Christopher Ruocchio has done it. It wasn’t enough that he was writing the premier science fiction series currently going, with three prior volumes of exceptional quality. He had to go and absolutely blow up his own trajectory. KINGDOMS OF DEATH, book four in his Sun Eater saga, is miles ahead of the releases that came before. And that’s saying something as those other works were incredible achievements of quality. This? It is a giant amongst lesser entries.

KINGDOMS OF DEATH finds our hero, Hadrian, shackled by his own fame and legend. Approximately 200 years has elapsed between the beginning of this novel and the conclusion of DEMON IN WHITE. The alien Cielcin continue to flood the realms of humanity, overtaking swaths of the galaxy. Syriani Dorayaica has inspired and united the Cielcin, sharpening their army into a force of never-before-seen precision and cunning. Thus Hadrian is tasked by the Emperor with turning aside the tide and saving humanity from their losing battle.

"KINGDOMS OF DEATH, book four in [Ruocchio's] Sun Eater saga, is miles ahead of the releases that came before. And that’s saying something as those other works were incredible achievements of quality."

Hadrian is sent to the Lothrian Commonwealth, a place we have been told about but now get to see firsthand. It makes Orwell’s 1984 seem like a walk on the beach under sunny skies and rainbows. His task is to convince them that it is worth their while to join the Sollan Empire in their war against the Cielcin. Hadrian’s desperation is beginning to show, and one wonders just how far he is willing to go --- and what he will sacrifice --- to save the whole of mankind.

Most writers have worldbuilding, but Ruocchio has more than that --- he has galaxy, heck, universe building. Worlds spread out across the galaxy are deftly crafted, wholly described and lived in, especially his expansive exploration of the Cielcin. There are no cookie-cutter societies or characters, and our villains are not just “the bad guys.” They are layered and have their own reasons for what they do, and now we get to see and understand. Learning more about Syriani makes the whole book worthwhile.

Set within the backdrop of these worlds, KINGDOMS OF DEATH is a brutal and foreboding installment, easily the darkest of the saga. Ruocchio leans in hard and is more than willing to bludgeon you with the darkness and despair that this story presents. Once he has hurt you, he decides to hit you again. And again. You will feel a pit in your stomach that continues to grow until you think it will consume you. But come the end, we are not left devoid of hope. And, of course, there are surprises. The final act is a thing of beauty.

KINGDOMS OF DEATH was initially a much larger book, but due to some issues in the publishing world, Ruocchio was forced to scale it back. The upside to losing half the story is that the fifth installment, ASHES OF MAN, will be dropping in December! And that is an exciting thing. Though split in two, it does not feel unduly incomplete, but rather a whole and well-rounded work. It is operatic science fantasy at its best.