Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Christopher Ruocchio was prepared to deliver a quite sizable fourth book in his Sun Eater saga. As fate would have it, a paper shortage and supply chain woes caused his publisher to demand that the novel be split in two. Thus we were gifted the dark and painful KINGDOMS OF DEATH as volume four, comprising about two-thirds of the planned work. Some restructuring and additional writing was necessary to flesh out the fifth installment before publication, and now readers are able to enjoy it with the release of ASHES OF MAN.

Taking up the story mere hours after the conclusion of its predecessor, ASHES OF MAN gives us a Hadrian Marlowe who, while heavy of heart, is not quite as dead as the rumors spreading across the universe would have people believe. The state of affairs is grim. The Cielcin are now united, the Commonwealth has betrayed the Solan Empire, and the alien menace seeks to wipe out all vestiges of mankind from existence forever.

"ASHES OF MAN sees Ruocchio hitting his stride as a storyteller, delivering a more than solid adventure dipped in the sheen of political machinations."

ASHES OF MAN is not without its darkness, and readers are once more in store for some grim realities that have some serious consequences for Hadrian. The darkness on these pages is not quite of the same impact as what we had in KINGDOMS OF DEATH, but they are significant, and the book is emotional. Given the political and palatial intrigue involved, it has echoes of DEMON IN WHITE, even as the Emperor finds himself in danger from the growing threat of the Cielcin.

Hadrian is, obviously, the key component of the book. He spends most of it struggling to come to terms with his grief from the events of KINGDOMS OF DEATH, a broken man trying to understand his role and process the trauma while still undergoing new traumas as the story progresses. Still, the side characters get some great exploration here, including a couple of new introductions, but especially the incomparable Valka, the Tavrosi witch (the cover art by Kieran Yanner captures her perfectly). In many ways, ASHES OF MAN is just as much her book as it is Hadrian’s. It is through her strength and love that Hadrian has the wherewithal to recompose himself enough to forge ahead and face off against the Cielcin once again.

While Ruocchio has often been tagged as writing a Dune clone --- which is not necessarily an accurate accounting of his work, though the inspirations are there --- it cannot be overlooked that with each subsequent release in this series, he moves further out from the shadow of Frank Herbert and shines all the brighter with his own universe and the worlds therein. His craft as an author has only improved with each volume, and he gives us characters of the most real quality in Hadrian and Valka. We are absolutely with them and feel their anger and loss, but we also find the light that hides within the grim. Ruocchio doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but it’s there. Like space itself, there is darkness and there is light. It all depends on where you aim your telescope.

ASHES OF MAN sees Ruocchio hitting his stride as a storyteller, delivering a more than solid adventure dipped in the sheen of political machinations. Though populated with aliens and the stuff of fantasy, it is a human story, a sad story, an uplifting story, and a call for the rise of heroes in a time of need --- however gray and unheroic their actions may sometimes be.