is this author going to turn into the next big thing?" Now... I think it's now.

This is how you take inspiration. Virdi should learn a thing or two

I just finished Ascension a few days ago (omg so good!!) and it renewed my love for scifi. Let's see if this series will scratch that itch! I'm more into physics than the space opera or solely high-tech scifi (though some are ok) so I am on the hunt! 😅

This is straight fantasy. If your idea of sci fi is Hyperion or 3 body - you may not love this. This is better than red rising, and more like a less YA than Skyward by Sanderson.

Ive been extremely interested in this series. My favorite book series ever is red rising, would this be a good place to go next? I heard its inspired by red rising

The next two books also have big time skips, but I think they're handled better than in Howling Dark. Howling Dark is Ruocchio's favorite, but the next book, Demon in White, is my (and a lot of other fans' favorite). It's like Ruocchio's A Storm of Swords. It has everything and feels like multiple books in one.

I will subscribe and like any person who reads the Sun Eater series! Fav. series of all time! I watched your video and was getting goosebumps the whole time, you're making me want to go ahead and reread the series!

Wow this is on my TBR sounds like I need to move it up.

Yeah,I am reading this along with cradle books

Fantastic series. I'm about to start book 5 Ashes of Man soon.

After watching your channel for while and buying wolf of the north trilogy recommendation.. I'm just buying buying anything you say at this point.. 😅. Best of luck with this channel.

Happy June reading to you!! 🎉

Wait for the treat that is ‘Demon in White’ ;) :D People are usually split whether ‘Howling Dark’ or ‘Demon in White’ is better. For me ‘Demon in White’ is perfection. Interesting from start to finish, I wouldn’t want a single paragraph removed. And my mind went 🤯 at multiple points there.

Demon in white is also phenomenal 😊

Agreed with everything you said. This is just a wonderful series!

what part made you tear up? (just finished it)

Agree, book’s incredible

Heh, just wait for Demon in White. I think it's my favorite

im currenclty reading this and honestly, first 40 percent of this book is a slog, starts getting really good after some events in Vorgossos

After the review and comments...I had...I had to buy the seires.

This series gets better every book its very heavily inspired by book of the new sun though maybe you should check it out

Best Sci-fi book so far* wait until you get to Demon in White.

Make a seperate video on ur ten 5 star novels.

So. F'n. Good.

How are the audiobooks? Anyone try them?

I'm starting this series right after finishing Jade Legacy. How essential are the novellas? My library only has the main books

Interview?

He was too harsh on Switch

I need to stop watching so much booktubers. My annual reading has gone from what it had always been, around 40 books a year, to around 65 since following you guys, and, yet, my TBR list is getting more and more unmanageable. Anyways, I see I’ll have to add this series to it. 😉

i did dnf this one. no worries! since you also disliked books i like, it all comes out in the wash